Phylogenetic diversity of Orientia tsutsugamushi isolates in patients with scrub typhus in Bengaluru, India

Sneha K Chunchanur, Shwetha J Venugopal, R Ambica, B DakshayaniIndian Journal of Medical Microbiology 2019 37(3):438-441 Scrub typhus has re-emerged as an important cause of acute febrile illness in India. There is a dearth of information on strain diversity of Orientia tsutsugamushi from Karnataka, India, hence the present study sought to address this issue. One hundred clinically suspected cases of scrub typhus/rickettsiosis (as per the DHR-ICMR guidelines) were included. Nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for 56-kDa gene and phylogenetic analysis was performed. PCR was positive in 22 cases and phylogenetic analysis showed the presence of different strains, with predominance of clustering (57%) with Gilliam-type for the first time in Karnataka. Knowledge of genetic diversity has implications in development of diagnostics and vaccine.
Source: Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Source Type: research