SEROLOGIC ANALYSIS OF SCRUB TYPHUS ISOLATES FROM THE PESCADORES AND PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Abstract

Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus, is an antigenically diverse organism. The protection produced in animals or man by either infection or vaccination appears to be short lived in the case of serologically unrelated organisms Although a knowledge of the antigenic types of organisms present in an endemic area is important, the actual prevalence of the types in the area is a better guide to the selection of strains for use in a vaccine. This paper is one of a continuing series in which we are attempting to determine the prevalence and distribution of R. tsutsugamushi strains throughout the endemic areas of scrub typhus.