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D'Cruz S, Sreedevi K, Lynette C, Gunasekaran K, Prakash JAJ. Climate influences scrub typhus occurrence in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India: analysis of a 15-year dataset. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1532. [PMID: 38233417 PMCID: PMC10794692 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49333-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Climate is one of the major factors determining the prevalence and seasonality of vector borne diseases like scrub typhus (ST). We analyzed, the association of the meteorological factors like temperature, rainfall and humidity with scrub typhus using the 15 years scrub typhus data from a tertiary care hospital in Vellore, South India. Demographic data of permanent residents of Vellore, who had IgM ELISA results for scrub typhus for the time period of May 2005 to April 2020 were included. Meteorological data was correlated with the monthly scrub typhus cases; negative binomial regression model was used to predict the relation between scrub typhus occurrence and climate factors. Maximum number of ST cases were reported between the months August and February with October recording the highest number of cases. Elderly people, farmers, agricultural workers and housewives were at higher risk for scrub typhus. For an increase of 1 °C in mean temperature, the monthly ST cases reduced by 18.8% (95% CI - 24.1, - 13.2%). On the contrary, for 1 percent increase in mean relative humidity (RH), there is an increase of 7.6% (95% CI 5.4, 9.9%) of monthly ST cases. Similarly, an increase of 1 mm of rainfall contributed to 0.5 to 0.7% of monthly ST cases (after 2 months) depending on the variables included in the analysis. This study provides information that meteorological factors influence ST occurrence in Vellore. The rise of scrub typhus cases is maximal 2 months post rainfall. Whereas a rise in relative humidity, causes a rise in scrub typhus cases in same month, while rise in temperature has a negative impact on scrub typhus during the same month. These findings based on a retrospective analysis need validation by prospective studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solomon D'Cruz
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Kotamreddy Sreedevi
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Cheryl Lynette
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
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Pradeep J, Anitharaj V, Sangeetha B. Human rickettsial infections in India - A review. J Vector Borne Dis 2024; 61:5-22. [PMID: 38648402 DOI: 10.4103/0972-9062.392255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Rickettsial infections are emerging and/or re-emerging disease that poses a serious global threat to humans and animals. Transmission to humans and animals is through the bite of the ectoparasites including ticks, fleas and chigger mites. Most of the rickettsial diseases are endemic in India, but underdiagnosed. This review is aimed at analyzing the prevalence of rickettsiosis in India and the advancement of rickettsial diagnosis. We have conducted a systematic review on the prevalence of rickettsial disease in India ranging from 1.3% to 46.6% for spotted fever, 2.4% to 77.8% for scrub typhus and 1% to 46.4% for Q fever, based on the literature published with the evidence of isolation, serological, and molecular diagnostics. Search engines Medline/PubMed, Science Direct, ProQuest, and EBSCO were used to retrieve the articles from electronic databases by using appropriate keywords to track the emergence of these rickettsial diseases in India for the period of 1865 to till date. We retrieved 153 published rickettsial articles on hospital-based studies from India that were purely made on the basis of prevalence and the laboratory parameters viz., Weil-Felix test (WF) and Rapid Immunochromatographic tests (RICT) with reference to the gold standard IFA and ELISA. More epidemiological studies are required for epidemic typhus to know the exact prevalence status of this louse-borne rickettsiosis in India. Currently, there is no confirmed specific inflammatory marker for rickettsial diseases. Moreover, serological cross-reactivity is an important aspect, and it should be investigated in endemic areas, there is also a need to include molecular diagnostic techniques for further confirmation in healthcare settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pradeep
- Department of Microbiology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical Advanced Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-be-University), Puducherry, India
| | - V Anitharaj
- Department of Microbiology, Panimalar Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, India
| | - B Sangeetha
- Block Technology Manager, Department of Agriculture, Government of Puducherry, Karaikal, Puducherry, India
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Gupta N, Boodman C, Jouego CG, Van Den Broucke S. Doxycycline vs azithromycin in patients with scrub typhus: a systematic review of literature and meta-analysis. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:884. [PMID: 38110855 PMCID: PMC10726538 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08893-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Scrub typhus is a bacterial mite-borne disease associated with poor clinical outcomes if not treated adequately. The study aimed to compare the time to defervescence, clinical failure, mortality and treatment-related adverse effects of two common drugs (doxycycline and azithromycin) used for its treatment. METHODOLOGY This was a systematic review and meta-analysis. All studies up to 20.03.2023 were screened for eligibility in Pubmed and Embase using a search string containing terms related to scrub typhus, doxycycline and azithromycin. After two phases of screening, all comparative studies where doxycycline and azithromycin were used to treat scrub typhus were included. The studies were critically appraised using standardised tools, and a meta-analysis was performed for time to defervescence (primary outcome), clinical failure, mortality and treatment-related adverse effects. RESULTS Of 744 articles from two databases, ten were included in the meta-analysis. All but two studies had a high risk of bias. The meta-analysis for time to defervescence had a high heterogeneity and did not show any significant difference between doxycycline and azithromycin arms [Mean difference of -3.37 hours (95%CI: -10.31 to 3.57), p=0.34]. When the analysis was restricted to studies that included only severe scrub typhus, doxycycline was found to have a shorter time to defervescence [mean difference of -10.15 (95%CI: -19.83 to -0.46) hours, p=0.04]. Additionally, there was no difference between the two arms concerning clinical failure, mortality and treatment-related adverse effects. CONCLUSION The current data from studies with a high risk of bias did not find statistically significant differences in clinical outcomes between doxycycline and azithromycin for scrub typhus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitin Gupta
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Carl Boodman
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Christelle Genevieve Jouego
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium
- Molecular Diagnostic and Research Group, University of Yaoundé, 11864, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Steven Van Den Broucke
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
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Satapathy P, Goel K, Sharma V, Sarkar S, Kang M, Dhingra S, Bora I, Kaur K, Arora N, Aggarwal A, Ratho RK. Outbreak investigation of acute febrile illness from the Himalayan foothills: Solving the puzzle of fever. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1159377. [PMID: 37954851 PMCID: PMC10637397 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1159377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In September 2022, Panchkula Civil Hospital reported an outbreak of acute febrile illness (AFI) in Pinjore, located in the Himalayan foothills, Haryana, North India. There was an upsurge of fever cases. Blood samples were taken from suspected patients (n = 58) with AFI and subjected to serology of dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, leptospira and scrub typhus. The samples were also screened for West Nile & Zika virus RNA using real-time PCR. Viral strains were characterized by sequencing. Of the 58 cases of AFI, Dengue could be identified in 45 (77.58%) followed by JE and Chikungunya in 2 cases each (3.44%), respectively. Among Dengue positive cases, 44 had monoinfection (97.77%) and 1 patient had dengue and JE. None were positive for Zika, West Nile, Scrub typhus, and Leptospira with the testing protocol. Four patients developed dengue with warning signs, such as abdominal pain in one patient and recurrent vomiting in the remaining three. The dengue serotype could be determined in 17 samples and revealed serotype 2. Molecular evolution analysis based on the complete envelope gene revealed that all DENV-2 strains (n = 13) circulated in the outbreak area belonged to the DENV-2 cosmopoliton genotype. In the early stages of infection, relying only on clinical manifestations is ineffective, so both molecular and serological assays along with clinical diagnosis are noteworthy for determining the aetiology of AFI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakasini Satapathy
- Department of Virology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Kapil Goel
- Department of Community Medicine & SPH, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
| | - Vikrant Sharma
- Department of Virology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Subhabrata Sarkar
- Department of Virology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Mannat Kang
- Department of Virology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Shefali Dhingra
- Department of Virology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Ishani Bora
- Department of Virology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Kanwalpreet Kaur
- Department of Virology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Arun Aggarwal
- Department of Community Medicine & SPH, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
| | - Radha Kanta Ratho
- Department of Virology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
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Dev A, Kumar A, Kumar S, Gunjan G, Singh S, Arun N. Clinical and Etiological Profile of Acute Undifferentiated Fever With Thrombocytopenia in an Emergency Department. Cureus 2023; 15:e44719. [PMID: 37809143 PMCID: PMC10552881 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.44719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Acute undifferentiated fever with thrombocytopenia is a common and challenging clinical presentation encountered in the emergency departments of tertiary care centers, particularly in tropical regions, often requiring prompt evaluation and management. The study aimed to explore the clinical and etiological profile of acute undifferentiated fever with thrombocytopenia in the Emergency Department of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna. It investigates factors associated with patient outcomes and compares platelet transfusion requirements among different etiological groups. METHODS In this cross-sectional observational study, 350 patients with acute undifferentiated fever with thrombocytopenia were analyzed for one year from October '21 to September '22. Pre-existing chronic infectious diseases, liver cirrhosis, and autoimmune conditions were excluded. RESULTS Thrombocytopenia was observed in all patients, with 65% having platelet counts below 50,000/µL. Associations were found between the degree of thrombocytopenia and organ dysfunction, shock, and third space loss. Logistic regression analysis identified thrombocytopenia, organ dysfunction, and platelet transfusion requirement as significant predictors of the overall outcome. Etiological group comparisons revealed higher platelet transfusion requirements in the bacterial group. CONCLUSION Prompt recognition and management of thrombocytopenia in acute undifferentiated fever are vital. Thrombocytopenia, along with organ dysfunction and shock, significantly influence patient outcomes. Tailored interventions based on etiological factors are crucial. Further research should focus on specific viral aetiologies in acute undifferentiated fever with thrombocytopenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand Dev
- Emergency Medicine, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Abhay Kumar
- Internal Medicine, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Santosh Kumar
- Emergency Medicine, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Gagan Gunjan
- Internal Medicine, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, IND
| | - Siddharth Singh
- Emergency Medicine, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, IND
| | - Nitali Arun
- Infectious Diseases, Radha Devi Jageshwari Memorial Medical College, Muzaffarpur, IND
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Eneku W, Erima B, Byaruhanga AM, Atim G, Tugume T, Ukuli QA, Kibuuka H, Mworozi E, Douglas C, Koehler JW, Cleary NG, von Fricken ME, Tweyongyere R, Wabwire-Mangen F, Byarugaba DK. Wide distribution of Mediterranean and African spotted fever agents and the first identification of Israeli spotted fever agent in ticks in Uganda. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011273. [PMID: 37498943 PMCID: PMC10409254 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Rickettsia microorganisms are causative agents of several neglected emerging infectious diseases in humans transmitted by arthropods including ticks. In this study, ticks were collected from four geographical regions of Uganda and pooled in sizes of 1-179 ticks based on location, tick species, life stage, host, and time of collection. Then, they were tested by real-time PCR for Rickettsia species with primers targeting gltA, 17kDa and ompA genes, followed by Sanger sequencing of the 17kDa and ompA genes. Of the 471 tick pools tested, 116 (24.6%) were positive for Rickettsia spp. by the gltA primers. The prevalence of Rickettsia varied by district with Gulu recording the highest (30.1%) followed by Luwero (28.1%) and Kasese had the lowest (14%). Tick pools from livestock (cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs) had the highest positivity rate, 26.9%, followed by vegetation, 23.1%, and pets (dogs and cats), 19.7%. Of 116 gltA-positive tick pools, 86 pools were positive using 17kDa primers of which 48 purified PCR products were successfully sequenced. The predominant Rickettsia spp. identified was R. africae (n = 15) in four tick species, followed by R. conorii (n = 5) in three tick species (Haemaphysalis elliptica, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, and Rh. decoloratus). Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis was detected in one tick pool. These findings indicate that multiple Rickettsia spp. capable of causing human illness are circulating in the four diverse geographical regions of Uganda including new strains previously known to occur in the Mediterranean region. Physicians should be informed about Rickettsia spp. as potential causes of acute febrile illnesses in these regions. Continued and expanded surveillance is essential to further identify and locate potential hotspots with Rickettsia spp. of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilfred Eneku
- Makerere University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kampala, Uganda
- Makerere University Walter Reed Project, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Bernard Erima
- Makerere University Walter Reed Project, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Gladys Atim
- Makerere University Walter Reed Project, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Titus Tugume
- Makerere University Walter Reed Project, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Hannah Kibuuka
- Makerere University Walter Reed Project, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Edison Mworozi
- Makerere University, College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Christina Douglas
- Diagnostic Systems Division, USAMRIID, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey W. Koehler
- Diagnostic Systems Division, USAMRIID, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Nora G. Cleary
- Global and Community Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Michael E. von Fricken
- Global and Community Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | | | - Fred Wabwire-Mangen
- Makerere University Walter Reed Project, Kampala, Uganda
- Makerere University, School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Denis Karuhize Byarugaba
- Makerere University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kampala, Uganda
- Makerere University Walter Reed Project, Kampala, Uganda
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Deglurkar R, Thangavel NP, Murugesan A, Plakkal N. Scrub typhus due to vertical transmission in a neonate: rare presentation of a common tropical infection. BMJ Case Rep 2023; 16:e253172. [PMID: 37316285 PMCID: PMC10277054 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2022-253172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Vertical transmission as a route of infection has been well reported in many viral infections. Scrub typhus is a zoonotic disease transmitted by ticks which has had a resurgence in recent times in several tropical countries. It affects all age groups including neonates. Reports of neonates affected with scrub typhus are few, and vertical transmission is rare. We report a case, where a newborn was symptomatic with signs of infection within the first 72 hours of life and Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative organism was confirmed by PCR in both mother and baby.
