TY - JOUR
T1 - Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in connecticut
T2 - Report of a fatal case
AU - Hardalo, Catherine J.
AU - Quagliarello, Vincent
AU - Dumler, J. Stephen
N1 - Funding Information:
Received 23 March 1995; revised 23 May 1995. Financial support: This work was supported in part by a Special Research Initiative Support Award from the University ofMaryland School of Medicine. Reprints or correspondence: Dr. J. Stephen Dumler, Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 10 South Pine Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.
PY - 1995/10
Y1 - 1995/10
N2 - We report a case of granulocytic ehrlichiosis in a 71-year-old man who presented with an acute febrile illness and subsequently developed multisystem organ dysfunction and sudden severe anemia with thrombocytopenia requiring intensive care, mechanical ventilation, hemodialysis, and transfusions. The diagnosis was suspected on the fifth hospital day after a peripheral blood smear was examined; intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were present in granulocytes only. Results of serological tests of acute and convalescent sera confirmed the diagnosis of granulocytic ehrlichiosis. We discuss the features of this case that were similar to those of published case reports as well as the course and outcome of treatment. This, to our knowledge, represents the first documented case of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis to occur outside the Upper Midwest. Because of the possible epidemiological association of Ehrlichia species with the deer tick Ixodes scapularis (dammini), this case raises additional concern for clinicians and patients in regions where Lyme disease is endemic.
AB - We report a case of granulocytic ehrlichiosis in a 71-year-old man who presented with an acute febrile illness and subsequently developed multisystem organ dysfunction and sudden severe anemia with thrombocytopenia requiring intensive care, mechanical ventilation, hemodialysis, and transfusions. The diagnosis was suspected on the fifth hospital day after a peripheral blood smear was examined; intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were present in granulocytes only. Results of serological tests of acute and convalescent sera confirmed the diagnosis of granulocytic ehrlichiosis. We discuss the features of this case that were similar to those of published case reports as well as the course and outcome of treatment. This, to our knowledge, represents the first documented case of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis to occur outside the Upper Midwest. Because of the possible epidemiological association of Ehrlichia species with the deer tick Ixodes scapularis (dammini), this case raises additional concern for clinicians and patients in regions where Lyme disease is endemic.
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U2 - 10.1093/clinids/21.4.910
DO - 10.1093/clinids/21.4.910
M3 - Article
C2 - 8645839
AN - SCOPUS:0028883885
SN - 1058-4838
VL - 21
SP - 910
EP - 914
JO - Clinical Infectious Diseases
JF - Clinical Infectious Diseases
IS - 4
ER -