Bellini Cristina, Monti Matteo, Potin Mathieu, Dalle Ave Anne, Bille Jacques, Greub Gilbert
Infectious Diseases Unit, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
BMC Infect Dis. 2005 Oct 20;5:90. doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-5-90.
Myocarditis and pericarditis are rare complications of rickettsiosis, usually associated with Rickettsia rickettsii and R. conorii. African tick-bite fever (ATBF) is generally considered as a benign disease and no cases of myocardial involvement due to Rickettsia africae, the agent of ATBF, have yet been described.
The patient, that travelled in an endemic area, presented typical inoculation eschars, and a seroconversion against R. africae, was admitted for chest pains and increased cardiac enzymes in the context of an acute myocarditis.
Our findings suggest that ATBF, that usually presents a benign course, may be complicated by an acute myocarditis.