Doctors Missed “Simple” Clues Before NJ Man Died of Rare Parasite, Lawsuit Claims
A wrongful death lawsuit filed against Penn Medicine alleges that a 34-year-old South Jersey man died from a treatable parasitic infection after doctors repeatedly failed to diagnose him, ignoring critical clues from his travel history. Louis-Hunter Kean, who died in November 2023, suffered for weeks from visceral leishmaniasis—a disease typically found in tropical and Mediterranean climates—while his care team allegedly missed the opportunity to administer a simple, lifesaving blood test.
Deep Search: The Missed Connection
The complaint details a tragic timeline that began after Kean returned from a vacation in Italy, a known hotspot for the sandflies that transmit the parasite. According to the lawsuit, Kean presented to Penn Medicine providers with classic symptoms of the disease, including high fever, extreme fatigue, and an enlarged spleen (splenomegaly).
Despite his explicit travel history to Italy, the suit alleges that doctors failed to connect the dots. Visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar, is fatal in over 95% of cases if left untreated but has a high cure rate when identified early. The plaintiffs argue that a specific, low-cost blood test—the rK39 dipstick test—would have detected the infection in minutes. Instead, the infection was allowed to ravage Kean’s internal organs, leading to his death on November 29, 2023.
“The tragedy here is the simplicity of the solution that was missed,” the filing suggests. “A simple blood test could have saved his life.” The lawsuit accuses the medical team of negligence for failing to consult infectious disease specialists early enough or consider a parasitic origin for his declining health, treating him instead for other suspected conditions while the parasite multiplied.
Objections: The Challenge of Rare Diagnoses
Penn Medicine has not issued a specific comment on the allegations regarding Louis-Hunter Kean, citing policies on pending litigation and patient privacy. However, medical experts often defend such cases by highlighting the extreme rarity of visceral leishmaniasis in the United States.
Diagnosing “zebra” cases—medical slang for rare diseases when symptoms point to common ones—is notoriously difficult. In non-endemic regions like Pennsylvania, symptoms like fever and an enlarged spleen are far more likely to be caused by leukemia, lymphoma, or common viral infections like mononucleosis. The defense may argue that the standard of care does not require testing for an obscure tropical parasite as a first-line diagnostic step, even with a travel history to Italy, where the disease is present but still relatively uncommon among tourists.
Background Info: What is Visceral Leishmaniasis?
Visceral leishmaniasis is a life-threatening disease caused by Leishmania parasites, transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies. It attacks the body’s internal organs, specifically the liver, spleen, and bone marrow.
symptoms: Irregular bouts of fever, substantial weight loss, swelling of the spleen and liver, and anemia.
Transmission: While often associated with tropical regions, it is endemic to parts of the Mediterranean basin, including Italy, Spain, and Greece.
Diagnosis: The “simple blood test” referenced is likely an immunochromatographic dipstick test (such as rK39), which detects antibodies to the parasite. It is cheap, easy to use, and highly sensitive.
Treatment: If diagnosed, the disease is treatable with medications such as liposomal amphotericin B, which has a cure rate of over 90% in immunocompetent patients.