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Affiliation(s)
- Revati Deglurkar
- Department of Neonatology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, JIPMER, Puducherry, India
| | - Nanmaaran Periyannan Thangavel
- Department of Paediatrics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, JIPMER, Puducherry, India
| | - Ambalakkuthan Murugesan
- Department of Neonatology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, JIPMER, Puducherry, India
| | - Nishad Plakkal
- Department of Neonatology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, JIPMER, Puducherry, India
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Mørch K, Manoharan A, Chandy S, Singh A, Kuriakose C, Patil S, Henry A, Chacko N, Alvarez-Uria G, Nesaraj J, Blomberg B, Kurian S, Haanshuus CG, Antony GV, Langeland N, Mathai D. Clinical features and risk factors for death in acute undifferentiated fever: A prospective observational study in rural community hospitals in six states of India. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2023; 117:91-101. [PMID: 36130240 PMCID: PMC9890314 DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trac091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute undifferentiated fever (AUF) ranges from self-limiting illness to life-threatening infections, such as sepsis, malaria, dengue, leptospirosis and rickettsioses. Similar clinical presentation challenges the clinical management. This study describes risk factors for death in patients hospitalized with AUF in India. METHODS Patients aged ≥5 y admitted with fever for 2-14 d without localizing signs were included in a prospective observational study at seven hospitals in India during 2011-2012. Predictors identified by univariate analysis were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression for survival analysis. RESULTS Mortality was 2.4% (37/1521) and 46.9% (15/32) died within 2 d. History of heart disease (p=0.013), steroid use (p=0.011), altered consciousness (p<0.0001), bleeding (p<0.0001), oliguria (p=0.020) and breathlessness (p=0.015) were predictors of death, as were reduced Glasgow coma score (p=0.005), low urinary output (p=0.004), abnormal breathing (p=0.006), abdominal tenderness (p=0.023), leucocytosis (p<0.0001) and thrombocytopenia (p=0.001) at admission. Etiology was identified in 48.6% (18/37) of fatal cases. CONCLUSIONS Bleeding, cerebral dysfunction, respiratory failure and oliguria at admission, suggestive of severe organ failure secondary to systemic infection, were predictors of death. Almost half of the patients who died, died shortly after admission, which, together with organ failure, suggests that delay in hospitalization and, consequently, delayed treatment, contribute to death from AUF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Mørch
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Tropical Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - Anand Manoharan
- Infectious Diseases Training and Research Centre, Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, 632004, Vellore, India
| | - Sara Chandy
- Infectious Diseases Training and Research Centre, Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, 632004, Vellore, India
| | - Ashita Singh
- Baptist Christian Hospital, 784001, Tezpur, Assam, India
| | - Cijoy Kuriakose
- Christian Fellowship Hospital, 624619, Oddanchatram, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Suvarna Patil
- B.K.L. Walawalkar Hospital, 415612, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India
| | - Anil Henry
- Christian Hospital, Mungeli, 495001, Chhattisgarh, India
| | | | | | - Joel Nesaraj
- Bethesda Hospital, 635802, Ambur, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Bjørn Blomberg
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Tropical Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - Siby Kurian
- Infectious Diseases Training and Research Centre, Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, 632004, Vellore, India
| | - Christel Gill Haanshuus
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Tropical Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - George Vasanthan Antony
- Infectious Diseases Training and Research Centre, Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, 632004, Vellore, India
| | - Nina Langeland
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Tropical Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021, Bergen, Norway
| | - Dilip Mathai
- Infectious Diseases Training and Research Centre, Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, 632004, Vellore, India
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Abstract
Scrub typhus is a common bacterial infection in Asia caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. This serological cohort study estimated the incidence of infection in a rural population in South India. Participants were enrolled through systematic sampling in 46 villages at baseline, and revisited the following year. Blood samples were tested for IgG antibodies using ELISA, followed by indirect immunofluorescence assays (IFA) in those positive for ELISA at both rounds. A case was defined as sero-conversion (ELISA), or at least a 4-fold titre increase (IFA), between the two time points. In addition to crude incidence rate estimates, we used piecewise linear rates across calendar months, with rates proportional to the monthly incidence of local hospital cases to address seasonality and unequal follow-up times. Of 402 participants, 61.7% were female. The mean age was 46.7 years, (range 13–88). 21 participants showed evidence for serological infection. The estimated incidence was 4.4 per 100 person-years (95% CI 2.8–6.7). The piecewise linear rates approach resulted in a similar estimate of 4.6 per 100 person years (95% CI 2.9–6.9). Considering previous estimates of symptomatic scrub typhus incidence in the same study population, only about 2–5% of infections may result in clinically relevant disease.
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Lallawmkima I, Vanlalruati RSC, Chongthu JL, Renthlei L. Scrub Typhus with Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome and Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report. INFECTIOUS DISEASES & CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY 2022; 4:133-136. [PMID: 38633345 PMCID: PMC10986586 DOI: 10.36519/idcm.2022.95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Scrub typhus is a mite-borne infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, a gram-negative intracellular bacterium. It is a severe public health problem that affects mainly Asia-Pacific areas. Scrub typhus threatens one billion people and causes illness worldwide each year. Approximately one-third of the cases may suffer from multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) during the disease course. Thrombocytopenia is another critical clinical manifestation of scrub typhus, and thrombocytopenia is one of the causes of MODS. Scrub typhus is rare and hard to diagnose and treat. Given the close similarity in the clinical presentation of several tropical illnesses, a meticulous history and detailed physical examination need to be emphasized. In this study, we reported a case of scrub typhus with thrombocytopenia and MODS, which is only the third case worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - RSC Vanlalruati
- Department of Microbiology, Civil Hospital Lunglei, Mizoram, India
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Chowdhary PK, Agrawal RK, Kumar S, Kale SA, Kumar V. Rare and Unusual Presentation as Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura in Scrub Typhus Complicated by Meningitis and Acute Kidney Injury. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022; 26:748-751. [PMID: 35836632 PMCID: PMC9237149 DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10071-24256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Scrub typhus is a known etiology of acute febrile illness in tropical regions such as Asia–Pacific. Several such reports are from the Indian subcontinent with manifestations such as non-specific febrile illness or multiorgan dysfunction [Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), myocarditis, hepatitis, acute kidney injury, or meningoencephalitis]. We came across a case with a presentation as immune thrombocytopenic purpura complicated by meningitis and acute kidney injury secondary to scrub typhus. This combination of presentation is rare and demands meticulous clinical examination and targeted management toward scrub typhus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prawash Kumar Chowdhary
- Department of Nephrology, Ramkrishna Care Hospital, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
- Prawash Kumar Chowdhary, Department of Nephrology, Ramkrishna Care Hospital, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India, Phone: +91 7389399937, e-mail:
| | - Rakesh Kumar Agrawal
- Department of Critical Care, Ramkrishna Care Hospital, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Sanjeev Kumar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ramkrishna Care Hospital, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Sanjeev Anant Kale
- Department of Nephrology, Ramkrishna Care Hospital, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Vishal Kumar
- Department of Critical Care, Ramkrishna Care Hospital, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
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Joseph JV, Madhiyazhagan M, Roshan R, Dhanapal SG, Arul S, Abhilash KPP. Factors Affecting the Time to First Dose Antibiotic in Sepsis in Acute Emergency. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021; 25:1155-1160. [PMID: 34916748 PMCID: PMC8645811 DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10071-23994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Surviving Sepsis Campaign recommends the administration of antibiotics within 1 hour of triage time in sepsis patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors affecting the time to first dose antibiotics in sepsis patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Methods We conducted a prospective observational study on factors affecting the time to first dose antibiotics in patients with sepsis presenting to the ED over a period of 7 months (July 2019 to January 2020). The purpose of this study was to determine the factors affecting the time to first dose antibiotics in sepsis patients. Results During the study period, a total of 410 patients with a mean age of 51.6 years were presented to the ED with sepsis. Majority was triaged to priority 1 (84.8%). The median door to antibiotic time was 50 minutes (IQR, 40–90). Two-thirds (68%) of the patients (279) received antibiotics within 60 minutes. The blood culture positivity rate was 22.9%, and the contamination rate was 6%. The most common factors for the delay were atypical presentation (36.6%) and unknown focus of infection (36.6%). Triage to non-acute areas of the ED (priority 2) was associated with delayed antibiotic administration [odds ratio (OR), 7.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 4.03–13.36; p-value <0.001]. Patients presented with cellulitis and necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI) had received antibiotics within an hour compared to other diagnoses (18.3 vs 8.4%; OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.2–4.9; p = 0.009). Conclusion Two-thirds of our patients received their first dose of antibiotics within an hour of presentation to the ED. Triage to lower priorities was an independent risk factor for delay in first-dose antibiotic administration, and patients presented with an obvious focus of infections like cellulitis and NSTI received their first dose of antibiotic much earlier when compared to other diagnoses. How to cite this article Joseph JV, Madhiyazhagan M, Roshan R, Dhanapal SG, Arul S, Abhilash KPP. Factors Affecting the Time to First Dose Antibiotic in Sepsis in Acute Emergency. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(10):1155–1160.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Vijay Joseph
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Mamta Madhiyazhagan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Ramgopal Roshan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | - Sivanandan Arul
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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Barnabas R, Abhilash K, Varghese GM, Shubanker M, Ramya I, Prakash J. Prospective study to assess the treatment modalities and fever defervescence in patients with scrub typhus from a tertiary care centre in South India. J Vector Borne Dis 2021; 58:33-38. [PMID: 34818861 DOI: 10.4103/0972-9062.321748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Fever defervescence in scrub typhus, a zoonotic bacterial infection is used as a surrogate marker of disease resolution. Failure of fever defervescence prompts clinicians to suspect alternate diagnoses and treatment. In this observational study, various treatment regimens were correlated with clinical outcomes. METHODS All adult patients with a diagnosed scrub typhus were included; various antibiotic regimens used and clinical outcomes were studied. Data was analyzed using SPSS software for windows 16, with a 2-sided P-value of 0.05 or less was considered statistically significant. RESULTS In 177 hospitalized patients with scrub typhus, combination therapy (doxycycline and azithromycin) was used in 74 subjects with doxycycline and azithromycin used in 46 and 57 subjects, respectively. Incidence of delayed defervescence was seen in 31.6%, Combination therapy being preferred in sicker patients (SOFA score 8.82). Presence of respiratory dysfunction was associated with a delay in fever defervescence [risk ratio 2.50(1.18-5.3)]. Patients receiving doxycycline did better in terms of oxygen requirement and the presence of hypotension. The overall case fatality rate was 5.6%. The severity of illness rather than the choice of antibiotics predicted the outcome in scrub typhus. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION Combination therapy with doxycycline and azithromycin is the most common regimen used. Incidence of delayed defervescence (31.6%) is increasing despite therapy and the involvement of respiratory dysfunction is an independent predictor of delayed fever defervescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Barnabas
- Department of General Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Kpp Abhilash
- Department of General Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - George M Varghese
