Acute Encephalitis Syndrome
- AES is a serious condition that affects the brain (encephalitis), mainly seen in children.
- It is not a single disease, but a group of conditions caused by various infections or toxins.
What Did This New Study Find?
- A large study (by NIMHANS and other hospitals in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu) looked at 587 children who had AES between March 2020 and February 2023.
- Main finding:
- Scrub typhus is now the most common infectious cause of AES in southern India.
- Out of 315 confirmed infectious AES cases, 44% (138 cases) were due to scrub typhus.
- Over 60% of AES cases were due to infections that can be treated with doxycycline (mainly scrub typhus).
What is Scrub Typhus?
- Scrub typhus is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Orientia tsutsugamushi, which is spread by the bite of chiggers (larval mites).
Why is This Important?
- Earlier, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) was considered the main cause of AES.
- Update AES Treatment Protocols:
- Since many AES cases are treatable bacterial infections, guidelines must be updated to include doxycycline in first-line treatment.
Other Causes of AES Found in the Study
- Dengue (10%),
- Leptospira (5%),
- Chikungunya (5%)
