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Rare Marburg hemorrhagic fever shows up in Denver

By Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published February 6, 2009 at 10:29 p.m.

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The first known case of Marburg hemorrhagic fever in the United States was treated at Lutheran Medical Center in January 2008, it was announced Friday.

The disease, which is caused by a virus indigenous to Africa, is transmitted by contact with infected animals or the bodily fluids of infected humans.

The patient, who was not identified, had apparently contracted the virus when he visited Uganda.

While in that country, he had visited a python cave in Maramagambo Forest in Queen Elizabeth Park, where he came into contact with fruit bats, which are capable of harboring the Marburg virus.

The patient recovered after treatment at the hospital, but returned in June 2008 for a follow-up visit and was re-tested.

The CDC found in the repeat testing that the man had Marburg hemorrhagic fever, and sent Lutheran Hospital its findings at the end of last month.

The hospital is currently working with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Jefferson County Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control to determine the risk to doctors and staff members who came in contact with the patient.

"Our investigation so far has concluded that none of the staff and physicians who cared for the patient has developed the symptoms consistent with this illness," said Kim Kobel, spokeswoman for Exempla Healthcare.

However, any medical staff member or doctor who are still concerned about possible exposure may get their blood tested at Lutheran Medical Center.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the Marburg virus is indigenous to Africa and is found in infected animals, such as green monkeys.

The virus takes 5-10 days to incubate but the onset of the disease is sudden. Initial symptoms include fever, chills, headache and muscle pain.

However, after five days, a rash develops on the back, chest and stomach. The patient also starts experiencing nausea, vomiting, chest pain, sore throat, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Symptoms later become severe, which may include jaundice, inflammation of the pancreas, severe weight loss, delirium, shock, liver failure and multi-organ dysfunction. The disease can be fatal.

Since the disease can be spread by contact with infectious bodily fluids, like getting splashed by a blood drop, medical caregivers are advised to wear protective gowns, gloves and masks.

Lutheran Hospital officials said that when the patient first came in, the medical staff "followed the protocols for dealing with an unknown infection, including contact isolation (gown and glove) and testing for a number of infectious, with some of the tests being performed at the CDC."

It was not clear Friday why the initial CDC tests did not reveal the virus.

Comments

  • February 7, 2009

    7:32 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SheikYurBooty writes:

    Nasty stuff. Read "The Hot Zone" for a blood-curdling account.

  • February 7, 2009

    9:40 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    V_twinMan writes:

    This is why you stay out of hospitals.

  • February 7, 2009

    10:14 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    brentmeister writes:

    RMN, you should do a report on the THOUSANDS of illegal mexicans that have brought drug resistant and extreme drug resistant TB with them to the US.
    Open borders + free medical care = Unprecedented pandemics

    Twinman nailed it, stay out of hospitals, and away from people who work in them.

  • February 7, 2009

    12:56 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    spelvin2002 writes:

    It's only a matter of minutes before the trogs on the extreme right blame this on illegal aliens or President Obama. Let the flaming begin!

  • February 7, 2009

    1:07 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Scott writes:

    I concur with Sheik regarding Preston's book "The Hot Zone." Also, Laurie Garret's book "The Coming Plague." Garret's book also goes into the drug resistant bacteria, e.g. tuberculosis. Really scary stuff. Hot Zone is a good book for non-nerds, Coming Plague is for us nerds, it is also a "door stopper." :-)

    By the way, Marburg is one of the filoviruses which also include Ebola Sudan, Zaire, Ivory Coast and Reston. The mortality rate for Ebola Zaire is 90%! Here is a link that gives a good overview of the filoviruses: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/Spb/mn...

  • February 7, 2009

    2:51 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    RoyalPayne writes:

    It's not a question of if but when some form of plague hits the world and the USA once again.

    With international travel, wide open borders and a government that does not mind millions of illegals pouring over our border, it's just a matter of time.

    Marburg is just one of many horrors, which some say was made into a bioweapon at Plum Island.

    The virus sits, waiting, to strike again, when it does...God help us all !

  • February 7, 2009

    3:54 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    brentmeister writes:

    actually spelvin, i blame bush and that traitor mccain

  • February 7, 2009

    5:19 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    jfkdem47 writes:

    SheikYurBooty writes:

    "Nasty stuff. Read "The Hot Zone" for a blood-curdling account."

    "The Hot Zone" is a non-fiction book that is scarier than anything Hollyweird can dream up.

  • February 7, 2009

    6:31 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Scott writes:

    RoyalPayne,

    Your 2:51 PM observation is dead on. The ability to travel literally half way around the world in a day has the potential for spreading virulent diseases whether a "weapon" or casual travel in this case. This is made crystal clear in Preston's book. In the opening chapters he details how a guy that was not feeling too well hopped aboard a puddle jumper aircraft to fly to larger city with a modern hospital. While on the flight he starts barfing up blood that is laden with Ebola Zaire. YIKES!

    Scott

  • February 7, 2009

    8:43 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    LadyBird112 writes:

    "Hot Zone" and "Coming Plague" are amazing books. Scary as as all heck but amazing. Better than any fiction thriller I've read. I've recommended them to everyone I've met in the medical field.

  • February 7, 2009

    10:21 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    ColoradoDave writes:

    "RoyalPayne writes: It's not a question of if but when some form of plague hits the world and the USA once again."

    Actually there is a worldwide plague right now, it's called AIDS/HIV.

    Things like Marburg and Ebola aren't likely to create a worldwide pandemic their deadliness and virulency work against a plague scenario. Effectively Marburg and Ebola kill their victims so rapidly they do not have time or opportunity to spread the virus.

  • February 7, 2009

    10:55 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mmannino writes:

    ColoradoDave,

    AIDS/HIV is difficult to transmit. Most transmission is through very risky behavior regarding sex or drug usage. You are making a poor comparison of AIDS/HIV to Ebola, Marburg, and virulent TB. Obviously AIDS/HIV is a serious problem but its transmission makes it incomparable to these other diseases.