Title
Rapidly fatal septicemic plague secondary to undiagnosed primary bubonic plague: Case report
Other title
Peste septicémica rápidamente fatal secundaria a peste bubónica primaria inicialmente no diagnosticada: Reporte de caso
Date Issued
01 January 2019
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Instituto Nacional de Salud
Abstract
Plague is a re-emerging disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis. Humans usually get the disease through the bite of an infected flea. Plague is a fulminant systemic disease, with pneumonic plague being the most lethal form. Late diagnosis is one of the main causes of mortality and spread of the disease, as it limits the effectiveness of control measures. We present the case of a 42-year-old male, who had previously traveled to an endemic plague area and then presented hyperpyrexia, hypotension, and inflammatory inguinal adenopathy. Despite the very characteristic clinical picture, nobody (before admission to our hospital) suspected plague. An effective combination of antibiotics and intensive treatment was initiated only on the fifth day of illness. The patient went into septic shock, respiratory failure, and death. Plague was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This case emphasizes the importance of having a high suspicion rate for plague.
Start page
515
End page
519
Volume
36
Issue
3
Language
Spanish
OCDE Knowledge area
Salud pública, Salud ambiental Enfermedades infecciosas
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85075289921
PubMed ID
Source
Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Publica
ISSN of the container
17264634
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus