Mild Encephalitis/Encephalopathy with Reversible Splenial Lesion Associated with Scrub Typhus in a Child: A Case Report

Background: Mild encephalitis/encephalopathy with a reversible splenial lesion (MERS) is a rare clinicoradiological syndrome characterized by transient mild encephalopathy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of a reversible lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC). Multiple causes have been proposed for the pathogenesis of MERS, with infection as the most pre-eminent. Case Presentation: We report the case of a 10-year-old girl with MERS due to scrub typhus. Her clinical manifestations of headache and drowsiness, together with lesions involving the SCC, as shown by MRI, and their complete resolution upon follow-up fulfilled the diagnosis of MERS. At the same time, the characteristic eschar of the skin and the positive Weil-Felix test result confirmed the existence of scrub typhus infection. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, we described the first pediatric case of MERS associated with scrub typhus. The case indicated that an MERS patient with fever should be considered as possibly having a scrub typhus infection. The characteristic black eschar of scrub typhus generally occurs after bite of mite that is important and useful to the doctor for making proper diagnosis.