Survival and Growth of Orientia tsutsugamushi in Conventional Hemocultures.
Dittrich S., Card E., Phuklia W., Rudgard WE., Silousok J., Phoumin P., Bouthasavong L., Azarian S., Davong V., Dance DAB., Vongsouvath M., Phetsouvanh R., Newton PN.
Orientia tsutsugamushi, which requires specialized facilities for culture, is a substantial cause of disease in Asia. We demonstrate that O. tsutsugamushi numbers increased for up to 5 days in conventional hemocultures. Performing such a culture step before molecular testing could increase the sensitivity of O. tsutsugamushi molecular diagnosis.