TABLE 5.

Revised case definition to reflect the knowledge that the etiology of BPF was H. aegyptius bacteremia fever^a

Factor
(i) Febrile illness in a child with isolation of H. aegyptius from a normally sterile body site (e.g., blood or CSFb) or
(ii) Acute illness in a child aged between 3 mo and 10 yr characterized by:
(a) Fever of ≥38.5°C
(b) Abdominal pain and/or vomiting
(c) Development of petechiae or purpura
(d) No evidence of meningitis
(iii) History of conjunctivitis ≤30 days before onset of fever
(iv) One (or both) of the following tests negative for N. meningitidis:
(a) Blood cultures taken before antibiotic administration
(b) Serum or urine antigen detection
(v) Other laboratory data, if obtained:
(a) CSFb with ≤100 or fewer leukocytes/μl and negative by culture or antigen detection for pathogenic bacteria other than H. aegyptius
(b) Blood cultures negative for known pathogenic bacteria other than H. aegyptius
(c) Negative serologic studies for known pathogens other than H. aegyptius

^aBased on definitions from reference 22.

^bCSF, cerebrospinal fluid.