[Scrub typhus--one case report].

Scrub typhus (tsutsugamushi disease) is an acute infectious disease caused by Rickettsia tsutsugamushi transmitted through the bite of larvae of certain trombiculid mites. Geographical distribution in Asian-Pacific region is much of the roughly triangular area bounded by Japan, Pakistan and Australia. It is an endemic illness in the Pescadores Islands, but has scarcely been reported in central Taiwan. An eleven-year-old boy was admitted to Changhua Christian Hospital with the chief complaints of fever, lethargy and skin rash for seven days. On physical examination, he was found to have painless eschar, conjunctivitis, meningoencephalitis, pneumonitis, ascites, jaundice, hepatomegaly, liver function impairment and thrombocytopenia. His Proteus OX-K agglutinin titer increased from 1:160 in the acute sera to 1:640 in the convalescent sera. A greater than four-fold rise (greater than 1:640) in antibody titers to Karp, Gilliam, Kato strains of R. tsutsugamushi between acute and convalescent sera were demonstrated by immunofluorescent antibody. The patient was treated with minocycline and chloramphenicol and was completely recovered.