Objectives: This present study was to evaluate the severity of scrub typhus in various age group in tertiary care centre of northern Bihar. Methods: ELISA for IgM antibody was performed to detect Scrub Typhus IgM by following instructions. The antigen used to coat the wells was a recombinant 56-kDa type-specific antigen. The absorbance was read at 450 nm and an optical density of > 0.5 was considered positive. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also performed for scrub typhus. DNA was extracted from the whole blood, blood clot, or eschar material by the phenol–chloroform method, and was amplified to detect scrub typhus according to nested PCR protocol. The oligonucleotide primers used were based on the nucleotide sequences of a gene encoding for the 56-kDa antigen of a Gilliam strain of O. tsutsugamushi. The specific PCR products of size 484 base pairs were sequenced in a few representative samples to confirm the diagnosis. Results: A total of 50 scrub typhus patients with age group 18 to 60 years were enrolled. Most of the cases 30(60%) were in age group of 40-60 years. Most of the cases 18(36%) were males. Most of the common symptoms 47(94%) of scrub typhus was high grade fever with chills and rigor followed by 41(82%) shortness of breath, 17(34%) jaundice, 15(30%) abdominal pain, 13(26%) headache. Most common signs of scrub typhus were 29(58%) hepatomegaly followed by 21(42%) splenomegaly, 15(30%) hypotension, 14(28%) pneumonitis, 11(22%) pallor, 9(18%) eschar. thrombocytopenia was the most common laboratory findings of scrub typhus patients followed by 32(64%) increased SGOT/SGPT ratio, 23(46%) hyperbilirubinemia, 29(58%) anemia. Conclusions: Scrub typhus was more prone in middle age male population. High-grade fever with chills and rigor and shortness of breath, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were the most common symptom and sign of scrub typhus. Thrombocytopenia and SGPT/SGOT (≥ 2 times normal) were the most common laboratory findings of scrub typhus patients.

Objectives: This present study was to evaluate the severity of scrub typhus in various age group in tertiary care centre of northern Bihar. Methods: ELISA for IgM antibody was performed to detect Scrub Typhus IgM by following instructions. The antigen used to coat the wells was a recombinant 56-kDa type-specific antigen. The absorbance was read at 450 nm and an optical density of > 0.5 was considered positive. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also performed for scrub typhus. DNA was extracted from the whole blood, blood clot, or eschar material by the phenol–chloroform method, and was amplified to detect scrub typhus according to nested PCR protocol. The oligonucleotide primers used were based on the nucleotide sequences of a gene encoding for the 56-kDa antigen of a Gilliam strain of O. tsutsugamushi. The specific PCR products of size 484 base pairs were sequenced in a few representative samples to confirm the diagnosis. Results: A total of 50 scrub typhus patients with age group 18 to 60 years were enrolled. Most of the cases 30(60%) were in age group of 40-60 years. Most of the cases 18(36%) were males. Most of the common symptoms 47(94%) of scrub typhus was high grade fever with chills and rigor followed by 41(82%) shortness of breath, 17(34%) jaundice, 15(30%) abdominal pain, 13(26%) headache. Most common signs of scrub typhus were 29(58%) hepatomegaly followed by 21(42%) splenomegaly, 15(30%) hypotension, 14(28%) pneumonitis, 11(22%) pallor, 9(18%) eschar. thrombocytopenia was the most common laboratory findings of scrub typhus patients followed by 32(64%) increased SGOT/SGPT ratio, 23(46%) hyperbilirubinemia, 29(58%) anemia. Conclusions: Scrub typhus was more prone in middle age male population. High-grade fever with chills and rigor and shortness of breath, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were the most common symptom and sign of scrub typhus. Thrombocytopenia and SGPT/SGOT (≥ 2 times normal) were the most common laboratory findings of scrub typhus patients.