title: Splenic dysfunction from celiac disease resulting in severe babesiosis.
abstract: We describe a 79-year-old Irish man who, because he had hyposplenism and splenic atrophy due to adult celiac disease, became critically ill from a severe Babesia divergens infection. Greater awareness of the possible consequences of splenic dysfunction from adult celiac disease, such as serious pneumococcal infections and babesiosis, is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland. Electronic address: soconnell@stjames.ie.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Letterkenny University Hospital, Letterkenny, Ireland.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Letterkenny University Hospital, Letterkenny, Ireland.
authors.forename: Moustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdou
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Letterkenny University Hospital, Letterkenny, Ireland.
authors.forename: Rittick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Patowary
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Letterkenny University Hospital, Letterkenny, Ireland.
authors.forename: Salman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aslam
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kinsella
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Annetta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zintl
authors.affiliation: Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Microbiology & Infection Control, Northwest Medical Centre, Academic Teaching Hospital, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus-Peter
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Hunfeld
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Gary P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Wormser
authors.affiliation: UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland; Northwestern Memorial University Chicago, USA; Makerere University Uganda, Uganda.
authors.forename: Concepta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Merry
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Letterkenny University Hospital, Letterkenny, Ireland; Pecs University, Faculty of General Medicine, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Hussain
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alizadeh
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001403:Babesia / Q000502:physiology*; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000209:etiology*