Standard operating protocol for Scrub typhus diagnosis and treatment.

The article focuses on the diagnosis and management of scrub typhus, a bacterial infection increasingly recognized as a common cause of acute febrile illness in South and Southeast Asia with a mortality rate of approximately 10%. Clinical suspicion is based on seasonal and geographic factors, symptoms such as eschar or rash, thrombocytopenia, and organ involvement, with empirical treatment recommended using doxycycline or azithromycin. Diagnosis primarily relies on IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while polymerase chain reaction (PCR) serves as the gold standard but is less accessible. Severe scrub typhus is defined by dysfunction in respiratory, cardiovascular, central nervous, renal, hepatic, or coagulation systems, guiding the need for dual antibiotic therapy in confirmed severe cases.