ABSTRACT
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is an acute zoonotic disease caused by viruses of the Orthohantavirus genus. This syndrome is characterized by renal and cardiopulmonary implications detectable with different biomarkers. Here, we explored the role of serum and urine levels of lipocalin-2, endothelin-1 and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in HFRS pathology. A total of twenty-eight patients hospitalized due to a Puumala orthohantavirus infection were included, with serum and urine samples collected on patient admission (acute phase) and discharge (convalescent phase). In comparison to healthy individuals, patients exhibited significantly higher acute-phase serum and urine levels of lipocalin-2, serum levels of endothelin-1 and serum and urine levels of NT-proBNP. Patients in the convalescent phase showed a significant decrease in urine lipocalin-2, serum endothelin-1 and serum and urine NT-proBNP levels. We recorded a strong correlation between serum levels of lipocalin-2 and endothelin-1 and urine levels of lipocalin-2 with several kidney injury markers, such as serum creatinine, urea, urine white blood cell count and proteinuria. We also demonstrated an independent correlation of serum and urine lipocalin-2 levels with acute kidney injury in HFRS. All in all, our results show an involvement of NT-proBNP, lipocalin-2 and endothelin-1 in the renal and cardiac pathology of HFRS.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Campylobacter Infections/diagnostic imaging , Campylobacter jejuni/isolation & purification , Ciprofloxacin/therapeutic use , Osteomyelitis/diagnostic imaging , Campylobacter Infections/drug therapy , Campylobacter Infections/microbiology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Osteomyelitis/drug therapy , Osteomyelitis/microbiology , Spine/diagnostic imaging , Spine/microbiology , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
We describe the first reported case of Corynebacterium striatum (C. striatum) relapsing bacteraemia in a patient with peripheral arterial disease and proven Corynebacterium species colonization of a chronic foot ulcer, focusing on the difficulties in the management of the patient. We conclude that the optimal duration of the antibiotic treatment for relapsing C. striatum bacteraemia from a chronic ulcer should be 6 weeks together with surgical treatment.
Subject(s)
Bacteremia/microbiology , Corynebacterium Infections/microbiology , Corynebacterium/isolation & purification , Peripheral Arterial Disease/complications , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Bacteremia/drug therapy , Bacteremia/etiology , Corynebacterium/genetics , Corynebacterium/physiology , Corynebacterium Infections/drug therapy , Corynebacterium Infections/etiology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , RecurrenceABSTRACT
This is the second subsequent year of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) outbreak in Croatia. Between July and October 2013, 22 patients presented with symptoms of WNND: all with meningitis and 18 additionally with encephalitis. In contrast to 2012, where six autochthonous infections were confirmed in eastern Croatia, the majority of this year's cases occurred in and around the city of Zagreb, where no West Nile virus infections have been observed before. Viral RNA was recovered from two patients and phylogenetic analyses revealed West Nile virus lineage 2. This represents the first molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the circulating West Nile virus strain in Croatia.
