Our sympathies go out to the populations affected by the unfortunate climate events in Texas, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Yemen and Niger. In the coming days, it will be important for the medical community and public health officials to stay vigilant to potential infectious disease complications associated with these natural disasters. The next few cases highlight some potential flood-associated infectious disease consequences.

The cases this week were submitted by Ahmed Babiker, 1st Year ID Fellow at Pitt.

Case number 2:

A previously healthy 24-year-old male presents to a Houston emergency center with a 5-day history of headaches, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, right upper quadrant abdominal pain, and myalgias. His home in downtown Houston flooded last week and he was recently evacuated to a safe location.

Which of the following is the most likely etiological agent causing the above symptoms:

1. Protozoa
2. Spirochete
3. Mycobacterium
4. Virus