title: [A retrospective study of one case of human infection by the highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1)].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the clinical features of the infection caused by the highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H(5)N(1)).
  
  
  METHODS
  A previously healthy 24 year old woman presented to our hospital on November 7, 2005. She was confirmed to be an H(5)N(1) infected case after death. The clinical, radiological and epidemiological data were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patient had a history of direct contact with diseased and dead poultry (chicken and duck). The disease course was 10 days from onset of illness to death, and fever preceded dyspnea by 5 days. On admission, the striking characteristics were acute community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and the major radiographic abnormalities included extensive infiltration bilaterally, focal consolidation and air bronchograms. The radiographic and clinical deterioration was rapid, and the patient died in less than 3 days after hospitalization. The diagnosis of influenza A (H(5)N(1)) was confirmed by means of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR on specimens of the lower respiratory tract, performed by Chinese Center for Disease Control. The postmortem examination showed bronchial hyperemia, extensive consolidation, serous cavity effusions, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and multiple organ failure (MOF).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Human infection by the highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H(5)N(1)) is a fatal communicable disease. Information of avian influenza A (H(5)N(1)) virus, more attention to the epidemiologic data, and early intervention are critical in reducing the mortality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, the People's Hospital of Tongling, Anhui 244000, China. zhouchaotl@163.com
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: You-ning
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Hong-mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Xiao-ling
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Tong-sheng
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: You-liang
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D004372:Ducks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000635:transmission; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies