- Volume 5, Issue 5, 2018
Volume 5, Issue 5, 2018
- Case Report
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- Blood/Heart and Lymphatics
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Campylobacter fetus prosthetic valve endocarditis presenting as a stroke
More LessIntroduction. Campylobacter is a common pathogen of the gastrointestinal tract, but invasive disease is rare. Campylobacter fetus can play a role in osteomyelitis, meningitis and joint infection and has a prediliction for the vascular endothelium, causing mycotic aneurysms, thrombophlebitis and endocarditis. Here we present a case of prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by C. fetus and a review of the literature.
Case presentation. An 85-year-old woman with a tissue aortic valve replacement and atrial fibrillation was admitted to hospital with tonic-clonic seizures, right-sided hemiparesis, facial droop and hemianopia. Multiple cerebral emboli were seen on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Blood cultures grew C. fetus and an echocardiogram showed thickening and restricted movement of the aortic valve, a significant difference from an echocardiogram done 2 months before when the same organism was again isolated in blood cultures. She improved after treatment with 6 weeks of amoxicillin and 2 weeks of synergistic gentamicin for prosthetic valve endocarditis.
Conclusion. There have only been five previously reported cases of C. fetus prosthetic valve endocarditis and this is the only patient who presented as a stroke. The majority of surviving patients required replacement of the affected valve with only one other patient surviving in the absence of surgery. No guidelines exist on the optimum treatment of C. fetus endocarditis and this case reports adds to the growing literature on the appropriate management for this rare and potentially devastating disease.
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- Hepatic
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Septic cutaneous emboli revealing a severe case of Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome
More LessIntroduction. Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome (KLAS) is characterized by bacteraemia, liver abscesses and metastatic infection caused by a hypervirulent strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae, usually belonging to the capsular serotype K1 or K2. Initially, KLAS was described in Eastern Asia; recently isolated cases have been reported from different parts of the world.
Case presentation. We describe the case of a woman with KLAS including meningeal, ocular and cutaneous metastatic infection and organ dysfunctions (coagulation abnormalities, thrombocytopenia and increased creatinine level). The identification of a hypermucoviscous strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae was possible by culture from one of the cutaneous emboli and subsequently confirmed by blood cultures. The patient fully recovered after abscess drainage and prolonged antibiotic treatment.
Conclusion. We have pointed out about the importance of sampling each septic focus in order to identify the aetiology of a disseminate infection.
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- Soft tissue
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First case report of human infection with Mycobacterium stomatepiae
More LessIntroduction. We describe the first detailed case report of human infection with Mycobacterium stomatepiae. Infection with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) related to M. stomatepiae is well described, despite the lack of previous confirmed reports of M. stomatepiae-related human disease. Localised cervical lymphadenitis is the most common NTM disease in children, with species closely related to M. stomatepiae, such as Mycobacterium triplex and Mycobacterium florentinum, having been shown to be rare causative agents.
Case presentation. A 19-month-old girl presented with persistent unilateral neck lumps which developed following a facial laceration. Both lumps were fluctuant with overlying erythema and no fistulae present. Incision and drainage with curettage was performed. The operative sample of purulent fluid revealed pleomorphic bacilli on Ziehl–Neelsen staining. The isolate cultured was referred for further genotypic identification via 16S rRNA gene sequencing, identifying the organism as M. stomatepiae.
Conclusion. We describe the first detailed case report of human infection with M. stomatepiae. This organism can now be added to the growing list of NTM that are opportunistic human pathogens, though it is likely to remain a very rare causative agent of this clinical syndrome. Early diagnosis relies on clinical suspicion by the treating doctor, flagging potential cases to the microbiology laboratory and hence allowing correct specimen set-up. Laboratory diagnosis requires incubation of cultures at lower temperatures, and definitive identification is best performed by sequencing methods, including 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The description of novel species of NTM causing human disease is likely to increase with further advancements in diagnostic methods.
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- Case Series
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- Occular
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Optic neuropathy and congenital glaucoma associated with probable Zika virus infection in Venezuelan patients
Introduction. Although the current Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic is a major public health concern, most reports have focused on congenital ZIKV syndrome, its most devastating manifestation. Severe ocular complications associated with ZIKV infections and possible pathogenetic factors are rarely described. Here, we describe three Venezuelan patients who developed severe ocular manifestations following ZIKV infections. We also analyse their serological response to ZIKV and dengue virus (DENV).
Case presentation. One adult with bilateral optic neuritis, a child of 4 years of age with retrobulbar uveitis and a newborn with bilateral congenital glaucoma had a recent history of an acute exanthematous infection consistent with ZIKV infection. The results of ELISA tests indicated that all patients were seropositive for ZIKV and four DENV serotypes.
Conclusion. Patients with ZIKV infection can develop severe ocular complications. Anti-DENV antibodies from previous infections could play a role in the pathogenesis of these complications. Well-designed epidemiological studies are urgently needed to measure the risk of ZIKV ocular complications and confirm whether they are associated with the presence of anti-flaviviral antibodies.
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