Scrub Typhus Presenting as Subdural Haemorrhage in a Child: A Rare Case Report
Abstract
Scrub typhus is an infectious bacterial zoonotic disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted by a mite endemic to many parts of Asia. It typically presents as an acute febrile illness with rash, lymphadenopathy, and eschar but can involve multiple organs. Neurological manifestations are being increasingly recognised, ranging from meningitis to encephalitis, though intracranial haemorrhage remains extremely rare. We report a 5-month-old male child with scrub typhus complicated by subdural haemorrhage - a presentation seldom described in paediatric literature. This case highlights the importance of clinical suspicion and timely intervention in endemic areas.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202672
How to cite this article:
Khichar B, Gautam S P, Dhingra A. Scrub Typhus Presenting as Subdural Haemorrhage in a Child: A
Rare Case Report. J Commun Dis. 2026;58(3):236 238.
References
Damodar T, Singh B, Prabhu N, Marate S, Gowda VK, Lalitha AV, Dsouza FS, Sajjan SV, Kariyappa M, Kinhal UV, Prathyusha PV. Association of scrub typhus in children with acute encephalitis syndrome and meningoencephalitis, southern India. Emerging infectious diseases. 2023 Apr;29(4):711. [Google Scholar] [PubMed]
Bhat NK, Pandita N, Saini M, Dhar M, Ahmed S, Shirazi N, Wasim S, Shirke R, Chandar V. Scrub typhus: A clinico-laboratory differentiation of children with and without meningitis. Journal of tropical pediatrics. 2016 Jun 1;62(3):194-9. [Google Scholar] [PubMed]
Sharma A, Sharma T, Sood A.A rare clinical case of subdural hemorrhage in a patient with scrub typhus. Int J Basic Clin Pharmacol.2016;5(1):218-220.
Bhatta OP, Chand S, Chand H, Bhetwal P, Awasthi S, Acharya A, Poudel RC. Scrub typhus with hemorrhagic stroke: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports. 2024 Jul 27;18(1):343. [Google Scholar] [PubMed]
Mukhopadhyay A, Bandyopadhyay D, Chakrabarti D, Bhadra A. Atypical presentation of scrub typhus encephalitis with cerebral hemorrhage. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences. 2022 Sep;10(9):2056. [Google Scholar]
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Communicable Diseases (E-ISSN: 2581-351X & P-ISSN: 0019-5138)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.