Dobrava-Belgrade hantavirus infection mimics acute appendicitis

Abstract

Dobrava-Belgrade hantavirus infection mimicked acute appendicitis in a patient suffering from hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Hungary. The 27-year-old man was admitted to the local hospital with severe abdominal pain localized mainly at the right lower quadrant of the abdomen and with fever, nausea, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. Based on these findings supported by computerized tomography acute perforated appendicitis was suspected and an explorative laparatomy was performed, which did not confirm the diagnosis. Next day he developed acute oliguric renal failure raising the possibility of hantavirus infection. Specific serum IgG and IgM antibodies against hantavirus were identified, and by molecular methods the presence of Dobrava-Belgrade virus was proven. This report describes a rare clinical manifestation of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), and shows that HFRS might be difficult to diagnose especially when symptoms mimick those of an acute abdominal inflammation.