STATUS OF SCRUB TYPHUS RESEARCH IN INDONESIA (Based on published reports)

Sr5'Al'l JS OF SCRlJR T Y PFICTS KESEATICM IN INDONESIA
(Rased on published reports)
Lim Roo Liatl and Tuti R. Had?

ARSTRAK
Scrub typhus merupakan penyakit yatlg endemis di Indonesia. Akan tetapi laporan mengenaf ha1
tersebut sangat sedikit. Penelusuran hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sebelum tahun 1 9 4 5 p ~ r n a h
dilaporkan hasil isolasi Rickettsia tsutsuganzushi dari penderita demam di beher:\pa tenipat, di Indonesia.
Setelah tahun 1 9 7 0 beherapa p ~ n e l i t i a nseroepidemiologi dilakukan di b ~ b e r a p ad a ~ r a hdi Indonesia
trrutama daerah transmigrasi dengan hasil prevalensi antibodi terhadap scrub typhus tertinggi di daerah
Biak dan Owi, Jrian .Jays dan yang trrendah di Flores dan Jakarta.
Selain itu dilakukan pula penelitian mengenai vektor scrub typhus dan hospesnya dengan hasil ditrmukannva 7 species trlrigau 1,cptolromhidiurn terrnasuk 2 jenis yang mrrupakan v ~ k t o r .
Saran ~ r n t u kpenelilian di masa yang alran datang diberikan dalam laporan ini.

-

Scrub tvnhus
is a febrile illness
"
caused by infection with Rickettsia tsutsrlga,,zushi. ~h~ clinical features of the
disease ae an eschar. rash and fever. ~ ~

the esllar and rash may or may not be
present, and if present may he overloolred
in a cursory examination. The acute
febrile onset follows with several days,
along with headache, profuse sweating,
co~ljunctivalinjection and lymphadenopathy. Late in the first week of fever a
dull red maculopapular eruption appears in
a few days. Without antibiotic therapy,
fever lasts about 1 4 days. The fatality
rate in untreated cases varies from 1 t o
6070, according t o locality, strain of
rickettsia and previous exposure t o disease. It is consistently higher among
older persons.( 1 ) Susceptibility is gen ~ r a l . An attack confers prolonged
immunity against the homologous strain
1
2.

of R.tsutsuganzushi
b ~ ~ o r l transient
ly

inlmunity against heteroloqous strains.
Heterologous infection within a few
t months
h
results in mild dis~ase.but after
a year produces the typical illness. Second
and third attacks of naturally acquired
scrub typhus occur among persons who
spend their lives in endemic areas(2).
The agent (I?. tsutsriga~~zu.ohl)of
scrub typhus is transmitted t o man by
the accidental biting and feeding on him
by the infected chiggers of certain vector
species. The critical phase in the livehistory of chigger mites is the newly
hatched larva hefore it is able t o attack
and feed on an animal. The free-living
adults of the vector species usually live in
the topsoil of the ground, hut thc larvae,
on hatching, climb into lawlying grass,
twigs or dead leaves and form cluqters.

The distribution of these chigger mites

World Health Organization, P.O. Box 302, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Head, Mammal Section, Health Ecology Research Centre, NIHRD, Jakarta, Indonwia

Bul. Fenelit. Kesehat. 14 (1) 1986.

Status of Scrub typhus. .

Lim Boo Liat & Tuti R. Hadi

as is the distri-

is known t o occur throughout much of
the Asian Pacific region.

Chiggers are usually habitat specific.
In a study on Malaysian chiggers based
on (a) the colour of the unfed larval mite;
(b) association of the mite with habitat;

and (c) its association with favoured hosts
was done by Nadchatram (4). He divided
the chiggers into 7 ecological groups.

Scrub typhus is known to be endemic
in Indonesia, but scant information
exists as t o its frequency of occurrence,
distribution and public health importance.

