Subject(s)
COVID-19/blood , Lymphocyte Subsets/cytology , Aged , Analysis of Variance , COVID-19/immunology , Female , Flow Cytometry , Humans , Italy , Male , Middle Aged , ROC Curve , Statistics, NonparametricABSTRACT
Brevibacteria are part of the normal flora of the skin and adjacent structures, but have been increasingly encountered in humans as opportunistic pathogens and have been isolated from various clinical specimens, generally causing infections in immuno-compromised patients. We present a case of a port-a-cath-related bacteraemia caused by Brevibacterium casei in a woman with a prior history of bilateral breast cancer. The clinical outcome was favourable.
Subject(s)
Bacteremia/microbiology , Brevibacterium/isolation & purification , Catheter-Related Infections/microbiology , Cross Infection/microbiology , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/microbiology , Opportunistic Infections/microbiology , Vascular Access Devices/microbiology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Bacteremia/drug therapy , Bacteremia/etiology , Breast Neoplasms/therapy , Brevibacterium/drug effects , Catheter-Related Infections/drug therapy , Catheter-Related Infections/etiology , Combined Modality Therapy , Cross Infection/drug therapy , Cross Infection/etiology , Device Removal , Equipment Contamination , Female , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/drug therapy , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/etiology , Humans , Linezolid/therapeutic use , Middle Aged , Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/therapy , Opportunistic Infections/drug therapy , Opportunistic Infections/etiology , Teicoplanin/therapeutic use , Vascular Access Devices/adverse effectsABSTRACT
Spinal epidural abscesses (SEAs) are unusual bacterial infections, with possible devastating neurologic sequelae. Despite abundance of case series in adults, reports in children are scanty. We describe a spontaneous SEA due to methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) in a previously healthy 15-year old male, and we perform a literature review regarding management of pediatric SEAs without risk factors, from 2001 to 2014. We found a total of 12 cases (8 males, average age 9.6 years). Clinical presentation was mainly fever, back pain and elevation of inflammation markers. All cases were initially misdiagnosed. Lumbar puncture was performed in 36% of patients. Etiological diagnosis was obtained in 8 cases. MSSA was isolated in 4 patients, methicillin-resistant S. aureus in 1 patient, and S. aureus with unknown susceptibility patterns in 2 cases. The average of therapy duration was 6 weeks. Patients' spine was always evaluated by gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging; most abscesses were localized at thoracic and lumbar area, without osteomyelitis. In 8 cases, laminectomy and/or abscess drainage were performed in association with medical therapy; 3 cases were successfully treated with antimicrobial therapy only; no data were available in one case. A good outcome was obtained in all patients, except a reported residual headache and paraspinal pain lasting for 3 years. The rarity and the possible differential diagnosis can lead to underestimate SEA occurrence in children without risk factors. It seems therefore essential to maintain a high attention to pediatric SEAs. A prompt diagnosis and adequate therapy are essential prognostic factors for remission.
ABSTRACT
We report a successfully treated case of spondylodiscitis and bloodstream infection due to vancomycin heteroresistant Staphylococcus capitis, in an adult immunocompetent patient with multiple antibiotics intolerance. S. capitis is rarely involved in osteomyelitis and, to our knowledge, this is the first report of vancomycin heteroresistance phenomenon in an S. capitis strain causing spondylodiscitis.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Discitis/microbiology , Lumbar Vertebrae , Staphylococcal Infections/complications , Staphylococcus/drug effects , Vancomycin Resistance , Aged , Bacteremia/drug therapy , Bacteremia/microbiology , Discitis/drug therapy , Humans , Immunocompetence , Male , Staphylococcal Infections/drug therapyABSTRACT
Toxoplasmosis is a common congenital infection. It does not usually produce recognizable signs of infection at birth so most infected newborns are not detected by routine clinical examination and remain untreated. Infected children without clinical symptoms should nonetheless be identified and treated as early as possible. Serological diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis is quite difficult. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of Western blot for the diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis. We compared the immunological profiles of mothers and children to differentiate between passively transmitted maternal antibodies and antibodies synthesized by the infants in the first three months of life. The method enabled us to diagnose congenital toxoplasmosis in cases in which the infection had not been detected by classical serology techniques.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Protozoan/blood , Blotting, Western , Immunoglobulin M/blood , Toxoplasma/immunology , Toxoplasmosis, Congenital/diagnosis , Animals , Antibodies, Protozoan/analysis , Antibody Affinity , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/analysis , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Immunoglobulin M/analysis , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Pregnancy , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
We describe an outbreak of familial infection of Chlamydia pneumoniae, an etiological agent for respiratory tract infections. In a family member detection of C. pneumoniae on a pharyngeal swab by polymerase chain reaction was positive until four months after the onset of symptoms, despite a course of antibiotics known to be effective against Chlamydia species
Subject(s)
Chlamydophila Infections/epidemiology , Chlamydophila pneumoniae/isolation & purification , Disease Outbreaks , Pneumonia, Bacterial/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Bronchopneumonia/epidemiology , Bronchopneumonia/microbiology , Chlamydophila Infections/drug therapy , Chlamydophila Infections/microbiology , Chlamydophila pneumoniae/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/isolation & purification , Doxycycline/therapeutic use , Erythromycin/therapeutic use , Family Health , Humans , Italy/epidemiology , Male , Pneumonia, Bacterial/drug therapy , Pneumonia, Bacterial/microbiology , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
Septic arthritis of the sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) is an uncommon condition and it has been associated with numerous predisposing factors. We describe a rare case of SCJ infection due to Staphylococcus aureus in an adult without known underlying predisposing conditions and in which recovery was achieved with medical therapy alone.
Subject(s)
Arthritis, Infectious/etiology , Bacteremia/complications , Staphylococcal Infections/diagnosis , Sternoclavicular Joint , Arthritis, Infectious/diagnosis , Arthritis, Infectious/drug therapy , Bacteremia/diagnosis , Bacteremia/drug therapy , Ceftriaxone/therapeutic use , Ciprofloxacin/therapeutic use , Drug Therapy, Combination/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Staphylococcal Infections/drug therapy , Teicoplanin/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Samples of atherosclerotic tissue from 58 patients undergoing carotid surgery were analysed by tissue culture and PCR for Chlamydia pneumoniae; PCR was performed to detect Omp1, 16S rRNA and HSP-70 genes. To understand the active pathogenic role of C. pneumoniae, a reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) assay was applied to detect the specific RNAs expressed either in the replicative form, or in the cryptic form found in chronic infection. The C. pneumoniae omp1 gene, encoding the major outer-membrane protein (MOMP), was detected in 13 of 58 samples. Among these, the result was confirmed in 11 samples after amplification of a further target, the 16S rRNA, and the presence of the HSP-70 gene, encoding heat-shock protein 70, was revealed in only five cases. All the samples were negative for evidence of specific RNAs by RT-PCR. The presence of genomic DNA and absence of specific RNAs in atherosclerotic tissue samples suggests a lack of an active metabolic or persistent infective role for C. pneumoniae. Thus, traces of C. pneumoniae DNA in these samples could be due to a degradative pathway of the host defensive cellular and biochemical mechanisms.