In October 2016, a male New York resident aged 74 years developed fever, myalgia,
nausea, and vomiting while traveling in Peru, 3 days after visiting the northern Amazon
area. During the next 2 days, he experienced fever, abdominal pain, and watery diarrhea
and was admitted to a hospital in Peru, where Entamoeba histolytica was detected in
his stool. He was treated with intravenous fluids and antibiotics and released 1 day
after admission. His condition worsened, however, and he returned to New York and
immediately sought care at a hospital emergency department, where he was found to
be afebrile, slightly confused, and jaundiced. Laboratory tests revealed leukopenia,
thrombocytopenia, acute renal failure, liver dysfunction, and a metabolic acidosis
(Table). He was transferred from the emergency department to a tertiary care center,
where he was admitted and received intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and hemodialysis.
During the next 2 days, he developed melena and disseminated intravascular coagulation.
He experienced multiple episodes of ventricular fibrillation and died 3 days after
admission. Autopsy revealed gastrointestinal hemorrhage and subtotal hepatocellular
necrosis. Testing for selected viral, bacterial, and parasitic agents was negative,
except for antibody to Salmonella H type A/B (Table). He had not received yellow fever
vaccine before traveling. Serum specimens and tissues were sent to Wadsworth Center,
the New York State Public Health Laboratory, and CDC to test for yellow fever virus
and other pathogens.
TABLE
Clinical laboratory results* and infectious disease test results for patient with
a fatal case of yellow fever — New York, 2016
Laboratory test
Result
Reference range
White blood cell count
3,600†
3,800–10,600/μl
Platelet count
5,300†
150,000–400,000/μl
Bicarbonate
10†
22–303 mmol/L
Sodium
135
134–145 mmol/L
Potassium
5.7†
3.5–5.1 mmol/L
Blood urea nitrogen
151†
9–20 mg/dL
Creatinine
13.7†
0.8–1.5 mg/dL
Alanine amino transferase
3,584†
21–72 U/L
Aspartate amino transferase
3,596†
17–59 U/L
Total bilirubin
11.8†
0.0–1.0 mg/dL
Alkaline phosphatase
349†
38–126 U/L
Albumin
3.4
3.5–5.0 g/dL
Lactic acid
3.6†
0.7–2.1 mmol/L
Bacterial cultures (blood)
No growth
No growth
Leptospiral DNA (urine)
Not detected
Not detected
Dengue viral RNA (serum)
Not detected
Not detected
Salmonella H type A/B antibodies (serum)
Positive†
Negative
Q fever antibodies (serum)
Negative
Negative
Hepatitis A virus antibodies (serum)
Nonreactive
Nonreactive
Hepatitis B virus antibodies (serum)
Nonreactive
Nonreactive
Hepatitis C virus antibodies (serum)
Nonreactive
Nonreactive
Yellow fever virus immunoglobulin M antibodies
Positive†
Negative
Yellow fever virus neutralizing antibodies
640†
<10
* Upon hospital admission.
† Outside the reference range.
A serum specimen collected 7 days after illness onset tested positive for flaviviral
RNA by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the amplicon
sequencing was consistent with yellow fever virus. A serum specimen obtained at autopsy
was positive for yellow fever immunoglobulin M antibodies. Yellow fever RT-PCR assays
performed on RNA extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver tissue were
positive; amplicon sequence analysis revealed highest identity with wild-type yellow
fever virus strains. An immunohistochemical assay for yellow fever virus performed
on the liver tissue demonstrated staining of necrotic hepatocytes throughout the lobules,
without mesenchymal staining. The morphologic features of fulminant active hepatitis
and the immunohistochemical staining pattern and sequencing results, in combination
with the patient’s travel history to a region of Peru where yellow fever is endemic,
lack of yellow fever vaccination, and clinical history supported the diagnosis of
infection with wild-type yellow fever virus (
1
).
Yellow fever is a mosquitoborne viral disease endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and tropical
areas of South America. Most infections are asymptomatic or result in a nonspecific
febrile illness. The severe form of yellow fever results in jaundice and hemorrhage;
approximately 50% of severe cases are fatal (
2
).
During 1970–2015, 11 yellow fever cases were reported among U.S. and European travelers
(
3
). Before the current case, the last yellow fever case diagnosed in a U.S. resident
was in 2002 (
4
). However, after large outbreaks in Africa and South America during 2016–2017, the
number of cases confirmed in travelers from countries without endemic yellow fever
transmission increased substantially, including at least 11 workers infected in Angola;
two travelers in Peru; one each in Suriname and Bolivia; and this case (
5
,
6
).
No specific treatment for yellow fever exists; care is based on symptoms. Prevention
of infection is through vaccination and avoidance of mosquito bites. Yellow fever
vaccine is recommended for persons aged ≥9 months who are traveling to or living in
areas at risk for yellow fever virus transmission (
3
). However, because serious adverse events can occur after yellow fever vaccination,
contraindications and precautions to vaccination, such as patient age, should be considered
before administering the vaccine. Health care providers should consider and test for
yellow fever in unvaccinated persons with fever and jaundice or hemorrhage who live
in or have traveled to an area with yellow fever virus transmission. Information on
current yellow fever outbreaks and vaccination requirements and recommendations for
specific countries are available on CDC Travelers' Health website (https://www.cdc.gov/travel/).