Hepatitis C and leptospirosis: Simultaneous acute infections or recurrence of occult hepatitis C

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2015

Authors

Ferraz, RV (Author) Other; Pereira, NR (Author) FMDUP; Carvalho, C (Author) Other; Sarmento A (Author) FMUP

Journal

Title: BMJ Case Reports

Vol. 2015

ISSN: 1757-790X

Publisher: BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP

Indexing

Scopus - 0 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00G-FW9

DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2015-209929

Abstract (EN): People who inject drugs are vulnerable to several infections. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of a simultaneous diagnosis of leptospirosis and acute infection or recurrence of occult hepatitis C in an HIV-infected drug user. We report a case of a 47-year-old Caucasian man with HIV infection, on antiretroviral therapy, and with a history of hepatitis C (positive anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HCV RNA persistently negative) who was admitted with febrile acute hepatitis. He was a former injecting drug user, on opioid substitution therapy, who relapsed to injection drug use 3 weeks prior to admission. Work up revealed positive HCV RNA and Leptospira DNA in his urine. Four weeks later he had an undetectable HCV load, and also at 6 months of follow-up. This case highlights the presence of two concomitant infectious aetiologies of acute hepatitis in an HIV-infected drug user. Copyright 2015 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific