The Association Between Environmental Factors and Scrub Typhus: A Review

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile vector-borne infectious disease caused by <i>Orientia tsutsugamushi</i> (<i>O. tsutsugamushi</i>) and transmitted through the bite of infected chigger mite larvae. Transmission involves complex ecological interactions among vectors, hosts, and...

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Main Authors: Shu Yang, Yuxiang Xie, Wenjing Duan, Yiting Cui, Ai Peng, Yisheng Zhou, Yibing Fan, Hui Li, Peng Huang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/6/151
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author Shu Yang
Shu Yang
Yuxiang Xie
Wenjing Duan
Yiting Cui
Ai Peng
Yisheng Zhou
Yibing Fan
Hui Li
Peng Huang
author_facet Shu Yang
Shu Yang
Yuxiang Xie
Wenjing Duan
Yiting Cui
Ai Peng
Yisheng Zhou
Yibing Fan
Hui Li
Peng Huang
author_sort Shu Yang
collection DOAJ
description Scrub typhus is an acute febrile vector-borne infectious disease caused by <i>Orientia tsutsugamushi</i> (<i>O. tsutsugamushi</i>) and transmitted through the bite of infected chigger mite larvae. Transmission involves complex ecological interactions among vectors, hosts, and environmental factors. Accumulating evidence indicates complex interactions between the scrub typhus incidence and multilevel environmental determinants, encompassing meteorological factors (e.g., temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, sunshine duration, and atmospheric pressure), geographical conditions (e.g., topography, elevation, and landcover), and socioeconomic factors (e.g., economic level, cultural practices, residential conditions, and human behaviors). However, significant discrepancies persist among studies regarding the effect sizes and temporal associations, and the precise mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. This review synthesizes the evidence on environment–disease relationships, clarifies the methodological inconsistencies, analyzes the potential sources of heterogeneity, and highlights the critical knowledge gaps to inform targeted prevention and control strategies and guide future research priorities.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2414-6366
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
spelling doaj-art-e78a8afb673045749d21f35f9dbcfe042025-08-20T03:29:38ZengMDPI AGTropical Medicine and Infectious Disease2414-63662025-05-0110615110.3390/tropicalmed10060151The Association Between Environmental Factors and Scrub Typhus: A ReviewShu Yang0Shu Yang1Yuxiang Xie2Wenjing Duan3Yiting Cui4Ai Peng5Yisheng Zhou6Yibing Fan7Hui Li8Peng Huang9Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Disease Prevention and Public Health, School of Public Health, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330019, ChinaThe Collaboration Unit for Field Epidemiology of State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Nanchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang 330038, ChinaCenter for Evidence-Based Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Disease Prevention and Public Health, School of Public Health, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330019, ChinaCenter for Evidence-Based Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Disease Prevention and Public Health, School of Public Health, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330019, ChinaCenter for Evidence-Based Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Disease Prevention and Public Health, School of Public Health, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330019, ChinaCenter for Evidence-Based Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Disease Prevention and Public Health, School of Public Health, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330019, ChinaThe Collaboration Unit for Field Epidemiology of State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Nanchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang 330038, ChinaThe Collaboration Unit for Field Epidemiology of State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Nanchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang 330038, ChinaThe Collaboration Unit for Field Epidemiology of State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Nanchang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanchang 330038, ChinaCenter for Evidence-Based Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Disease Prevention and Public Health, School of Public Health, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330019, ChinaScrub typhus is an acute febrile vector-borne infectious disease caused by <i>Orientia tsutsugamushi</i> (<i>O. tsutsugamushi</i>) and transmitted through the bite of infected chigger mite larvae. Transmission involves complex ecological interactions among vectors, hosts, and environmental factors. Accumulating evidence indicates complex interactions between the scrub typhus incidence and multilevel environmental determinants, encompassing meteorological factors (e.g., temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, sunshine duration, and atmospheric pressure), geographical conditions (e.g., topography, elevation, and landcover), and socioeconomic factors (e.g., economic level, cultural practices, residential conditions, and human behaviors). However, significant discrepancies persist among studies regarding the effect sizes and temporal associations, and the precise mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. This review synthesizes the evidence on environment–disease relationships, clarifies the methodological inconsistencies, analyzes the potential sources of heterogeneity, and highlights the critical knowledge gaps to inform targeted prevention and control strategies and guide future research priorities.https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/6/151scrub typhusenvironmental factorsmeteorological determinantsrisk factorsreview
spellingShingle Shu Yang
Shu Yang
Yuxiang Xie
Wenjing Duan
Yiting Cui
Ai Peng
Yisheng Zhou
Yibing Fan
Hui Li
Peng Huang
The Association Between Environmental Factors and Scrub Typhus: A Review
Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
scrub typhus
environmental factors
meteorological determinants
risk factors
review
title The Association Between Environmental Factors and Scrub Typhus: A Review
title_full The Association Between Environmental Factors and Scrub Typhus: A Review
title_fullStr The Association Between Environmental Factors and Scrub Typhus: A Review
title_full_unstemmed The Association Between Environmental Factors and Scrub Typhus: A Review
title_short The Association Between Environmental Factors and Scrub Typhus: A Review
title_sort association between environmental factors and scrub typhus a review
topic scrub typhus
environmental factors
meteorological determinants
risk factors
review
url https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/6/151
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