A Case Report of Mycetoma and Cranial Osteomyelitis by Nocardia nova

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Sofia Vilardouro ◽  
João Ferreira ◽  
Miguel Alpalhão ◽  
Marco Neves ◽  
José Gonçalo Marques ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ct Scan ◽  
Subcutaneous Tissue ◽  
Immunocompetent Patient ◽  
Antimicrobial Treatment ◽  
Antibiotic Regimen ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Cranial Ct ◽  
Length Of Treatment ◽  
History Of ◽  
Polymerase Chain

AbstractMycetoma is a chronic, localized, slowly progressive, granulomatous infection of the skin that may progress to subcutaneous tissue, muscle and bone. It is an infrequent manifestation of Nocardia infection that predominantly occurs on the lower extremities.A previously healthy, 17-year-old boy presented with a 3-month history of scalp abscesses. On physical examination he had numerous, large left parietal and occipital inflammatory nodules on the scalp covered by alopecic skin and several sinuses discharging a purulent and serosanguinous material. He underwent a CT-scan and an MRI of the skull that revealed signs of cranial osteomyelitis and epidural empyema. Polymerase chain reaction assay of the purulent exudate was performed and identified Nocardia nova. The patient was discharged from the hospital after 8 weeks of antibiotherapy with meropenem and TMP-SMX with clinical, laboratorial and imaging improvement. He completed 12 months of outpatient oral therapy with TMP-SMX, after which cranial CT-scan showed a significant reduction of soft tissue thickening and bone reconstitution, with no relapses after stopping the treatment.The best antibiotic regimen and length of treatment are not established for the management of nocardiosis. This is an unusual and severe presentation of infection by Nocardia nova with extent to the bone and epidural space, with full recovery under standard antibiotic therapy. This case shows that a good outcome may be achieved with prolonged antimicrobial treatment in an immunocompetent patient.

scholarly journals Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Among Health Care Personnel at a Health Care System in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
pp. 101053952110110
Author(s):  
Salma Abbas ◽  
Aun Raza ◽  
Ayesha Iftikhar ◽  
Aamir Khan ◽  
Shahzaib Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Health Care Personnel ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Antibody Testing ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Past Infection ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
History Of ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Health care personnel (HCP) are at high risk for coronavirus disease-2019 acquisition. Serum antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) indicate past infection. Our institution offered SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing to HCP. We surveyed HCP with positive test results to explore past exposure to SARS-CoV-2, details of symptoms during the preceding 6 months, and a history of SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction testing. A total of 2162 HCP underwent antibody testing. Eight hundred fifty-seven (39.6%) employees tested positive and, of these, 820 (95.7%) participated in the survey. When adjusted for age, males had higher odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies compared with females (OR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.37-2.05; P = .00) and clinical staff had higher odds of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity compared with nonclinical staff (OR = 1.273; 95% CI = 1.06-1.53; P = .01). Implementation of effective infection control measures is essential to protect HCP from coronavirus disease-2019.

scholarly journals A meta-analysis of accuracy and sensitivity of chest CT and RT-PCR in COVID-19 diagnosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Khatami ◽  
Mohammad Saatchi ◽  
Seyed Saeed Tamehri Zadeh ◽  
Zahra Sadat Aghamir ◽  
Alireza Namazi Shabestari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Reverse Transcriptase ◽  
Ct Scan ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Chest Ct ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Chest Ct Scan

AbstractNowadays there is an ongoing acute respiratory outbreak caused by the novel highly contagious coronavirus (COVID-19). The diagnostic protocol is based on quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and chests CT scan, with uncertain accuracy. This meta-analysis study determines the diagnostic value of an initial chest CT scan in patients with COVID-19 infection in comparison with RT-PCR. Three main databases; PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, and EMBASE were systematically searched for all published literature from January 1st, 2019, to the 21st May 2020 with the keywords "COVID19 virus", "2019 novel coronavirus", "Wuhan coronavirus", "2019-nCoV", "X-Ray Computed Tomography", "Polymerase Chain Reaction", "Reverse Transcriptase PCR", and "PCR Reverse Transcriptase". All relevant case-series, cross-sectional, and cohort studies were selected. Data extraction and analysis were performed using STATA v.14.0SE (College Station, TX, USA) and RevMan 5. Among 1022 articles, 60 studies were eligible for totalizing 5744 patients. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of chest CT scan compared to RT-PCR were 87% (95% CI 85–90%), 46% (95% CI 29–63%), 69% (95% CI 56–72%), and 89% (95% CI 82–96%), respectively. It is important to rely on the repeated RT-PCR three times to give 99% accuracy, especially in negative samples. Regarding the overall diagnostic sensitivity of 87% for chest CT, the RT-PCR testing is essential and should be repeated to escape misdiagnosis.

