Central Nervous System Infection Associated with Orientia tsutsugamushi in South Korea.

Central Nervous System Infection Associated with Orientia tsutsugamushi in South Korea. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2017 Jul 31;: Authors: Lee HS, Sunwoo JS, Ahn SJ, Moon J, Lim JA, Jun JS, Lee WJ, Lee ST, Jung KH, Park KI, Jung KY, Lee SK, Chu K Abstract Orientia tsutsugamushi is a major cause of vector-borne infection in Asia. Prompt recognition and appropriate treatment are crucial because of its potentially fatal complications and lack of response to beta-lactam antibiotics. The present study retrospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of 16 patients with scrub typhus-related central nervous system (CNS) infections. Single titers ≥ 1:40 of total serum antibodies against O. tsutsugamushi detected by an indirect immunofluorescent assay were considered as positive results. The median age was 35.5 (range, 14-72) years, and 10 (62.5%) patients were female. The most common symptoms were headache (81.3%) and fever (81.3%). Eschar formation was found in three (18.8%) patients. Among patients with encephalitis, seizures and altered consciousness occurred in five (83.3%) and four (66.7%) patients, respectively. An abnormal liver function was noted in seven (43.8%) patients. The median antibody titer was 1:120 (range, 1:40-1:2,560). Typical cerebrospinal fluid profiles were lymphocytic pleocytosis, mild protein elevations, and normal glucose levels. All patients received an empirical treatment with doxycycline an...
Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Tags: Am J Trop Med Hyg Source Type: research