Orientia tsutsugamushi
"O. tsutsugamushi" causes a complex and dangerous infection scrub typhus. Infection starts when chiggers bite on the skin during their feeding. The bacteria are deposited at the site of feeding (inoculation), where they multiply. They cause progressive tissue damage (necrosis). Necrosis progresses to inflammation of the blood vessels called vasculitis. This in turn causes inflammation of the lymph nodes, called lymphadenopathy. Within a few days, vasculitis extends to various organs including liver, brain, kidney, meninges and the lung. The disease is responsible for nearly a quarter of all the febrile (high fever) illness in endemic areas. Mortality in severe case or due to improper treatment or misdiagnosis may be as high as 30-70%. About 6% of infected people die untreated, and 1.4% of the patients die even with medical treatment. Moreover, death rate can be as high as 13% where medical treatment is not properly handled. In cases of misdiagnosis and failure of treatment, systemic complications rapidly develop including acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney failure, encephalitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatitis, meningitis, myocarditis, pancreatitis, pneumonia, septic shock, sub-acute thyroiditis, and multi-organ dysfunctions. Harmful symptoms involving multiple organ failure and neurological impairment are difficult to treat, and can be lifelong debilitation or directly fatal. The central nervous system is often affected and result in various complications including cerebellitis, cranial nerve palsies, meningoencephalitis, plexopathy, transverse myelitis, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and Guillan-Barré syndrome. Death rates due to complications can be up to 14% in brain infections, and 24% with multiple organ failure. It is the major cause of acute encephalitis syndrome in India, where viral infection Japanese encephalitis has been regarded as the main factor.
Jingtang Lotus Roots
According to a legend, Eight Immortals once visited the home of an immortal being named Xiangu to eat green litchi. Suddenly they felt an evil air rush up. Tieguai Li, upon smelling it, said, "There must be a plague." The Eight Immortals saw the barren hillsides and dried out fields cracking from the heat. Hundreds of villagers were starving and some collapsed on the ground, while others were attempting to flee the village. The Eight Immortals looked very anxious, Tieguai Lee smiled: "Do not worry, I have an idea." He took out a Dan from one side of the gourd, put it into his mouth and bit. Then, with saliva, he spat and it began to rain which made the barren hills and fields become green and the pond filled with water. The powerless villagers rushed to the side of the ridge to collect wild vegetables where they encountered the Eight Immortals. After seeing the Eight Immortals, they calmed down. However, Xiangu was still worried, because the villagers were thin, weak, and had no food. She remembered the merciful Avalokitesvara who gave her a few lotus seeds and said to her: "When you see the humans suffering, you can throw these lotus seed to save the world.” So, she quickly took out lotus seeds from the sleeves and threw them down into a large reservoir. After a while, the pond grew lotus flowers and lotus leaves. The Eight Immortals' work was done. The following year, the winter came and the lotus leaf withered. The experienced peasants knew that the lotus root was ripe and led the villagers to dig the lotus root and eat it. It is believed that everyone who eats this lotus root becomes strong and healthy, causing the following generations down the line to thrive.