Human Case of Ehrlichia chaffeensis Infection, Taiwan

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 25; no. 11; pp. 2141 - 2143
• Main Authors: Peng, Shih-Huan, Yang, Su-Lin, Ho, Yu-Ni, Chen, Hsiang-Fei, Shu, Pei-Yun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.11.2019; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; bacteria; Diarrhea; DNA; DNA sequencing; Ehrlichia chaffeensis; Ehrlichia chaffeensis - genetics; Ehrlichiosis; Ehrlichiosis - diagnosis; Ehrlichiosis - drug therapy; Ehrlichiosis - epidemiology; Ehrlichiosis - microbiology; Female; Headache; Health aspects; Hematologic Tests; Human Case of; human monocytic ehrlichiosis; Humans; Infection, Taiwan; Lymphocytopenia; Multiple organ failure; Myalgia; Nausea; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; Research Letter; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Taiwan; Taiwan - epidemiology; Thrombocytopenia; Tick-borne diseases; tickborne diseases; Type 2 diabetes; vector-borne infections; Taiwan; human monocytic ehrlichiosis; rickettsia; vector-borne infections; bacteria; Ehrlichia chaffeensis; Taiwan; tickborne diseases
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2511.190665

In 2018, an immunosuppressed woman in southern Taiwan had onset of fever, chills, myalgia, malaise, thrombocytopenia, lymphocytopenia, and elevated hepatic transaminases. Investigation revealed infection with Ehrlichia chaffeensis. This autochthonous case of human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis was confirmed by PCR, DNA sequencing, and seroconversion.