Haverhill Fever

Farrell, Elliston; Lordi, George H.; Vogel, J

doi:10.1001/archinte.1939.00190010011001

Cited by 21 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The clustering of cases observed in this study suggests an infectious etiology. An outbreak of arthritis occurred in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in January 1926, which was transmitted by raw milk contaminated with Haverhillia multiformis (later called Streptobacillus moniliformis) (20,21). The onset of this illness was unusually abrupt, with severe chills, fever, vomiting, and headache, and the arthritis, which followed in many patients within days, was not recurrent and caused joint destruction in some.…”

Section: ) Tested In All Patients By Complement Fixation and In 10 Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

An epidemic of oligoarticular arthritis in children and adults in three connecticut communities

Steere

Malawista

Snydman

et al. 1977

Arthritis & Rheumatism

1,109

437

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An epidemic form of arthritis has been occurring in eastern Connecticut at least since 1972, with the peak incidence of new cases in the summer and early fall. Its identification has been possible because of tight geographic clustering in some areas, and because of a characteristic preceding skin lesion in some patients. The authors studied 51 residents of three contiguous Connecticut communities—39 children and 12 adults—who developed an illness characterized by recurrent attacks of asymmetric swelling and pain in a few large joints, especially the knee. Attacks were usually short (median: 1 week) with much longer intervening periods of complete remission (median: 2.5 months), but some attacks lasted for months. To date the typical patient has had three recurrences, but 16 patients have had none. A median of 4 weeks (range: 1–24) before the onset of arthritis, 13 patients (25%) noted an erythematous papule that developed into an expanding, red, annular lesion, as much as 50 cm in diameter. Only 2 of 159 family members of patients had such a lesion and did not develop arthritis (P < 0.000001). The overall prevalence of the arthritis was 4.3 cases per 1,000 residents, but the prevalence among children living on four roads was 1 in 10. Six families had more than 1 affected member. Nine of 20 symptomatic patients had low serum C3 levels, compared to none of 31 asymptomatic patients (P < 0.005); no patient had iridocyclitis or a positive test for antinuclear antibodies. Neither cultures of synovium and synovial fluid nor serologic tests were positive for agents known to cause arthritis. “Lyme arthritis” is thought to be a previously unrecognized clinical entity, the epidemiology of which suggests transmission by an arthropod vector.

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Section: ) Tested In All Patients By Complement Fixation and In 10 Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

An epidemic of oligoarticular arthritis in children and adults in three connecticut communities

Steere

Malawista

Snydman

et al. 1977

Arthritis & Rheumatism

1,109

437

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Haverhill fever is one of the two forms of rat-bite fever: it is characterized by fever and polyarthritis and is usually thought to be due to Streptobacillus moniliformis, which has been cultivated from the blood (cf. Farrell et al, 1939). In view of the frequency with which pleuropneumonialike organisms are associated with this bacillus, the question arises how far the symptomatology in man is due to an associated pleuropneumonia-like organism and how far to the Streptobacillus.…”

Section: Chemotherapymentioning

confidence: 99%