No abstract

An elderly patient in Belgium who became critically ill after returning from Hungary was tested for pathogens using routine diagnostic tests. All results were negative. However, using next-generation sequencing on a cultured respiratory sample, laboratorians detected a complete West Nile virus genome, similar to strains isolated in southeastern Europe.

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is uncommon in the pediatric population and is often associated with an infectious etiology or postvaccination. Mostly, the child presents with a positive direct antiglobulin test. The diagnosis can be challenging, as in our case with an immunoglobulin A–mediated AIHA. In addition to supportive therapy, such as a red blood cell transfusion, steroids are the first choice of treatment. Rituximab, as second-line treatment, can be given in conjunction. We report the first case of immunoglobulin A–mediated AIHA treated with rituximab in the literature.