Advances in molecular biology techniques to detect and classify Orientia tsutsugamushi.

Orientia tsutsugamushi,the cause of scrub typhus,is a pathogen that is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected Leptotrombidium mite larvae.Historically,serological techniques were used to detect O.tsutsugamushi and classify O.tsutsugamushi serotypes.With the development of molecular biology,molecular methods are used today to differentiate the genotype of O.tsutsugamushi and detect DNA of O.tsutsugamushi.This article reviews the use of molecular methods to detect and classify O.tsutsugamushi.