Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42376027›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in pediatrics2026

Ruxolitinib combined with azithromycin for scrub typhus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a child: a case report and narrative literature review.

Xingqiang Dong, Rongzhou Xiao, Chunyan Gao, Saihu Huang, Xiangying Meng, Xiangming Yan, Zhenjiang Bai, Shuiyan Wu

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In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in pediatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Xingqiang Dong *Department of Critical Care Medicine, Childrenıs Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Rongzhou Xiao *Department of Critical Care Medicine, Childrenıs Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Chunyan GaoDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Childrenıs Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Saihu HuangDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Childrenıs Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Xiangying MengDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Childrenıs Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Xiangming YanDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Childrenıs Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Zhenjiang BaiDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Childrenıs Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Shuiyan WuDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Childrenıs Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Scrub typhus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare but life-threatening complication in children, with reported mortality of 11.9%-30%. Conventional immunomodulation with corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin often provides insufficient control of the hyperinflammatory state, while etoposide-based chemotherapy carries significant toxicity. JAK1/2 inhibition targeting the interferon-gamma pathway represents a promising therapeutic strategy, but its application in scrub typhus-associated HLH has not been previously reported. Case presentation: A 5-year-11-month-old girl with no prior medical history presented with persistent fever, tachypnea, hepatosplenomegaly, and a 0.5 cm eschar in the left axilla after travel to Yunnan Province, China. Laboratory findings revealed pancytopenia (platelets 40× 10 Literature review: Narrative literature review of 66 previously reported pediatric cases from Chinese and English databases (inception to May 2026) plus the present case revealed an overall mortality of 11.94% (8/67). Among these patients, 43 (64.2%) received corticosteroids, 34 (50.7%) received intravenous immunoglobulin, and only 3 (4.5%) received etoposide. The published cases suggest that absence or delay of anti-rickettsial therapy is associated with poor outcomes, though the evidence is limited by case-report bias and confounding. Conclusion: This is the first report of successful JAK1/2 inhibitor therapy in scrub typhus-associated HLH. This case raises a hypothesis worth investigating further-that ruxolitinib combined with azithromycin may achieve rapid disease control with good tolerability. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the role of targeted JAK inhibition in infection-triggered HLH.

Indexed as

azithromycinchildhemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosisJAK inhibitorruxolitinibscrub typhus

Identifiers

PMID42376027
PMCPMC13311098

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