Persistently elevated serum transcobalamin II in a patient with cerebral malaria and typhus infections.

ABSTRACT

A 25-year-old man presented with a history of fever, chills and vomiting for three days. The parasite count was 207 ring-forms of P. falciparum per 1000 red cells. He developed hemoglobinuria and excreted hemoglobin in the urine 0.20-0.30 g/dl for 14 days during admission. Many blood transfusions were administered for correcting anemia. Although the malarial parasites disappeared one week after anti-malarial therapy, however, the fever and hemoglobinuria persisted. The Weil-Felix reaction OXK was positive with a titre of 140 on admission and increased to 1160 on the second week. Chloramphenical and prednisolone were given for treatment of typhus fever and all symptoms subsided. Serum TCII levels were found to be increased and persisted high during the hemoglobinuria. The clearance of TCII was lower and increased relatively slowly to the normal level on day 30. On the other hand, TCII excretion in the urine was found to be increased during hemoglobinuria. These findings indicate that the catabolism and clearance of TCII in this patients is impaired with increased TCII excretion in the urine in parallel to the hemoglobinuria. Serum TCII level is, therefore, increased and persistently high in a patient with malaria and typhus fever infections with hemoglobinuria.