ABSTRACT
We describe a case of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) lead infection that was diagnosed by means of sulesomab imaging whereas ultrasound examinations were inconclusive. Nuclear techniques may be helpful in such, not infrequent, settings.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal , Defibrillators, Implantable/adverse effects , Endocarditis/diagnostic imaging , Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted , Radiopharmaceuticals , Technetium , Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived , Device Removal , Endocarditis/microbiology , Humans , Male , Methicillin/therapeutic use , Middle Aged , Predictive Value of Tests , Radiography , Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
We report 2 outbreaks of Opisthorchis felineus infection caused by the consumption of tench filets (Tinca tinca) from a lake in Italy. Of the 22 infected persons, 10 (45.4%) were asymptomatic. When present, symptoms (fever, nausea, abdominal pain, and myalgias) were mild. Eosinophilia occurred in all infected persons.
Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks , Opisthorchiasis/epidemiology , Opisthorchis , Animals , Antibodies, Helminth/blood , Cypriniformes/parasitology , Feces/parasitology , Female , Fish Diseases/parasitology , Humans , Italy/epidemiology , Male , Opisthorchiasis/parasitology , Opisthorchiasis/physiopathology , Opisthorchiasis/veterinary , Opisthorchis/immunology , Opisthorchis/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
We recently set up a gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT), using selected early secreted antigenic target 6 (ESAT-6) peptides, that appears specific for active tuberculosis (A-TB). However, ELISPOT is difficult to automate. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine if the same selected peptides may be used in a technique more suitable for routine work in clinical laboratories, such as whole-blood enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (WBE). For this purpose, 27 patients with A-TB and 41 control patients were enrolled. Our WBE, using the already described selected peptides from ESAT-6 plus three new ones from culture filtrate protein 10, was performed, and data were compared with those obtained by ELISPOT. Using our selected peptides, IFN-gamma production, evaluated by both WBE and ELISPOT, was significantly higher in patients with A-TB than in controls (P < 0.0001). Statistical analysis showed a good correlation between the results obtained by WBE and ELISPOT (r = 0.80, P < 0.001). To substantiate our data, we compared our WBE results with those obtained by QuantiFERON-TB Gold, a whole-blood assay based on region of difference 1 (RD1) overlapping peptides approved for TB infection diagnosis. We observed a slightly higher sensitivity with QuantiFERON-TB Gold than with our WBE (89% versus 81%); however, our test provided a better specificity result (90% versus 68%). In conclusion, results obtained by WBE based on selected RD1 peptides significantly correlate with those generated by ELISPOT. Moreover, our assay appears more specific for A-TB diagnosis than QuantiFERON-TB Gold, and thus it may represent a complementary tool for A-TB diagnosis for routine use in clinical laboratories.