Group I are mite species, which are
orange to red in colour, and they are
ground-surface dwellers which occur on
a broad range of birds and mammals. The
remaining species, which have a limited
host range, occur in 6 other groups. Mites
of Group I1 are nest-dwelling species
which live in burrows of rodents and
shrews in the ground, and they are white
t o yellow in colour. Mites in Group I11
are nidicolous in nests of arboreal rodents

in trees which are white, pink, orange or
red chiggers. Those in Group IV to VII
exhibit very close host-parasite relationship which infest birds, bats, amphibians
and arthropods respectively. The colours
of these groups of mites are pallid, yellow
to orange. His study shows that the ecological grouping of the chiggers are potential significant indicators in relation t o
the epidemiology of scrub typhus disease.

Seven Leptotrombidium species have
been reported from Indonesia (5,6,7).
They are : Leptotrombidium (Leptotrombidium) arenicola, Traub, 1960; L. ( L . ) bodense (Gunther, 1970); L. ( L . ) deliense
(Walch, 1922); L.(L.) fletcheri (Womersly
& Heaslip, 1943); L.(L.) keukenschrijveri
(Walch, 1923); L.(L.) pilosum (Traub &
Lakshana, 1966; and L. (I,.) scll tellare,
Nagayo, et al., 1921.

in nature is very patchy
bution of the disease(3).


Chiggers of the subgenus Leptotrombidium have been implicated as the major
vectors of R. tsutsugamushi (2) which are
associated with the ground-surface and
nest-dwelling species as demonstrated
under ecological grouping of J and I1 by
Nadchatram (4). The known vectors of
scrub typhus are distributed from Japan
across China t o India, South of Queensland (Australia), Southeast Asia, and the
Primoryc region of USSR. Workers in
Japan were the first t o recognise the occurrence of scrub typhus. The disease

SCRUB TYPHUS VECTORS AND
VERTEBRATE HOSTS

L. (L.) deliense was first described
from collection of North Sumatera, Indonesia. This species has a wide distribution throughout the Oriental region
in a wide range of habitats from woody
scrub vegetation ( 8, 9, 1 0 ) including
primary jungle in the lowlands (a),
foothills ( l l ) , and montane forest (12).

It is the principal vector of scrub typhus.
In Indonesia, this species has been shown
to be common throughout the country.
The vertebrate hosts of this chigger range
from many species of commensal and
forest terrestrial and arboreal rodents to
insectivores, carnivores, primitive primates
and bats (Table 1). In Malaysia, several
ground-dwelling bird species are also
shown t o be excellent hosts of this
chigger (12, 13).
L. (L.) arenicola was first described
from specimens collected along the sand
covered grassy border of Malaysian
beaches and has been established as
vector of scrub typhus (14, 15, 16). In
Bul. Penelit. Kesehat. 14 (1) 1986.

Status of Scrub typhus


. . ..

Indonesia this species was collected from
the northern part, of Jakarta along the
Ancol Beach (6,), and has yet t o be
incriminated as vector. The vertebrate
hosts of this chigger are primarily domestic and field rats and domestic insectivores (Table 1).

L. (L.) fletcheri is commonly found in
abandoned and cultivated fields in Indonesia. It is a vector of scrub typhus
in Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia.
The vertebrate hosts are field rodents
in Indonesia (Table I).
L.(L.) scufellnre is found in secondary forest ar.d fringe habitats in Indonesia. It has been known as a vector in
Japan (2) only. The vertebrate hosts are
field and fbrests rodents in Indonesia
(Table 1).
I,. (L.) pilosum was reported in northern part of Jakarta along field areas in
Sunter ('7). It has not been incriminated
as a vector. (This species was collected

from two field bandicoots, Bundicota
irldica (Table I).).
L. (L.) heu kenschrijueri was first described from a single specimen collected
in Deli, North Sumatera (1'7). Subsequent
~ollect~ions
came from disturbed primary
and secondary forests in Indonesia. This
species has not been reported as a vector
of scrub typhus. The vertebrate hosts are
primarily forest ground and arboreal
rodents and primitive primates (Table 1).
I,.(L.) bodense is a common species
found in disturbed primary and secondary
forests and fringe habitats in the Malay
Peninsular (18). In Indonesia this species
is also common in similar type of habitats and also in field areas. It has not
been known as a vector. The vertebrate
hosts are forest insectivores, forest roden ts, primitive primates and carnivores,
Bul. Peneljt. Kesehat. 14 (1) 1986.


