Scrub Typhus Outbreak among Soldiers in Coastal Training Area, Australia, 2022
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: A scrub typhus outbreak occurred among 24 soldiers from 2 Australian Defence Force infantry units following separate training events conducted in the same coastal location in tropical North Queensland, Australia, in June 2022. Seven soldiers visited a hospital, 5 requiring admission. Outbreak recognition was hampered by the geographic dispersion of soldiers after the exercise and delayed case identification resulting from such factors as prolonged incubation, cross-reactive serologic responses to other pathogens, the nonspecific symptoms of scrub typhus, and the illness's nonnotifiable status in the state of Queensland. Our investigation focused on personal protective measures in a subanalysis of 41 soldiers, revealing an association between scrub typhus infection and the use of doxycycline chemoprophylaxis and permethrin uniform dipping.
Source: Emerging infectious diseases
Authors: Rebecca Suhr, Samantha Belonogoff, Fiona McCallum, James Smith, G. Dennis Shanks
Language: English
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4404233168