ABSTRACT
Minimal hepatic dysfunction can be common in acute Q fever, but severe acute cholestatic hepatitis is rarely reported. We report on a 55-year-old male with acute Q fever and severe acute cholestatic hepatitis. He complained of fever, jaundice, ascites, and restlessness on admission. A liver biopsy revealed the presence of compact fibrin-ring granulomas. Serologic titers for C. burnetii IgM and IgG were 2048:1 and 1024:1, respectively. C. burnetii DNA was detected by a nested polymerase chain reaction on the liver tissue.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Ascites , Biopsy , DNA , Fever , Granuloma , Hepatitis , Immunoglobulin G , Immunoglobulin M , Jaundice , Liver , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Psychomotor Agitation , Q FeverABSTRACT
Q fever is a zoonotic infection caused by Coxiella burnetii. Acute Q fever usually develops as a self-limited flu-like illness, atypical pneumonia, or hepatitis. We experienced a case of Q fever in a 50-year-old male who had a prolonged fever. The bone marrow and lymph node biopsy revealed fibrin-ring granulomas, which is a distinct finding of Q fever. The diagnosis was proven by high titers of C. burnetii anti-phase II antibody (IgM 1:512 and IgG >,048) and positive nested PCR for the com-1 gene. Q fever is rare in Korea, but should be considered in the differential diagnosis of fever of unknown origin
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Biopsy , Bone Marrow , Coxiella burnetii , Diagnosis, Differential , Fever , Fever of Unknown Origin , Granuloma , Hepatitis , Immunoglobulin G , Korea , Lymph Nodes , Pneumonia , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Q FeverABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Fibrin-ring granuloma (FRG), which can be found in bone marrow or the liver, is a subtype of epithelioid granuloma characterized by a central fat vacuole and annular peripheral fibrinoid materials. FRG has been proven to be associated with many etiologies such as several infectious organisms (Coxiella burnett; Epstein-Barr Virus, EBV; cytomegalovirus, CMV; and hepatitis A virus), allopurinol induced hepatitis, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and peripheral T-cell lymphoma. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 24 patients diagnosed with FRG by bone marrow biopsy at a single institute between 1995 and 2004. We reviewed clinical symptoms and laboratory findings of the patients, classified them by etiology, and compared prognosis of each group. RESULTS: The most common cause of FRG was acute or chronic EBV infection. Chronic or acute EBV infection was associated with 41.4% of patients (10/24). Of the remaining patients, 33.3% (8/24) were leukemia or lymphoma patients after chemotherapy, 4.2% (1/24) was a patient with hepatic failure, and 20.8% (5/24) were diagnosed as fever of unknown origin. The most common symptom and clinical finding were fever and cytopenia. EBV-associated group comprised chronic active EBV infection, EBV-associated hemophagocytic histiocytosis, acute EBV infection, EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disease, and Langerhans' cell histiocytosis. The EBV-associated group showed a lower survival probability compared with the non-EBV group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with bone marrow fibrin ring granuloma accompanied by fever require an active workup to find out the cause of infectious agents including EBV infection particularly due to their poor prognosis.