- Department of Infectious Disease, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - M Shubanker
- Department of General Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - I Ramya
- Department of General Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Jaj Prakash
- Department of Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
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Srinivasan M, Sindhu KN, Ramanujam K, Ramasamy RK, Subramaniam S, Ganesan SK, Vajja S, David AS, Lankala P, Rose W, Moses PD, Grassly NC, Kang G, John J. Factors Predicting Blood Culture Positivity in Children With Enteric Fever. J Infect Dis 2021; 224:S484-S493. [PMID: 35238358 PMCID: PMC8892536 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Blood culture, despite low sensitivity, is the gold standard for enteric fever diagnosis. Understanding predictors of blood culture positivity may help design strategies to optimize enteric fever diagnosis. METHODS A cohort of 6760 children aged 0.5-15 years was followed for 3 years for enteric fever with blood cultures in an automated system, for fevers >3 days. Factors affecting test positivity in fevers and participant-level predictors for culture refusals were analyzed using regression models. RESULTS Overall, 6097 suspected typhoid/paratyphoid fever (STF) episodes were reported, of which 5703 (93.5%) STFs had sampling for blood cultures, with 394 (6.5%) refusals. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi/Paratyphi positivity was culture-confirmed in 3.8% (218/5703) of STF episodes. Older children (odds ratio [OR], 1.96 [95% CI, 1.39-2.77]), larger blood volume inoculated (OR, 2.82 [95% CI, 1.71-4.66]), higher temperatures during fever (OR, 3.77 [95% CI, 2.89-4.91]), and fevers diagnosed as suspected typhoid or acute undifferentiated fever (OR, 6.06 [95% CI, 3.11-11.78]) had a higher probability of culture positivity. Antibiotics before culture did not decrease culture positivity. Blood culture refusals were higher for children from wealthier households or with milder illness. CONCLUSIONS Performing blood cultures in older children with fever, especially those fevers with toxic presentation and increasing blood volume for inoculation are strategies to improve enteric fever detection in surveillance settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manikandan Srinivasan
- Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | | | - Karthikeyan Ramanujam
- Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Ranjith Kumar Ramasamy
- Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Sathyapriya Subramaniam
- Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Santhosh Kumar Ganesan
- Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Swathi Vajja
- Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Anita Shirley David
- Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Pramitha Lankala
- Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Winsley Rose
- Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Prabhakar D Moses
- Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Nicholas C Grassly
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gagandeep Kang
- Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences, Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Jacob John
- Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India,Correspondence: Jacob John, MD, PhD, Department of Community Health, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632 004, India ()
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Dhodapkar R, M M, Thangavelu K, Sivaradjy M, Veerappan K, Gunalan A. Epstein-Barr Virus: An Infrequent Pathogen of Acute Undifferentiated Febrile Illness From a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern India. Cureus 2021; 13:e18207. [PMID: 34722023 PMCID: PMC8544617 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.18207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Context: Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) is characterized by a sudden onset of raised body temperature and is a common cause of hospital admission though not recognized as a disease state by the World Health Organization. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is reported to account for a significant occurrence of AUFI cases. Aim: To know the role of EBV infection as a cause of acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI). Settings and design: We have used the combination of EBV serological assays to establish the role of the Epstein-Barr virus as the cause of acute undifferentiated febrile illness. Methods and material: A total of 721 suspected cases of acute undifferentiated febrile illness which were tested negative for other common causes of acute febrile illness were selected for the study. Serum samples collected from these cases were tested for the presence of the EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) IgM antibody. All positive serum samples were tested for the presence of EBV Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA) IgG. Statistical analysis used: Statistical analysis was performed with the help of Microsoft Excel software (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, USA). Results: Out of 721 suspected AUFI cases tested for EBV VCA IgM antibodies, 117 samples were positive and 604 were negative. All these 117 samples were tested for EBV EBNA IgG antibodies in which 88 were positive and 29 were negative. In our study, we found that around 4% (positive for VCA IgM and negative for EBNA IgG) of AUFI cases can be attributed to primary acute EBV infection. Conclusions: EBV infection should be considered particularly in AUFI cases of less than five years of age even in those who do not meet the typical presentation of fever, lymphadenopathy and sore throat. Our study should help to raise awareness regarding the possibility of EBV infection particularly in AUFI cases. A high index of suspicion and timely diagnosis will definitely help clinicians to avoid a battery of investigations and misuse of antibiotics in cases of AUFI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Dhodapkar
- Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, IND
| | - Mugunthan M
- Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, IND
| | - Kalpana Thangavelu
- Department of Microbiology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, IND
| | - Monika Sivaradjy
- Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, IND
| | - Kowsalya Veerappan
- Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, IND
| | - Anitha Gunalan
- Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, IND
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Saraswati K, Maguire BJ, McLean ARD, Singh-Phulgenda S, Ngu RC, Newton PN, Day NPJ, Guérin PJ. Systematic review of the scrub typhus treatment landscape: Assessing the feasibility of an individual participant-level data (IPD) platform. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009858. [PMID: 34648517 PMCID: PMC8547739 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by intracellular bacteria from the genus Orientia. It is estimated that one billion people are at risk, with one million cases annually mainly affecting rural areas in Asia-Oceania. Relative to its burden, scrub typhus is understudied, and treatment recommendations vary with poor evidence base. These knowledge gaps could be addressed by establishing an individual participant-level data (IPD) platform, which would enable pooled, more detailed and statistically powered analyses to be conducted. This study aims to assess the characteristics of scrub typhus treatment studies and explore the feasibility and potential value of developing a scrub typhus IPD platform to address unanswered research questions. Methodology/principal findings We conducted a systematic literature review looking for prospective scrub typhus clinical treatment studies published from 1998 to 2020. Six electronic databases (Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, Ovid Global Health, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Global Index Medicus), ClinicalTrials.gov, and WHO ICTRP were searched. We extracted data on study design, treatment tested, patient characteristics, diagnostic methods, geographical location, outcome measures, and statistical methodology. Among 3,100 articles screened, 127 were included in the analysis. 12,079 participants from 12 countries were enrolled in the identified studies. ELISA, PCR, and eschar presence were the most commonly used diagnostic methods. Doxycycline, azithromycin, and chloramphenicol were the most commonly administered antibiotics. Mortality, complications, adverse events, and clinical response were assessed in most studies. There was substantial heterogeneity in the diagnostic methods used, treatment administered (including dosing and duration), and outcome assessed across studies. There were few interventional studies and limited data collected on specific groups such as children and pregnant women. Conclusions/significance There were a limited number of interventional trials, highlighting that scrub typhus remains a neglected disease. The heterogeneous nature of the available data reflects the absence of consensus in treatment and research methodologies and poses a significant barrier to aggregating information across available published data without access to the underlying IPD. There is likely to be a substantial amount of data available to address knowledge gaps. Therefore, there is value for an IPD platform that will facilitate pooling and harmonisation of currently scattered data and enable in-depth investigation of priority research questions that can, ultimately, inform clinical practice and improve health outcomes for scrub typhus patients. Scrub typhus is a febrile illness most commonly found in rural tropical areas. It is caused by a Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the family Rickettsiaceae and transmitted by mites when they feed on vertebrates. There is an estimate of one million cases annually, with an estimated one billion people at risk, mostly in Asia-Oceania. But relative to the scale of the problem, scrub typhus is largely understudied. Evidence-based treatment recommendations by policymakers vary or are non-existent. We searched databases and registries for prospective scrub typhus clinical treatment studies published from 1998 to 2020 and reviewed them. Data from clinical trials and particularly for specific groups, such as pregnant women and children, were minimal. The methods used to measure treatment efficacy were heterogeneous, making it difficult to directly compare or conduct a meta-analysis based on aggregated data. One way to improve the current level of evidence would be by pooling and analysing individual participant-level data (IPD), i.e. the raw data from individual participants in completed studies. This review demonstrated that there is scope for developing a database for individual participant data to enable more detailed analyses. IPD meta-analyses could be a way to address knowledge gaps such as optimum dosing for children and pregnant women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kartika Saraswati
- Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit, Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), Oxford, United Kingdom
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (KS); (PJG)
| | - Brittany J. Maguire
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), Oxford, United Kingdom
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair R. D. McLean
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), Oxford, United Kingdom
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sauman Singh-Phulgenda
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), Oxford, United Kingdom
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Roland C. Ngu
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), Oxford, United Kingdom
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Paul N. Newton
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), Oxford, United Kingdom
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Lao-Oxford-Mahosot-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic
| | - Nicholas P. J. Day
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Philippe J. Guérin
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), Oxford, United Kingdom
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (KS); (PJG)
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Schmidt WP, Devamani CS, Elangovan D, Alexander N, Rose W, Prakash JAJ. Clinical characteristics of and antibody response to spotted fever group rickettsial infections in South India: Case series and serological cohort study. Trop Med Int Health 2021; 26:1616-1623. [PMID: 34597443 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The clinical and serological characteristics of spotted fever group rickettsial (SFGR) infections in South Asia are poorly understood. We studied the clinical presentation and the IgM/IgG response in cases enrolled at two health care centres in South India. METHOD We enrolled 77 patients. Fifty-seven of these patients were recruited at a tertiary care centre, the remaining 20 at a community hospital (secondary care level). Diagnostic tests included IgM and IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and polymerase chain reaction. Over a period of 1 year, 41 cases were followed up for repeated sero-analysis. RESULTS Median age was 9 years (range 1-79). A rash was present in 74% of cases (57/77). In cases aged <15 years, rash was present in 94% (44/47) vs. 43% (13/30) in cases aged ≥15 years. An eschar was found in two cases (3%). Severe infection or complications occurred in 10 cases (13%). These included central nervous system infection (6/77, 8%), kidney injury (3/77, 4%), shock (3/77, 4%), lung involvement (2/77, 3%) and peripheral gangrene (2/77, 3%). IgM antibody levels increased faster after fever onset than IgG antibodies, peaking at 50 and 60 days, respectively. After the peak, IgM and IgG levels showed a slow decline over one year with less than 50% of cases showing persistent IgG antibody levels. CONCLUSION Spotted fever group rickettsial infections in South India may be under-diagnosed, as many cases may not develop a rash. The proportion of cases developing severe infection seems lower than for scrub typhus in this region. IgG seroprevalence may substantially underestimate the proportion in a population with past SFGR infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolf-Peter Schmidt
