Necrotizing soft tissue infection of both ear lobules occurring concomitantly in a set of twins following non-aseptic ear piercing: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing soft tissue infection of the ear following ear piercing is a very rare condition. It is easily misdiagnosed leading to reconstructive morbidities and mortality in neonates. High clinical suspicion is important for early diagnosis. Our knowledge, this is the first case reported in the literature in this unique initial presentation. We hope to heighten the awareness of necrotizing soft tissue infection of the ear following ear piercing to ensure early aggressive intervention. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a set of 19-day-old female twin neonates who developed bilateral ear sores following ear piercing in a primary healthcentre without adherence to surgical asepsis. Examination findings showed features consistent with necrotizing soft tissue infections of the ears. They were successfully managed with antibiotics and wound care. CONCLUSION: Necrotizing soft tissue infections is a very rare complication of neonatal ear piercing. It may occur following suboptimal aseptic procedure and a high index of suspicion is necessary to make this diagnosis to ensure early intervention and to forestall the potential reconstructive morbidities and mortality associated with late recognition. Adherence to basic aseptic surgical principles is the key to prevention of necrotizing soft tissue infections.

Rhabdomyoblastic differentiation in rosai dorfman disease of the orbit in a 12-year-old male.

Extranodal Rosai-Dorfman disease involving the orbit has been reported severally with extensive discourse on management strategies. However, rhabdomyoblastic differentiation coexisting with the disease is yet unreported. We present the clinical and histopathological features of a 12-year-old boy presenting with both. A 12-year-old boy was referred to our Ophthalmic Plastic Surgical Service with a 5-year history of bilateral, progressively enlarging eyelid, orbital masses causing proptosis, and severe cosmetic blemish. He had suffered vision loss to the right eye following trauma 2 years prior to the onset of the disease. Computed tomography of the orbits revealed preseptal and intraorbital components of well-defined multi-lobulated masses in both orbits. No significant nodal involvement was noted. He underwent excision biopsy of the tumor in both eyes performed 1 month apart. A histopathologic diagnosis of the Rosai-Dorfman disease with focal areas of rhabdomyoblastic differentiation was made. He was treated postoperatively with a course of oral steroids with close observation for the rhabdomyoblastic differentiation. Rosai-Dorfman disease is an uncommon disease and has been reported to coexist with other pathologies. We highlight focal myoblastic differentiation within the excised tissues which may not necessarily warrant a diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma. Long-term follow-up of this patient is required to establish the safety of observation.

Apparent absence of Giardia infections among children under 5-years of age with acute watery diarrhoea in Abakaliki, Nigeria.

Although the impact of diarrhoeal disease on paediatric health in Nigeria has decreased in recent years, it remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children under 5 years. Rotavirus is recognised as an important aetiological agent, but information on the contribution of intestinal protozoa to watery diarrhoea in this age group in Nigeria is scarce. In this cross-sectional study, faecal samples from children admitted to healthcare centres in Abakaliki, Nigeria with acute watery diarrhoea (N = 199) and faecal samples from age-matched controls (N = 37) were examined for Cryptosporidium and Giardia using immunofluorescent antibody testing and molecular methods. Cryptosporidium was identified in 13 case samples (6.5%) and no control samples. For three samples, molecular characterisation indicated C. hominis, GP60 subtypes IaA30R3, IaA14R3 and IdA11. Giardia was not detected in any samples. This contrast in prevalence between the two intestinal protozoa may reflect their variable epidemiologies and probably differing routes of infection. Given that these two parasitic infections are often bracketed together, it is key to realise that they not only have differing clinical spectra but also that the importance of each parasite is not the same in different age groups and/or settings.