Neurological manifestations of scrub typhus: A case series from Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern East Rajasthan

Abstract

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile infectious illness caused by rickettsia species Orientia tsutsugamushi. In recent years, scrub typhus has reemerged as a life-threatening disease in India Scrub typhus has diverse clinical manifestations ranging from a nonspecific febrile illness to severe multiorgan dysfunction, and neurological complications are also common. Spectrum of neurological complications varies from common complications such as aseptic meningitis, meningoencephalitis and cerebellitis to rare complications such as myelitis, cerebral hemorrhage, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), and cerebral infarction. Scrub typhus is not a common cause of acute febrile illness in state like Rajasthan, but has emerged as a life-threatening disease in recent years along with dreaded neurological complications. This case series highlights various neurological manifestations of scrub typhus as early diagnosis and treatment of neurological complications have good prognosis.