Eperythrozoonosis

Eperythrozoonosis is a zoonosis caused by Eperythrozoon. Livestock-area populations have high seroprevalence but few symptomatic cases. Clinical: fever, anemia, diarrhea, lymphadenopathy. Schilling (1928) first found it in rodents; Puntaric (1986) formally described human disease. China first found it in rabbits (1980), then cattle/sheep/pigs, then humans.

Common Symptoms

Lymphadenopathy; fatigue

Causes and Pathogenesis

(1) Etiology: Eperythrozoon (ep) lives on RBC surfaces/plasma/bone marrow. Pleomorphic (sphere/ring/disc/dumbbell/racket/comma), 0.3-0.8 µm in humans/cattle/sheep/rodents, 0.8-1.5 µm (up to 2.5 µm) in pigs. Long-unclassified; Neimark (1997) placed it in Mycoplasmataceae via 16S rRNA. 14 species; main 5: E. coccoides (rodents), E. ovis (sheep/goat/deer), E. suis (pig), E. wenyonii (cattle), E. parvum (pig non-pathogenic). Killed 60°C/1 min, 100°C/1 min; disinfectant-sensitive; survives years frozen. (2) Pathogenesis: mostly latent; disease on immunosuppression/stress. EM: epis attach to mature RBC surface (not intracellular) via fibrils; RBC membranes wrinkle/hole → osmotic lysis; reduced deformability → splenic hemolysis. Both intravascular and extravascular hemolysis; possibly type II hypersensitivity (IgM autoantibody to exposed antigens). No human pathology data yet.

Treatment

Drug therapy, supportive therapy

Preventive Measures

Transmission cycle unclear; no good prevention.

Department to Visit

It is recommended to visit the Infectious Diseases department; an appointment can be booked on this platform before the visit.

Warm reminder: The above information is for health science reference only and cannot replace professional medical diagnosis. If you have related symptoms, please seek medical attention at a regular hospital promptly.