Multiorgan failure related to human monocytic ehrlichiosis.

Human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) is a tick-born disease that presents predominantly as a mild to moderate acute illness. Severe life-threatening disease has been reported with a case death rate of approximately 3%, often in immunosuppressed persons. A delay in therapy initiation has been proven to increase the morbidity of the disease. We report a case of an elderly immunocompetent man with severe HME disease and multiorgan failure to emphasise on the severity of this disease in the elderly, as well as the importance of early therapy for overall favourable prognosis.