Perinatal Transmission of the Agent of Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis

Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis was first described in the United States, in the northern Midwest, in 1994. 1 Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis is caused by an organism, still referred to as the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, that is similar to two animal pathogens, Ehrlichia phagocytophila and E. equi. 2 – 4 Transmission of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis occurs through the bites of ixodes ticks, which are the arthropod vectors for Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti. 5 , 6 Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis is an acute, febrile, nonspecific illness that may be severe enough to cause hospitalization and even death, particularly in the elderly. 1 , 7 , 8 We describe a . . .