Lewis Chitengwa, the
golfer who passed away Saturday after withdrawing from the Canadian Tour's
Edmonton Open with flu-like symptoms, apparently died from meningitis.
The 26-year-old native of Zimbabwe complained of a fever and
was taken to Misericordia Hospital. He was told he had the flu and sent home,
but several hours later was taken to University of Alberta Hospital, where he
slipped into unconsciousness and died within an hour of being admitted.
Chitengwa wasn't immediately diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis
because he didn't display the classic symptom of the illness, a stiff neck.
The meningococcus bacteria may not have spread to and inflamed
the linings of his spinal canal or brain cavity, which would have caused his neck
to feel stiff, said Dr. Gerry Predy, the medical officer of health for the Capital
Health Region.
Predy said the meningitis bacteria was spreading throughout
Chitengwa's bloodstream, a condition known as meningococcemia.
"Meningococcemia is a generalized infection that, once it gets
in the bloodstream, goes through your whole body, overwhelms all your body systems
and you go into shock," explained Predy. "Often, it's such an overwhelming and
such a fast-progressing infection that no matter how soon you diagnose it, it's
often very serious and often fatal because it's so potentially progressive."
Several days of tests will be needed to determine if the bacteria
that infected Chitengwa is the same strain that last year killed three young Edmonton
residents, infected over 30 others and prompted thousands of young people in the
area to be inoculated.
A three-time Zimbabwe Amateur champion, Chitengwa became the
first black golfer to win the South Africa Amateur when he captured the event
in 1993. He attended the University of Virginia on an athletic scholarship and
played on the 2000 Buy.com Tour, finishing 100th on the money list with $39,103
in 27 starts last year.
He also competed in the 1996 Greater Vancouver Open and the
1999 St. Jude Classic on the PGA Tour.
Chitengwa had two top-10 finishes this year on the Canadian
Tour.
"We are very, very much devastated," said Chitengwa's father,
Lewis Muridzo, the golf pro at Wingate Park Club in Harare, Zimbabwe. "His main
aim was to be No. 1 in the world. The whole country, the whole continent will
be devastated about this thing."
