Abstract
Scrub typhus, which is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is a reemerging infectious disease of public health concern. The disease may be
accompanied by varied clinical presentations, ranging from nonspecific fever to rapidly
progressing multiorgan failure. Scrub typhus is one of the less commonly diagnosed
causes of acute encephalitis syndrome, especially in the pediatric population. Here,
we report a series of three cases of pediatric acute encephalitis syndrome due to
scrub typhus infection from a tertiary care center of Eastern India. All the three
cases presented with an abrupt onset of symptoms and underwent a stormy disease course
requiring intensive care support. All of them responded promptly to intravenous doxycycline
treatment; however, recovery was mostly accompanied by neurologic sequelae.
Keywords
scrub typhus - acute encephalitis syndrome - intensive care