Lim Boo Eiat & ' k t i R. Hadi

field and house rats, and house shrews
(Table 1).
PAST RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Scrub typhus was first reported in
Sumatera by Walch and Keukenschrijver (19), in Java by Wolf and Graaf (20)
and Gispen et a1 (21), in Sulawesi by
Koewenaar (22), in Kalimantan by
Ressem (23) and Irian Jaya and adjacent
islands by Blake et a1 (24) and Kohls et
al (25). Most cases were detected by
serological diagnosis, but Rickettsia tsu tsugarnushi was isolated in Jakarta from
blood of several people by Gispen et al.
(21). Blake e t al. (24) also isolated R.
tsutsugumushi in Irian Jaya frorn pools
o f Lcptotrornbidiurn walchi (= L. ( L . )
deliense) and L. akanzushi (= L.(L.)
fletcheri). This early finding con firmed

that scrub typlius was present, and two
species of vector chiggcrs were incriminated and ronfirmed. Since then no
further work was carried out until the
1970's.

PRESENT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
With the establishernent of the United
States Navy Medical Research Unit-:!
(NAMRU-2) in the National Institute of
Health
Research
and Development
(NIHRD) in 1970, studies on ecto- and
endoparasites of rodents and rodent-borne
diseases were carried out in North Sumatera, Java, South Kalimantan, Central
Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and Arnbon
which led t,o more scrub typhus vectors
being discovered and its prevalence of
host-parasite distribution (5).
Serological and isolation studies of the
disease in Peninsular Malaysia revealed the
disease was more prevalent among rural
people than had been previously thought

Status of Scrub typhus. . . . Lim Roo Liat & Tuti R. Hadi

(26). In view of their findings, the NAMRU-2 and Health Ecology Research Centre in NIHRD started seroepidemiological
studies during the period from 1975 t o
1979 in rural vilages from Biak and Owi
Islands, Flores, Sumatera, Kalimantan,
Java and urban fringe areas of Jakarta.
The prevalence of scrub typhus antibodies
were found t o be highest among inhabitants of Biak & Owi Islands and lowest
among inhabitants of Flores and Jakarta
(27, 28). Rickettsia1 isolation attempts
yielded positive results from rats collected
in Biak and Owi Islands (29, 30).
From 1977 HERC and WHO Vector
Biology and Control Research Unit-unit
(VI3CR.U-2) carried out more intensive
studies on scrub typhus vectors in several parts of the country. Surveys on
small mammals and their ectoparasites
were carried o u t in Lampung and Baturaja, South Sumatera and Jakarta city where scrub typhus vectors were found
t o be prevalent among
the field rats
(6, 30, 31). Longitudinal studies of
host-parasite relationships were made in
a ricefield area in Jakarta, and in a hill
station of Ciloto, West Java.
In Jakarta the ricefield rat (Rattus argentiventer) was the only species found
infested with the classical scrub typhus
vector (L.(L.) deliense). The density
and mean chigger-load of scrub typhus
vector chiggers were found t o be high
during the flowering t o ripening stage
of the rice plants and the harvesting stage
of the ricefield when the micro-habitats
were favourable (32). In Ciloto, a line
transect encompassed three different habitats, mixed habitats, ricefield and
lalang were surveyed for rodents and
scrub typhus vector. Leptotromhidium
(L.) deliense was found t o be quite
prevalent o n field rats (R. argen tiventer,

