Molecular Epidemiology and Genetic Diversity of Orientia tsutsugamushi From Patients and Small Mammals in Xiangyun County, Yunnan Province, China

ABSTRACT Introduction Scrub typhus, also known as Tsutsugamushi disease (TD), is an acute febrile illness that poses a significant public health threat to nearly one billion people in the Asia‐Pacific region. The disease is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi ( OT ) and is primarily transmitted through the bite of chigger mite larvae. Due to its nonspecific clinical manifestations, early diagnosis is challenging, often leading to misdiagnosis or untreated cases. Yunnan Province, located on China's border, reports the highest annual incidence of scrub typhus, highlighting the need to better understand OT infection in both human patients and small mammals in this region. Methods In this study, clinical data on scrub typhus cases in Xiangyun County People's Hospital were retrospectively collected. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and semi‐nested PCR were used to amplify the 56‐kDa type‐specific antigen (TSA) from samples collected from 64 patients and 93 small mammals, representing six genera and nine species, in Xiangyun County, Yunnan Province, China. Complete sequences of the 56‐kDa TSA for each genotype were obtained through primer‐walking and subjected to evolutionary and recombination analyses. Results A total of 377 scrub typhus cases were enrolled at Xiangyun County Hospital from July 2015 to November 2020. The detection rates of OT in patients and small mammals were 28.13% (18/64) and 13.98% (13/93), respectively. Nine full‐length 56‐kDa TSA genes were identified, comprising four distinct genotypes: Karp‐like ( n = 3), Kato‐like ( n = 3), Gilliam ( n = 2), and TA763 ( n = 1). Patients infected with the Karp‐like exhibited significantly more severe clinical symptoms, and the Karp‐like genotype of patients was relatively common in Xiangyun County of Yunnan Province. The Gilliam‐like and Karp‐like genotypes were detected in the infected small mammals, and Apodemus chevrier i is a dominant species in cultivated fields. Recombination analysis revealed genetic overlap among strains of similar or different genotypes, suggesting that genetic diversity may contribute to the increased incidence of scrub typhus. Conclusion At least four genotypes of OT were present among patients, and it was infected by OT that at least four species of  infected small mammals in cultivated areas and at least three species of infected small mammals in residential areas from Xiangyun County, Yunnan Province. The diversity of OT genotypes and infected small mammals, which causes frequent genetic recombination, is the main reason for the adaptive selection due to the genetic evolution of OT .