Haemorrhagic diathesis in a ram with Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection.

A 10-month-old ram with fever, inappetence and haemorrhagic diathesis had petechiae and ecchymoses at various body sites and was infested by ticks. Haematological examination revealed pancytopenia, while serum biochemistry indicated hepatic dysfunction. Blood smears were negative for Ehrlichia spp. and other haemoparasites. Paired sera revealed infection by Anaplasma phagocytophilum, but testing by polymerase chain reaction was negative. Treatment with oxytetracycline was effective. This is the first reported clinical case of ovine anaplasmosis in Greece caused by A. phagocytophilum.

[Hemostatic disorders and their implication in the pathogenesis of Astrakhan rickettsial fever].

AIM: to define a role of hemostatic disorders in the pathogenesis of Astrakhan rickettsial fever (ARL). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Platelet functional activity and plasma hemostatic parameters were studied in 89 patients of moderate ARL. RESULTS: The clinical manifestations of hemostatic disorders at the height of ARL were characterized by the appearance of typhoid maculopapular rashes in 91.4% of the patients, solitary elements of which were transformed to petechiae in 20% of cases. At convalescence (on day 10.2 +/- 1.3 of the disease), all eruptions regressed via pigmentation. At the peak of the fever, there were nasal hemorrhages and bleedings from the sites of injections; lowered platelet aggregation was detectable in the presence of thrombocytopenia at the height. Coagulation hemostasis changes were characterized only by elevated fibrinogen levels. Increased platelet functional activity and decreased fibrinogen concentrations were observed at convalescence. CONCLUSION: The basis of the clinical manifestations of ARL is hemostatic disorders due to thrombocytopenia and diminished platelet functional activity. In early convalescence, there was improved platelet aggregatability; however, the increasing trend for the rate of aggregation and the radius of aggregates suggests a risk of thrombogenesis in convalescents, which requires their follow-up with obligatory hemostatic monitoring.

A new species of fish-pathogenic bacterium antigenically related to classical Brucellae.

A bacterial epizootic in trout (Salmo gairneri, Richardson) characterized by haemorrhagic diathesis is described in its acute and subacute form. The disease could be reproduced with the isolated new bacterial species. Two basic features characterize this bacterium: I. growth at 41 degrees C (water bath) on cultivation in solid and liquid media and 2. antigenic relationship to the classical brucellae. Immunoelectrophoretic analysis revealed a common antigenic determinant in the LPS of the isolated fish-pathogenic bacterium and that of classical brucellae (S form).

Perinatal Herpes virus infection: report of a case indicating the paternal role.

A case of perinatal Herpes simplex hominis infection with fatal neonatal outcome is reported. The significance of the paternal role is emphasized. It is important to educate sexual partners and stress the serious nature of herpetic infections, especially during the perinatal period. In the presence of active infection, sexual contact should either be totally avoided or a condom should be used.