Biomaterial Database

Fever of Unknown Origin, Wasting Syndrome and Bone Marrow Involvement: A Leprosy Case Report. 2022

Marcela Araujo de Oliveira Santana, and Willian Vargas Tenório da Costa, and Isadora Costa Celestino, and Diogo Fernandes Dos Santos, and Bruno de Carvalho Dornelas, and Matthew Martin Pavelka, and Andrea De Martino Luppi, and Isabela Maria Bernardes Goulart

National Reference Center for Sanitary Dermatology and Leprosy, Clinics' Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil.

Mycobacterium leprae, the etiologic agent of leprosy, is an acid-fast-staining and slow-growing bacilli that infect macrophages and Schwann cells individually or through forming globi. The clinical presentation of leprosy is broad and depends on the host immune response. We report a case of a 42-year-old Brazilian man presenting with fever of unknown origin (FUO), anemia, wasting syndrome, and neuropathy. The diagnosis of lepromatous leprosy was made after an extensive investigation revealed the presence of M. leprae in the bone marrow. Bone marrow involvement in leprosy is rare and some authors believe the presence of M. leprae in the bone marrow can act as a reservoir of the disease facilitating future relapses. It is important to investigate bone marrow involvement in leprosy, especially when the patient presents with cytopenias and positive epidemiologic history.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007918	Leprosy	A chronic granulomatous infection caused by MYCOBACTERIUM LEPRAE. The granulomatous lesions are manifested in the skin, the mucous membranes, and the peripheral nerves. Two polar or principal types are lepromatous and tuberculoid.	Hansen's Disease,Hansen Disease
D008297	Male		Males
D009166	Mycobacterium leprae	A species of gram-positive, aerobic bacteria that causes LEPROSY in man. Its organisms are generally arranged in clumps, rounded masses, or in groups of bacilli side by side.
D001853	Bone Marrow	The soft tissue filling the cavities of bones. Bone marrow exists in two types, yellow and red. Yellow marrow is found in the large cavities of large bones and consists mostly of fat cells and a few primitive blood cells. Red marrow is a hematopoietic tissue and is the site of production of erythrocytes and granular leukocytes. Bone marrow is made up of a framework of connective tissue containing branching fibers with the frame being filled with marrow cells.	Marrow,Red Marrow,Yellow Marrow,Marrow, Bone,Marrow, Red,Marrow, Yellow
D002100	Cachexia	General ill health, malnutrition, and weight loss, usually associated with chronic disease.
D005335	Fever of Unknown Origin	Fever in which the etiology cannot be ascertained.	Unknown Origin Fever,Unknown Origin Fevers
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D019282	Wasting Syndrome	A condition of involuntary weight loss of greater then 10% of baseline body weight. It is characterized by atrophy of muscles and depletion of lean body mass. Wasting is a sign of MALNUTRITION as a result of inadequate dietary intake, malabsorption, or hypermetabolism.	Wasting Disease,Wasting Diseases,Wasting Syndromes