ABSTRACT
Introduction: The purpose of this report is to increase awareness of ceftriaxone as an alternative therapy for the prevention of congenital syphilis (CS) when the mother is allergic to penicillin, especially when desensitization to penicillin cannot be performed or is unsafe. Case: A 37-year-old pregnant woman who was syphilis positive reacted to penicillin with Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS); her rapid plasma reagin (RPR) was 1:64 at presentation to the infectious disease clinic. CS was prevented with two courses of ceftriaxone: 10 days 1 g IV daily at week 12 followed by 10 days of 250 mg IM daily at week 28 achieved a 4-fold fall in RPR titer to 1:16, indicating cure. Full work-up of the neonate according to the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) when penicillin is not used in the mother was conducted at birth. In addition to physical exam, syphilis antibodies in blood had an undetectable RPR, a lumbar puncture produced normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and roentgenography of long bones was normal. The child was administered 50,000 units/kg of benzathine penicillin intramuscularly. There were no concerns for allergy or sequela in the mother or neonate at 2-month follow-up with the pediatrician. Conclusion: The goal of this report is to increase awareness of ceftriaxone as an alternative to penicillin in the prevention of CS and to raise the possibility of adjusting AAP guidelines accordingly. However, studies to determine the best route and timing of therapy are necessary.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of colonization among patients with community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infection and their household contacts. DESIGN: Prospective, observational laboratory study of nasal colonization among patients and their household members from September 15, 2004, to February 20, 2006. SETTING: A 600-bed, urban, academic medical center. PATIENTS: Fifty-one patients who presented with CA-MRSA infections and 49 household members had cultures of nasal swab specimens performed. RESULTS: Skin and soft-tissue infections were seen in 50 patients (98%) and 2 household members. Twenty-one (41%) of 51 patients and 10 (20%) of 49 household members were colonized with MRSA. An additional 5 patients (10%) and 12 household members (24%) were colonized with methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. Most MRSA isolates (95%; infective and colonizing) carried the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type IV complex, and 67% represented a single clone, identical to USA 300. Of the colonized household members, 5 had isolates related to the patients' infective isolate. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of CA-MRSA colonization among household members of patients with CA-MRSA infections is higher than rates reported among the general population. Among colonized household members, only half of the MRSA strains were related to the patients' infective isolate. Within the same household, multiple strains of CA-MRSA may be present.
