Antibodies to Orientia tsutsugamushi in soldiers in northeastern Thailand.

The prevalence and incidence of antibodies to Orientia tsutsugamushi, the etiologic agent of scrub typhus, in Thai soldiers living and working near the Thai-Cambodian border in Si Sa Ket Province was investigated. The point prevalence of antibodies varied from 0 to 4.1%. The incidence of antibodies, calculated from individuals who seroconverted following a negative result in a previous bleeding 3 to 5 months earlier, was 4.21% (9/214) in January 1992, 0 in April 1992 and 3.76% (8/213) in September 1992. An annual infection rate of 2.66% was estimated.