ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2014
Cytokine network in scrub typhus: high levels of interleukin-8 are associated with disease severity and mortality.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- The validity of diagnostic cut-offs for commercial and in-house scrub typhus IgM and IgG ELISAs: A review of the evidence.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2019Pooled it
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome in scrub typhus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Infection · 2026Review
- Scrub Typhus-Associated Inflammatory Oligoarthritis Mimicking Tubercular Arthritis in an Endemic Setting.Cureus · 2026Article
- High levels of Interleukin - 13 in patients with scrub typhus correlate with disease severity.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- miRNA in Diagnosis and Therapeutics of Tuberculosis: Importance in Latent and Brain Associated Pathologies.Current pharmaceutical design · 2026Review
- Differential spleen immune signatures and germinal center responses during acute infection withFrontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Comparative virulence analysis of seven diverse strains of Orientia tsutsugamushi reveals a multifaceted and complex interplay of virulence factors responsible for disease.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- Article
- Patient-centric analysis of Orientia tsutsugamushi spatial diversity patterns across Hainan Island, China.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- C-C Motif Ligand 7 and C-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 3 Dysregulation in Patients With Scrub Typhus and Association With Mortality.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Canonical notch activation in patients with scrub typhus: association with organ dysfunction and poor outcome.Infection · 2024Article
- Cytokine and Chemokine Profiles in Acute Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome and Scrub Typhus in South Korea.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023Article
- Alterations in germinal center formation and B cell activation during severe Orientia tsutsugamushi infection in mice.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- Genomic bacterial load associated with bacterial genotypes and clinical characteristics in patients with scrub typhus in Hainan Island, Southern China.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- A whole blood intracellular cytokine assay optimised for field site studies demonstrates polyfunctionality of CD4+ T cells in acute scrub typhus.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- A time-course comparative clinical and immune response evaluation study between the human pathogenic Orientia tsutsugamushi strains: Karp and Gilliam in a rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) model.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Article
- Distinct Role of TNFR1 and TNFR2 in Protective Immunity AgainstFrontiers in immunology · 2022Article
- Diagnostic Value of CD4/CD8 in Scrub Typhus.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2021Article
- Comparison of Lethal and Nonlethal Mouse Models ofTropical medicine and infectious disease · 2021Article
- Secreted Wnt antagonists in scrub typhus.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundScrub typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is endemic in the Asia-Pacific region. Mortality is high if untreated, and even with treatment as high as 10-20%, further knowledge of the immune response during scrub typhus is needed. The current study was aimed at comparing plasma levels of a variety of inflammatory mediators in scrub typhus patients and controls in South India in order to map the broader cytokine profile and their relation to disease severity and clinical outcome. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsWe examined plasma levels of several cytokines in scrub typhus patients (n = 129) compared to healthy controls (n = 31) and infectious disease controls (n = 31), both in the acute phase and after recovery, by multiplex technology and enzyme immunoassays. Scrub typhus patients were characterized by marked changes in the cytokine network during the acute phase, differing not only from healthy controls but also from infectious disease controls. While most of the inflammatory markers were raised in scrub typhus, platelet-derived mediators such as RANTES were markedly decreased, probably reflecting enhanced platelet activation. Some of the inflammatory markers, including various chemokines (e.g., interleukin-8, monocyte chemoattractant peptide-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1β) and downstream markers of inflammation (e.g., C-reactive protein and pentraxin-3), were also associated with disease severity and mortality during follow-up, with a particular strong association with interleukin-8. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings suggest that scrub typhus is characterized by a certain cytokine profile that includes dysregulated levels of a wide range of mediators, and that this enhanced inflammation could contribute to disease severity and clinical outcome.
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