Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2012 Dec 18:2012:bcr2012007295.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2012-007295.

Gangrene in cases of spotted fever: a report of three cases

Affiliations
Case Reports

Gangrene in cases of spotted fever: a report of three cases

Harshal Satish Joshi et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

Gangrene is an uncommon complication in cases of rickettsial spotted fever. We report three cases of spotted fever from south India, presumably caused by Rickettsia conorii subspecies indica. Along with gangrene, these cases had severe manifestations of sepsis and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS) like acute kidney injury, liver dysfunction, delirium and seizure. One patient died while the other two recovered well. This case series is being reported to highlight the occurrence of gangrene in spotted fever rickettsiosis and the importance of appropriate management at the earliest.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Typical rash of spotted fever (case 1). (B) Gangrene of the ear lobe (case 1). (C) Gangrene of both feet (case 1).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gangrene of left second toe (case 2).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Gangrene of right index finger (case 3).

References

    1. Batra HV. Spotted fever and typhus fever in Tamil Nadu. Indian J Med Res 2007;126:101–3. - PubMed
    1. Padbidri VS, Rodrigues JJ, Shetty PS. Tick-borne rickettsiosis in Pune district, Maharashtra, India. Int J Zoonoses 1984;11:45–52. - PubMed
    1. Mahajan SK. Pediatric rcrub typhus in Indian Himalayas. Indian J Pediatr 2008;75:947–9. - PubMed
    1. Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Kasper DL, et al. Harrisons's principles of internal medicine. 7th edn New York: McGraw Hill Publication, 2008:1059–67.
    1. Murali N, Pillai S, Cherian T, et al. Rickettsial infections in South India—how to spot a spotted fever. Indian Pediatr 2001;38:1393–6. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources