TY - JOUR
T1 - Clinical case definitions for Argentine hemorrhagic fever
AU - Harrison, Lee H.
AU - Halsey, Neal A.
AU - McKee, Kelly T.
AU - Peters, Clarence J.
AU - Barrera Oro, Julio G.
AU - Briggiler, Ana María
AU - Feuillade, María Rosa
AU - Maiztegui, Julio I.
PY - 1999
Y1 - 1999
N2 - Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF) is a potentially lethal infection in Argentina. The case-fatality ratio is > 15%, but treatment reduces the mortality rate to < 1%. Diagnosis is based on clinical and laboratory criteria, but no case definition has been validated. A chart review was conducted for patients hospitalized with suspected AHF. Individuals with a fourfold rise in antibody titer were classified as cases. The combination of a platelet count of <100,000/mm3 and a white blood cell (WBC) count of <2,500/mm3 had a sensitivity and specificity of 87% and 88%, respectively, thus suggesting that the use of these criteria in a case definition would be helpful for epidemiological studies of AHF. The combination of a platelet count of <100,000/mm3 and a WBC count of <4,000/mm3 had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 71%; the use of these criteria in a case definition should be helpful for screening patients for therapy with immune plasma in the region where AHF is endemic.
AB - Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF) is a potentially lethal infection in Argentina. The case-fatality ratio is > 15%, but treatment reduces the mortality rate to < 1%. Diagnosis is based on clinical and laboratory criteria, but no case definition has been validated. A chart review was conducted for patients hospitalized with suspected AHF. Individuals with a fourfold rise in antibody titer were classified as cases. The combination of a platelet count of <100,000/mm3 and a white blood cell (WBC) count of <2,500/mm3 had a sensitivity and specificity of 87% and 88%, respectively, thus suggesting that the use of these criteria in a case definition would be helpful for epidemiological studies of AHF. The combination of a platelet count of <100,000/mm3 and a WBC count of <4,000/mm3 had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 71%; the use of these criteria in a case definition should be helpful for screening patients for therapy with immune plasma in the region where AHF is endemic.
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U2 - 10.1086/514749
DO - 10.1086/514749
M3 - Article
C2 - 10452640
AN - SCOPUS:0032954095
SN - 1058-4838
VL - 28
SP - 1091
EP - 1094
JO - Clinical Infectious Diseases
JF - Clinical Infectious Diseases
IS - 5
ER -