3 ms·
Leptospirosis is very rare (~100 cases/year in the UK?) and typically affects other tissues (She's lucky it seems to have only infected one eye), making it more
by w10-1 1y ago
Leptospirosis is very rare (~100 cases/year in the UK?) and typically affects other tissues (She's lucky it seems to have only infected one eye), making it more like a unicorn than a zebra diagnostically. Effective antibiotics are common, but even via IV they might reach not therapeutic levels in the eye.
Metagenomics are particularly good in cases like this where tissue samples are small. These spirochete are too small for light microscopy - probably why the lab missed them.
- John23832 1y agoGiven that leptospirosis is treated with doxycycline, you would have thought that they would have at least done a resistance study on the culture. Even if you don’t know it’s leptospirosis, you can know it’s susceptible to tetracyclines and treat it.
- dillydogg 1y agoI don't know what kind of resistance study you would order if you don't have an isolate growing. I don't know how you could have a culture growing but not know the causative organism is a Leptospira spp. .
- John23832 1y agoYou could definitely have a culture growing without knowing the specific causative organism. It’s just growth on/in the medium. I do agree though, you can’t do a resistance study before isolation. I assumed that they did isolate.