ABSTRACT
Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a tumor seen with increased frequency in organ transplant recipients. We present a case of disseminated KS in a heart transplant recipient of Mediterranean origin in whom myocardial involvement was suspected on the basis of coronary angiographic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. KS in the transplant population and cardiac KS are reviewed. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 49:208-212, 2000.
Subject(s)
Heart Neoplasms/etiology , Heart Transplantation/adverse effects , Sarcoma, Kaposi/etiology , Adult , Cardiac Catheterization , Coronary Angiography , Diagnosis, Differential , Heart Neoplasms/diagnosis , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Sarcoma, Kaposi/diagnosisABSTRACT
Coagulase-negative staphylococci are uncommon causes of native valve endocarditis, and the clinical course after valvular infection with these organisms is variable. In clinical practice, species identification is frequently not done, and possible differences in the pathogenicity of various species may be unrecognized. We report a case of Staphylococcus lugdunensis native valve endocarditis associated with valve leaflet perforation and cerebral embolization. This recently described species appears to be more virulent when infecting native cardiac valves than other species of coagulase-negative staphylococci. We review S lugdunensis native valve endocarditis.
Subject(s)
Endocarditis, Bacterial/microbiology , Heart Valve Diseases/microbiology , Staphylococcal Infections/microbiology , Staphylococcus/classification , Adult , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Aortic Valve/microbiology , Coagulase , Endocarditis, Bacterial/complications , Endocarditis, Bacterial/drug therapy , Heart Valve Diseases/surgery , Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation , Humans , Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis/complications , Male , Staphylococcal Infections/complications , Staphylococcal Infections/drug therapy , Staphylococcus/pathogenicityABSTRACT
Disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection presenting as a painful lytic femur lesion with associated fever, night sweats and weight loss occurred in a 45-y-old woman with apparent normal immune function. Surgical drainage and 24 months of medical therapy resulted in a cure.
Subject(s)
Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection/therapy , Osteomyelitis/therapy , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection/diagnosis , Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection/immunology , Osteomyelitis/diagnosis , Osteomyelitis/immunologyABSTRACT
Over the past quarter century, tremendous technological advances have been made in bone marrow and solid organ transplantation. Despite these advances, an enduring problem for the transplant recipient is infection. As immunosuppressive regimens have become more systematic, it is apparent that different pathogens affect the transplant recipient at different time points in the posttransplantation course, since they are influenced by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors. An understanding of this evolving risk for infection is essential to the management of the patient following transplantation and is a key to the early diagnosis and treatment of infection. Likewise, diagnosis of infection is dependent upon the quality of laboratory support, and services provided by the clinical microbiology laboratory play an important role in all phases of clinical transplantation. These include the prescreening of donors and recipients for evidence of active or latent infection, the timely and accurate microbiologic evaluation of the transplant patient with suspected infection, and the surveillance of asymptomatic allograft recipients for infection. Expert services in bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, virology, and serology are needed and communication between the laboratory and the transplantation team is paramount for providing clinically relevant, cost-effective diagnostic testing.
Subject(s)
Bone Marrow Transplantation/adverse effects , Clinical Laboratory Techniques/methods , Communicable Diseases/diagnosis , Bacterial Infections/diagnosis , Humans , Mycoses/diagnosis , Parasitic Diseases/diagnosis , Virus Diseases/diagnosisABSTRACT
The clinical diagnosis of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) may be challenging; however, a constellation of signs including new valvular insufficiency, cardiomegaly, and heart failure should readily prompt consideration of the diagnosis of rheumatic carditis. In addition, pulmonary findings are compatible with ARF, as associated pulmonary involvement may represent rheumatic pneumonia. We report the case of a young man with ARF and rheumatic pneumonia, a previously described but rare complication of ARF.
Subject(s)
Pneumonia, Bacterial/complications , Rheumatic Fever/complications , Adult , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Pneumonia, Bacterial/physiopathology , Rheumatic Fever/physiopathologyABSTRACT
We describe a patient who developed Candida albicans brain abscess associated with prominent vascular invasion following an episode of central venous catheter-related fungemia. The increasing population of immunosuppressed patients and the frequent use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, corticosteroids, chemotherapeutics, organ transplantation, and prolonged supportive measures are responsible for an increasing incidence of candidal infections. Brain abscess is a rare complication of candidemia but may be expected to become more common as venous catheter-related fungemia is encountered more frequently.
