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JMM Case Reports

Volume 1, Issue 1

Two fatal cases with complete autopsies Open Access

Abstract

Introduction:

Human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) is caused by infection of monocytes by , an obligate intracellular Gram‐negative bacterium. The number of ehrlichiosis cases due to reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the disease became reportable in 1999 have increased steadily, from 200 cases in 2000 to 961 cases in 2008. In 2012, the case fatality rate, as reported by the CDC, was 1.1 %.

Case Presentation:

Described in this review are two cases of fatal HME, both of which received a complete autopsy examination. Both cases required serological and molecular studies to reach the final diagnosis. The heart and spleen tissue blocks were diagnostically useful in these cases.

Conclusion:

Awareness of HME leads to improved recognition and subsequent timely treatment of this disease. The discovery of HME in our second case was greatly facilitated by the experience gained by the diagnosis in the first case.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): autopsy , disseminated intravascular coagulation , Ehrlichia and morula
© 2014 The Authors
  • This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
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2014-03-01
2024-09-19
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/content/journal/jmmcr/10.1099/jmmcr.0.000349
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Two fatal Ehrlichia cases with complete autopsies
JMM Case Rep 1, e000349 (2014); https://doi.org/10.1099/jmmcr.0.000349
/content/journal/jmmcr/10.1099/jmmcr.0.000349
/content/journal/jmmcr/10.1099/jmmcr.0.000349
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