DermNetprovidesGoogleTranslate,afreemachinetranslationservice.Notethatthismaynotprovideanexacttranslationinalllanguageslogo-newThispagewasprintedon17/9/2021HomeTopicsA–ZImagesBrowseDermDiagGlossaryQuizzesAboutContactJobsDonatebreadcrumbsHome»TopicsA–Z»ScrubtyphusPrintScrubtyphusAuthor:CatrionaWootton,ConsultantDermatologist,NottinghamUniversityHospitalsNHSTrust,Nottingham,UK,2017.DermNetNZEditorinChief:HonA/ProfAmandaOakley,Dermatologist,Hamilton,NewZealand.Copyeditors:GusMitchell/MariaMcGivern.July2017.Scrubtyphus—codesandconceptsopenSynonyms:Mite-bornetyphus,Scrubmitebornetyphus,Japaneseriverfever,Tsutsugamushidisease,KedanifeverCategories:BacterialinfectionSubcategories:Orientiatsutsugamushi,Infectedchiggerbite,Leptotrombidiumlarva,Trombiculidmitelarva,Cutaneouseschar,Maculopapularexanthem,Palmoplantarerythema,ComplicationsofscrubtyphusICD-10:A75.3ICD-11:1C30.3SNOMEDCT:271425001,721757006,114233001,699743003,106852008Whatisscrubtyphus?ScrubtyphusisadiseasecausedbyinfectionfromtheRickettsiabacteria,Orientiatsutsugamushi.Humansareinfectedviathebiteofaninfectedchigger—thelarvalformofthetrombiculidmiteofthegenusLeptotrombidium.ScrubtyphusintheaxillaInitialescharHealinglesionScarWhogetsscrubtyphus?ScrubtyphustraditionallyoccursinpeoplelivinginAsia,Japan,India,northernAustraliaandthePacificIslands.However,thereareincreasingreportsfromelsewhereintheworld,includingrecentlyinChile[1].Travellerstoendemicregionsmaydevelopscrubtyphusafterreturninghome.ClassificationandcausesofscrubtyphusOrientiabacteriaaretransmittedviainfectedtrombiculidmites.Thesemitesaretiny(<1mm).Onceattachedtoahumantheyformastylostome(afeedingtubeintothehost’sskin)throughtheuseofdigestiveenzymes.ThroughthisprocesstheOrientiabacteriaaretransmittedintotheindividual.TrombiculidmiteImagesuppliedbyDrIvoElliottWhatisthehabitatofthetrombiculidmite?Trombiculidmitesinhabitawiderangeofhabitats,includingprimaryforest,plantations,beachesandgardens.Theyarecloselyassociatedwithsmallmammals,particularlyrodents,onwhoml