R. tiomanicus), less so on domestic rats
(R.r. diardii) and least on peridomestic
rats (R. exulans). The overall infestation
rates were equally high in both mixed
and lalang habitats and low in the ricefield. Chigger load per animal was significantly higher in the mixed habitat,
lower in lalang and lowest in the ricefield (33).
In 1982, scrub typhus studies carried
o u t by HERC of NIHRD were focused in
transmigration areas, and a study was
made in Way Abung 111, Larnpung transmigration scheme. The study revealed
that two field rat species (R. exulans and
R. tiomanicus) were the most common
rodents in the area, and two scrub typhus
vectors (L. (L.) deliense, L. (L.) fletcheri)
were frequently encountered. L.(L.) deliense was found in high numbers in these
rats. Serological studies of scrub typhus
antibodies were found in high prevalence
among the two rodent species, being
42.1% in R.exulans and 65.7% in R.
tiomanicus. At the same time, serological
studies were done on 444 people of
varying ages in the area, and 11.9%
were found with scrub typhus antibodies. (34). The seropositive rates were
found t o be higher in males than females, likewise also higher in adults
than children.
The results of the scrub typhus
studies revealed that chiggers of the
genus Lep to trombidium differ greatly
in their association with the vertebrate
hosts. The classical scrub typhus vector,
L.(L.) deliense was shown t o infest a
great variety of hosts which inhabit from
sub-urban, rural through field, secondary and primary forests. That of L.(L.)
arenicola, so far has been observed in domestic and field rats which are confined
t o suburban areas near coastal regions;
Bul. Penelit. Kesehat. 14 (1) 1986.

Status of Scrub typhus.

.. .

L.(L.) fletcheri are found infesting domestic, field and forest rats inhabiting
fields and secondary forest environs,
and L. (L.) scu tellare was found infesting
rodents of field and secondary forests
(Table 2).
Among the potential vector species
of Leptotrornbidium the association of
L. (L.) bodense with its vertebrate hosts
was similar t o that for L.(L.) deliense
whose habitats range from suburban
areas, fields t o forests, and L.(L.) heukenschrijveri was found infesting field
rat and forest terrestrial and arboreal
rodents, while that of l,.(L.) pilosum
was found t o infest field rodents inhabiting suburban area only (Table 2).
CONCLUSION
In Indonesja only 2 of 7 known subgpnus Leptotrom b idium chigger species,
( I . .) deliense and L. ( L . ) fletcheri)
which were incriminated as vectors of
scrub typhus. In Malaysia, confirmed
of R. tsutsugamushi infection in 7 of
26 known members of the genus and
subgenus L,eptolrornbidiwm, i.e. L. (L.)
delicxse, L. (L.
) fletcheri, L. (L ) arenicola,
L. (L.) Izeu henschrijuen, L. (1,. ) bodense,
L. (1,.) urn bricola aand I,. (L.) scu tellare
were reported ( 3 5 ) . The possibility that
closely related species of Leptotrombidium dcrnonstrated in the ecological
groups of I and I1 being lilrely candidates as vectors was alerted by Nadchatrain
(4). Recent studies in Thailand L.(L.)
scutellnre and four o t h ~ rspecies of Leptotrombidiunz, othcr than the known
vectors, were also found t o be positive
for the first time (36). This latter studies
n o t only confirmed the hypothesis of
Nadchatram (4) based on his ecological
grouping of malayan chiggers, but it
Rul. Penc4it. Kesehat. 1 4 ( 1 ) 1986.

Lim Boo Liat & Tuti R. Hadi

also draws attention t o future workers
that incrimination of chigger vectors
other than t h e classical ones, should
not be overlooked.

