ABSTRACT
Rat-bite fever caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis is a rare infection that may be fatal. An adolescent male presented with multiorgan failure, negative blood cultures and Gram-negative rods in blood smear. S. moniliformis was identified by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing from the blood. He developed systemic hyperinflammatory syndrome resembling hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, for which immune-globulins and steroids were added to the antibiotic regimen and he rapidly recovered.
Subject(s)
Ceftriaxone/therapeutic use , Dexamethasone/therapeutic use , Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/therapeutic use , Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic/pathology , Rat-Bite Fever/diagnosis , Streptobacillus/isolation & purification , Adolescent , Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/administration & dosage , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use , Ceftriaxone/administration & dosage , Dexamethasone/administration & dosage , Doxycycline/administration & dosage , Doxycycline/therapeutic use , Humans , Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic/drug therapy , Male , Rat-Bite Fever/complications , Rat-Bite Fever/microbiologyABSTRACT
We evaluated a DNA plasmid-vectored vaccine and a recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara vaccine (MVA-mBN32), each encoding cytotoxic and helper T-lymphocyte epitopes of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial in 36 HIV-1-uninfected adults using a heterologous prime-boost schedule. HIV-1-specific cellular immune responses, measured as interleukin-2 and/or gamma interferon production, were induced in 1 (4%) of 28 subjects after the first MVA-mBN32 immunization and in 3 (12%) of 25 subjects after the second MVA-mBN32 immunization. Among these responders, polyfunctional T-cell responses, including the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha and perforin, were detected. Vaccinia virus-specific antibodies were induced to the MVA vector in 27 (93%) of 29 and 26 (93%) of 28 subjects after the first and second immunizations with MVA-mBN32. These peptide-based vaccines were safe but were ineffective at inducing HIV-1-specific immune responses and induced much weaker responses than MVA vaccines expressing the entire open reading frames of HIV-1 proteins.