Acute infectious purpura fulminans due to probable spotted fever.
Purpura fulminans (PF) is associated with several infections, most notably with meningococcus, staphylococcus, and streptococcus infections. However, there are few reports of association of this entity with spotted fever from India. We report the case of a 55-year-old man who presented with fever, headache, and myalgia. On the seventh day of fever he developed nonblanching purple hemorrhagic purpura on the trunk and most prominently on the extremities consistent with purpura fulminans. Immunofluorescent assay confirmed the diagnosis of spotted fever. PF though common with rocky mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is rarely seen in association with Indian tick typhus, the usual cause of spotted fever in India.
Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamilnadu, India.
A
A
Kundavaram
N R
NR
Francis
A P J
AP
Jude
G N
GN
Varghese
D000208:Acute Disease; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology; D015200:Fluoroimmunoassay; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055665:Purpura Fulminans / Q000150:complications*; D012284:Rickettsia rickettsii / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012373:Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004318:Doxycycline