Many of the islands in Indonesia have
similar biotypes like that of Malaysia.
The fauna and flora in some of the
islands, such as Sumatera, Kalimantan
and Jawa are also identical. It is very
probable that more Leptotrombidium
spp. than the 7 known ones are awaiting
discovery if more intensive activities are
taken. With more advanced laboratory
technology and trained personnel it is
quite possible that more scrub typhus
vectors other than the only 2 so fa
known in Indonesia could be incriminated
as evidenced by workers f r ~ mMalaysia
and Thailand.

The association of scrub typhus vec
tors and those of the potentjal vector
species with their vertebrate hots in relati
o n t o the edology of the latter, indicate
that the Leplotromhidiurn chiggers are
primarily associated with terrain altered
by man, e.g. cutting the forest t o build
roads, airfields or newly open trans
migration schemes, oii allowing scrub
vegetation t o grow in such areas, or in
abandoned fields. People who are in
volved in such operation are among those
whose livelihood depend on the fields
such as the farmers, wood c u t ~ e r sand
transmigrants, etc. This category
o
people formed the majority of the po
pulation in Indonesia. It is quite probable
that with the widespread nature of the
vectors and disease so far investigated, i
could be more prevalent among rura
folks than the occasionally reported case
in Indonesia.
4

Status of Scrub typhus.

...

FUTURE RESEARCH STUDIES
Scrub typhus, unlike malaria which
causes high mortality rate, is a disease
of public health importance which causes
high morbidity although in chronic
infection, fatality sometimes also occurs.
The disease is closely associated with the
ecology oE the country-side. It is a manmade, occupational disease. The population a t risk of contracting infection are
mostly rural people, such as plantation
and field workers and transmigrants.
Military personnel on field exercise are
usually exposed t o the chiggerborne
infect.ion, and probably they are the
group of personnel who are more likely
to contract the disease, other than the
field workers. Thus it is also a disease of
military importance. With the tremendous
national development that is taking place
in this country, especially in land development and resettlement of human communities to areas of newly cleared forest,
more and more susceptible individuals are
being exposed t o infection and are in fact
suffering from the disease that goes
undiagnosed. Based on the past and present research studies, future research
activities may be as follows :
1. HERC of NIHRD has a good acarologist, but lacks of trained rickettsiologist.
Provision and training of a scientific personnel in rickettsiology is necessary to
undertake further scrub typhus research
studies in the country.
2. Seroepidemiological studies on scrub
typhus prevalence of transmigrants in
newly developed transmigration schemes
are essential. Surveillance of rodents
and scrub typhus vectors in these areas
are also essential to investigate the distribution of vectors and their hosts.
3. The country emphasis in Pelita IV

Lim Boo Liat & Tuti R. Hadi

(Fourth 5-years national development
plan) is to increase production of nonoil products, such as rubber and oilpalm
industries, etc. The creation of microhabitats in these plantations are attractive to rodents and for the introduction
of chiggers resulting in the build up and
turn-over of large populations of vector
species. Thus, survey studies on scrub
typhus vectors should be made in newly
and established plantations to assess the
prevalence of chigger infestation, and
seroepidemiological studies should also
be conducted periodically among the
workers in these estates.
4. The Armed Forces are constantly
undergoing training in terrains that are
also habitats of chiggers. Sero-epidemiological surveys among personnel of the
armed forces should be carried out
in collaboration with the Armed Forces
Medical Unit to assess the prevalence
of disease in these personnel.
The distribution of surveyed scrub
vectors and the life-cycle of the vector
are presented in Fig.1 and 2 respectively.
REFERENCES
1. Audy, J.R. (1961) The ecology of
scrub typhus. In studies in disease
ecology. J. May (Ed.) NY Hafner,
p.389-432.
2. Traub, R., Wisseman, C.L. Jr. (1974)
The ecology of chigger-borne Rickettsiosis (Scrub typhus). M. Med. Entomol., 11 (3): 237-303.
3. Nadchatram, M. (1979) Ecological
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and related species of chiggers (Acari:
Trombiculidae). Proceedings of Biotrop symposium o n extoparasite biology. Biotrop special Puclication No.
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Status of Scrub typhus.

