To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Bacteria Linked To Heart Failure In Young People URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1345EA.htm Doctor's Guide October 1, 1999
LONDON, UK -- October 1, 1999 -- Rickettsia are bacteria that can be transmitted to humans via tick bites. They usually cause fever, headaches, muscle pains and sometimes a rash. In this week's issue of The Lancet, researchers from Sweden report the deaths of two young men from heart failure caused by a type of rickettsia, Rickettsia helvetica, that has never before been reported in humans.
Dr. Kenneth Nilsson and colleagues, from Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden, and Mölardalens University, Eskilstuna, did necropsies on two men aged 19 and 33 years who died suddenly while playing ice-hockey. The researchers found that the hearts of both men showed signs of perimyocarditis (inflammation of the heart and surrounding membranes), and that rickettsia-like organisms were present in tissue samples from these areas.
Dr. Nilsson and colleagues used DNA-sequencing techniques to identify the type of rickettsia found. R. helvetica-an organism not previously linked with disease in humans-was discovered. Since R.. helvetica is estimated to be present in about 20 percent of the ticks in Sweden, the researchers conclude that the organism may be "[an important cause] of perimyocarditis, which can result in sudden unexpected cardiac death in young people". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.