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.,Department for Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Carol S Devamani
- Rural Unit for Health & Social Affairs, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Divyaa Elangovan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Neal Alexander
- MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Winsley Rose
- Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - John A J Prakash
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
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18
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D E, S P, K G, W R, V P V, Pp AK, Jaj P, Js D. Spotted fever diagnosis: Experience from a South Indian center. Pathog Glob Health 2021; 115:300-306. [PMID: 34493177 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2021.1934293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Spotted fever (SF) is an important treatable cause of acute febrile illness (AFI) with rash and has reemerged in India. A prospective AFI with rash study was undertaken at a South Indian hospital to correlate specific clinical findings with laboratory confirmation of spotted fever. During the study period (December 2017 to May 2019), 175 patients with fever and rash were suspected to have spotted fever. Molecular assays for scrub typhus and spotted fever (47 kDa and ompA qPCR) and serology (IgM ELISA) was performed on the 96 individuals recruited. Laboratory confirmed SF cases (ompA qPCR positive) were 21, whereas laboratory supported SF cases (ompA negative but sero-positive by SF IgM ELISA) were 27. Among the 48 spotted fever (SF) cases, 70% of had maculopapular rash, 12.5% had macular rash, purpuric/petechial rash (severe rash) was seen in 8 patients (16.7%). Presence of rash on the palms and soles was associated with a relative risk (RR) of 4.36 (95% CI: 2.67-7.10; p < 0.001). Our study suggests that ompA qPCR though useful for confirming the diagnosis of spotted fever is not always positive. A positive SF IgM ELISA in febrile individuals with palmo-plantar rash supports the diagnosis of spotted fever especially when other causes of febrile rash have been excluded. Multi-centric prospective studies employing the serological reference standard, IFA (immunofluorescence assay) in addition to the assays used in this study are needed to validate these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elangovan D
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Perumalla S
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Gunasekaran K
- Department of General Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Rose W
- Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Verghese V P
- Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Abhilash K Pp
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Prakash Jaj
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Dumler Js
- Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Mansoor T, Fomda BA, Koul AN, Bhat MA, Abdullah N, Bhattacharya S, Saleem SM. Rickettsial Infections among the Undifferentiated Febrile Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital of Northern India: A Longitudinal Study. Infect Chemother 2021; 53:96-106. [PMID: 34409783 PMCID: PMC8032907 DOI: 10.3947/ic.2020.0147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) is one of the most daunting challenges a physician faces in such settings. Among AUFI, rickettsial infections are most common and related infections (such as anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and Q fever) which are caused by an unusual type of bacteria that can live only inside the cells of another organism. The present study was therefore planned with an objective to estimate the prevalence of rickettsial infection among patients of undifferentiated fever and to determine any association of socio-demographic characteristics with rickettsial disease. Materials and Methods Patients presenting with febrile illness and admitted or attending out-patient department of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar was approached and recruited in the study. Weil Felix Assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and indirect immunofluorescence assay were done to detect the anti-rickettsial antibodies. Serological evidence of a fourfold increase in IgG-specific antibody titer reactive with spotted fever group rickettsial antigen by indirect immunofluorescence antibody assays between paired serum specimens was considered a confirmatory diagnosis for the rickettsial disease. Results Most of the patients were males 61.6%, and most 46.2% were in the age group of 20 -39 years. Most of the patients, 80.8% belonged to rural areas, and 48% belonged to the upper middle (II) class of the socio-economic class according to modified Kuppuswamy scale. Of the studied participants, a majority, 47.0%, were determined undiagnosed, while 15.4% studied participants were diagnosed to have a rickettsial disease. In patients positive for typhus group, 67.8% were IgM positive, 28.5% were IgG positive, and only 3% were positive for IgM and IgG. In patients positive for Scrub Typhus Group, 32.7% were positive for IgM, and 62.0% were positive for IgG, and only 5.0% were positive for both IgM and IgG. In patients positive for spotted fever group, 36.1% were positive for IgM, and 58.5% were positive for IgG, and only 5.5% were positive for both IgM and IgG. The prevalence of rickettsial disease was found to be 11.3%. Conclusion Rickettsial diseases, typhoid and brucellosis, were the most prevalent diseased diagnosed among patients reporting to hospitals with undifferentiated febrile illness. Clinicians must consider rickettsial diseases as one of the differential diagnosis while treating patients with fever.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tabeen Mansoor
- Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, Srinagar, India.
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Wilairatana P, Mala W, Rattaprasert P, Kotepui KU, Kotepui M. Prevalence of Malaria and Leptospirosis Co-Infection among Febrile Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Trop Med Infect Dis 2021; 6:tropicalmed6030122. [PMID: 34287366 PMCID: PMC8293407 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6030122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria and leptospirosis are important cosmopolitan infections that have emerged with overlapping geographic distribution, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Therefore, co-infection with malaria and leptospirosis may occur in overlapping areas. The present study aimed to quantify the prevalence of malaria and leptospirosis co-infection among febrile patients. The association between malaria and leptospirosis infections was also investigated. Relevant studies that had reported malaria and leptospirosis co-infection were identified from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The risk of bias of the studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tool. The pooled prevalence of malaria and leptospirosis co-infections among febrile patients and the pooled prevalence of leptospirosis infection among malaria patients were estimated using random effect models. The association between malaria and leptospirosis infection among febrile patients was estimated using random effect models. The outcomes of each study were shown in a forest plot in point estimate and 95% confidence interval (CI). Heterogeneity among the included studies was assessed using Cochran’s Q and quantified using I-squared statistics. For leptospirosis, subgroup analyses of countries, diagnostic tests, and participants’ age groups were performed to specify prevalence in each subgroup. Publication bias was assessed by funnel-plot visualization. Of the 2370 articles identified from the databases, 15 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included for qualitative and quantitative syntheses. Most of the included studies were conducted in India (5/15, 33.3%), Thailand (3/15, 20%), and Cambodia (2/15, 13.3%). Most of the enrolled cases were febrile patients (5838 cases) and malaria-positive patients (421 cases). The meta-analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of malaria and leptospirosis co-infection (86 cases) among febrile patients was 1% (95% CI: 1–2%, I2: 83.3%), while the pooled prevalence of leptospirosis infection (186 cases) among malaria patients was 13% (95% CI: 9–18%, I2: 90.3%). The meta-analysis showed that malaria and leptospirosis co-infections occurred by chance (p: 0.434, OR: 1.4, 95% CI: 0.6–3.28, I2: 85.2%). The prevalence of malaria in leptospirosis co-infection among febrile patients in the included studies was low. Co-infection was likely to occur by chance. However, as clinical symptoms of leptospirosis patients were non-specific and not distinguishable from symptoms of malaria patients, clinicians caring for febrile patients in an area where those two diseases are endemic should maintain a high index of suspicion for both diseases and whether mono-infections or co-infections are likely. Recognition of this co-infection may play an important role in reducing disease severity and treatment duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polrat Wilairatana
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand;
| | - Wanida Mala
- Medical Technology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Tha Sala, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80161, Thailand; (W.M.); (K.U.K.)
| | - Pongruj Rattaprasert
- Department of Protozoology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand;
| | - Kwuntida Uthaisar Kotepui
- Medical Technology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Tha Sala, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80161, Thailand; (W.M.); (K.U.K.)
| | - Manas Kotepui
- Medical Technology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Tha Sala, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80161, Thailand; (W.M.); (K.U.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +66-954392469
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Devasagayam E, Dayanand D, Kundu D, Kamath MS, Kirubakaran R, Varghese GM. The burden of scrub typhus in India: A systematic review. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009619. [PMID: 34314437 PMCID: PMC8345853 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Scrub typhus, a vector-borne zoonotic infection caused by the bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi, is one of the most common and clinically important rickettsial infections worldwide. An estimated one million cases occur annually with a high case fatality rate. Although scrub typhus is a major public health threat in India, the burden and distribution remains unclear. We aimed to estimate the burden of scrub typhus in India. METHODOLOGY We performed a systematic review of published literature on scrub typhus from India to extract information on epidemiology, morbidity, and mortality. Important databases were searched using keywords and appropriate combinations. We identified observational, interventional, and population-based studies and extracted the data to evaluate the number of cases diagnosed using serology or PCR and the number of deaths due to scrub typhus. We conducted a systematic narrative synthesis to summarize included studies. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In the last decade, there were 18,781 confirmed scrub typhus cases reported in 138 hospital-based studies and two community-based studies. IgM ELISA was used in 122 studies to confirm the cases in majority (89%). The proportion of scrub typhus among acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) studies was 25.3%, and community seroprevalence was 34.2%. Ninety studies had data published on multiple organ involvement out of which 17.4% of cases had multiple organ dysfunction syndromes, 20.4% patients required ICU admission, and 19.1% needed ventilation. The overall case-fatality rate was 6.3%, and the mortality among those with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome was as high as 38.9%. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE Scrub typhus, a common acute febrile illness in India causing severe morbidity, accounts for a large number of deaths. The burden of the disease has been underappreciated. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment can significantly reduce complications and mortality. Establishing good surveillance and instituting appropriate control measures are urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Devasagayam
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Divya Dayanand
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Debasree Kundu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Mohan S. Kamath
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Richard Kirubakaran
- South Asian Cochrane Network and Centre, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - George M. Varghese
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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22
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Scrub typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is a widely neglected disease which is gaining global momentum because of its resurgence patterns. The disease is now being reported in newer regions as well as areas previously endemic areas. In this review, we aim to comprehensively review the data available to assist physicians in making an accurate diagnosis and appropriate management of the disease. RECENT FINDINGS Several diagnostic tests have been developed for confirming scrub typhus. However, there is lack of clarity on which tests are most appropriate in a given clinical scenario. A recent study has demonstrated that in early disease (<7 days) when serological tests remain negative, the quantitative polymerase chain reaction is the most sensitive test. Among the serological tests, both IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as well as rapid diagnostic tests revealed excellent sensitivities and specificities. SUMMARY With the reemergence of scrub typhus, a high degree of clinical suspicion is required to appropriately diagnose this disease which presents as an acute febrile illness. It can progress to develop various complications leading to multi-organ dysfunction syndrome. Mild illness responds well to antibiotic treatment with doxycycline and azithromycin. Further studies are required to determine the most optimal therapy in severe scrub typhus infections and superiority of one drug over the other.
