BRACHIAL PLEXOPATHY ASSOCIATED WITH HUMAN GRANULOCYTIC EHRLICHIOSIS

Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne disease of humans. Inv olvement of the peripheral nervous system is well known with Lyme dise ase and some rickettsioses but has yet to be described with this disea se. We describe a man with bilateral brachial plexopathies associated with an acute febrile illness and clinical, laboratory, and serologic evidence diagnostic of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis. The clinical p resentation suggests that the peripheral neuropathy was postinfectious . Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis should be considered in the differen tial diagnosis in patients with peripheral nervous system involvement, including brachial plexopathy, of individuals who live or recreate in areas known to harbor ticks.