Clinical case definitions for Argentine hemorrhagic fever.
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.
Harrison
L H
LH
Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pennsylvania 15261, USA. lharriso@edc.gsph.pitt.edu
Halsey
N A
NA
McKee
K T
KT
Peters
C J
CJ
Barrera Oro
J G
JG
Briggiler
A M
AM
Feuillade
M R
MR
Maiztegui
J I
JI
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
D000914:Antibodies, Viral