Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease: A Rare Cause of Pyrexia of Unknown Origin and Cervical Lymphadenopathy.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a benign disorder characterized by regional cervical lymphadenopathy with tenderness. Associated symptoms of KFD include low-grade fever, night sweats, weight loss, nausea, and sore throat. The disease is a sporadic disease known to have a worldwide distribution with a higher prevalence among Asian communities. Although the clinical and histopathological features point to a viral etiology, this hypothesis has not been proven yet. Generally, the diagnosis is made based on a lymph node excisional biopsy. Its recognition is crucial mainly because this disease can be mistaken for other disorders, including systemic lupus erythematosus or malignant lymphoma. Supportive treatment includes antipyretics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and corticosteroids. Spontaneous recovery occurs within a few weeks. Patients should be followed up for years to survey because there is a possibility of developing systemic lupus erythematosus. In this article, we report the case of a patient who presented with a fever of unknown origin and lymphadenopathy, treated with multiple antibiotic courses with no improvement. Workup including computed tomography of the neck with contrast and lymph node biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of KFD. His condition improved after administering analgesics and multivitamins, and he was advised to rest at home.

A Case of Hepatitis E in Metropolitan New York.

A 22-year-old female presented with unexplained, non-specific, constitutional symptoms of fever, chills, rigors, and headaches of more than two-week duration. An extensive workup was done that included labs, imaging, and a liver biopsy. On examination, lymphadenopathy was found, with worsening transaminitis on labs. She was ultimately found to be hepatitis E positive. The disease was self-limited with subsidence of all symptoms with only symptomatic treatment. Hepatitis E virus infection can be a missed diagnosis as it is not common in the United States. An indicated differential diagnosis can save an extensive workup and prevent delayed diagnosis for a patient.

Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of scrub typhus based on 680 unexplained fever patients in Hainan / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of scrub typhus in 680 patients with unexplained fever in Hainan Island and provide guidance for local scrub typhus prevention and control. Methods　Blood samples from patients with clinically diagnosed unexplained fever in the First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou Municipal People's Hospital and Central South University Xiangya Medical College Affiliated Hospital, People's Hospital of Qiongzhong Li Miao Autonomous County were collected between 2018 and 2021, then samples were tested for Orientia tsutsugamushi specific IgM, IgG antibodies and Orientia tsutsugamushi 56kD-specific antigen genes using colloidal gold immunochromatography and PCR methods. The clinical and epidemiological information of the samples were also collected. Epidemiological analysis was carried out on the obtained sample information and test results. Results　A total of 680 samples from patients with clinically unknown fever were collected. The positive rates of scrub typhus IgM antibody, IgG antibody, PCR were 23.97% (163/680), 36.62% (249/680), 20.88% (142/680), respectively, and eschar or rash was observed in 12.06% (82/680) of all patients. According to the diagnostic criteria, 223 patients were finally diagnosed with scrub typhus. Among them, there were 111 males (49.78%) and 109 females (48.88%); the average age was (53.14±15.12) years old, and the 40-<60 years old was the main incidence group (98 cases, accounting for 43.95%). The ethnicity of the patient with scrub typhus was mainly Han ethnicity (136 cases, accounting for 60.99%). Farmers were the main morbidity group (93 cases, 41.70%). The patient with scrub typhus distributed throughout the island except for Sanya and Wuzhishan, with Haikou and Qiongzhong show the highest number of cases. The number of cases in autumn was the highest (114 cases, 51.12%). The clinical manifestations of infected patients were mainly non-specific symptoms and signs, 36.77% of patients developed skin-specific ulcers or eschars, which were mainly distributed in the shoulder and neck, armpits, elbow fossa, chest and abdomen, back, buttocks, groin, scrotum and other joints and skin folds of the upper and lower limbs. Conclusions　Hainan Island is the foci of scrub typhus and the epidemic time has obvious seasonality. Its prevention should focus on rural areas in autumn, and its clinical features are mainly high fever and eschar or ulceration.

Clinical phenotypes and genetic analyses for diagnosis of systemic autoinflammatory diseases in adult patients with unexplained fever.

OBJECTIVE: To make an accurate diagnosis of systemic autoinflammatory diseases (SAIDs), clinical and genetic analyses were performed in patients with unexplained fever. METHODS: The clinical phenotype and genomic variants of 11 genes responsible for SAIDs were analyzed in 179 Japanese patients with unexplained fever. Genetic analysis was performed by next generation sequencing (NGS) on exons including exon-intron boundaries. RESULTS: Three cases met the diagnostic criteria for SAIDs other than familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Considering 176 patients with unexplained fever, 43 cases (24.0%) were clinically diagnosed as FMF. Gene variants were found in 53 cases (30.1%) when searching for variants in the 10 disease genes other than the MEFV gene. Among them, the most frequently-identified genes were NLRP3, NOD2, NLRP12, NLRC4, and PLCG2, which accounted for 14, 7, 17, 7, and 6 cases, respectively. These variants were less than 1% of healthy individuals or novel variants, but not regarded as pathogenic since the patients did not meet the diagnostic criteria of SAIDs caused by their identified variants clinically. CONCLUSION: Twenty four percent of Japanese patients with unexplained fever were clinically diagnosed as FMF in this study. Low frequency but not pathogenic variants in genes other than MEFV were identified in 30.1% of the cases. It is not clear how much these gene variants contribute to the inflammatory phenotypes; therefore, further analysis would uncover their autoinflammatory phenotypes that cause fever.

