Bacteremic nonmenstrual staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome associated with enterotoxins A and C.

We report a case of bacteremic nonmenstrual staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) producing staphylococcal enterotoxins A and C. The bloodstream isolation of Staphylococcus aureus, as well as the production of enterotoxins A and C, are unusual as separate entities, and distinctly uncommon when found together.

Transmission of Strongyloides steracolis person to person.

A case of presumed person-to-person transmission of Strongyloides steracolis is described. The index case was immunocompromised following high dose glucocorticosteroid therapy for myelodysplasia, which resulted in reactivation of latent strongyloides infection with the hyperinfestation syndrome. Physicians unfamiliar with this disease should realize that a history of foreign travel is unnecessary to acquire this parasite, and that transmission to persons in close proximity to the index case does occur and warrants treatment.

Antibiotic side effects.

There is recent enhanced interest in the potential of medication to produce serious toxicity, and the television media have focused on the serious side effects and drug-drug interactions caused by antibiotics. In fact, a recent hospital study noted that drug-related toxicity was one of the most common causes of death for hospitalized patients. Antibiotic-induced adverse events contribute to host injury diagnostic confusion and excessive medical costs. In addition, however, a "spin-off'' of antibiotic-induced adverse events is the emergence and dissemination of drug-resistant organisms. This chapter will describe the adverse events and drug-drug interactions produced by those antibiotics that are most commonly prescribed to patients to prevent or treat respiratory tract infections. An effort will also be made to focus on those unique settings (the patient with renal insufficiency, the patient receiving immunosuppressive medication, the pregnant patient, the elderly patient, and the HIV-infected patient who is a candidate for primary or secondary prophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii) that require a knowledge of antibiotic-induced adverse events.

Antibiotic troubleshooting in primary care.

Allergic reactions, adverse effects, and drug interactions are an inevitable part of antimicrobial prescribing. A working knowledge of these issues remains paramount, especially when administering such agents to patients who are pregnant, infected with HIV, or who have renal insufficiency. The discussion also includes antibiotic-OTC drug interactions and antibiotic hypersensitivity.

APACHE II and ISS scores as predictors of nosocomial infections in trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Nosocomial infections affect more than 2 million patients annually in the United States at a cost of $4.5 billion. The aim of this study is to identify the role of the APACHE II score and the Injury Severity Scale (ISS) as independent predictors of nosocomial infections in trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 113 trauma patients admitted to the ICU was conducted by an infectious disease physician. Demographic data and incidence of nosocomial infections were recorded. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine variables that are predictive of the occurrence of nosocomial infections. RESULTS: Presence or absence of intubation, ICU length of stay, APACHE II score, and ISS were related to the presence of infections; however, only the ICU length of stay was an independent predictor of a nosocomial infection, with an odds ratio of 1.81. By linear regression, 17% of the variance in the ICU duration of stay was a result of the APACHE II score in patients with a score >/=5. CONCLUSION: APACHE II score and ISS score were not good predictors of the incidence of nosocomial infections in trauma patients admitted to the ICU, but the APACHE II score has a modest correlation with the duration of stay in the ICU. A stratified cohort study could identify the subset of patients for which the APACHE II score predicts a prolonged stay in the ICU, thus an increased risk of infection.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infection and colonization in the intensive care units of two community hospitals: A study of 143 patients.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiology of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections in the intensive care units (ICUs) of community general hospitals. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of 143 patients with cultures positive for S. maltophilia over a 2-year period. SETTING: Intensive care units of 2 community general hospitals. RESULTS: Patients with S. maltophilia infection or colonization were elderly (mean age 62.4 years), intubated for a mean of 11.8 days, and had a mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score of 16.6. A tracheostomy was present in 22.4%, and underlying chronic respiratory disease and malignancy were found in 25.9% and 15.4%, respectively. Only 2 patients (1.4%) were neutropenic. Most isolates (89.5%) were from the respiratory tract and were part of a polymicrobial culture in 52. 5% of patients. Only a slightly higher APACHE II score (mean = 18.0, SD 7.8 vs mean = 15.6, SD 6.2, P = 0.052) differentiated patients with infection from those with colonization. All but 2 patients were exposed to antibiotics before their positive culture. Crude mortality rate was 41.3% overall and was significantly higher in those with an APACHE II score of 15 or more (48.8% vs 30.5%, P = 0. 028). CONCLUSION: S. maltophilia is emerging as an important cause of nosocomial infection, especially pneumonia, in ICUs of community general hospitals. Patients tend to be elderly, intubated for a mean of about 12 days, have high APACHE II scores, and frequently have a tracheostomy or underlying chronic respiratory disease. In contrast to earlier reports, neutropenia and underlying malignancy are uncommon in our ICU population. We found prior antibiotic exposure was almost universal and similar to previous reports, but use of imipenem was much less common in our community hospital patients. Patients with a high APACHE II score should be considered infected rather than colonized, but differentiation of infection from colonization remains problematic. Isolation of S. maltophilia from a patient carries a crude mortality rate of 41.3%, and patients with an APACHE II score of 15 or more have a significantly higher mortality rate than those with lesser scores, approaching 50%. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) remains the drug of choice for infections caused by S. maltophilia.

