Exclusive: Keck School of Medicine Virology Report on Project TRFV, "Trojan Fever" September 15, 2013

Keck School of Medicine Reports 2013: doi:10.1136/bcr-2013-200946

CASE REPORT

Troius febris pathology indeterminate

Department of Virology, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California

SUMMARY

Infectious diseases are naturally more prevalent in close-quartered living, a trend that was often seen in the tenement-style housing during the Industrial Revolution. It is not surprising a highly contagious pathogen can be hosted in these conditions, particularly when considering the warm, hospitable climate. However, a disease that can cause such rapid phenotypic mutations has yet to be studied, let alone documented. A case is reported here of a 19-year-old woman with symptoms of nausea, uncontrollable laughing and contractions of the diaphragm (hiccuping), as well as cutaneous horn growth. One week prior to admission she reported surveying the demolishing cite of the University of Southern California's former Student Health Center (SHC); at this location she was exposed to airborne particles that have been released from the ground during excavation. There was no significant medical history. She took no regular medications and had no known allergies. Her mother had been against childhood vaccinations due to the adverse publicity associated with them. An examination conducted at Engemann Student Health Center revealed pulse of 110 bpm, normal blood pressure and slight fever at 37.5 degrees Celsius. Samples were taken from blood, cheek and throat.

Upon further examination of the samples, in addition to the others that were collected after the spike in incidents, it became evident that this was a new pathogen to modern medicine. Though various tests were performed, scientists were unable to sequence the viral RNA to indicate any homology with other known diseases. The virus did not respond to any antibiotics. A problem researchers encountered was the odd disappearance of any trace of infection in samples after 48 hours. This is particularly unusual considering the patient still experienced the symptoms of the disease; however, after being stained and examined under the light microscope, there was no evidence of any unusual deviation from the norm. Thus, the pathology of what has been commonly referred to as "Trojan Fever" is currently unknown and unable to be determined with existing technology.