Case ReportFatal myocarditis related to Campylobacter jejuni infection: a case report
Section snippets
Case history
A 16-year-old previously healthy male was en route home to Los Angeles from Thailand after a four-week Tsunami Relief Volunteer trip. About 1 1/2 days prior to leaving for the United States, he complained of fever, chills, and myalgias, followed by 12–16 h of abdominal cramps, body stiffness, diarrhea, and vomiting with decreased appetite and sweats. A few days prior to his departure from Thailand, he drank tap water at his hotel. He denies having ingested any other toxins, unusual food, or
Pathological findings
At autopsy, the external examination showed a 67-in., 170-lb, well-developed and well-nourished young male.
The heart weighed 370 g, and there was 150 ml of a yellow serous fluid in the pericardial sac. The lungs showed severe pulmonary congestion with a right hydrothorax. The liver grossly was slightly pale and mottled. The spleen weighed 340 g with increased malpighian parenchyma. The examination for the rest of the organs was unremarkable. The Acute Communicable Disease Public Health
Discussion
While clinical myocarditis associated with C. jejuni has been reported [1], [2], [3], [4], this case appears to be the first report of a death from myocarditis related to a Campylobacter infection with pathological confirmation. This case was difficult from a clinical standpoint as the duration of chest pain suggesting cardiac abnormalities was quite abrupt. CK enzyme levels were extremely elevated but thought to be due to rhabdomyolysis. It is not possible to determine how much of the CK
Acknowledgment
The authors wish to thank the State of California Department of Health Services Laboratory for their PCR Studies and the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner/Medical Examiner's office.
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A case of myopericarditis associated to Campylobacter jejuni infection in the Southern Hemisphere
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