A fatal case series of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Sonora, México

Jesús Delgado-De la Mora, Jesús David Licona-Enríquez, Marcia Leyva-Gastélum, David Delgado-De la Mora, Adela Rascón-Alcantar, Gerardo Álvarez-Hernández, .

Keywords: Rickettsia rickettsii, ticks, Rocky Mountain spotted fever/mortality, doxycycline, México

Abstract

Introduction: Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a highly lethal infectious disease, particularly if specific treatment with doxycycline is given belatedly.
Objective: To describe the clinical profile of fatal Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases in hospitalized patients in the state of Sonora, México.
Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on a series of 47 deaths caused by Rickettsia rickettsii from 2013 to 2016. The diagnosis of Rocky Mountain spotted fever was confirmed in a single blood sample by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or by a four-fold increase in immunoglobulin G measured in paired samples analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence. Clinical and laboratory characteristics were compared stratifying subjects into two groups: pediatric and adult.
Results: There were no differences in clinical characteristics between groups; petechial rash was the most frequent sign (96%), followed by headache (70%) and myalgia (67%). Although that doxycycline was administered before the fifth day from the onset of symptoms, death occurred in 55% of patients. In clinical laboratory, thrombocytopenia, and biomarkers of liver acute failure and acute kidney failure were the most frequent.
Conclusion: Rocky Mountain spotted fever remains as one of the most lethal infectious diseases, which may be related not only to the lack of diagnostic suspicion and delayed administration of doxycycline, but to genotypic characteristics of Rickettsia rickettsii that may play a role in the variability of the fatality rate that has been reported in other geographical regions where the disease is endemic.

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  • Jesús Delgado-De la Mora Departamento de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, México
  • Jesús David Licona-Enríquez Departamento de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, México
  • Marcia Leyva-Gastélum Departamento de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, México
  • David Delgado-De la Mora Departamento de Ciencias Agronómicas y Veterinarias, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, Ciudad Obregón, México
  • Adela Rascón-Alcantar Servicio de Patología, Hospital Infantil del Estado de Sonora, Hermosillo, México
  • Gerardo Álvarez-Hernández Departamento de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, México Dirección General de Promoción a la Salud y Prevención de Enfermedades, Secretaría de Salud Pública del Estado de Sonora, Hermosillo, México

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How to Cite
1.
Delgado-De la Mora J, Licona-Enríquez JD, Leyva-Gastélum M, Delgado-De la Mora D, Rascón-Alcantar A, Álvarez-Hernández G. A fatal case series of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Sonora, México. biomedica [Internet]. 2018 Mar. 15 [cited 2024 May 16];38(1):69-76. Available from: https://revistabiomedica.org/index.php/biomedica/article/view/3507

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Published
2018-03-15
Section
Original articles

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