Case report: Infectious cerebral vasculitis due to rickettsiosis

Abstract

Rickettsiosis is a widespread infection throughout the world and in Africa, it covers a wide range of infectious diseases caused by Rickettsia species. Rickettsial infections, with the exception of Q fever, typically present with fever, rash, and vasculitis. The central nervous system (CNS) can be affected by all rickettsial diseases and is an important target for several of them.Clinical manifestations are suggestive of rickettsial infection, but serology and skin biopsy provide confirmation.Although the presence of abnormal neuroimaging is rare, its presence is associated with a worse clinical prognosis. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans mainly show signs of vasculitis, which may be reversible if appropriate treatment is initiated early in the course of the disease.We present here a case of infectious cerebral vasculitis due to rickettsiosis with some MRI features.

Keywords

• Rickettsial infection
• Cerebral vasculitis
• Rickettsial serology
• MRI findings