Diagnosis of scrub typhus.

[scrub typhus]

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness that , if untreated , can result in considerable morbidity and mortality . One of the primary reasons for delays in the treatment of this potentially fatal infection is the difficulty in diagnosing the condition . Diagnosis is often complicated because of the combination of non-specific symptoms that overlap with other infections commonly found in endemic areas and the poor available diagnostics . In the majority of the endemic settings , diagnosis still relies on the Weil-Felix test , which is neither sensitive nor specific . Other methods of testing have become available , but at this time , these remain insufficient to provide the rapid point-of-care diagnostics that would be necessary to significantly change the management of this infection by providers in endemic areas . This article reviews the currently available diagnostic tools for scrub typhus and their utility in the clinical setting .