Scrub Typhus: A Follow-up Study
Authors: KENDALL A. ELSOM
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1961)

Article1 November 1961Scrub Typhus: A Follow-up StudyKENDALL A. ELSOM, M.D., F.A.C.P., GILBERT W. BEEBE, PH.D., JOHN J. SAYEN, M.D., F.A.C.P., HAROLD G. SCHEIE, M.D., GEORGE D. GAMMON, M.D., F.A.C.P., FRANCIS C. WOOD, M.D., F.A.C.P.KENDALL A. ELSOM, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, GILBERT W. BEEBE, PH.D.Search for more papers by this author, JOHN J. SAYEN, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, HAROLD G. SCHEIE, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, GEORGE D. GAMMON, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this author, FRANCIS C. WOOD, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-55-5-784 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptScrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused byRickettsia tsutsugamushi. It occurs widely throughout the southern Pacific islands and in southern Asia, especially in the southwest Pacific and in southeast Asia. The causative agent is transmitted by the bite of an infected mite. The disease is characterized by an eschar at the site of entrance of the infecting agent, an early generalized skin rash and, if unmodified by therapy, a prolonged high fever and evidence of widespread tissue damage. The most serious manifestations are myocarditis, meningoencephalitis, and pneumonitis. The untreated disease runs an acute and often severe course, with...References1. SMADELWOODWARDLEYLEWTHWAITE JETEHLR: Chloramphenicol (chloromycetin) in the treatment of tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus). J. Clin. Invest. 28: 1196, 1949. CrossrefGoogle Scholar2. SMADEL JE: Scrub typhus, in A Textbook of Medicine, 9th Ed., ed. by Cecil, R. L. and Loeb, R. F., W. B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, p. 103. Google Scholar3. Tables of incidence and deaths from infectious and parasitic diseases in the U. S. Army during World War II. Department of the Army, Office of the Surgeon General, Medical Statistics Division, 1954. Google Scholar4. SAYENPONDFORRESTERWOOD JJHSJSFC: Scrub typhus in Assam and Burma, a clinical study of 616 cases. Medicine 25: 155, 1946. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. BERRYJOHNSONWARSHAUER MGASSE: Tsutsugamushi fever; clinical observation in 195 cases. War Med. 7: 71, 1945. Google Scholar6. LEVINE HD: Cardiac complications of tsutsugamushi fever (scrub typhus): investigation of their persistency. War Med. 7: 76, 1945. Google Scholar7. SOKOLOWGARLAND MLH: Cardiovascular disturbances in tsutsugamushi disease. U. S. Nav. Med. Bull. 45: 1054, 1945. MedlineGoogle Scholar8. NOADHAYMAKER KBW: Neurological features of tsutsugamushi fever, with special reference to deafness. Brain 16: 113, 1953. CrossrefGoogle Scholar9. COHEN BM: Pilot study of record follow-up methods. Amer. J. Public Health 43: 1292, 1953. CrossrefGoogle Scholar10. COHENCOOPER BMMZ: A follow-up study of World War II prisoners of war, in Veterans Administration Medical Monograph, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1954. Google Scholar11. BRILLBEEBE NQGW: A Follow-up Study of War Neuroses, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1956. Google Scholar12. Merrill's Marauders, U. S. War Department, Military Intelligence Division, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1945. Google Scholar13. SCHEIE HG: Ocular changes in scrub typhus: study of 451 patients. Trans. Amer. Ophthal. Soc. 45: 637, 1947. MedlineGoogle Scholar14. CHAMBERLAIN WP: Ocular findings in scrub typhus. Arch. Ophthal. 48: 313, 1952. CrossrefGoogle Scholar15. MACASKILL J: Some ocular complications of scrub typhus. Brit. J. Ophthal. 29: 537, 1945. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar16. DONEGAN EA: Ocular findings in tropical typhus (tsutsugamushi or Japanese river fever). Brit. J. Ophthal. 30: 11: 1946. CrossrefGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaFrom the University of Pennsylvania Diagnostic Clinic, Philadelphia, Pa., and the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Division of Medical Sciences, Follow-up Agency, Washington, D. C.This investigation was carried out under contracts with the United States Army Medical Research and Development Command, Office of the Surgeon General, Department of the Army. It is part of a program of studies developed by the Committee on Veterans Medical Problems with the support of the Veterans Administration, the Armed Forces, and the U. S. Public Health Service.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Gilbert W. Beebe, Ph.D., National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Division of Medical Sciences, Follow-up Agency, Washington, D. C. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByEvaluation of the Diagnostic Accuracy of Antibody Assays for Patients with Scrub TyphusScrub Typhus Meningitis or MeningoencephalitisScrub typhus and rickettsial diseases in international travelers: A reviewDevelopment of a real-time PCR assay for the diagnosis of scrub typhus cases in India and evidence of the prevalence of new genotype of O. tsutsugamushiSignes cutanés des rickettsies et micro-organismes apparentésScrub typhus infections poorly responsive to antibiotics in northern ThailandTsutsugamushifieberPotential Medical Problems in Personnel Returning from VietnamDAVID N. GILBERT, WILLIAM L. MOORE JR., CHARLES L. HEDBERG, JAY P. SANFORD, M.D., F.A.C.P. 1 November 1961Volume 55, Issue 5Page: 784-795KeywordsMedical servicesMeningoencephalitisMitesMyocarditisPneumonitisRashesRickettsiaSkin infectionsSurgeonsTyphus Issue Published: 1 November 1961 PDF DownloadLoading ...