Ehrlichiosis

Background

• Bacterial infection of the family Anaplasmataceae
• Spread by the Lonestar tick (Amblyomma americanum)
  • Eastern seaboard from Florida to Maine and as far west as Iowa and Texas
  • People often unaware they are bitten
• Case fatality rate is approximately 1.8%
  • More severe disease in immunocompromised patients (HIV, Elderly, Asplenic)

Symptoms

• Fever, chills, headache, malaise, myalgias, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, conjunctival injection
  • Up to 60% of children may have a rash (30% of adults)

Diagnosis

• Obligate intracellular organism
  • Peripheral blood smear shows intracellular parasites only 20% of time
• PCR
  • Most sensitive in first week of illness
• Indirect Immunoflorescence Assay
  • Gold Standard
  • Negative 85% of time in first 7 days of illness
  • Compare 2 samples drawn at different times
    • 4 fold increase in titers of second draw is positive
• Enzyme Immunoassay
  • Qualitative tests, not quantitative
• Leukopenia, elevated transaminases, thrombocytopenia often present

Treatment

• Doxycycline
  • 100mg BID (Adults)
  • 2.2mg/kg BID (children)

See also

Tick Borne Illnesses

Sources

• Wikipedia
• cdc.gov/parastites/ehrlichiosis
• uptodate.com