Nocardia brasiliensis primary pulmonary nocardiosis with subcutaneous involvement in an immunocompetent patient.

This is a report of an unusual case of Nocardia brasiliensis causing primary pulmonary nocardiosis with disseminated subcutaneous lesions in an immunocompetent patient. This case highlights the importance of considering nocardiosis as a differential diagnosis in patients with pulmonary and cutaneous lesions and the need for vigorous management for complete cure.

Clinical and etiological profile of acute febrile encephalopathy in eastern Nepal.

Objective. To investigate the clinical and etiological profile of acute febrile encephalopathy in children presenting to a tertiary care referral center of Eastern Nepal. Methods. 107 children (aged 1 month to 14 yr) presenting to the emergency with fever (> 380 C) of less than 2 wk duration with altered sensorium with/ or without seizure were prospectively investigated for etiological cause. The investigations included blood and CSF counts, blood and CSF cultures, peripheral smear and serology for malarial parasite, and serology for Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus. Other investigations included EEG and CT or MRI wherever indicated. Results. The most common presenting complaints apart from fever and altered sensorium were headache and vomiting. Convulsions, neck rigidity, hypertonia, brisk deep tendon reflexes, extensor plantar response and focal neurological deficits were seen in 50%, 57%, 22.4%, 28%, 39.3% and 9.3% of the subjects, respectively. The diagnoses based on clinical presentation and laboratory findings were pyogenic meningitis in 45 (42%), non JE viral encephalitis in 26 (25%), JE in 19 (18%), cerebral malaria in 8 (7%), herpes encephalitis and tubercular meningitis in 4 (4%) each, and typhoid encephalopathy in 1 case. Conclusion. Pyogenic meningitis and viral encephalitis including JE are the most common causes of acute presentation with fever and encephalopathy. Preventive strategies must be directed keeping these causes in mind.

Accuracy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the accuracy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. METHODOLOGY: A prospective randomized study was carried in the Dept. of Radiology and Imaging, Tribhuvan University, Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal. A total of 120 patients, who were clinically diagnosed as acute appendicitis were subjected to ultrasonography of the abdomen. A detailed ultrasonography was performed and the findings were recorded. Twenty one cases had alternate diagnosis. Ninety nine cases ultimately underwent laparotomy and the retrieved appendices were sent for histopathological examination. Intra-operative, histopathological and ultrasonographic diagnoses were then statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Ultrasonographic, intra-operative and histopathological findings were statistically insignificant (P0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy percentage of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis was 85.7%, 100%, 100%, 6.7% and 85.9% respectively. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography has a high degree of accuracy in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. However, the diagnosis should be considered with the diameter of appendix over 6 mm. Therefore acute appendicitis with diameter of appendix having less than 6 mm should be evaluated with other diagnostic parameters.

Use of rK39 for diagnosis of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in Nepal.

A recently developed nitrocellulose-based dipstick test, rK39, has been widely used for the diagnosis of kala-azar. In this study, we evaluated its use for the diagnosis of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). We also investigated the time taken by patients to develop PKDL after apparent cure of kala-azar (visceral leishmaniasis, VL) and the time taken by patients to come to the hospital after the appearance of symptoms of PKDL. A majority of patients developed the disease within three years after the apparent cure of kala-azar (KA). A majority of patients sought treatment within five years after the onset of PKDL. The amastigotes of Leishmania donovani bodies (LDBs) were demonstrated in 70, 20, and 20% of slit-skin smears (SSS) prepared, respectively, from nodular, papular, and macular forms. The presence of highest density (6+) LDBs in the SSS of 20% of nodular PKDL patients indicated that they may have acted as reservoir in the community. Other reservoirs are not known in Nepal. Only 8% cases were detected by aldehyde test. Although this test is obsolete it is still used in rural parts of Nepal. The dipstick (rK39) was 96% sensitive and 100% specific to diagnose PKDL. Its positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic efficacy were 100, 91, and 97% respectively. Due to the advantage of cost compared with the direct agglutination test (DAT), and being easy to use and store in field conditions, rK39 is a good tool to diagnose PKDL in rural situations. All the PKDL patients were cured of the disease after treatment by SAG.

Fungal maxillary sinusitis: a prospective study in a tertiary care hospital of eastern Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of mycotic infections and the diversity of pathogenic fungi have increased dramatically in recent years. Fungal sinusitis should be considered in all the patients with chronic maxillary sinusitis (CMS), especially in association with certain clinical features that serve as clue to the diagnosis. Aspergillus is the most common fungal pathogen in maxillary sinus. METHODOLOGY: A total of 100 patients those who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria (Lanza and Kennedy, 1992) for chronic rhinosinusitis were eligible for this open level and randomized prospective study. Only those above 14 years of age were included. RESULTS: Fungal maxillary sinusitis was seen in 14% of all cases of chronic maxillary sinusitis in eastern part of Nepal. We identified Acremonium and Candida species as commonest fungi involved in fungal maxillary sinusitis (FMS). To the best of our knowledge this is the first such study conducted in eastern Nepal.

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in cirrhotic ascites: a prospective study in a tertiary care hospital, Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is one of the potentially lethal complications of cirrhosis and is defined as infected ascites in the absence of any recognizable secondary cause of infection. Objective was to study the occurrence of SBP, clinical and laboratory characteristics and the response to antibiotics. METHODS: We had prospectively evaluated 81 cirrhotic patients with ascites during one-year period. All SBP patients were treated with cefotaxime, 2gm IV, every 12h for 5days. RESULTS: Of these 81 patients, 24.67% of patients (n=20) had SBP and its variants (classical SBP n= 4, CNNA n=13 and bacterascites n=3). There were thirteen males and 7 females in the study.85% of the cases had Child;s class C cirrhosis. UGI bleeding and abdominal pain were the most common presenting symptoms of SBP. Culture positives were 35% (n=7). The most frequent organisms were Escherichia coli (n=3) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (n=2). 94% of the patients responded to therapy after 48 hours of treatment. Total resolution after 5 days of therapy was 73% and in-hospital mortality was 15% (n=3). CONCLUSION: SBP, if diagnosed early can be treated with very good success rate up to 73%. Appropriate treatment of SBP with cefotaxime can help in reducing mortality and morbidity in patients with chronic liver disease.

Brain abscess due to Scedosporium apiospermum in a non immunocompromised child.

Scedosporium apiospermum is a filamentous fungi that commonly causes cutaneous infection. In certain circumstances, S. apiospermum can also cause invasive disease, which can involve the central nervous system (CNS). When the CNS becomes involved, treatment is difficult, therapeutic options are limited and the prognosis is poor. Early identification and treatment can decrease the mortality rate. Here we present a case of brain abscess with chronic suppurative otitis media, caused by S. apiospermum. This is the first such case report from Nepal. We could identify the organism only post mortem. We could not save the patient, probably due to delay in diagnosis.