Anaplasmosis in pediatric patients: Case report and review

Abstract

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is a tick-borne infection, characterized as an acute and sometimes severe febrile illness which may be associated with leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Most case reports of HGA have been in adults, with only 8 case reports of HGA in children. We add a ninth case of HGA, which occurred in a 5-year-old. The paucity of pediatric HGA case reports maybe because publication bias, or HGA in children is a mild illness and children with HGA are less likely than adults to seek medical care, or the diagnosis of HGA requires a blood draw and adults (versus children) are more likely to get diagnostic testing. The 9 case reports in children suggest that pediatric HGA is usually a mild infection and that doxycycline and rifampin are effective therapies. Like adults, children with HGA frequently present with fever, headache, and malaise; however, children are more likely than adults to have abdominal pain as a prominent complaint.