The use of fluconazole as a local irrigant for nephrostomy tubes.

OBJECTIVES: Few data exist concerning the combined use of fluconazole systemically and as an irrigant for nephrostomy tubes in a patient with renal candidiasis. The patient described here presented with renal fungal balls obstructing the drainage of urine from her nephrostomy tubes. METHODS: Twelve months after chemoradiation for a stage IIB squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix, a 35-year-old woman presented with renal obstruction necessitating insertion of ureteral stents. After 6 months of chemotherapy, the patient developed uremia. After nephrostomy tubes were placed, renal candidiasis was noted, and fluconazole was begun systemically. When the renal candidiasis failed to clear, nephrostomy tube irrigations were begun. RESULTS: Fourteen days of therapy with fluconazole resulted in the resolution of the uremia. The patient died 6 months later with her nephrostomy tubes in situ and without evidence of candidiasis in her urinary tract. CONCLUSIONS: The patient described was successfully treated without having to remove her nephrostomy tubes. Two other authors have reported the successful use of fluconazole irrigation to treat candidiasis in nephrostomy tubes that was unresponsive to systemic fluconazole. Before the appearance of these reports, the best results were obtained with removal of the catheter in renal candidiasis.

Coexistent gout and Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare arthritis in a renal transplant recipient.

Infectious arthritis in renal transplant patients may be a commonly diagnosed condition with traditional bacterial organisms isolated. However, since nontuberculous mycobacteria are ubiquitous in the environment, immunocompromised individuals may suffer from infections with these organisms. Concomitant gout and Mycobacterium avium intracellulare septic arthritis is described for the first time in this clinical setting. Appropriate cultures should be performed even in the setting of crystal arthritis in posttransplant patients when clinically indicated.

Assessment of fever in HIV-infected patients.

Fever is common among HIV-infected patients. Because it may signal a serious, potentially fatal underlying infection, a thorough investigation is merited. Where does evaluation begin and end? Drs Gleckman and Czachor discuss a diagnostic approach for primary care physicians that emphasizes rapid identification of the source of fever.

Selective causes of fever in adult human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients relative to CD4+ cell counts.

Fever is a common finding in the patient who is infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. As immunocompetence wanes, febrile episodes become more common, although the virus itself is seldom the cause of the fever. A thorough evaluation, based on the history and physical findings and directed by the level of immunosuppression relative to the CD4+ cell count, provides the framework upon which an approach to this complex problem is based. Noninfectious causes of fever, for example, drug reactions or adverse effects or neoplasms, should be considered in the differential diagnosis. Finally, health care workers should discuss the diagnostic evaluation with the patient before starting the process, as some individuals may be reluctant to undergo such an investigation.

Unusual aspects of bacterial water-borne illnesses.

