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Scrub typhus: audit of an outbreak. OBJECTIVES: To document the epidemiological, clinical and laboratory profile of all children with scrub typhus at a tertiary care centre in Chennai between September 2010 and June 2011. METHODS: The case records of all children admitted and diagnosed with scrub typhus between September 2010 and June 2011 were analysed to look for salient clinical and laboratory parameters. RESULTS: During the study period, 52 children were admitted with scrub typhus in the authors' hospital. The presenting complaints included fever in all cases. Other symptoms included swelling of legs (50 %) and vomiting (45 %). 13 % presented with CNS symptoms. The commonest physical findings included eschar (67 %), hepatomegaly (94 %), splenomegaly (73 %) and third spacing (67 %). Salient lab parameters included packed cell volume (PCV) <30 (48 %), leucocytosis (56 %), positive C-reactive protein (CRP) (92 %), hypoalbuminemia (79 %). Common complications included acute kidney injury (10 %) and peripheral gangrene (4 %). There was no mortality in the present case series. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical profile of children with scrub typhus in a tertiary care centre is reported. Eschar and hepatosplenomegaly with a high CRP value is helpful in diagnosis. All patients responded well to the treatment.