Role of vascular access as a risk factor for infections in hemodialysis.

Infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients. This single center prospective study was carried out to determine the incidence and risk factors for infection in hemodialysis patients and plan appropriate strategies to reduce the risk of infection. A total of 84 consecutive patients who were initiated on hemodialysis over a 2-year period were followed until they either received a kidney transplant or died. In our hospital, as a policy, patients are offered hemodialysis as a bridge therapy to a kidney transplant. The mean duration of follow up was 3 months (range 1-11.8 months). The factors associated with at least one episode of infection were evaluated. Statistical analysis was done by multivariate stepwise logistic regression method. Fifty-one patients had a total of 57 episodes (67.8%) of infection. Of the 44 episodes of acute bacterial infections, vascular access exit site infection was the commonest followed by septicemia (13 patients, 29.5%). Staphylococcus aureus was the commonest bacterial isolate observed in 14 patients. On multivariate analysis, three risk factors for infection were identified: (1) nonarteriovenous fistula (AVF) vascular access for hemodialysis (p = 0.02), (2) increased number of hemodialysis sessions (p = 0.03), and (3) lower serum calcium level (p = 0.02). NonAVF vascular access was found to be the most important risk factor for infection in hemodialysis patients. Creation of an AV fistula, preferably at an early stage, appears beneficial for minimizing the risk of infection even in patients who are on short-term hemodialysis as a bridge therapy towards a kidney transplant.

Herpes simplex myelitis in a patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Herpes simplex virus type-I is the commonest cause of focal encephalitis in immunocompetent adults. We report a 35 year old man, who presented with acute ascending myelitis which progressed to encephalitis within one week. The patient's MRI revealed nonhaemorrhagic lesions in frontotemporal areas and midbrain without any evidence of herniation. The CSF was positive for IgM and IgG antibodies against herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) and serum was positive for HIV by ELISA and Western blot techniques. The patient died on 18th day of illness due to resistant pseudomonas septicaemia.The presence of disseminated involvement of the central nervous system in HSV infection should raise the suspicion of the HIV coinfection.

Bacteremia and bacterial infections in highly febrile children without apparent focus.

To find the incidence of bacteremia and serious bacterial infections in febrile children without an apparent focus of infection, we prospectively studied 100 febrile children aged 1 month-3 years with a rectal temperature > or = 39 degrees C. Ten children had a blood culture positive bacteremia and nine had serology positive for bacteremia; 6 had urinary tract infection, 5 otitis media and 8 meningitis. A diagnosis of non bacterial illness was made in 62 patients. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common bacteriologic isolate on blood culture (five) and by serology (eight). TLC > or = 15,000/cu mm m-ESR > or = 25 mm and temperature > or = 39 degrees C had high specificity (95-100%) but low sensitivity for diagnosis of bacteremia.

Clinical & bacteriological profile of neonatal pneumonia.

In a prospective study of 44 neonates (33 outborn and 11 inborn) with pneumonia, the bacteriology of pneumonia was determined by blood culture and serum counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIEP). Twenty-nine babies also underwent lung aspiration. The lung aspirate was subjected to bacterial culture and CIEP. CIEP was done to detect the bacterial antigens of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. Absence of tachypnoea, found more commonly in low birth weight babies, was a poor prognostic sign. Low birth weight babies had a significantly higher mortality than babies with normal birth weight. Altogether, a bacterial etiology of neonatal pneumonia could be established in 25 cases (56.7%). In 10 babies, Strep. pneumoniae antigen was detected in serum and/or lung aspirate. Micro-organisms were cultured from blood and/or lung aspirate from 17 babies. Eleven babies (25%) grew Gram negative bacteria. The common bacteria identified in decreasing order of frequency were Strep. pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Acinatobacter lowfii, Staph. aureus, Pseudoamonas aeruginosa etc. All the Gram negative bacteria as well as staphylococci were sensitive to amikacin while only 23.5 per cent was sensitive to gentamicin. All staphylococci isolated were sensitive to methicillin.

Isolation of anaerobes from bubo associated with chancroid.

Ten men with bubo associated with chancroid were studied for bacterial flora especially anaerobes. Anaerobes were isolated from all 10 buboes and eight out of 10 ulcers of chancroid. Anaerobic cocci, B melaninogenicus and B fragilis were the most common isolates. anaerobes probably play a role in the pathogenesis of bubo in chancroid.

Prevalence of bacteria and fungi in athlete's foot of varying severity and response to topical antibacterial and antifungal therapies.

Ninety-six patients with clinical evidence of interdigital lesions classified as mild, moderate and severe athlete's foot were investigated for bacterial and fungal populations in the interspaces. Gram-negative bacteria, which were not found in the toe spaces of 50 normal controls, were grown in increasing numbers and with increasing frequency as the symptoms progressed from mild to severe. Gram-positive bacteria were also isolated regularly and in increasing numbers commensurate with the severity of the disease. Similarly the isolation rates of dermatophytes and Candida species were higher in patients with moderate and severe disease compared to those with mild disease. Clinical and culture responses to topical applications with framycetin, tolnaftate, miconazole and clotrimazole were also studied. In some patients the prevalence of pathogenic fungi increased as bacterial numbers decreased. The pure antibacterial framycetin brought symptomatic relief, as did the purely anti-dermatophyte substance tolnaftate, but best results were seen with two azole compounds having mixed antibacterial and antifungal properties.