Case report: Multiple organ failure caused by Japanese spotted fever

Abstract

A 71-year-old male had disseminated multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Following treatment with cefotaxime and piperacillin-tazobactam, his symptoms have worsened instead. Multiple organ failure caused by Japanese Spotted Fever (JSF) was diagnosed based on metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS), we rapidly treated the patient with doxycycline. Thereafter, his symptoms gradually improved. In this report, we emphasized the importance of rapid microbial diagnostic tools and the early use of tetracyclines for the treatment of JSF.

Keywords

• Japanese spotted fever
• Rickettsia japonica
• Multiple organ failure
• Metagenomic next-generation sequencing