SkipdirectlytositecontentSkipdirectlytopageoptionsSkipdirectlytoA-ZlinkTyphusFeversSectionNavigationCDCHomeFacebookTwitterLinkedInSyndicateScrubTyphusMinusRelatedPagesOnThisPageSignsandSymptomsDiagnosisandTestingTreatmentPreventionScrubtyphus,alsoknownasbushtyphus,isadiseasecausedbyabacteriacalledOrientiatsutsugamushi.Scrubtyphusisspreadtopeoplethroughbitesofinfectedchiggers(larvalmites).Themostcommonsymptomsofscrubtyphusincludefever,headache,bodyaches,andsometimesrash.MostcasesofscrubtyphusoccurinruralareasofSoutheastAsia,Indonesia,China,Japan,India,andnorthernAustralia.Anyonelivinginortravelingtoareaswherescrubtyphusisfoundcouldgetinfected.SignsandSymptomsSymptomsofscrubtyphususuallybeginwithin10daysofbeingbitten.Signsandsymptomsmayinclude:Figure1.EscharatsiteofchiggerbiteFeverandchillsHeadacheBodyachesandmusclepainAdark,scab-likeregionatthesiteofthechiggerbite(alsoknownaseschar)Mentalchanges,rangingfromconfusiontocomaEnlargedlymphnodesRashPeoplewithsevereillnessmaydeveloporganfailureandbleeding,whichcanbefatalifleftuntreated.DiagnosisandTestingThesymptomsofscrubtyphusaresimilartosymptomsofmanyotherdiseases.Seeyourhealthcareproviderifyoudevelopthesymptomslistedaboveafterspendingtimeinareaswherescrubtyphusisfound.Ifyouhaverecentlytraveled,tellyourhealthcareproviderwhereandwhenyoutraveled.Yourhealthcareprovidermayorderbloodteststolookforscrubtyphusorotherdiseases.Laboratorytestingandreportingofresultscantakeseveralweeks,soyourhealthcareprovidermaystarttreatmentbeforeresultsareavailable. TopofPageTreatmentScrubtyphusshouldbetreatedwiththeantibioticdoxycycline.Doxycyclinecanbeusedinpersonsofanyage.Antibioticsaremosteffectiveifgivensoonaftersymptomsbegin.Peoplewhoaretreatedearlywithdoxycyclineusuallyrecoverquickly. TopofPagePreventionFigure2.Adultandlarvalchiggers(mites)ontheheadofapinNovaccineisavailabletopreventscrubtyphus.Reduceyourriskofgettingscrubtyphusbyavoidingcontactwithinfectedchiggers.Whentravelingtoareaswherescrubtyphusiscommon,avoidareaswithlotsofvegetatio