Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), Darfur College, Nyala, Sudan.
Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2021 Oct 3;17(10):3795-3805. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2021.1934355. Epub 2021 Jun 14.
Thirty-nine years ago, scrub typhus (ST), a disease, was not among the China's notifiable diseases. However, ST has reemerged to become a growing public health issue in the southwest part of China. The major factors contributing to an increased incidence and prevalence of this disease include rapid globalization, urbanization, expansion of humans into previously uninhabited areas, and climate change. The clinical manifestation of ST also consists of high fever, headache, weakness, myalgia, rash, and an eschar. In severe cases, complications (e.g. multi-organ failure, jaundice, acute renal failure, pneumonitis, myocarditis, and even death) can occur. The diagnosis of ST is mainly based on serological identification by indirect immunofluorescence assay and other molecular methods. Furthermore, several groups of antibiotics (e.g. tetracycline, chloramphenicol, macrolides, and rifampicin) are currently effective in treating this disease. This fact suggests the need for robust early diagnostic techniques, increased surveillance, and prompt treatment, and develop future vaccine.
39 年前，恙虫病（ST）并不是中国的法定报告传染病之一。然而，恙虫病在中国西南部再次出现，成为一个日益严重的公共卫生问题。导致这种疾病发病率和患病率上升的主要因素包括全球化、城市化、人类向以前无人居住的地区扩张以及气候变化。恙虫病的临床表现还包括高热、头痛、乏力、肌痛、皮疹和焦痂。在严重的情况下，可能会出现并发症（如多器官衰竭、黄疸、急性肾衰竭、肺炎、心肌炎，甚至死亡）。恙虫病的诊断主要基于间接免疫荧光检测等血清学鉴定和其他分子方法。此外，目前有几类抗生素（如四环素、氯霉素、大环内酯类和利福平）对该病有效。这一事实表明，需要有强大的早期诊断技术、加强监测和及时治疗，并开发未来的疫苗。
