A SURVEY ON DOCTOR’S EXPECTATION FROM MEDICAL REPRESENTATIVE IN KARNATAKA STATE -

Scrub typhus is a reemerging rickettsial infection caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi transmitted through the bite of larval forms of a trombiculid mite. The clinical presentation of scrub typhus mimics other acute febrile illnesses thus making it difficult to diagnose clinically. The present work is a retrospective study of clinico - laboratory profile of seropositive cases of scrub typhus presenting to our hospital over a period of 2 months. The clinical and laboratory profile of all cases of scrub typhus positive by ELISA (IgM) over a period of 2 months were studied retrospectively. Out of 364 cases tested for scrub typhus, 103(27.57%) were positive for scrub typhus by serology. The incidence was high among women than men. The most common symptoms reported were fever with chills and rigor followed by diarrhea and vomiting. Among the laboratory parameters thrombocytopenia and el- evated serum transaminase was the most common abnormality. Majority of them responded to doxycycline. Scrub typhus is an important cause of acute undifferentiated pyrexial illness, therefore all the clinically suspected cases should be confirmed by a relatively sensitive method and specific test. In present study one third of clinically suspected cases were turned out positive for scrub typhus by serology.