Abstract | BACKGROUND: METHODS: Fifty-eight consecutive patients with presumed CGF were further investigated to determine the occurrence of rickettsioses among them, and to identify differences in clinical, hematological, and biochemical parameters between the two diseases. RESULTS: Nearly a third of the patients had serological evidence of rickettsioses accounting for their illness. The presence of a late onset major joint arthropathy sparing the small joints of the hands and feet, and the occurrence of a late onset discrete maculopapular rash over the trunk and extremities, suggested rickettsioses over CGF. White blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and liver function tests were not helpful in differentiating rickettsioses from CGF. Patients with rickettsioses and arthritis who received an empirical course of doxycycline recovered faster than those who did not receive specific treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The establishment of rapid diagnostic methods able to differentiate the etiological agents of fever and arthritis, such as CGF and rickettsioses, would be beneficial in endemic settings.
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Authors | R Premaratna, L P Halambarachchige, D M Nanayakkara, T G A N Chandrasena, R P V J Rajapakse, N K B K R G W Bandara, H J de Silva |
Journal | International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
(Int J Infect Dis)
Vol. 15
Issue 12
Pg. e871-3
(Dec 2011)
ISSN: 1878-3511 [Electronic] Canada |
PMID | 22019568
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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Copyright | Copyright © 2011 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Chemical References |
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
- Antibodies, Bacterial
- Antibodies, Viral
- Doxycycline
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Topics |
- Adult
- Alphavirus Infections
(complications, diagnosis, drug therapy, epidemiology)
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
(therapeutic use)
- Antibodies, Bacterial
(blood)
- Antibodies, Viral
(blood)
- Arthritis
(diagnosis, epidemiology, etiology)
- Chikungunya Fever
- Chikungunya virus
(immunology, isolation & purification)
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Disease Outbreaks
- Doxycycline
(therapeutic use)
- Female
- Fever
(epidemiology, etiology)
- Humans
- Male
- Retrospective Studies
- Rickettsia
(immunology, isolation & purification)
- Rickettsia Infections
(complications, diagnosis, drug therapy, epidemiology)
- Sri Lanka
(epidemiology)
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