Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Associated With Hepatitis B and HIV Coinfection With Resultant Liver Failure.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a syndrome of excessive immune activation frequently attributed to infection. We report a case of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to hepatitis B in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus coinfection and subsequent liver failure.

Efficacy of pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light on reduction of Mycobacterium fortuitum.

OBJECTIVES: Hospitals and healthcare facilities rely largely on isolation and environmental disinfection to prevent transmission of pathogens. The use of no-touch technology is an accepted practice for environmental decontamination in medical care facilities, but little has been published about the effect of ultraviolet light generated by a portable pulsed-xenon device use on Mycobacteria. We used Mycobacterium fortuitum which is more resistant to ultraviolet radiation and less virulent than Mycobacterium tuberculosis, to determine the effectiveness of portable pulsed-xenon devices on Mycobacterium in a laboratory environment. METHODS: To determine the effectiveness of pulsed-xenon devices, we measured the bactericidal effect of pulsed-xenon devices on Mycobacterium fortuitum. RESULTS: In five separate experiments irradiating an average of 106 organisms, the mean (standard deviation) log-kill at 5 min was 3.98 (0.60), at 10 min was 4.96 (0.42), and at 15 min was 5.64 (0.52). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that using pulsed-xenon devices is a highly effective modality to reduce microbial counts with this relatively ultraviolet germicidal irradiation-resistant mycobacterium in a time-dependent manner.

Acute epiglottitis due to Pasteurella multocida after contact with a feral cat.

Pasteurella multocida is a bipolar staining gram-negative coccobacillus that resides in the nasopharynx of many animals, most notably felines. It is a common cause of soft tissue infections following animal bites but has rarely been reported to cause epiglottitis. Here we describe a case of epiglottitis and bacteremia due to P. multocida following exposure to a feral cat. The patient required emergent cricothyrotomy due to airway compromise. He was successfully treated with 14 days of beta-lactam therapy and achieved a full recovery.