. ..

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Lim Boo 1,iat & Tuti R. Hadi

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special reference t o vectors of plague
and scrub typhus. Southeast Asian
J. Pop.Med.&b.Hlth., 11: 71-80.
33. Lim, B.L., Tuti R. Hadi and N. Sustriayu (1980b) Rodent and scrub
typhus survey in a ricefield at Kramat
Tunggak area, Tanjung Priok, Jakarta,
Indonesia. Southeast Asian J.P o p .
Bul. Penelit. Kesehat. 14 (1) 1986.

Status of Scrub typhus.

...

34. Hadi, T.R., Supalin, Sustriayu Nalim
and Annie Chang (1984). Ekologi
penyakit scrub typhus di unit desa
transmigrasi Mulyorejo, Way Abung
111, Lampung Utara. Health Studies
Indonesia., 12 : ( 2 ) 11-18.

35. Nadchatram, M. (1984). The natural
history of the genus Lep tolrombidium

Lim Roo Liat & Tuti R. Hadi

(Acari: Trombiculidae) with reference
t o scrub typhus. Ellis Horwood Limited, Chjchester. Acarology 6. Vo1.2.
1107-1113.
36. Shirae, A., P.L. Tanskul, R.G. Andre,
A. L. Dohany and D.L. Huxsoll(1981).
Rickettsia tsutsugamushi strains found
in chiggers collected in Thailand.
Southeast Asian
J. Trop.Med.Pub.
Hith., 12: 1-6.

Table 1 : Distribution of vertabrate hosts of seven
Leptotrombidium species in Indonesia
Leptotromhidium spp.
and its hosts

Localities

I,. (L) deliense
Insectivorus

Hylomys suillus
Crocidura ap
Crodicura mont icola
Crocidura nigripes
Suncus murinus

W.C. & E. Java
W.C. & E. Java
W.C. & E. Java
N.C. & S. Sulawesi
W.C. & E. Java; N.C. & Sulawesi

Murids

Rattus exulans
Rattus tiomanicus
Rat tus argentiventer
Ra ttus norvegious
Raittus rattus diardii
Bandicota indica
Ra ttus surifer
Rattus bukit
Rattus cremoriuenter
Rattus bartelsii
Rattus lepturus
Rattus niviventer
Rattus sabanus
Rattus hoffmani
Bul. Penelit. Kesehat. 1 4 (1) 1986.

W.C. & E. Java; N.C. & E. Sumatera
E.& S. Kalimantan; N.C.S. Sulawesi; Irian Jaya.
W.C. & E. Java; N.C. & S. Sumatera;
E & S. Kalimantan.
W.C. & E.Java. S. Sumatera; E & S. Kalimantan;
N.C. & S. Sulawesi
W.C. & E. Java
W.C. & E. Java
W.C. & E. Java; E & S. Sumatera
W.C. & E. Java; E.&S. Kalimantan
W.C. & E. Java; N.C. & S. Sumatera
W.C. & E. Java
W.C. & E. Java
W.C. & E. Java
W.C. & E. Java
W.C & E. Sunzalcra
N.C. & S. Sulawesi

Status of Scrub t y p h u s .

Rattus adspersus
Ra ttus chrysocomus
Rattus nitidus
Rattus r. palelae
Rattus r. amboinensis
Rattus r. septicus
Scruriids
Hy lopetes spadiceus
Lariscus insignis
Collosciurus no talus
Primitive primate
Tupaia glis
Tupaia tuna
Carnivore
Melogale orientalis
Chiroptera
Rousettes celebensis
Primate
Homo sapiens

...

Lim Roo Liat & Tuti R. Hadi

N.C. & S. Sulawesi
N.C. & S. Sulawesi
N.C. & S. Sulawesi
N.C. & S. Sulawesi
Maluku
Irian Jaya
W.C. & E. Java
W.C. & E. Java; N.C. RE S. Sumatera
E & S. Kalimantan
W.C. & E. Java; E & S. Kalimantan
E & S. Kalimantan
W. Java

C. Sulawesi
N. Sumatera

L. (L.) arenicola
Suncus murinus
Rattus argentiventer
Ratuus r. diadii

Jakarta, Java
Jakarta, Java
Jakarta, Java

L. (L.) fletcheri
Rattus exulans
Rat tus tiomanicus
Rattus r. diardii
Rattus leucopus
Rattus r. septicus
Bandicoot

C & S. Sumatera; Irian Jaya
C & S. Sumatera
C & S. Sumatera
Irian Jaya
Irian Jaya
Irian Jaya

L. (L.) scutellare
Rattus exulans
Rattus edwardsi
Lariscus insignis

E. Java
N. Sumatera
N. Sumatera

L. (L.) p ilosum
Bandicota indica

Jakarta, Java

L. (L.) I?eukenschrijveri
Rattus exulans
Rattus bukit
Callosciurus nigrovittatus
Lnriscus insignis
Tupaia glis

E Java
N. Sumatera
N. Sumatera
N. Sumatera
E. Java

Bul. Penelit. Kesehat. 14 (1) 1986.

Status of Scrub typhus.

...

Lim Boo Liat & Tuti R. Hadi

N. Sumatera

Homo sapiens

L. (L.) bodense
Hylomys suillues
Crocidura sp.
Suncus murinus
Rattus exulans
Rattus tiomanicus
Ratuus argentivenler
Rattus r. diardii
Rattus bartelsii
Ra ltus cremoriven ter
Rattus edwardsi
Rattus sp.
Rat tus adspersus
Rattus cele bensis
Rattus chrysocomus
Ratuus hoffmani
Tupaia glis
Melogale orientalis

W. & E. Java
W. & E. Java
W & E. Java; C. Sulawesi
W & E. Java; N & S. Sumatera
W. & E. Java; N & S. Sumatera
S. Kalirnantan
W. & E. Java; C. Sulawesi
W. Java
W. Java
N & S. Sumatera
C. Sulawesi
C. Sulawesi
C. Sulawesi
C. Sulawesi
C. Sulawesi
W. Java
W. Java

Table 2 : Ecological habitats of vertebrate hosts infested with seven
Leptotrombidium species in Indonesia

Chigger species

Domestic
shrew

Domestic
rats

Field
rats

Forest
shrews

Forest
rats

Forest
squirrels

Forest
primitive
primate

Forest
carnivore

Cave
bat
-

L. ( L . ) deliense
L.(L.) arenicola
L. (L.) fletcheri
L. (L.) scutellare
L. (L.) pilosum
L. (L.) iteukenschrijveri
L ( L . ) bodense

1 sp.

2 spp.

1 sp.

-

-

-

1 sp.

1 sp.

1 spp.

1 sp.

7 spp.
1 sp.

1 sp.

3 spp.

1 sp.

-

lsp.

-

1 sp.

1 sp.

-

1 sp.

-

-

-

1 sp.

-

1 sp.
1 sp.
8 spp.
-

-

-

3 spp.

-

2 spp.

11 spp. 3 spp.

-

Figures ahove indicate number of host species found infested with chigger species).

Bul. Penelit. Kesehat. 14 (1) 1986.

2 spp

1 sp.

1 sp.

-

-

-

-

-

1 sp.

1 sp.

-

-

-

-

Status of Scrub typhus.

. . . Lim Roo Liat & Tuti R. Hadi

I

MAINTAINING

INCIDENTAL

HOSTS

new
mite

ESTARLISHED

1MITE

island

COLONY

ISLAND1

L

Fig. 2. The ecology of scrub-typhus

But. Penelit. Kesehat. 14 ( 1 ) 1986.

Adapted

from

~ u d ~ ,~. [ 1, 9 6 1 1