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Date K, Shimpi R, Luby S, N R, Haldar P, Katkar A, Wannemuehler K, Mogasale V, Pallas S, Song D, Kunwar A, Loharikar A, Yewale V, Ahmed D, Horng L, Wilhelm E, Bahl S, Harvey P, Dutta S, Bhatnagar P. Decision Making and Implementation of the First Public Sector Introduction of Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine-Navi Mumbai, India, 2018. Clin Infect Dis 2021; 71:S172-S178. [PMID: 32725235 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Typhoid fever prevention and control efforts are critical in an era of rising antimicrobial resistance among typhoid pathogens. India remains one of the highest typhoid disease burden countries, although a highly efficacious typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV), prequalified by the World Health Organization in 2017, has been available since 2013. In 2018, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) introduced TCV into its immunization program, targeting children aged 9 months to 14 years in 11 of 22 areas (Phase 1 campaign). We describe the decision making, implementation, and delivery costing to inform TCV use in other settings. METHODS We collected information on the decision making and campaign implementation in addition to administrative coverage from NMMC and partners. We then used a microcosting approach from the local government (NMMC) perspective, using a new Microsoft Excel-based tool to estimate the financial and economic vaccination campaign costs. RESULTS The planning and implementation of the campaign were led by NMMC with support from multiple partners. A fixed-post campaign was conducted during weekends and public holidays in July-August 2018 which achieved an administrative vaccination coverage of 71% (ranging from 46% in high-income to 92% in low-income areas). Not including vaccine and vaccination supplies, the average financial cost and economic cost per dose of TCV delivery were $0.45 and $1.42, respectively. CONCLUSION The first public sector TCV campaign was successfully implemented by NMMC, with high administrative coverage in slums and low-income areas. Delivery cost estimates provide important inputs to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and affordability of TCV vaccination through public sector preventive campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kashmira Date
- Global Immunization Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Rahul Shimpi
- World Health Organization, India Country Office, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Ramaswami N
- Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Pradeep Haldar
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, India
| | - Arun Katkar
- World Health Organization, India Country Office, New Delhi, India
| | - Kathleen Wannemuehler
- Global Immunization Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Sarah Pallas
- Global Immunization Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Dayoung Song
- International Vaccine Institute, Republic of Korea
| | - Abhishek Kunwar
- World Health Organization, India Country Office, New Delhi, India
| | - Anagha Loharikar
- Global Immunization Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Vijay Yewale
- Dr. Yewale Multispecialty Hospital, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Danish Ahmed
- World Health Organization, India Country Office, New Delhi, India
| | - Lily Horng
- Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Elisabeth Wilhelm
- Global Immunization Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Sunil Bahl
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia, New Delhi, India
| | - Pauline Harvey
- World Health Organization, India Country Office, New Delhi, India
| | - Shanta Dutta
- National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases-Indian Council for Medical Research, Kolkata, India
| | - Pankaj Bhatnagar
- World Health Organization, India Country Office, New Delhi, India
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24
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Devamani CS, Prakash JAJ, Alexander N, Stone W, Gunasekaran K, Rose W, Schmidt WP. High initial IgG antibody levels against Orientia tsutsugamushi are associated with an increased risk of severe scrub typhus infection. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009283. [PMID: 33735183 PMCID: PMC8009433 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Scrub typhus is a dominant cause of febrile illness in many parts of Asia. Immunity is limited by the great strain diversity of Orientia tsutsugamushi. It is unclear whether previous infection protects from severe infection or enhances the risk. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We studied IgG antibody levels against O. tsutsugamushi at presentation in 636 scrub typhus patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The association between ELISA optical density (OD) and risk of severe infection was modelled using Poisson regression. OD was categorised as low (<1.0), intermediate (1.0 to 2.9), and high (≥3.0). OD was also modelled as a continuous variable (cubic spline). Median age of cases was 41 years (range 0-85), with 37% having severe infection. Compared to the low category, the age-adjusted risk of severe infection was 1.5 times higher in the intermediate category (95%CI 1.2, 1.9), and 1.3 times higher in the high category (95%CI 1.0, 1.7). The effect was stronger in cases <40 years, doubling the risk in the intermediate and high categories compared to the low category. The effect was more pronounced in cases tested within 7 days of fever onset when IgG ODs are more likely to reflect pre-infection levels. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Intermediate and high IgG antibody levels at the time of diagnosis are associated with a higher risk of severe scrub typhus infection. The findings may be explained by severe infection eliciting an accelerated IgG response or by previous scrub typhus infection enhancing the severity of subsequent episodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol S. Devamani
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - John A. J. Prakash
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Neal Alexander
- MRC Tropical Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - William Stone
- Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Winsley Rose
- Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Wolf-Peter Schmidt
- Department for Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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25
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Jain V, Khan A, Garg R, Chopra A, Gaur D, Kashyap VK, Kohli S, Bajaj K. Discriminating malaria and dengue fever in endemic areas: Clinical, biochemical and radiological criteria. CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY AND GLOBAL HEALTH 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cegh.2020.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
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26
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Arora S, Abhilash KPP, Mitra S, Hazra D, Gunasekharan K, Yesudass P. Is cerebrospinal fluid lactate useful in differentiating scrub typhus meningitis from aseptic, bacterial and tuberculous meningitis? Trop Doct 2020; 51:64-71. [PMID: 33259753 DOI: 10.1177/0049475520975957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Scrub typhus is one of the most common causes of meningo-encephalitis in endemic areas of the Indian subcontinent. Numerous studies have established the reliability of cerebrospinal fluid lactate for differentiation of bacterial meningitis from aseptic meningitis. However, there are no reported data on the predictive value of cerebrospinal fluid lactate in scrub typhus meningitis. We thus conducted a cross-sectional study to examine the diagnostic accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid lactate in the differentiation of different causes of acute meningitis. Over two years, we studied 119 patients, with almost equal gender distribution, whose mean age was 43.58 (±18) years and their overall mean duration of fever was 11.7 (±21.0) days. Commonest clinical features overall were neck stiffness; values of cerebrospinal fluid lactate were lowest in aseptic meningitis, followed by scrub typhus, TB and bacterial meningitis. We conclude that cerebrospinal fluid lactate levels may be a useful adjunct to clinical features and laboratory investigations to differentiate between bacterial, viral, tubercular and scrub meningitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shalabh Arora
- Assistant Professor, Department of General Medicine, CMC, Vellore, India
| | | | - Shubhanker Mitra
- Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, CMC, Vellore, India
| | | | | | - P Yesudass
- Tutor, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, CMC, Vellore, India
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27
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Varghese GM. The Search for Effective Empiric Therapy for Acute Undifferentiated Febrile Illness. Clin Infect Dis 2020; 73:e1487-e1488. [PMID: 32991696 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- George M Varghese
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
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28
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Warnasekara J, Aberathna P, Nanayakkara G, Vinetz J, Agampodi S. Improving the leptospirosis disease burden assessment by including ambulatory patients from outpatient departments: a cross-sectional study. F1000Res 2020; 9:1129. [PMID: 34123371 PMCID: PMC8145224 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.26202.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: In Sri Lanka, the disease burden of leptospirosis is estimated based on a routine notification system, which is predominated by patients ill enough to be hospitalized. The notification system does not function well with ambulatory patients in outpatient departments (OPDs). The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of leptospirosis in an OPD setting in a regional public hospital in Sri Lanka to provide further estimation of disease burden. Methods: This study was conducted in the OPD of the Rathnapura Provincial General Hospital from August to September 2017. Suspected leptospirosis patients were recruited based on standardized criteria and tested using the microscopic agglutination test and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The number of OPD patients was compared with the reported patient numbers with leptospirosis from the hospital during the same period as the denominator, and the 95% confidence interval was calculated for the proportions using Poisson distribution. Results: During the study period, of 2,960 fever patients presenting to the OPD, 33 (1.1%) were suspected to have leptospirosis; 8/33 suspected (22.3%) cases were confirmed as being due to leptospirosis. There were 82 notifications of leptospirosis cases from hospital inpatients during the same period, none from the OPD. The total missing proportion from the surveillance system was 28.6% (95% CI, 19.4-40.4%). Among OPD patients, 12 (36.4%) had been given antibiotics from a primary care center prior to the OPD visit. No OPD patient was admitted to the hospital for inward care. Conclusions: More than 25% of cases of leptospirosis were not identified because they were not sick enough to be admitted nor subjected to routine leptospirosis diagnostic testing.These data have public health implications if the sources of leptospirosis transmission are to be controlled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janith Warnasekara
- Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, Anuradhapura, 50008, Sri Lanka
| | - Parami Aberathna
- Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, Anuradhapura, 50008, Sri Lanka.,Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, Anuradhapura, 50008, Sri Lanka
| | | | - Joseph Vinetz
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, 208022, USA
| | - Suneth Agampodi
- Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, Anuradhapura, 50008, Sri Lanka
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Abhilash KPP, Sharma P, Ramesh V, Samuel JJ, Vinod P, Arun P, Cornelius AG. Emergencies on the train and railway stations managed at a railway station emergency care center. J Family Med Prim Care 2020; 9:807-811. [PMID: 32318425 PMCID: PMC7114022 DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_757_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: With the increasing focus on setting up emergency care centers in railway stations across India by the government, there are no baseline data in India, or the world, about the profile of patients presenting with emergencies on the trains and at the railway stations. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included all people who presented with any medical emergency to the Emergency Care Center (ECC), Katpadi Railway Station in South India, between January 2017 and December 2017. Details were obtained from the register maintained by the emergency nurses stationed at the ECC. Results: Among 1076 patients who presented to the ECC during the study period, the mean age was 37 years (standard deviation: 19.01) with two-thirds (66.1%) being males. A quarter (23.4%) were trauma-related and 76.6% were medical emergencies. Sharp force injuries [58.8% (151/252)] was the predominant mode of trauma, while laceration [57.1%] (144/252) was the predominant type of injury sustained. Common nontrauma presenting complaints included fever (27.5%), headache (17.9%), nausea/vomiting (17.9%), and abdominal pain (15%). The maximum number of cases was in the summer months of May–June with heat-related symptoms, while the maximum number of fever cases was recorded during the monsoon season. The majority (905/1076; 84.1%) were able to continue their journey further, and 13.9% required referral to a nearby hospital. During the 1-year study period, 2 patients with trauma and 18 with various medical conditions died at the railway station or at a hospital after resuscitation at the ECC. Conclusions: Trauma, fever, headache, and vomiting are the most common emergencies among patients traveling by rail and at the railway stations. Establishing well-equipped ECCs across the country to handle trauma and other medical emergencies during travel is part of primary care provided and is the need of the hour.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Parth Sharma
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Vaikunth Ramesh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - J John Samuel
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - P Vinod
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Prasanth Arun
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - A G Cornelius
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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30
