A Case Report of Scrub Typhus: Secondary Acute Arrest of Hemopoiesis with Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndromes

Abstract

Scrub typhus is a zoonotic disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi) in which humans are accidental hosts. Acute arrest of hemopoiesis (AAH) always manifests in pancytopenia and with supportive treatment or inducement removal, the AAH patients would show significant im-provement in blood routine for about a week. As a rapidly progressive and potentially life-threatening organ function disorder syndrome, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is often induced by many factors including infection, illness and injury. We received a rare case of scrub typhus rapidly presenting with AAH and MODS 2 weeks ago. The clinical data of a 32-year-old female with O. tsutsugamushi-induced AAH and MODS was summarized retrospectively and analyzed with a literature review. In this case, we selected tigecycline and moxifloxacin as treatment regimens for scrub typhus. When the potential infection was controlled, her pancytopenia and hepatic function rapidly improved in a few days.