SCRUB TYPHUS PRESENTING AS LOBAR PNEUMONIA: A CASE REPORT ON UNCOMMON PRESENTATION OF SCRUB TYPHUS

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness which is noted in children increasingly nowadays but it is often underdiagnosed mostly due to its atypical presentation. In this report, we present a case of 10 years old boy, who was initially diagnosed as lobar pneumonia but later confirmed to be suffering from scrub typhus infection. The child had typical clinical as well as radiological features of community-acquired pneumonia. Further investigations were done due to non-response to initial treatment which led to the diagnosis of scrub typhus infection. Specific treatment with doxycycline showed dramatic response and the child improved clinically. So it is absolutely essential for the treating physician to have high index of suspicion of this re-emerging infectious disease.