Chaturvedi Rini, Hussain Syed Shah Areeb, Sampath Hayavadhan, Rahi Manju, Mirdha Bijay R, Sharma Amit
Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, New Delhi, India.
BMJ Glob Health. 2025 Aug 3;10(8):e018998. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2025-018998.
Scrub typhus, once known as tsutsugamushi fever and attributed to Rickettsia, has transformed into a growing public health concern. Despite its increasing incidence in India, comprehensive spatiotemporal analyses of scrub typhus have been lacking.
This study examines the prevalence of scrub typhus cases reported from 2003 to 2023, using available literature to provide a breakdown of cases by year and state in India, aiming to elucidate the disease's spatiotemporal dynamics. The aetiological association of and scrub typhus is based on geographical, immunological and molecular genetic studies.
This analysis identified 47 650 cumulative cases of scrub typhus in India over the past two decades. The case fatality rate was 5% out of 35 243 cases. Variations in transmission dynamics and the Leptotrombidium vector's competence may influence the disease's distribution. Nonetheless, there has been a notable increase in infections since 2010, peaking in 2019 and 2022. Curtailing and containing such an upsurge can be daunting and requires an interdisciplinary public health approach. Further, there is heterogeneity in studies on general, gastrointestinal, pulmonary and inflammatory symptoms compared with studies on cardiac, hepatic, neurological and other symptoms. The Weil-Felix test was the most common diagnostic technique used, and doxycycline was the treatment for scrub typhus cases.
This meta-analysis can help policy-makers and researchers in India develop scrub typhus management and control policies.
CRD42024611771.
恙虫病曾被称为丛林斑疹伤寒，被认为是由立克次氏体引起，如今已成为一个日益严重的公共卫生问题。尽管印度恙虫病的发病率不断上升，但对恙虫病缺乏全面的时空分析。
本研究调查了2003年至2023年报告的恙虫病病例的流行情况，利用现有文献按年份和印度各邦对病例进行分类，旨在阐明该疾病的时空动态。恙虫病的病因关联基于地理、免疫学和分子遗传学研究。
该分析确定了印度在过去二十年中累计有47650例恙虫病病例。在35243例病例中，病死率为5%。传播动态和恙螨媒介能力的变化可能会影响疾病的分布。尽管如此，自2010年以来感染人数显著增加，在2019年和2022年达到峰值。遏制这种激增态势可能具有挑战性，需要采取跨学科的公共卫生方法。此外，与心脏、肝脏、神经和其他症状的研究相比，关于一般、胃肠道、肺部和炎症症状的研究存在异质性。外斐试验是最常用的诊断技术，强力霉素是恙虫病病例的治疗药物。
这项荟萃分析有助于印度的政策制定者和研究人员制定恙虫病的管理和控制政策。
PROSPERO注册号：CRD42024611771。
