Volume 16, Number 10—October 2010
Dispatch
Imported Lassa Fever, Pennsylvania, USA, 2010
Valerianna Amorosa
, Adam MacNeil, Ryan McConnell, Ami Patel, Katherine E. Dillon, Keith Hamilton, Bobbie Rae Erickson, Shelley Campbell, Barbara Knust, Deborah Cannon, David Miller, Craig Manning, Pierre E. Rollin, and Stuart T. Nichol
, Adam MacNeil, Ryan McConnell, Ami Patel, Katherine E. Dillon, Keith Hamilton, Bobbie Rae Erickson, Shelley Campbell, Barbara Knust, Deborah Cannon, David Miller, Craig Manning, Pierre E. Rollin, and Stuart T. NicholTable
Day by day symptoms and clinical information for a man 47 years of age with Lassa fever, Pennsylvania, USA, 2010*
| Date |
Symptoms |
Examination findings |
Bowel movements |
Clinical information |
Clinical action |
| Jan 13–17 |
Fevers and chills, sore throat, arthralgias, diffuse abdominal pain |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
| Jan 18 |
Fevers and chills, sore throat, watery diarrhea, diffuse abdominal pain. |
Prominent parotids, posterior cervical lymphadenopathy, slight spleen tip |
12 |
Contact isolation ordered. |
|
| Jan 19 |
Fevers and chills, sore throat, substernal chest pain with inspiration and when lying supine, diarrhea, diffuse abdominal pain. Arthralgias resolve. |
Slight tonsillar exudates, slight spleen tip |
»18 |
Tests for Clostridium difficile, cryptosporidium, Giardia spp., thick and thin blood smears for malaria, Epstein-Barr virus, and respiratory virus panel; all negative |
Contact precautions. Blood samples to test for Lassa virus drawn. |
| Jan 20 |
Fevers and chills; sore throat; substernal chest pain, worse when lying down; diarrhea. Abdominal pain improving. |
Slight tonsillar exudates, slight spleen tip |
3 |
HIV negative |
EKG done, ribavirin requested, airborne precautions |
| Jan 21 |
Fevers and chills, sore throat, diarrhea. Chest pain resolves. Abdominal pain improving. |
Slight spleen tip |
5 |
Stool culture negative |
Held off on ribavirin. CDC received specimen. |
| Jan 22 |
Fevers and chills, sore throat. Diarrhea resolves. Abdominal pain resolves. |
Prominent sternocleidomastoid muscles |
NA |
Stopped IV fluids. |
|
| Jan 23 |
Fevers and chills, sore throat |
Prominent sternocleidomastoid muscles |
3, formed |
PCR positive for Lassa virus |
|
| Jan 24 |
Fevers and chills, sore throat |
Prominent sternocleidomastoid muscles |
NA |
||
| Jan 25 |
Fevers and chills. Sore throat improves. |
Prominent sternocleidomastoid muscles |
3, formed |
||
| Jan 26 |
Fevers and chills. Sore throat improves. |
Neck less prominent |
NA |
||
| Jan 27 |
Fevers and chills. Sore throat resolves. |
Decreased parotid enlargement and lymphadenopathy |
NA |
||
| Jan 28–29 |
Fevers and chills |
NA |
|||
| Jan 30–Feb 3 |
Fever resolves |
NA |
|||
| *NA, not available; EKG, electrocardiogram; IV, intravenous; CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | |||||