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Jayaprakash V, Vamsikrishna M, Indhumathi E, Jayakumar M. Scrub typhus-associated acute kidney injury: A study from a South Indian Tertiary Care Hospital. SAUDI JOURNAL OF KIDNEY DISEASES AND TRANSPLANTATION 2020; 30:883-890. [PMID: 31464245 DOI: 10.4103/1319-2442.265464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Infections including scrub typhus contribute to a significant proportion of community-acquired acute kidney injury (AKI) in the tropics. Scrub typhus infection now requires global attention since disease outbreaks are being reported across continents. We intended to study the clinical profile, renal involvement, and parameters predicting renal involvement in scrub typhus infection. This is a retrospective study. The medical records of all patients who were admitted and treated for scrub typhus infection for a study period of two years (from September 2015 to August 2017) were analyzed, and salient clinical features and laboratory results were collected from the hospital data. Statistical analysis was done from the collected data. Our study had 272 patients including 81 children. Adults constituted 70.96% (n = 193) and the remaining 29.04% (n = 81) were pediatric population. Among adults, females constituted 62.7% (n = 121) and males 37.3% (n = 72). The mean age of the adult population was 45.7 ± 15 years and that of pediatric patients was 8.56 ±5.1 years. 18.7% of adult cases and 3.70% of pediatric cases had AKI. Renal replacement therapy was required in 3.67% of adult cases. Mortality was 4.14% in adults and 1.23% in children. Hypotension, pulmonary involvement, central nervous system involvement, multiorgan dysfunction syndrome, increased total counts, elevated aspartate transaminase levels, and hypoalbuminemia predicted AKI in our adult population. Scrub typhus should be considered as a differential in cases presenting with fever and AKI. Outcomes of scrub typhus infection in terms of mortality seem to be improving in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Jayaprakash
- Department of Nephrology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - M Vamsikrishna
- Department of Nephrology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - E Indhumathi
- Department of Nephrology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - M Jayakumar
- Department of Nephrology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Das S, Ninan GA, Jasper S, George M, Iyadurai R. Spotted fever rickettsiosis presenting with bilateral anterior uveitis and retinitis: A case report. J Family Med Prim Care 2020; 9:1236-1239. [PMID: 32318504 PMCID: PMC7114010 DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1009_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Spotted fever is a common rickettsial disease in India. It is caused by Rickettsia conorii, which demonstrates vascular tropism and causes endothelial injury. Ocular manifestations include multifocal retinitis and disc edema. Anterior uveitis as a presenting feature of spotted fever is uncommon. We present a 32-year-old man with spotted fever and bilateral anterior uveitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohini Das
- Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - George A Ninan
- Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Smitha Jasper
- Department of Ophthalmology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Minu George
- Department of Ophthalmology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Ramya Iyadurai
- Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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32
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Browne AJ, Kashef Hamadani BH, Kumaran EAP, Rao P, Longbottom J, Harriss E, Moore CE, Dunachie S, Basnyat B, Baker S, Lopez AD, Day NPJ, Hay SI, Dolecek C. Drug-resistant enteric fever worldwide, 1990 to 2018: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Med 2020; 18:1. [PMID: 31898501 PMCID: PMC6941399 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-019-1443-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 247] [Impact Index Per Article: 61.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing threat to global health. There are > 14 million cases of enteric fever every year and > 135,000 deaths. The disease is primarily controlled by antimicrobial treatment, but this is becoming increasingly difficult due to AMR. Our objectives were to assess the prevalence and geographic distribution of AMR in Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A infections globally, to evaluate the extent of the problem, and to facilitate the creation of geospatial maps of AMR prevalence to help targeted public health intervention. METHODS We performed a systematic review of the literature by searching seven databases for studies published between 1990 and 2018. We recategorised isolates to allow the analysis of fluoroquinolone resistance trends over the study period. The prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR) and fluoroquinolone non-susceptibility (FQNS) in individual studies was illustrated by forest plots, and a random effects meta-analysis was performed, stratified by Global Burden of Disease (GBD) region and 5-year time period. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistics. We present a descriptive analysis of ceftriaxone and azithromycin resistance. FINDINGS We identified 4557 articles, of which 384, comprising 124,347 isolates (94,616 S. Typhi and 29,731 S. Paratyphi A) met the pre-specified inclusion criteria. The majority (276/384; 72%) of studies were from South Asia; 40 (10%) articles were identified from Sub-Saharan Africa. With the exception of MDR S. Typhi in South Asia, which declined between 1990 and 2018, and MDR S. Paratyphi A, which remained at low levels, resistance trends worsened for all antimicrobials in all regions. We identified several data gaps in Africa and the Middle East. Incomplete reporting of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and lack of quality assurance were identified. INTERPRETATION Drug-resistant enteric fever is widespread in low- and middle-income countries, and the situation is worsening. It is essential that public health and clinical measures, which include improvements in water quality and sanitation, the deployment of S. Typhi vaccination, and an informed choice of treatment are implemented. However, there is no licenced vaccine for S. Paratyphi A. The standardised reporting of AST data and rollout of external quality control assessment are urgently needed to facilitate evidence-based policy and practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION PROSPERO CRD42018029432.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie J Browne
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Bahar H Kashef Hamadani
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Emmanuelle A P Kumaran
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Puja Rao
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Joshua Longbottom
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Eli Harriss
- Bodleian Health Care Libraries, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Catrin E Moore
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Susanna Dunachie
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Buddha Basnyat
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Nepal, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Stephen Baker
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Vietnam, The Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Alan D Lopez
- Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Nicholas P J Day
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Simon I Hay
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Christiane Dolecek
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Schmidt WP, Devamani CS, Rose W, Alexander N, Prakash JAJ. Antibody response following scrub typhus infection: clinical cohort study. Trop Med Int Health 2019; 24:1455-1464. [PMID: 31660667 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Scrub typhus is a common cause of fever in Asia. The antibody response to infection and its effect on subsequent infection are unclear. We studied the IgM and IgG antibody response after infection, accounting for clinical severity. METHOD We studied 197 scrub typhus patients for up to 2 years post-infection. Overall, 501 blood samples were analysed for scrub typhus antibodies using ELISA. IgM and IgG ELISA optical densities (OD) were analysed using quantile regression. OD values of 1.0 (IgM) and 1.5 (IgG) were used to define seropositivity. RESULTS IgM OD values fell rapidly from an initial peak after infection. 50% of cases were IgM seronegative after 82 days. About 2 years after fever onset, 50% of cases had fitted IgG OD values of <1.5. Patients with high initial IgG OD values (≥2.5, used as a proxy for probable previous scrub typhus infection) had a more sustained IgG response than those with a low initial IgG OD, and more often presented with complications (18/36 = 50% vs. 28/91 = 30.8%, risk ratio = 1.63, 95% CI 1.04, 2.55, P = 0.035). This association was robust to adjusting for age (risk ratio 1.50, 95% CI 0.96, 2.33, P = 0.072). CONCLUSION Cross-sectional IgG seroprevalence data substantially underestimate the proportion in a population ever infected with scrub typhus. A high initial IgG as a potential marker for previous scrub typhus infection may be associated with long-term IgG persistence and a higher risk of complicated scrub typhus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolf-Peter Schmidt
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.,Department for Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Carol S Devamani
- Department of Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Winsley Rose
- Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Neal Alexander
- MRC Tropical Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - John A J Prakash
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
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Bhaskaran D, Chadha SS, Sarin S, Sen R, Arafah S, Dittrich S. Diagnostic tools used in the evaluation of acute febrile illness in South India: a scoping review. BMC Infect Dis 2019; 19:970. [PMID: 31722678 PMCID: PMC6854686 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-4589-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute febrile illness (AFI) is characterized by malaise, myalgia and a raised temperature that is a nonspecific manifestation of infectious diseases in the tropics. The lack of appropriate diagnostics for the evaluation of AFI leads to increased morbidity and mortality in resource-limited settings, specifically low-income countries like India. The review aimed to identify the number, type and quality of diagnostics used for AFI evaluation during passive case detection at health care centres in South India. METHODS A scoping review of peer-reviewed English language original research articles published between 1946-July 2018 from four databases was undertaken to assess the type and number of diagnostics used in AFI evaluation in South India. Results were stratified according to types of pathogen-specific tests used in AFI management. RESULTS The review included a total of 40 studies, all conducted in tertiary care centres (80% in private settings). The studies demonstrated the use of 5-22 tests per patient for the evaluation of AFI. Among 25 studies evaluating possible causes of AFI, 96% tested for malaria followed by 80% for dengue, 72% for scrub typhus, 68% for typhoid and 60% for leptospirosis identifying these as commonly suspected causes of AFI. 54% studies diagnosed malaria with smear microscopy while others diagnosed dengue, scrub typhus, typhoid and leptospirosis using antibody or antigen detection assays. 39% studies used the Weil-Felix test (WFT) for scrub typhus diagnosis and 82% studies used the Widal test for diagnosing typhoid. CONCLUSIONS The review demonstrated the use of five or more pathogen-specific tests in evaluating AFI as well as described the widespread use of suboptimal tests like the WFT and Widal in fever evaluation. It identified the need for the development of better-quality tests for aetiological diagnosis and improved standardised testing guidelines for AFI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divyalakshmi Bhaskaran
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Geneva, Switzerland
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), London, UK
| | | | - Sanjay Sarin
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), New Delhi, India
| | - Rajashree Sen
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), New Delhi, India
| | - Sonia Arafah
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Dittrich
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Geneva, Switzerland
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Wangdi K, Kasturiaratchi K, Nery SV, Lau CL, Gray DJ, Clements ACA. Diversity of infectious aetiologies of acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses in south and Southeast Asia: a systematic review. BMC Infect Dis 2019; 19:577. [PMID: 31272417 PMCID: PMC6610835 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-4185-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) is caused by a multitude of diverse pathogens, with significant morbidity and mortality in the developing world. The objective of this review was to characterise the diversity and relative importance of common infectious aetiologies of AUFI in South and Southeast Asia. METHODS We conducted a comprehensive literature review to identify common aetiologies of AUFI in Asian countries. Four medical and life sciences databases including PubMed, Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar were searched for articles published from January 1998 to March 2019. RESULTS Forty-three studies met the inclusion criteria. Among AUFI cases, viral aetiologies at 18.5% (14888) were more common than bacterial aetiologies (12.9% [10384]). From 80,554 cases, dengue fever was the most common aetiology (11.8%, 9511), followed by leptospirosis (4.4%, 3549), typhoid (4.0%, 3258), scrub typhus (4.0%, 3243) and influenza other than H1N1 (3.1%, 2514). In both adults and children: dengue fever was the leading cause of AUFI with 16.6% (1928) and 18.7% (1281) of the total cases. In admitted patients, dengue fever was the main cause of AUFI at 16.4% (2377), however leptospirosis at 13.9% (2090) was the main cause of AUFI for outpatients. In South Asia, dengue fever was the main cause of AUFI, causing 12.0% (6821) of cases, whereas in Southeast Asia, leptospirosis was the main diagnosis, causing 12.1% (2861) of cases. CONCLUSIONS In this study the most common causes of AUFI were viral, followed by bacterial and protozoal (malaria) infections. Dengue was the commonest virus that caused AUFI while leptospirosis and typhoid were important bacterial infectious causes. Therefore, it is imperative to maintain a sound epidemiological knowledge of AUFI so that evidence-based diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines can be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinley Wangdi
- Department of Global Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Action, ACT, Canberra, Australia.
