A severe case of Mediterranean spotted fever: value of ocular examination

Abstract

Rickettsiosis is diseases caused by obligate intracellular bacteria. It is a zoonosis distributed throughout the world and transmitted to human by the bite of contaminated arthropods. It is endemic in the Mediterranean area and it is caused by species called Rickettsia conorii. Typical diagnosis criteria are based on the triad of high fever, general discomfort and skin rash in a patient living in or back from an endemic region for rickettsiosis. However, this triad is not always present. In fact, atypical forms can be observed with multiorgan involvement including hepatic, renal, neurological and cardiac impairment.1–4