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Solving a Mystery
When this Little Silver family man contracted an uncommon illness, his brother-in-law — one of
Riverview’s finest — worked earnestly and expediently with his colleagues to discover the root cause.
Mike McGann and his family
agreed to assist a relative
move out of her longtime home.
This seemed like a simple enough
task. They had no idea that the project
would result in a mysterious illness
with serious consequences.
A Good Deed Gone Bad
When their relative decided to move
into an active-adult community, the
entire family pitched in to help clean
out her old home. Mike, a father of
three from Little Silver, worked with his
wife and in-laws to sort through and
remove years’ worth of memorabilia
throughout the house.
One of the biggest tasks was to
clear the cellar, which contained
boxes filled with magazines, bottles,
and other items that hadn’t been
disturbed in quite some time. Even
though Mike noticed some rodent
droppings, he paid no attention to
them and continued with the task
at hand. After all, it was an old
basement, and there were bound
to be some critters. At one point,
the family took a break to have some
sandwiches for lunch, and then they
quickly got back to work.
About a week later, Mike started
experiencing a constant headache,
fever, and visual sensitivity to light.
He figured it was the flu and took
some Tylenol. A few more days passed
with the same symptoms, but once his
urine turned dark brown, he knew he
needed medical advice.
Mike called his brother-in-law,
Joseph Clemente, M.D., who had
also helped with the family project
just weeks earlier. Dr. Clemente ran
a blood test, which indicated that Mike’s liver enzymes were abnormal, so he
immediately admitted him to Riverview
Medical Center. Mike was shocked to
learn that he had developed hepatitis
and that his liver wasn’t functioning
properly. However, the studies did not
show any clear cause for his hepatitis.
Searching for Clues
From the onset of his illness, Mike
knew he was in good hands. He and
his family had used Riverview Medical
Center on many occasions, and he
had full faith in his brother-in-law,
who holds four board certifications
in the areas of internal medicine,
geriatric medicine, critical care
medicine, and cardiovascular
disease. But this particular case was
challenging because Mike’s condition
was deteriorating with no obvious
cause. Over the next several days,
Dr. Clemente ran numerous tests and
consulted with a variety of specialists.
Mike’s team of experts was stumped,
running through a battery of questions
with him and his wife. When asked
if he had come in contact with
rodents, he mentioned seeing
droppings in the cellar. Mike’s wife
said, "Please tell me you washed
your hands before we ate those
sandwiches." He had not, and it
led the doctors in a new direction.
They soon determined that he had
a disease called leptospirosis.
With the diagnosis finally made,
Dr. Clemente ordered a treatment
of intravenous penicillin, and Mike began a swift recovery. His
liver enzymes returned to normal,
and he was able to go home for
a full recovery.
Basic Prevention Goes a Long Way
Leptospirosis is an infectious disease
that affects humans and animals.
Early detection is important because
it can cause serious complications
such as kidney damage, meningitis,
respiratory distress, or liver failure.
When Mike came into contact with
the rodent droppings/urine, he
unknowingly transmitted the disease
by handling food.
"Washing your hands is the single
most effective way to prevent the
spread of germs," says Dr. Clemente.
"This simple process can help prevent
the spread of infection, whether it
be a common cold or an unusual
disease such as leptospirosis. It was
an important reminder for our
entire family."
 – Donna Sellmann
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