title: Clinical case definitions for Argentine hemorrhagic fever.
abstract: Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF) is a potentially lethal infection in Argentina. The case-fatality ratio is >15%, but treatment reduces the mortality rate to <1%. Diagnosis is based on clinical and laboratory criteria, but no case definition has been validated. A chart review was conducted for patients hospitalized with suspected AHF. Individuals with a fourfold rise in antibody titer were classified as cases. The combination of a platelet count of <100,000/mm3 and a white blood cell (WBC) count of <2,500/mm3 had a sensitivity and specificity of 87% and 88%, respectively, thus suggesting that the use of these criteria in a case definition would be helpful for epidemiological studies of AHF. The combination of a platelet count of <100,000/mm3 and a WBC count of <4,000/mm3 had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 71%; the use of these criteria in a case definition should be helpful for screening patients for therapy with immune plasma in the region where AHF is endemic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pennsylvania 15261, USA. lharriso@edc.gsph.pitt.edu
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Halsey
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Barrera Oro
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Briggiler
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Feuillade
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Maiztegui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001117:Arenaviridae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001118:Argentina; D005260:Female; D006478:Hemorrhagic Fever, American / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D018051:Junin virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D010976:Platelet Count; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral