ABSTRACT
Patients with hyperleucocytic leukemia (WBC count>10×10(4) mL) are at high risk of early mortality owing to pulmonary or cerebral leukostasis. Several researchers have reported the efficacy of immediate leukapheresis. Here, we report of a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast crisis and with pulmonary failure due to leukostasis who recovered after a combination therapy of leukapheresis and imatinib treatment.
Subject(s)
Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/therapy , Leukostasis/therapy , Adult , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Benzamides/therapeutic use , Female , Humans , Imatinib Mesylate , Leukapheresis , Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/complications , Leukostasis/etiology , Piperazines/therapeutic use , Pyrimidines/therapeutic use , Remission InductionABSTRACT
We studied the basic performance of eight rapid diagnostic kits for the detection of Group A streptococcus by immunochromatography under the same conditions. Kits were the; QuickVue Dipstick Strep A (Sumitomo Seiyaku Biomedical Co., Ltd.), TESTPACK Plus STREP A (ABBOTT JAPAN Co., Ltd), CLEAVIEW STREP A (Nihon Schering K. K.), QuickVue STREP A (Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd), ImmunoCard STAT! STREP A (TFB, INC.), DIPSTICK 'Eiken' STREP A (Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd.), Rapid Testa Strep A (Daiichi Pure Chemical Co., Ltd.), and StatCheck Strep A (KAINOS Laboratories, Inc.). Four of these kits, i.e. QuickVue Dipstick Strep A, TESTPACK Plus STREP A, Rapid Testa Strep A, and StatCheck Strep A showed sensitivity at 1.0 x 10(5) CFU/mL (1.0 x 10(4)CFU/test) with all of S. pyogenes tested, while the Anginosus group and S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis with Lancefield' s group A antigen showed sensitivity very similar to S. pyogenes. Of these strains, S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis formed a beta-hemolytic colony resembling that of S. pyogenes on sheep blood agar, and was sensitive to bacitracin. It is thus indispensable to identify the colony using biochemical tests such as the PYR (pyrrolidonylarylamidase production) test. In using rapid diagnostic kits for the detection of Group A streptococcus, it is important to rule out the possibility of Group A streptococcus other than S. pyogenes in throats. Severe invasive group-G streptococcal infections are increasing recently. Concerning S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis, it is especially important to conduct these identification tests.