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Case Reports
. 2006 May;77(5):684-5.
doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2005.079533.

Transverse myelitis due to trypanosomiasis in a middle aged Tanzanian man

G S Kibiki  1 , D K Murphy
Affiliations
Case Reports

Transverse myelitis due to trypanosomiasis in a middle aged Tanzanian man

G S Kibiki et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2006 May.

Abstract

We report the case of a middle aged Tanzanian man who developed a spinal cord syndrome over 6 weeks, along with a mild encephalopathy. Investigations ruled out the usual major causes of such a syndrome in our setting in northern Tanzania. Examination of his cerebrospinal fluid revealed trypanosomes, and he made a slow but dramatic improvement after a full course of suramine and melarsoprol. We postulate that he had a transverse myelitis due to African trypanosomiasis, a rare and barely recognised cause.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: none declared

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