| | | | - Susana Vaz Nery
- Department of Global Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Action, ACT, Canberra, Australia.,Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Colleen L Lau
- Department of Global Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Action, ACT, Canberra, Australia.,Children's Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, QLD, South Brisbane, Australia
| | - Darren J Gray
- Department of Global Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Action, ACT, Canberra, Australia
| | - Archie C A Clements
- Department of Global Health, Research School of Population Health, Australian National University, Action, ACT, Canberra, Australia.,Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
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Rao PN, van Eijk AM, Choubey S, Ali SZ, Dash A, Barla P, Oraon RR, Patel G, Nandini P, Acharya S, Mohanty S, Carlton JM, Satpathi S. Dengue, chikungunya, and scrub typhus are important etiologies of non-malarial febrile illness in Rourkela, Odisha, India. BMC Infect Dis 2019; 19:572. [PMID: 31269906 PMCID: PMC6607595 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-4161-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We conducted a diagnostic surveillance study to identify Plasmodium, dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and Orientia tsutsugamushi infections among febrile patients who underwent triage for malaria in the outpatient department at Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India. METHODS Febrile patients were enrolled from January 2016-January 2017. Blood smears and small volumes or vacutainers of blood were collected from study participants to carry out diagnostic assays. Malaria was diagnosed using rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), microscopy, and PCR. Dengue, chikungunya, and scrub typhus infections were identified using rapid diagnostic test kits and ELISA. RESULTS Nine hundred and fifty-four patients were prospectively enrolled in our study. The majority of patients were male (58.4%) and more than 15 years of age (66.4%). All 954 enrollees underwent additional testing for malaria; a subset of enrollees (293/954) that had larger volumes of plasma available was also tested for dengue, chikungunya and scrub typhus by either RDT or ELISA or both tests. Fifty-four of 954 patients (5.7%) were positive for malaria by RDT, or microscopy, or PCR. Seventy-four of 293 patients (25.3%) tested positive for dengue by either RDT or ELISA, and 17 of 293 patients (5.8%) tested positive for chikungunya-specific IgM by either ELISA or RDT. Ten of 287 patients tested (3.5%) were positive for scrub typhus by ELISA specific for scrub typhus IgM. Seventeen patients among 290 (5.9%) with results for ≥3 infections tested positive for more than one infection. Patients with scrub typhus and chikungunya had high rates of co-infection: of the 10 patients positive for scrub typhus, six were positive for dengue (p = 0.009), and five of 17 patients positive for chikungunya (by RDT or ELISA) were also diagnosed with malaria (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Dengue, chikungunya and scrub typhus are important etiologies of non-malarial febrile illness in Rourkela, Odisha, and comorbidity should be considered. Routine febrile illness surveillance is required to accurately establish the prevalence of these infections in this region, to offer timely treatment, and to implement appropriate methods of control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavitra N Rao
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,, Present Address: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anna Maria van Eijk
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sandhya Choubey
- Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Syed Zeeshan Ali
- Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Aditee Dash
- Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Punam Barla
- Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Rajshri Rani Oraon
- Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Gautam Patel
- Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - P Nandini
- Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Subrata Acharya
- Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Sanjib Mohanty
- Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Jane M Carlton
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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Genetic diversity of Orientia tsutsugamushi strains from patients in north India. Int J Infect Dis 2019; 84:131-135. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2019.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2019] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
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Behera B, Biswal M, Das RR, Dey A, Jena J, Dhal S, Mohanty S, Mishra B, Praharaj AK. Clinico-epidemiological analysis of scrub typhus in hospitalised patients presenting with acute undifferentiated febrile illness: A hospital-based study from Eastern India. Indian J Med Microbiol 2019; 37:278-280. [PMID: 31745031 DOI: 10.4103/ijmm.ijmm_19_147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Acute undifferentiated febrile illness (AUFI) constitutes the predominant cause of healthcare seeking in Odisha. This prospective study was conducted to analyse the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory profile of scrub typhus patients presenting with AUFI from January to December 2017. Four hundred and thirty-two samples were tested for dengue, malaria, scrub typhus and enteric fever. Scrub typhus was overall the most common cause of AUFI (26.3%, 114/432) followed by dengue (19.2%, 83/432). Eschar was seen in 6.1% of cases. Aetiologies of 38.6% of AUFI remained unidentified. In the present study, there was no mortality attributed to scrub typhus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijayini Behera
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences [AIIMS], Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Manisha Biswal
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Rashmi Ranjan Das
- Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences [AIIMS], Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Anupam Dey
- Department of General Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences [AIIMS], Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Jayanti Jena
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences [AIIMS], Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Sagarika Dhal
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences [AIIMS], Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Srujana Mohanty
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences [AIIMS], Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Baijayantimala Mishra
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences [AIIMS], Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Ashok Kumar Praharaj
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences [AIIMS], Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
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Devamani CS, Prakash JAJ, Alexander N, Suzuki M, Schmidt WP. Hospitalisations and outpatient visits for undifferentiated fever attributable to scrub typhus in rural South India: Retrospective cohort and nested case-control study. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007160. [PMID: 30802243 PMCID: PMC6405239 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2018] [Revised: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The burden of scrub typhus in endemic areas is poorly understood. This study aimed at estimating the proportion of hospitalisations and outpatient visits for undifferentiated fever in the community that may be attributable to scrub typhus. Methodology and principal findings The study was a retrospective cohort with a nested case-control study conducted in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. We conducted house-to-house screening in 48 villages (42965 people, 11964 households) to identify hospitalised or outpatient cases due to undifferentiated fever during the preceding scrub typhus season. We used scrub typhus IgG to determine past infection. We calculated adjusted odds ratios for the association between IgG positivity and case status. Odds ratios were used to estimate population attributable fractions (PAF) indicating the proportion of hospitalised and outpatient fever cases attributable to scrub typhus. We identified 58 cases of hospitalisation and 236 outpatient treatments. 562 people were enrolled as control group to estimate the background IgG sero-prevalence. IgG prevalence was 20.3% in controls, 26.3% in outpatient cases and 43.1% in hospitalised cases. The PAFs suggested that 29.5% of hospitalisations and 6.1% of outpatient cases may have been due to scrub typhus. In villages with a high IgG prevalence (defined as ≥15% among controls), the corresponding PAFs were 43.4% for hospitalisations and 5.6% for outpatients. The estimated annual incidence of scrub typhus was 0.8/1000 people (0.3/1000 in low, and 1.3/1000 in high prevalence villages). Evidence for recall error suggested that the true incidences may be about twice as high as these figures. Conclusions The study suggests scrub typhus as an important cause for febrile hospitalisations in the community. The results confirm the adequacy of empirical treatment for scrub typhus in hospitalised cases with undifferentiated fever. Since scrub typhus may be rare among stable outpatients, the use of empirical treatment remains doubtful in these. Scrub typhus is an important cause of fever in many Asian countries, including China, India, Vietnam and Japan. It is caused by the intra-cellular bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi and is transmitted to humans by mite larvae (chiggers) which attach to the skin of the host. Scrub typhus is potentially life-threatening but treatable with relatively cheap antibiotics such as doxycycline. The incidence of scrub typhus in the community is not known as most studies were done at hospitals and health posts lacking a clearly defined source-population for patients seeking health care for fever. In this study, the proportion of fever cases due to scrub typhus and the incidence of the infection were estimated by retrospective case identification in a population of 42000 people living in 48 villages in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. We found that about 30% to 40% of hospitalisations for undifferentiated fever may be due to scrub typhus. In contrast, scrub typhus accounted for only about 5% of outpatient fever cases. Our findings confirm the need for large population-based cohort studies to better understand the epidemiology of scrub typhus in endemic settings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John A. J. Prakash
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
| | - Neal Alexander
- MRC Tropical Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Motoi Suzuki
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Wolf-Peter Schmidt
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
- Department for Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Sahu S, Sahu R, Chhotray M, Sinha S, Ray B. A case of coinfection with (H1N1) 2009 influenza and scrub typhus with CNS involvement. APOLLO MEDICINE 2019. [DOI: 10.4103/am.am_40_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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Bhargava A, Ralph R, Chatterjee B, Bottieau E. Assessment and initial management of acute undifferentiated fever in tropical and subtropical regions. BMJ 2018; 363:k4766. [PMID: 30498133 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.k4766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anurag Bhargava
- Department of Medicine, Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India
- Center for Nutrition Studies, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Ravikar Ralph
- Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Biswaroop Chatterjee
- Department of Microbiology, IQ City Medical College, Durgapur, West Bengal, India
| | - Emmanuel Bottieau
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
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Saswat T, Sahoo N, Muduli S, Debata NK, Chattopadhyay S, Chattopadhyay S. Epidemiological trends and molecular dynamics of dengue, chikungunya virus infection, coinfection, and other undifferentiated fever during 2015-2016 in Odisha, India. J Med Virol 2018; 91:163-170. [PMID: 30192396 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.25307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection is spatiotemporally related to dengue virus (DENV) infection and mostly undiagnosed due to similar primary symptoms. In 2013, a high rate (36%) of coinfection of DENV and CHIKV was reported in Odisha. Hence, the hospital-based study was continued to synthesis current epidemiological understanding of their single distribution or coinfection. Suspected DENV patients serum samples were tested for DENV and CHIKV by serology and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. The positive samples were used for analysis of mutation, selection pressure, and phylogenetic relationship. Clinical information was also analyzed. Among 648 (2015 and 2016) suspected DENV patients, 141 (21.7%) were positive for DENV (serotypes 1-3), 22 (3.4%) were positive for CHIKV (ECSA) and 4 (2.8%) were coinfected with both. Sequence analysis showed four consistent mutations (M104V, V112A, K166N, and F169L) in CprM gene of DENV 2 and two consistent mutations (M269V, D284E) in E1 gene of CHIKV. Interestingly, the CHIKV- E1 A226V mutation was absent in the studied population. It was also noticed that the peak incidence of both the infections occurs in August-September in 2015-16. Moreover, Plasmodium species, Salmonella typhi, and Rickettsial typhi infections were also observed in DENV patients. Different etiology was also detected in other undifferentiated fever patients as mixed infections (malaria, S. typhi, and R. typhi ). Hence, this investigation shows the significant reduction of DENV-CHIKV coinfection as compared with previous report, the burden of arboviruses and acute undifferentiated fever in Odisha in 2015-2016, highlighting the importance of epidemiological picture of febrile patients for appropriate patient management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanuja Saswat
- Department of Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Nalinee Sahoo
- Department of Microbiology, IMS & Sum Hospital, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Sagarika Muduli
- Department of Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India
| | | | - Subhasis Chattopadhyay
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education & Research, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Soma Chattopadhyay
- Department of Infectious Disease Biology, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India
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Andrews MA, Ittyachen AM. Aetiology of acute febrile illness: a multicentre study from the province of Kerala in southern India. Trop Doct 2018; 48:322-325. [PMID: 30126327 DOI: 10.1177/0049475518794572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Acute febrile illness with varied aetiology but similar symptoms is common in tropical countries. This prospective, multicentre study was conducted in selected centres in the province of Kerala in India principally to analyse the aetiology of acute febrile illnesses in adult patients over the course of one year. Overall, 1324 patients were included in the study. The most common cause was dengue in 576 patients (43.5%). In 396 (29.9%), the exact aetiology could not be identified. Other causes, in order, were leptospirosis, enteric fever, malaria, respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection and typhus. When such a wide variation with a significant number of 'indeterminate' cases exists, especially in such a small area and with limited resources, the onus is on public health authorities to draw up an 'easy-to-use algorithm' to tackle epidemics of febrile illness, particularly in the monsoon season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mekkattukunnel A Andrews
- 1 Professor of Medicine, Government Medical College & Hospital, M. G. Kavu, Thrissur, Kerala, India
| | - Abraham M Ittyachen
- 2 Professor of Medicine, M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Kolenchery, Kerala, India
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Ganeshkumar P, Murhekar MV, Poornima V, Saravanakumar V, Sukumaran K, Anandaselvasankar A, John D, Mehendale SM. Dengue infection in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006618. [PMID: 30011275 PMCID: PMC6078327 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Dengue is the most extensively spread mosquito-borne disease; endemic in more than 100 countries. Information about dengue disease burden, its prevalence, incidence and geographic distribution is critical in planning appropriate control measures against dengue fever. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of dengue fever in India. METHODS We searched for studies published until 2017 reporting the incidence, the prevalence or case fatality of dengue in India. Our primary outcomes were (a) prevalence of laboratory confirmed dengue infection among clinically suspected patients, (b) seroprevalence in the general population and (c) case fatality ratio among laboratory confirmed dengue patients. We used binomial-normal mixed effects regression model to estimate the pooled proportion of dengue infections. Forest plots were used to display pooled estimates. The metafor package of R software was used to conduct meta-analysis. RESULTS Of the 2285 identified articles on dengue, we included 233 in the analysis wherein 180 reported prevalence of laboratory confirmed dengue infection, seven reported seroprevalence as evidenced by IgG or neutralizing antibodies against dengue and 77 reported case fatality. The overall estimate of the prevalence of laboratory confirmed dengue infection among clinically suspected patients was 38.3% (95% CI: 34.8%-41.8%). The pooled estimate of dengue seroprevalence in the general population and CFR among laboratory confirmed patients was 56.9% (95% CI: 37.5-74.4) and 2.6% (95% CI: 2-3.4) respectively. There was significant heterogeneity in reported outcomes (p-values<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Identified gaps in the understanding of dengue epidemiology in India emphasize the need to initiate community-based cohort studies representing different geographic regions to generate reliable estimates of age-specific incidence of dengue and studies to generate dengue seroprevalence data in the country.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Manoj V. Murhekar
- Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Veeraraghavadoss Poornima
- School of Public Health, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
| | - Velusamy Saravanakumar
- Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Krishnendu Sukumaran
- School of Public Health, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
| | - Anandan Anandaselvasankar
- School of Public Health, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
| | - Denny John
- Campbell Collaboration, New Delhi, India
| | - Sanjay M. Mehendale
- Division of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India
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Clinical and Microbiological Profile of Patients with Acute Febrile Illness Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India. JOURNAL OF PURE AND APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.22207/jpam.12.2.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Ranjan J, Prakash JAJ. Scrub typhus re-emergence in India: Contributing factors and way forward. Med Hypotheses 2018; 115:61-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2018.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Kocher C, Jiang J, Morrison AC, Castillo R, Leguia M, Loyola S, Ampuero JS, Cespedes M, Halsey ES, Bausch DG, Richards AL. Serologic Evidence of Scrub Typhus in the Peruvian Amazon. Emerg Infect Dis 2018; 23:1389-1391. [PMID: 28726619 PMCID: PMC5547797 DOI: 10.3201/eid2308.170050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a large, passive, febrile surveillance program in Iquitos, Peru, we retrospectively tested human blood specimens for scrub typhus group orientiae by ELISA, immunofluorescence assay, and PCR. Of 1,124 participants, 60 (5.3%) were seropositive, and 1 showed evidence of recent active infection. Our serologic data indicate that scrub typhus is present in the Peruvian Amazon.
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Shrestha P, Roberts T, Homsana A, Myat TO, Crump JA, Lubell Y, Newton PN. Febrile illness in Asia: gaps in epidemiology, diagnosis and management for informing health policy. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018; 24:815-826. [PMID: 29581051 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2018.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2017] [Revised: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing evidence is becoming available on the aetiology and management of fevers in Asia; the importance of these fevers has increased with the decline in the incidence of malaria. AIMS To conduct a narrative review of the epidemiology and management of fevers in South and South-East Asia and to highlight gaps in our knowledge that impair evidence-based health policy decisions. SOURCES A narrative review of papers published since 2012 on developments in fever epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment in South and South-East Asia. The papers that the authors felt were pivotal, from their personal perspectives, are discussed. CONTENT We identified 100 studies. Among the 30 studies (30%)-including both children and adults-that investigated three or more pathogens, the most frequently reported fever aetiology was dengue (reported by 15, 50%), followed by leptospirosis (eight, 27%), scrub typhus (seven, 23%) and Salmonella serovar Typhi (six, 20%). Among four studies investigating three or more pathogens in children, dengue and Staphylococcus aureus were the most frequent, followed by non-typhoidal Salmonella spp, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Salmonella serovar Typhi, and Orientia tsutsugamushi. Increased awareness is needed that rickettsial pathogens are common but do not respond to cephalosporins, and that alternative therapies, such as tetracyclines, are required. IMPLICATIONS Many key gaps remain, and consensus guidelines for study design are needed to aid comparative understanding of the epidemiology of fevers. More investment in developing accurate and affordable diagnostic tests for rural Asia and independent evaluation of those already on the market are needed. Treatment algorithms, including simple biomarker assays, appropriate for empirical therapy of fevers in different areas of rural Asia should be a major aim of fever research. Enhanced antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and openly accessible databases of geography-specific AMR data would inform policy on empirical and specific therapy. More investment in innovative strategies facilitating infectious disease surveillance in remote rural communities would be an important component of poverty reduction and improving public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Shrestha
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory, University of Oxford, UK
| | - T Roberts
- Lao-Oxford-Mahosot-Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Laos; Madihol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - A Homsana
- Lao-Oxford-Mahosot-Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Laos
| | - T O Myat
- Department of Microbiology, University of Medicine 1, Yangon, Myanmar; Centre for International Health, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - J A Crump
- Centre for International Health, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Y Lubell
- Madihol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, UK
| | - P N Newton
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory, University of Oxford, UK; Lao-Oxford-Mahosot-Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Laos; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, UK.
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van Eekeren LE, de Vries SG, Wagenaar JFP, Spijker R, Grobusch MP, Goorhuis A. Under-diagnosis of rickettsial disease in clinical practice: A systematic review. Travel Med Infect Dis 2018; 26:7-15. [PMID: 29486240 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2018.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Revised: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rickettsial diseases present as acute febrile illnesses, sometimes with inoculation eschars. METHODS We performed a systematic review of studies published between 1997 and 2017 to assess the underestimation of non-eschar rickettsial disease (NERD) relative to eschar rickettsial disease (ERD), as a cause of acute fever in patients with rickettsial diseases that commonly present with eschar(s): scrub typhus (ST), Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF), and African tick-bite fever. We compared ERD/NERD ratios according to study design: 'complete approach' studies, with testing performed in all patients with 'unspecified febrile illness'; versus 'clinical judgement' studies, with testing performed if patients presented with specific symptoms. RESULTS In 'complete approach' studies, ERD/NERD ratios were significantly lower, suggesting a considerable under-diagnosis of NERD in 'clinical judgement' studies. Based on these results, we estimate that the diagnosis of rickettsial disease was missed in 66.5% of patients with ST, and in 57.9% of patients with MSF. CONCLUSIONS Study design influences the reported eschar rates in ST and MSF significantly. NERD is likely to be a vastly underdiagnosed entity, and clinicians should consider and test for the disease more often. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD 42016053348.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise E van Eekeren
- Center of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam (UvA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sophia G de Vries
- Center of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam (UvA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jiri F P Wagenaar
- Leptospirosis Reference Center, Department of Medical Microbiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - René Spijker
- Medical Library, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cochrane Netherlands, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Martin P Grobusch
- Center of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam (UvA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Abraham Goorhuis
- Center of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam (UvA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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50
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Ittyachen AM, Abraham SP, Krishnamoorthy S, Vijayan A, Kokkat J. Immune thrombocytopenia with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome as a rare presentation of scrub typhus: a case report. BMC Res Notes 2017; 10:496. [PMID: 28985768 PMCID: PMC5639588 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-017-2826-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Scrub typhus is an acute infectious illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. It is endemic to a part of the world known as the “tsutsugamushi triangle”. Humans are accidental hosts in this zoonotic disease. About a third of patients admitted with scrub typhus have evidence of multi-organ dysfunction. Multi-organ dysfunction secondary to scrub typhus carries a high mortality rate. Case presentation We report a 65-year old lady who was admitted in a Tertiary Care Center in the state of Kerala in India, with 7 day history of fever, myalgia and reduced urine output. Head to foot examination revealed the presence of an eschar on her chest. One week prior to the onset of her illness she had gone trekking through a hilly forest area. She was clinically suspected to have scrub typhus, which was later confirmed with laboratory tests. She developed multi-organ dysfunction syndrome secondary to this illness. Though there was an improvement in the multi-organ dysfunction, thrombocytopenia alone failed to improve. Bone marrow study was done which was suggestive of immune thrombocytopenia. Patient was given a course of steroids with which the thrombocytopenia improved. Conclusion Failure of platelet count to normalize even after there has been a general improvement of other markers of multi-organ dysfunction in scrub typhus should prompt the clinician to consider other potential causes of thrombocytopenia. An unusual finding as this calls for further research to understand the molecular mechanisms behind such an event. Further, considering the close similarity in clinical presentation of several tropical illnesses, meticulous history taking and a detailed physical examination needs to be emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abraham M Ittyachen
- M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Ernakulam District, Kolenchery, Kerala, 682311, India. .,Department of Medicine, M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Ernakulam District, Kolenchery, Kerala, 682311, India.
| | - Saramma P Abraham
- M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Ernakulam District, Kolenchery, Kerala, 682311, India.,Department of Anaesthesiology, M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Ernakulam District, Kolenchery, Kerala, 682311, India
| | - Smitha Krishnamoorthy
- M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Ernakulam District, Kolenchery, Kerala, 682311, India.,Department of Medicine, M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Ernakulam District, Kolenchery, Kerala, 682311, India
| | - Anuroopa Vijayan
- M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Ernakulam District, Kolenchery, Kerala, 682311, India.,Department of Medicine, M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Ernakulam District, Kolenchery, Kerala, 682311, India
| | - Jayamohan Kokkat
- M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Ernakulam District, Kolenchery, Kerala, 682311, India.,Department of Medicine, M.O.S.C Medical College & Hospital, Ernakulam District, Kolenchery, Kerala, 682311, India
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