Biology Digest Essay, Research Paper

Mysterious Fevers

Admitted to a hospital for a 103.5 fever, Doctors weren?t quite sure what Bob Ervins illness was. A routine diagnosis only reveled discomfort after eating and low levels of all three types of cells. Also his liver enzymes showed signs of anema.

With this information, Doctors came up with the diagnosis of cholecystitis, otherwise known as inflamed gall bladder. However Surgeon Audrey Nevins felt that low levels of all three cells wasn?t usually associated with the gall bladder. But, after questioning Ervins, Nevins learned ticks, while traveling through Colorado and Indiana, had bitten him.

After some testing for diseases carried by ticks (RMSF, Babesiosis, Tubremia, Lyme Disease) Ervins blood was confirmed to have the presence of Ehrlichia Chaffeensis, which is from a lonestar tick infected with that bacterium.

Bibliography

Biology Digest

Volume 26

Issue 4

December 1999

99/00 ? 1098