ABSTRACT
Most liver abscesses are caused by Enterobacteriaceae, sometimes associated with anaerobes. Listeriosis is an exceptional cause of liver abscess, usually in a context of disseminated infections. We report the case of a diabetic woman who had liver abscess due to Listeria monocytogenes. The organism was isolated after guided needle aspiration, and there was no other site of infection. The course of the disease gradually moved towards recovery under an antibiotic therapy that was based on sensitivity tests. A search for immunodeficiency proved negative. A review of the literature showed that the rare cases of listerial liver abscess share a common factor, diabetes mellitus, the importance of which has not yet been noticed.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications , Listeriosis/complications , Liver Abscess/complications , Female , Humans , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Delta coinfection or superinfection in a patient with chronic hepatitis B is characterized by a very transient delta antigenemia and an early seroconversion of IgM to IgG anti-delta. The persistent expression of delta antigen in the liver can be associated with acute, severe, or chronic hepatitis. In our two patients, delta antigenemia persisted respectively 10 weeks and 14 months with aggravation of liver histopathologic lesions without seroconversion. Such a serologic profile during delta infection does not seem to have been reported previously. These two cases concerned two patients with an important immunosuppression, one by a major immunosuppressive therapy and HIV superinfection, the other by an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The cytotoxic effect of delta virus in such circumstances is discussed.
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/immunology , Antigens, Viral/analysis , Hepatitis Antibodies/analysis , Hepatitis Delta Virus/immunology , Adult , HIV Seropositivity/immunology , Hepatitis delta Antigens , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Rheumatic fever is frequently encountered in tropical countries. Its distribution, incidence and consequences, notably on the heart, were studied in Nouvelle-Calédonie (South Pacific) on the basis of 76 patients with acute attack. The data were compared with those obtained in controls of the same age, sex and ethnic origin. Many patients developed carditis (often disabling), and relapses were frequent. The epidemiological data confirmed that rheumatic fever preferentially affects young subjects of both sexes and is more common among Melanesians and Polynesians, probably because of their lower socio-economic status.
Subject(s)
Rheumatic Fever/epidemiology , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , New Caledonia , Rheumatic Fever/diagnosis , Rheumatic Fever/ethnology , Seasons , Serologic Tests , Socioeconomic Factors , Streptococcal Infections/epidemiologyABSTRACT
T cell subsets were evaluated in 76 New-Caledonian patients with recent onset rheumatic fever. A significant but modest decrease of OKT4+ cells and increase of OKT8+ cells was noted, leading to a decreased OKT4/OKT8 ratio. These changes were observed irrespective of the presence of carditis.
