Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27757247›Full record

ArticleWestern Pacific surveillance and response journal : WPSAR

An outbreak investigation of scrub typhus in Western Province, Solomon Islands, 2014.

Michael Marks, Cynthia Joshua, Jenny Longbottom, Katherine Longbottom, Alison Sio, Elliot Puiahi, Greg Jilini, John Stenos, Tenneth Dalipanda, Jennie Musto

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Western Pacific surveillance and response journal : WPSAR. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
2.7field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Outer Membrane Protein A Conservation amongTropical medicine and infectious disease · 2018
    Article
  2. Review
  3. A review of the global epidemiology of scrub typhus.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2017
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Michael MarksClinical Research Department, Faculty of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.; Hospital for Tropical Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Cynthia JoshuaOffice of the WHO Representative in Solomon Islands, Honiara, Solomon Islands.; Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Jenny LongbottomHelena Goldie Hospital, Munda, Solomon Islands .
Katherine LongbottomHelena Goldie Hospital, Munda, Solomon Islands .
Alison SioOffice of the WHO Representative in Solomon Islands, Honiara, Solomon Islands.; Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Elliot PuiahiNational Referral Hospital, Honiara, Solomon Islands .
Greg JiliniMinistry of Health and Medical Services, Honiara, Solomon Islands .
John StenosAustralian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Geelong, Australia .
Tenneth DalipandaMinistry of Health and Medical Services, Honiara, Solomon Islands .
Jennie MustoOffice of the WHO Representative in Solomon Islands, Honiara, Solomon Islands .
Hospital for Tropical Diseases · GBUniversity College London · GBRoyal London Hospital · GB

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo identify the etiology and risk factors of undifferentiated fever in a cluster of patients in Western Province, Solomon Islands, May 2014.

methodsAn outbreak investigation with a case control study was conducted. A case was defined as an inpatient in one hospital in Western Province, Solomon Islands with high fever (> 38.5 °C) and a negative malaria microscopy test admitted between 1 and 31 May 2014. Asymptomatic controls matched with the cases residentially were recruited in a ratio of 1:2. Serum samples from the subjects were tested for rickettsial infections using indirect micro-immunofluorescence assay.

resultsNine cases met the outbreak case definition. All cases were male. An eschar was noted in five cases (55%), and one developed pneumonitis. We did not identify any environmental factors associated with illness. Serum samples of all five follow-up cases (100%) had strong-positive IgG responses to scrub typhus. All but one control (10%) had a moderate response against scrub typhus. Four controls had low levels of antibodies against spotted fever group rickettsia, and only one had a low-level response to typhus group rickettsia. DISCUSSION: This outbreak represents the first laboratory-confirmed outbreak of scrub typhus in the Western Province of Solomon Islands. The results suggest that rickettsial infections are more common than currently recognized as a cause of an acute febrile illness. A revised clinical case definition for rickettsial infections and treatment guidelines were developed and shared with provincial health staff for better surveillance and response to future outbreaks of a similar kind.

Indexed as

Disease OutbreaksAdolescentAdultFeverHumansMaleMelanesiaRickettsia InfectionsScrub Typhus

Identifiers

PMID27757247
PMCPMC5052891
OpenAlexW2530819182

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.