Various water-borne bacteria can cause significant illness. Illness most often results from ingestion of contaminated water or seafood, with gastrointestinal entry of pathogens or their byproducts. The skin and soft tissues are also common entry points, either through trauma in or near the water, or by seawater contamination of an existing wound or break in the skin. Clinically significant water-borne illnesses are still rare. However, because humans are increasingly exposed to contaminated water sources through recreation or habitat, the rate of water-borne illnesses can be expected to increase. In patients who present with gastrointestinal illness or infections that do not respond to conventional therapy, water-borne pathogens should be considered in the differential diagnosis. A complete history, with attention to seafood ingestion and exposure to marine or freshwater life-forms, in conjunction with a high index of suspicion (especially in immunocompromised patients), will increase diagnostic accuracy in patients with water-borne illnesses.

Aztreonam-induced myelosuppression during treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia.

Aztreonam is a synthetic, monobactam antibiotic structurally related to the beta-lactam class of drugs. It has inhibitory activity against many aerobic gram-negative bacteria, although it does not inhibit gram-positive or anaerobic bacteria. Administration of aztreonam occasionally is associated with minimal and transient adverse effects. This case report describes a patient we believe experienced bone marrow suppression approximately ten days after aztreonam was given for treatment of pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This untoward effect primarily was manifested as neutropenia, although normochromic, normocytic anemia and thrombocytopenia were noted as well. One week after aztreonam was discontinued, the patient's bone marrow suppression resolved spontaneously. Although the mechanism responsible for myelosuppression is unclear, aztreonam may be implicated as the offending agent based on the temporal relationship between the development of neutropenia and its administration, and the resolution of neutropenia upon its discontinuation.

Managing diabetes-related infections in the elderly.

The elevated serum glucose levels of diabetics affect traditional host defenses, predisposing these individuals to infectious processes. The elderly diabetic patient is also faced with senescence of the immune system which can alter host defense mechanisms and increase the risk of infection. Infections in elderly diabetics can be severe and life-threatening, and only through the prompt recognition and treatment of these disorders can morbidity and mortality be avoided. Broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents, in conjunction with surgical intervention, are often necessary to eradicate these infections. Common sites of involvement include the skin, biliary tract, urinary tract, and the soft tissues and bones of the feet.

Reviewing the safe use of antibiotics in the elderly.

As the elderly segment of our population expands, physicians will be prescribing medications more frequently for this age group. Physiologic changes, drug-drug interactions, and untoward adverse reactions are more common in the elderly. In addition, therapeutic decisions regarding antimicrobial agents for infectious disease in the aged are also complicated by the burgeoning number of compounds available to clinicians. A thorough knowledge of various antibiotic interactions, potential toxicities, and pharmacokinetics is necessary to safely and effectively prescribe these agents for elderly patients.

Third-generation cephalosporins. A plea to save them for specific infections.

Third-generation cephalosporins are indicated for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, resistant salmonellosis, and infections in the febrile leukopenic host. The practicing physician must weigh the expanding role of these agents against their limitations. Some potential problems include bleeding (confined to the use of moxalactam [Moxam] or cefoperazone [Cefobid]), a reaction like that to disulfiram (Antabuse) when combined with alcohol (also confined to the use of moxalactam or cefoperazone), and superinfection. A prolonged course of treatment entails significant expense. Further evaluation and clinical experience is necessary before use of third-generation cephalosporins for some of the newer indications (eg, late stages of Lyme disease, neurosyphilis) becomes routine medical practice.

Anaerobic wound infection: Bacteroides mediastinitis after cardiovascular surgery.

A case of postoperative anaerobic mediastinitis after coronary artery bypass grafting is reviewed. One of the causative organisms, Bacteroides oralis, has never previously been described as a pathogen causing mediastinitis after median sternotomy incision. There was associated Bacteroides fragilis bacteremia. Only three cases of Bacteroides species mediastinitis after open heart surgery have been reported. This anaerobic bacterium remains a rare pathogen in median sternotomy infections despite the increasing number of cases of mediastinitis seen in association with the burgeoning number of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Multiple risk factors may contribute to mediastinal infections, which occur in about 2% of patients undergoing coronary artery surgery. When infection occurs, aerobic and anaerobic wound cultures should be made and appropriate antimicrobial and surgical therapy instituted.