A Case of Enteric Fever Complicated with Acute Encephalopathy

Abstract

We experienced a case of enteric fever complicated with acute encephalopathy (AE) during a mass food poisoning outbreak in Tokyo. The patient had never traveled abroad. He was admitted to our hospital with the chief complaints of sustained fever and digestive symptoms. He was diagnosed as having enteric fever based on blood and stool culture findings. He developed AE after the initiation of therapy. However, he was discharged without sequela. We analyzed the cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at the onset of AE, and showed that the interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels were elevated. These results suggested that IL-8 and MCP-1 in the CSF might play a role in the pathogenesis of acute S. typhi-associated encephalopathy.