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Medical detectives raced to save a man from a rare, universally lethal disease
To Your Health
Medical detectives raced to save a man from a rare, ‘universally lethal’ disease
By Lena H. Sun
lena.sun@washpost.com
@bylenasun
December 22
The problems started after Erich Burger returned from an unforgettable safari in Botswana and Zambia last month. .... On Monday, Nov. 28, Burger went to his primary care doctor. Initial blood tests showed some troubling indicators, such as elevated readings of liver enzymes. The doctor suggested over-the-counter medication to control the fever. But by Dec. 1, Burger had nausea and was having bad night sweats and difficulty getting out of bed. His wife drove him to the emergency room at Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson, Md., the hospital where his doctor is affiliated.
....
A panic alert
The order for a blood parasite test was at the top of Gail Wilson’s to-do list when she arrived for work at 7 a.m. Friday, Dec. 2. She has worked for 22 years as a medical technologist, the last two at GBMC. She knew the procedure would take several hours. The blood smears — one thin and one thick — needed to dry for three hours first before a stain could be applied that would highlight any parasites.
Looking at his blood cells under a microscope, she realized he didn't have malaria. Instead, she found a rare and lethal parasite most clinicians have only seen in textbooks. Wilson had to look really hard because “there were just a few on my slide and could have easily been missed,” she said. But there they were, some purplish-blue parasites that looked “like a wavy kind of ribbon with a dot in the middle,” she said. Wilson recognized the distinctive shape from competency exams she is required to take every year. ... “When I first saw it, I was like, ‘Oh, no,' ” recalled Wilson. “I knew it was serious and that the patient could die.”
After conferring with colleagues and supervisors, she notified Burger’s nurse that the blood parasite screen was positive for trypanosome parasites. The notification was a panic alert reserved for lab tests that show extreme or unusual results. Wilson realized that Burger had African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness — a deadly disease spread by the tsetse fly. ... It was 10:55 a.m.
[font size=1]This slide shows the parasite, in dark blue, in Burger's blood. The parasite causes African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, which is fatal within months if not treated. (Courtesy of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center)[/font]
Medical detectives raced to save a man from a rare, ‘universally lethal’ disease
By Lena H. Sun
lena.sun@washpost.com
@bylenasun
December 22
The problems started after Erich Burger returned from an unforgettable safari in Botswana and Zambia last month. .... On Monday, Nov. 28, Burger went to his primary care doctor. Initial blood tests showed some troubling indicators, such as elevated readings of liver enzymes. The doctor suggested over-the-counter medication to control the fever. But by Dec. 1, Burger had nausea and was having bad night sweats and difficulty getting out of bed. His wife drove him to the emergency room at Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson, Md., the hospital where his doctor is affiliated.
....
A panic alert
The order for a blood parasite test was at the top of Gail Wilson’s to-do list when she arrived for work at 7 a.m. Friday, Dec. 2. She has worked for 22 years as a medical technologist, the last two at GBMC. She knew the procedure would take several hours. The blood smears — one thin and one thick — needed to dry for three hours first before a stain could be applied that would highlight any parasites.
Looking at his blood cells under a microscope, she realized he didn't have malaria. Instead, she found a rare and lethal parasite most clinicians have only seen in textbooks. Wilson had to look really hard because “there were just a few on my slide and could have easily been missed,” she said. But there they were, some purplish-blue parasites that looked “like a wavy kind of ribbon with a dot in the middle,” she said. Wilson recognized the distinctive shape from competency exams she is required to take every year. ... “When I first saw it, I was like, ‘Oh, no,' ” recalled Wilson. “I knew it was serious and that the patient could die.”
After conferring with colleagues and supervisors, she notified Burger’s nurse that the blood parasite screen was positive for trypanosome parasites. The notification was a panic alert reserved for lab tests that show extreme or unusual results. Wilson realized that Burger had African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness — a deadly disease spread by the tsetse fly. ... It was 10:55 a.m.
[font size=1]This slide shows the parasite, in dark blue, in Burger's blood. The parasite causes African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, which is fatal within months if not treated. (Courtesy of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center)[/font]
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