Rubella-associated hemophagocytic syndrome in an infant

Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is a fulminant disorder characterized pathologically by multiple-organ infiltration of hemophagocytic histiocytes in the lymphoreticular tissues. The characteristic pathologic feature is reactive histiocytic hyperplasia with leukoerythrophagocytosis in a variety of organs. This disorder occurs most often in patients in whom the immune system is compromised and has been associated with a variety of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, mycobacteria, spirochetes, fungi, and parasites. The authors describe a 2.5-month-old girl with rubella-associated HPS, demonstrated by postmortem liver necropsy.