Rare neurological and neuropsychiatric manifestations of scrub typhus: a case series of 10 cases

Introduction

Scrub typhus is a potentially life-threatening but curable disease that can produce multi-organ failure. Neurological manifestations in scrub typhus have gained attention recently, where the entire neural axis except the myoneural junction can be involved. Although the pathogenesis of neurological involvement has not been established, immune-mediated mechanisms are suspected. This article reports the clinicopathological features of scrub typhus cases presenting several rare neurological and neuropsychiatric manifestations.

Methods

Three hundred fifty-four serologically confirmed scrub typhus cases were admitted to the Department of General Medicine of Burdwan Medical College and Hospital (West Bengal, India) between May 2018 and May 2022. There were 50 patients who had predominantly neurological manifestations. Of these 50 cases, ten patients presented with extremely rare neurological manifestations.

Results

We report 10 cases of scrub typhus (four men and six women) who presented with complex neurological pictures (posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, Opalski syndrome, parkinsonism, cerebellitis, isolated opsoclonus, acute transverse myelitis, myositis, polyradiculoneuropathy with cranial neuropathy, acute transient behavioral changes, and fibromyalgia). Immune-mediated mechanisms might have mediated the pathogenesis of most cases following scrub typhus infection.

Conclusion

From a clinicopathological point of view, each case was unique in its presentation and treatment response. In any acute onset neurological disorders associated with febrile illness in the tropics or subtropics, scrub typhus infection should be included in the differential diagnosis, despite the absence of eschar and unremarkable neuroimaging findings. This otherwise curable disease may result in multi-organ dysfunction syndrome and death if the diagnosis is delayed.