Prospective assessment of the etiology of acute febrile illness after a tick bite in Slovenia.
A prospective study established the etiology of febrile illnesses in residents of Slovenia that occurred within 6 weeks after a tick bite. A combination of laboratory and clinical criteria identified 64 (49.2%) of 130 patients as having confirmed, probable, or possible cases of tickborne disease during 1995 and 1996. Of the 130 patients, 36 (27.7%) had laboratory evidence of tickborne encephalitis, all of whom had clinically confirmed disease. Evidence of infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was identified in 26 patients; 10 (7.7%) had confirmed Lyme borreliosis. Of 22 patients with evidence of Ehrlichia phagocytophila infection, 4 (3.1%) had confirmed ehrlichiosis. Infection by multiple organisms was found in 19 (14.6%) of 130 patients. Patients with meningeal involvement (43 [72.3%] of 59) were more likely to have confirmed tickborne disease than were patients with illness of undefined localization (18 [26.5%] of 68; P<.0001). Tickborne viral and bacterial infections are an important cause of febrile illness in Slovenia.
Lotric-Furlan
S
S
Department of Infectious Diseases, University Medical Centre, Japljeva 2, 1525 Ljubljana, Slovenia. stanka.lotric-furlan@mf.uni-lj.si
Petrovec
M
M
Avsic-Zupanc
T
T
Nicholson
W L
WL
Sumner
J W
JW
Childs
J E
JE
Strle
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings; D015748:Borrelia burgdorferi Group / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004536:Ehrlichia / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018469:Ehrlichia chaffeensis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D004669:Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / Q000276:immunology; D004675:Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017524:Slovenia; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D013987:Ticks