A city park as a potential epidemic site of scrub typhus: a case–control study of an outbreak in Guangzhou, China

Particle and Fibre Toxicology

Zhicong Yang²  Xinwei Wu²  Lan Liu²  Xincai Xiao²  Yong Huang²  Xiaoning Li¹  Qinlong Jing²  Lei Luo²  Yuehong Wei² 

[1] School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China;Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

关键词: Epidemiology;    Scrub typhus;    Park;    City;   

Others  :  1149300
DOI  :  10.1186/s13071-014-0513-7

 received in 2014-07-17, accepted in 2014-10-31,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Scrub typhus is an important public health problem in China, especially in Guangzhou city. Typical outbreaks of scrub typhus have been previously reported in rural areas, affecting mainly farmers. We describe an atypical outbreak of the disease with case fatalities, from a park in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, that could turn out to be a potential scrub typhus epidemic site.

Methods

From May 2012 to June 2012, a case¿control study was conducted to identify source and risk factors of this outbreak. Reported cases of scrub typhus in Xiaogang Park were confirmed by Weil¿Felix test or a nested polymerase chain reaction (NPCR). Controls were matched with their neighbors by gender and age. Multivariate conditional logistic regression was used to identify risk factors and protective factors.

Results

A total of 29 cases were confirmed by Weil¿Felix test, including 4 deaths by both Weil¿Felix test and NPCR. All patients presented with fever (100%), while 28 (96.6%) cases had eschars, 10 (34.5%) headache, 10 (34.5%) chills, 6 (20.7%) lymphadenopathy, 5 (17.2%) rash, 2 (6.9%) vomiting and 1 (3.5%) presented with conjunctival congestion. The proportion of cases with activity history in Xiaogang Park was much higher than the control group (72.4% vs 24.1%, P?

Conclusions

We confirmed an atypical outbreak of scrub typhus in a park in Guangzhou city, which has the potential to develop into an important epidemic site. This public health risk should not be neglected and requires more attention from authorities.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Wei et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

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