Walsh D S, Myint K S, Kantipong P, Jongsakul K, Watt G
Department of Immunology, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2001 Dec;65(6):899-901. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2001.65.899.
Scrub typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is an acute illness that occurs in many parts of Asia. Clinical manifestations range from inapparent to organ failure. Organisms disseminate from the skin to target organs, suggesting that they may enter the peripheral circulation. Here, peripheral blood cell smears from patients with acute scrub typhus were obtained before treatment and for 2 days after treatment and reacted with antibodies specific for O. tsutsugamushi. White blood cells from 3 of 7 patients with acute scrub typhus stained positively for O. tsutsugamushi. Cells containing O. tsutsugamushi were mononuclear and were detected on each day of sampling. The presence of O. tsutsugamushi in peripheral white blood cells of patients with acute scrub typhus is a new finding with clinical and pathogenic implications.
恙虫病由恙虫病东方体引起，是一种在亚洲许多地区出现的急性疾病。临床表现从隐匿性到器官衰竭不等。病原体从皮肤扩散到靶器官，提示它们可能进入外周循环。在此，采集急性恙虫病患者治疗前及治疗后2天的外周血细胞涂片，并与恙虫病东方体特异性抗体反应。7例急性恙虫病患者中有3例的白细胞恙虫病东方体染色呈阳性。含有恙虫病东方体的细胞为单核细胞，且在每个采样日均可检测到。急性恙虫病患者外周白细胞中存在恙虫病东方体是一项具有临床和致病意义的新发现。
