High initial IgG antibody levels against Orientia tsutsugamushi are associated with an increased risk of severe scrub typhus infection.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Scrub typhus is a dominant cause of febrile illness in many parts of Asia. Immunity is limited by the great strain diversity of Orientia tsutsugamushi. It is unclear whether previous infection protects from severe infection or enhances the risk.

Methods/principal findings

We studied IgG antibody levels against O. tsutsugamushi at presentation in 636 scrub typhus patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The association between ELISA optical density (OD) and risk of severe infection was modelled using Poisson regression. OD was categorised as low (<1.0), intermediate (1.0 to 2.9), and high (≥3.0). OD was also modelled as a continuous variable (cubic spline). Median age of cases was 41 years (range 0-85), with 37% having severe infection. Compared t

SUBMITTER: Devamani CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8009433 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature