Salmonella enteritidis brain abscess in a sickle cell disease patient: case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Focal intracranial abscesses due to Salmonella spp are rarely reported. They tend to occur in patients who are immunosuppressed and in those with other predisposing factors. We present herein the first reported case of Salmonella enteritidis brain abscess in a sickle cell disease (SCD) patient. METHODS: We describe the case of a 29-year-old black African female with SCD who presented to her local hospital with a left frontal abscess. She was treated with emergency burr hole aspiration of the abscess and antibiotics. The aspirate grew S. enteritidis PT 8 on culture. All investigations into the source of the infection proved negative. The patient made a full recovery. We also present a detailed review of S. enteritidis brain abscesses in the medical literature. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: S. enteritidis brain abscesses are very rare and are usually associated with immunocompromised conditions. Our patient appears to be the first reported case associated with SCD, the pathogenesis of which is unclear at present. Further clinical research is suggested in countries with a high prevalence of SCD to determine the association of SCD and the development of Salmonella brain abscesses.

Septic arthritis due to Aeromonas hydrophila: case report and review of the literature.

Aeromonas hydrophila is a rare human pathogen, and worldwide, soft tissue infections following water-related injuries are the most common. However, septic arthritis due to A. hydrophila remains uncommon with only seven cases previously reported in the English literature. In this report, we describe the important clinical features, microbiological findings and management of severe septic arthritis of the knee due to A. hydrophila in a healthy 13-year-old girl following an injury sustained in a private fresh water lake. A review of seven previously reported cases of septic arthritis due to A. hydrophila and the present case suggests that the infection commonly affected the knee and the meta-/intercarpal-phalangeal joint and was frequently rapidly progressive following trauma in fresh water and or associated with leukaemia. Second and third generation cephalosporins, gentamicin, trimethoprim, ciprofloxacin and appropriate orthopaedic management should be promptly instituted. After chemical treatment and chlorination, fresh water becomes free of coliforms, but A. hydrophila persists more compared with the other strains of aeromonas, namely A. sobria and A. caviae. Seawater injuries, unlike freshwater injuries, are not usually associated with aeromonas infections. Further workup on the mechanisms of A. hydrophila resistance to chlorination could probably yield useful information in achieving new procedures of preventing and controlling such infections in public and private fresh water recreational facilities.

Prevalence of toxoplasma antibodies in blood donors in Al-Hassa.

Toxoplasmosis is caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. Most of the toxoplasma infections are asymptomatic or benign, but may cause severe or fatal consequences in immunodeficient patients, transplant recipients, and in the fetus. Transmission may occur by eating uncooked meat, contaminated vegetables, blood transfusion, organ transplantation, and across the placenta from the mother to the fetus. Antibodies to T. gondii may persist in the serum at high titers for years. We screened 784 Saudi blood donors using indirect hemagglutination test and 294 (37.5%) were found to be seropositive at different titers. The highest rate of seropositivity was found in the age group 21 to 30 years in males, and after 40 years of age, the presence of antibodies declined. Among females, the higher rate of seropositivity in the age group 18 to 20 years should be confirmed by further studies.

Pasteurella haemolytica endocarditis.

Although human infections with bacteraemia due to Pasteurella multocida are not uncommon, endocarditis associated with P. haemolytica is rare. We describe such a case in which the patient died despite treatment with apparently appropriate antimicrobial agents.