Infect Chemother.  2018 Mar;50(1):55-58. 10.3947/ic.2018.50.1.55.

A Case of Scrub Typhus complicated with a Splenic Infarction

• Durey A
• Kwon HY
• Park YK
• Baek J
• Han SB
• Kang JS
• Lee JS

• KMID: 2407971
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2018.50.1.55

Abstract

We present a patient with scrub typhus complicated with a splenic infarction. A 40-year-old man visited the emergency medical center complaining of fever for the previous week. He had no past medical history, but reported engaging in outdoor activities. Examination revealed a maculopapular rash on his trunk and an eschar on his epigastrium. Abdominal computed tomography was performed to examine the cause of the tenderness on the left upper quadrant of his abdomen, which revealed a splenic infarct. The patient was diagnosed with scrub typhus based on the results of blood polymerase chain reaction testing, and genetic sequencing confirmed the presence of Orientia tsutsugamushi Boryong. His symptoms improved following doxycycline treatment.

Keyword

Scrub typhus; Splenic infarction; Orientia tsutsugamushi

MeSH Terms

Abdomen
Adult
Chungcheongnam-do
Doxycycline
Emergencies
Exanthema
Fever
Humans
Orientia tsutsugamushi
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Scrub Typhus*
Splenic Infarction*
Doxycycline

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed splenomegaly and a wedge-shaped low attenuated lesion in the upper pole of the spleen (red arrow), suggestive of splenic infarction.

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