Genetic variants of Orientia tsutsugamushi identified from scrub typhus cases in Malaysia

• Main Authors: Zan, H.A.M., Ponnampalavanar, S., Omar, S.F.S., Savithiri, P.D., Lim, Y.A.L., Tay, S.T.
• Format: Article
• Published: Malaysian Society for Parasitology 2016
• Subjects: R Medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/18313/; https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B75lcx0mfp2OZGdoYW1qV2syaGc/view
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

We report herein the clinical presentation and diagnosis of scrub typhus in three patients attending a teaching hospital in Malaysia. Three genetic variants belonged to the Karp and Gilliam strains of O. tsutsugamushi were amplified from the acute blood samples of the patients by a nested polymerase chain reaction assay. The circulation of different genetic variants of O. tsutsugamushi strains might complicate the presentation and severity of scrub typhus. Loop-PCR is a promising diagnostic tool for rapid diagnosis of scrub typhus.