Bilateral thoracic empyema complicating adult epiglottitis

1991 ◽  
Vol 105 (10) ◽  
pp. 858-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. U. Hussan ◽  
N. P. Keaney

AbstractHaemophilus influenzae is a common cause of epiglottitis and meningitis in children and exacerbation of chronic bronchitis in adults. However, the ability of this organism to cause serious infections in adults is less well recognized. We report a case of a 34-year-old previously healthy female who presented with epiglottitis and later developed bilateral empyema; both blood and pleural fluid grew Haemophilus influenzae.

Author(s):  
D.J.P. Ferguson ◽  
M. Virji ◽  
H. Kayhty ◽  
E.R. Moxon

Haemophilus influenzae is a human pathogen which causes meningitis in children. Systemic H. influenzae infection is largely confined to encapsulated serotype b organisms and is a major cause of meningitis in the U.K. and elsewhere. However, the pathogenesis of the disease is still poorly understood. Studies in the infant rat model, in which intranasal challenge results in bacteraemia, have shown that H. influenzae enters submucosal tissues and disseminates to the blood stream within minutes. The rapidity of these events suggests that H. influenzae penetrates both respiratory epithelial and endothelial barriers with great efficiency. It is not known whether the bacteria penetrate via the intercellular junctions, are translocated within the cells or carried across the cellular barrier in 'trojan horse' fashion within phagocytes. In the present studies, we have challenged cultured human umbilical cord_vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with both capsulated (b+) and capsule-deficient (b-) isogenic variants of one strain of H. influenzae in order to investigate the interaction between the bacteria and HUVEC and the effect of the capsule.


Author(s):  
Anna Bläckberg ◽  
Christian Morenius ◽  
Lars Olaison ◽  
Andreas Berge ◽  
Magnus Rasmussen

AbstractInfective endocarditis (IE) caused by bacteria within Haemophilus (excluding Haemophilus influenzae), Aggregatibacter, Cardiobacterium, Eikenella and Kingella (HACEK) is rare. This study aimed to describe clinical features of IE caused by HACEK genera in comparison with IE due to other pathogens. Cases of IE due to HACEK were identified through the Swedish Registry of Infective Endocarditis (SRIE). Clinical characteristics of IE cases caused by HACEK were compared with cases of IE due to other pathogens reported to the same registry. Ninety-six patients with IE caused by HACEK were identified, and this corresponds to 1.8% of all IE cases. Eighty-three cases were definite endocarditis, and the mortality rate was 2%. The median age was 63 years, which was lower compared to patients with IE caused by other pathogens (66, 70 and 73 years respectively, p ≤ 0.01). Patients with IE caused by Haemophilus were younger compared to patients with IE due to Aggregatibacter (47 vs 67 years, p ≤ 0.001). Patients with IE due to HACEK exhibited longer duration from onset of symptoms to hospitalization and had more prosthetic valve endocarditis compared to patients with IE due to Staphylococcus aureus (10 vs 2 days, p ≤ 0.001, and 35 vs 14%, p ≤ 0.001). This is, to date, the largest study on IE due to HACEK. Aggregatibacter was the most common cause of IE within the group. The condition has a subacute onset and often strikes in patients with prosthetic valves, and the mortality rate is relatively low.


Respiration ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 437-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Eda Utine ◽  
Ahmet Pinar ◽  
Uğur Özçelik ◽  
Burçin Şener ◽  
Ebru Yalçin ◽  
...  

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-58
Author(s):  
Tadashi HOSHINO ◽  
Naruhiko ISHIWADA ◽  
Katsuaki ABE ◽  
Junko OGITA ◽  
Chie FUKASAWA ◽  
...  

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-191
Author(s):  
Sheldon L. Kaplan ◽  
Edward O. Mason ◽  
Sally J. Kvernland ◽  
Elaine M. Loiselle ◽  
Ralph D. Feigin

Thirty-eight children completed therapy with moxalactam for a variety of non-CNS infections. Haemophilus influenzae type b (seven ampicillin-resistant strains) was the etiologic agent for 32 children. Doses of moxalactam ranged from 113 to 200 mg/kg/d in three or four divided doses administered parenterally. All children with infections due to H influenzae type b had excellent responses to moxalactam therapy. Children treated for infections due to other agents also responded satisfactorily to moxalactam therapy. Moxalactam concentrations in joint and pleural fluids greatly exceeded the minimal bactericidal concentrations of moxalactam for H influenzae type b. Adverse reactions included neutropenia, eosinophilia, thrombocytosis, and transient elevation of transaminase levels. Moxalactam administered parenterally, at a dose of 113 to 150 mg/kg/d in three or four divided doses is effective therapy for serious infections in children due to H influenzae type b and selected other organisms.


Author(s):  
N.E. MacDonald ◽  
D.L. Keene ◽  
A.M.R. Mackenzie ◽  
P. Humphreys ◽  
A.L. Jefferies ◽  
...  

SUMMARYHaemophilus influenzae type b (HIb) is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in children with a mortality rate ranging from 1.6% to 14%. Most patients have a 2-3 day history of symptoms prior to admission. A few have fulminating disease with rapid neurological deterioration. Review of 191 cases of HIb meningitis revealed a mortality rate of 2.1% but all who died had fulminating meningitis (FM). Four of six patients with FM died. FM patients had symptoms for less than 24 hours before rapid neurological deterioration with increased ICP, seizures, coma and/or respiratory arrest. Review of 10 FM cases revealed that on admission, 5 had hypotension, 3 had thrombocytopenia, and 8 had coma. Typical CSF changes were seen in only 7. All fatal cases died within 24 hours. Brain swelling and tonsillar herniation were found at autopsy. SDS-PAGE outer membrane protein subtyping did not show one “killer strain”. Animal and autopsy data suggest that diminished CSF outflow and cerebral edema contribute to increased ICP. To improve survival of FM patients, initial treatment must (1) decrease ICP below levels impairing cerebral perfusion, (2) maintain adequate ventilation and blood pressure, and include (3) LP when stable, (4) antibiotics, and (5) close monitoring. Utilizing these principles, two FM patients survived without major sequelae.


2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pouya Sadeghi-Aval ◽  
Raymond SW Tsang ◽  
Frances B Jamieson ◽  
Marina Ulanova

Before the introduction of the conjugate vaccine,Haemophilus influenzaeserotype b (Hib) was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children. Although successful in reducing Hib cases, the vaccine confers no protection against other serotypes ofH influenzae, such as a (Hia), or f (Hif). The emergence of invasive disease caused by non-Hib in northwestern Ontario (38 cases between 2002 and 2008) with predominance of Hia was previously reported by the authors. At that time, no cases of pediatric meningitis caused byH influenzaewere recorded in the region. Continued surveillance identified 12 new cases of invasive non-Hib between January 2009 and July 2011. Among these cases, three young children developed meningitis with severe complications caused by Hia or Hif. The present article describes these cases along with the characteristics of recentH influenzaeisolates from the region, (ie, their genetic background and antibiotic sensitivity). The findings point to the clonal nature of circulating Hia strains as well as to an increase in frequency and severity of pediatric invasiveH influenzaeinfections in northwestern Ontario.


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