Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to I P Cooper.
We report a patient who had not been outside New Zealand with a fever and maculopapular rash. Serology suggested acute murine typhus due to R typhi. This is the first reported case in New Zealand from a nontraveller.
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A 54-year-old female heart transplant recipient had an acute episode of graft rejection that was treated with high-dose immunosuppression therapy. During this therapy a second febrile illness developed, which was accompanied by hypotension, anemia, and rash. Findings for subsequent myocardial biopsy specimens were negative for cytomegalovirus by culture but were strongly positive for cytomegalovirus deoxyribonucleic acid by the polymerase chain reaction. Histologic observation of viral inclusions in the myocardial fibers supported the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus myocarditis. The polymerase chain reaction therefore can provide a rapid and highly sensitive method for heart transplant patients with suspected cytomegalovirus myocarditis.