[A case analysis of brucella infection in a non-epidemic area].

The incidence of human brucellosis is on the rise worldwide. The disease can affect various systems. The clinical manifestations are complex and non-specific, and the diagnosis is difficult. Especially the clinicians in the non-epidemic areas have sporadic cases on the pest free areas. Lack of experience in diagnosis and treatment leads to misdiagnosis and mistreatment, which affects prognosis. This article reports on the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests and treatment of a patient with unexplained fever and brucellosis in our department in June 2019. Raise the attention of clinicians in non-epidemic areas to the disease and enhance people's awareness of protection in non-epidemic areas.

A case analysis of brucella infection in a non-epidemic area / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

The incidence of human brucellosis is on the rise worldwide. The disease can affect various systems. The clinical manifestations are complex and non-specific, and the diagnosis is difficult. Especially the clinicians in the non-epidemic areas have sporadic cases on the pest free areas. Lack of experience in diagnosis and treatment leads to misdiagnosis and mistreatment, which affects prognosis. This article reports on the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests and treatment of a patient with unexplained fever and brucellosis in our department in June 2019. Raise the attention of clinicians in non-epidemic areas to the disease and enhance people's awareness of protection in non-epidemic areas.

Unexplained fever after pancreas transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Fever occurs frequently early after pancreas transplant, however, the exact cause is often undetermined. Limited data are available on pancreas recipients experiencing unexplained, noninfectious fever. This study aims to characterize unexplained fever (UF) in pancreas recipients and its effect on patient and graft outcomes. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of UF among consecutive pancreas or simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant recipients from 1 January 2011 to 31 August 2015. Classification of UF was based on the absence of positive cultures, radiologic findings, and other diagnostic features of infection or rejection. RESULTS: Twenty-three of 92 (25%) patients experienced UF. The UF episode first occurred at a mean of 31 ± 17 days post-transplant and accounted for 34 admissions with an average length of stay of 5.1 ± 3.4 days. Intravenous corticosteroid was administered following confirmation of negative diagnostic tests in 77% of patients, with fever resolution occurring in all. No differences were seen in rates of biopsy-proven rejection, graft loss, death, or documented infections compared to UF-free patients during the first-year post-transplant. CONCLUSION: UF is a common cause for readmission following pancreas transplantation. While the etiology of UF remains difficult to identify, UF occurrence was not associated with adverse outcomes during the first-year post-transplant.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH): Elusive diagnosis of disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex infection.

INTRODUCTION: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a clinical syndrome of hyperinflammation leading to an uncontrolled and ineffective immune response, associated with high mortality. CASE REPORT: A 26-year-old woman with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 8 months in remission, was found to have HLH. Without any improvement, stem cell transplantation was considered. Then, Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection was identified as cause of her HLH. With appropriate therapy for infection, HLH improved and transplantation was averted. CONCLUSION: MAC should be included in the list of potential causes of HLH.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis as a paraneoplastic syndrome associated with ovarian dysgerminoma.

•Ovarian dysgerminoma associated with paraneoplastic fever, cytopenia and splenomegaly•Complete symptom resolution resulted from tumor resection and medical management•Non-hematolymphoid neoplasms are part of differential diagnosis in secondary HLH.

Possible Role of Rickettsia felis in Acute Febrile Illness among Children in Gabon.

Rickettsia felis has been reported to be a cause of fever in sub-Saharan Africa, but this association has been poorly evaluated in Gabon. We assessed the prevalence of this bacterium among children <15 years of age in 4 areas of Gabon; the locations were in urban, semiurban, and rural areas. DNA samples from 410 febrile children and 60 afebrile children were analyzed by quantitative PCR. Overall, the prevalence of R. felis among febrile and afebrile children was 10.2% (42/410 children) and 3.3% (2/60 children), respectively. Prevalence differed among febrile children living in areas that are urban (Franceville, 1.3% [1/77]), semiurban (Koulamoutou, 2.1% [3/141]), and rural (Lastourville, 11.2% [15/134]; Fougamou, 39.7% [23/58]). Furthermore, in a rural area (Fougamou), R. felis was significantly more prevalent in febrile (39.7% [23/58]) than afebrile children (5.0% [1/20]). Additional studies are needed to better understand the pathogenic role of R. felis in this part of the world.