[Purpura fulminans complicating pneumococcal sepsis: a case report].

An unusual case of a 67-year-old man is reported with fulminant pneumococcal sepsis. He had been healthy before, and the identified predisposing factors were only that he was a chronic alcohol drinker and was a HCV carrier. He presented signs of acute renal failure, liver dysfunction, adult respiratory distress syndrome and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Subsequently purpura fulminans (symmetrical peripheral gangrene) with major extremity involvement developed. He finally survived with amputation of both legs, right forearm and two fingers of left hand. Purpura fulminans is a rare catastrophic disease, with initial hemorrhagic skin lesions that progress to gangrene. It usually follows an infectious illness, and although it most commonly occurs in children, it can occur in adults with predisposing factors such as alcoholic, asplenia, AIDS and so on. In adults, pneumococcus and meningococcus are microorganisms that have been reported most frequently as caused agents in Europe and America. But in Japan the previously reported adult case was the only one complicating Xanthomonas maltophilia sepsis, and none accompanying pneumococcal sepsis. Congenital protein C deficiency is recognized to be able to cause purpura fulminans especially in patients with risk factors. In our case, protein C antigen was decreased in the acute stage but gradually increased later toward normal, so this decrease was thought to be concomitant with the initial disseminated intravascular coagulation rather than compatible with protein C deficiency.

[Case report of toxic shock-like syndrome due to group A streptococcal infection].

A case of streptococcal toxic shock like syndrome occurring in a 44-year-old previously healthy Japanese male is reported. He initially had a sore throat, low grade fever, diarrhea and mild pains in a lower extremities. Shortly thereafter, he rapidly developed a high fever, profound hypotension, multifocal epidermal necrosis, and sever purulent fasciitis and myositis in both lower extremities, which required above knee amputation of both legs. He later developed disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, adult respiratory distress syndrome, acute renal failure, coma and necrotizing inflammation of both arms and external genitalia despite treatment. He died on the 13th hospital day. Streptococcus pyogenes was isolated from the necrotic muscles and right knee joint. The organism was typed as M3, T3, was sensitive to penicillins, and was found to be producing streptococcal pyogenic exotoxin A in vitro. This is the first case report of streptococcal toxic shock like syndrome in Japan.