Publication: Evaluation of a newly developed dipstick test for the rapid diagnosis of scrub typhus in febrile patients
1
Issued Date
2001-03-01
Resource Type
ISSN
01251562
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2-s2.0-0035291475
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Mahidol University
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SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health. Vol.32, No.1 (2001), 132-136
Suggested Citation
Soonthon Chinprasatsak, Polrat Wilairatana, Sornchai Looareesuwan, Francois Chappuis, Kongsap Akkhavong, Hermann Laferl, Chirapa Eamsila Evaluation of a newly developed dipstick test for the rapid diagnosis of scrub typhus in febrile patients. Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health. Vol.32, No.1 (2001), 132-136. Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/26841
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Title
Evaluation of a newly developed dipstick test for the rapid diagnosis of scrub typhus in febrile patients
Abstract
Scrub typhus is a potentially fatal, febrile disease prevalent in rural Asia. The etiological agent, Orientia tsutsugamushi, is transmitted to humans by the bite of a larval trombiculid mite. No current diagnostic test is sufficiently practical for use by physicians working in rural areas. A new dipstick test using a dot blot immunoassay format has been developed for the serodiagnosis of scrub typhus. We evaluated this test on 83 patients presenting with acute fever of unknown origin at Maharaj Hospital, a tertiary care medical center in Nakhon Ratchasima, Northeast Thailand. The diagnosis of scrub typhus was confirmed in 30 of these patients (36%) by the indirect immunoperoxidase test. The sensitivity of the test was 87% and its specificity was 94%. The dot blot immunoassay dipstick is accurate, rapid, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive. It appears to be the best currently available test for diagnosing scrub typhus in rural areas where this disease predominates.