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Rickettsia typhi infection presenting as subacute meningitis
Emmanouil Galanakis1, Achilleas Gikas, Maria Bitsori
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Crete, Greece. egalanak@med.uoc.gr
Journal of Child Neurology
|April 16, 2002
Summary
Rickettsia typhi infection can cause mild central nervous system issues in children. Consider murine typhus in children with meningoencephalitis in endemic regions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Neuroinfectious Diseases
Background:
- Rickettsia typhi causes murine typhus, a zoonotic disease.
- Central nervous system (CNS) involvement in pediatric typhus is uncommon.
Observation:
- Two children presented with Rickettsia typhi infection.
- Both children exhibited mild CNS manifestations.
- Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed pleocytosis.
Findings:
- The cases highlight CNS involvement in pediatric Rickettsia typhi.
- Pleocytosis in CSF suggests an inflammatory or infectious process in the CNS.
Implications:
- Murine typhus should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pediatric meningoencephalitis.
- Early diagnosis and treatment of Rickettsia typhi can prevent severe neurological complications.