Persistent Leptospiruria in Five Dogs Despite Antimicrobial Treatment (2000–2017)

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara Mauro ◽  
Kenneth Harkin
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Antimicrobial Treatment ◽  
Renal Tubules ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing ◽  
Pet Owners ◽  
Zoonotic Risk ◽  
The Face ◽  
Polymerase Chain

ABSTRACT In dogs with leptospirosis, doxycycline therapy is recommended as the preferred therapy for its ability to eliminate the organism from all tissues, including the renal tubules. Elimination of organisms from the renal tubules terminates leptospiruria and prevents transmission of the organism. This report describes the discovery of persistent leptospiruria in the face of therapy with doxycycline in four dogs and enrofloxacin in one dog. Leptospiruria was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction testing for pathogenic leptospires in all five dogs. In two dogs, leptospiruria resolved after a change in therapy to enrofloxacin. In three dogs, doxycycline and/or enrofloxacin were ineffective at eliminating leptospiruria, which then resolved after therapy with clarithromycin. Pet owners could be at risk as persistent leptospiruria poses a potential zoonotic risk. The potential reasons for persistent leptospiruria as demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction testing are discussed.

scholarly journals Application of a Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for Detection of Proliferative Enteritis-Affected Swine Herds

1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia K. Holyoake ◽  
Gary F. Jones ◽  
Peter R. Davies ◽  
Dennis L. Foss ◽  
Michael P. Murtaugh
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Nursery Pigs ◽  
Clinically Normal ◽  
Source Of Infection ◽  
History Of ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Swine Herds ◽  
Age Range

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to confirm the presence of ileal symbiont (IS) intracellularis in 3 swine herds with a history of proliferative enteritis (PE). Two pooled fecal specimens, each comprising 5 individual stool samples, were collected from pen floors to screen for the presence of IS intracellularis and determine the age range of pigs shedding the organism. IS intracellularis was detected in the feces of clinically normal 10–25week-old grower/finisher pigs, indicating that this age range of pigs was the main source of infection for younger nursery pigs. Shedding continued without clinical disease when 10–100 g/ton of tylosin or 10 g/ton of chlortetracycline was added to the feed. PCR testing of pooled fecal samples can be used to identify groups of pigs affected with PE. The results of this study indicate that this PCR assay has the potential to accurately assess the IS intracellularis infection status of swine herds and the association of IS intracellular-is with PE and growth performance.

scholarly journals Hoarseness of Voice as a Rare Presentation of Tuberculosis: A Case Report Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (19) ◽  
pp. 3262-3264
Author(s):  
Taher Felemban ◽  
Abdullah Ashi ◽  
Abdullah Sindi ◽  
Mohannad Rajab ◽  
Zuhair Al Jehani
Keyword(s):  
Laryngeal Carcinoma ◽  
Incidental Finding ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Rare Presentation ◽  
Case Presentation ◽  
X Ray ◽  
History Of ◽  
Chest X Ray ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Laryngeal Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Having hoarseness of voice as the first clinical manifestation of tuberculosis is rare. This atypical presentation causes some confusion since other more common conditions, such as laryngeal carcinoma, present similarly and might require more invasive tests to confirm the diagnosis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 38-year-old male presented to the otorhinolaryngology clinic with a four-month history of change in voice. Laryngoscopy demonstrated a right glottic mass, raising suspicion of laryngeal cancer. The computed tomography showed a mass and incidental finding of opacities in lung apices. Chest x-ray demonstrated findings suggestive of tuberculosis. Polymerase chain reaction and culture of sputum samples confirmed the diagnosis and the patient was started on anti-tuberculosis treatment. CONCLUSION: Despite accounting for only 1% of pulmonary tuberculosis cases and having a similar presentation to laryngeal carcinoma, we recommend considering laryngeal tuberculosis when evaluating hoarseness of voice in endemic areas.

scholarly journals Thrombotic, inflammatory, and HIF-regulated genes and thrombosis risk in polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1115-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radhika Gangaraju ◽  
Jihyun Song ◽  
Soo Jin Kim ◽  
Tsewang Tashi ◽  
Brandi N. Reeves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polycythemia Vera ◽  
Essential Thrombocythemia ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Hypoxia Inducible Factor ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Thrombosis Risk ◽  
Inflammatory State ◽  
History Of ◽  
Gene Transcripts ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Abstract Thrombosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET). The pathophysiology of thrombosis in these disorders remains unclear, and we hypothesized that upregulation of thrombotic, inflammatory, and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)–regulated genes may play a role in it. We performed unbiased RNA sequencing in granulocytes and platelets of PV patients and found differential expression of several thrombotic, inflammatory, and HIF-regulated genes. The expression of many of these genes positively correlated with JAK2 expression and JAK2V617F allelic burden. We then validated these findings by quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses of selected gene transcripts in a larger number of PV and ET granulocytes and platelets (58 patients) and in 28 controls, and we compared these findings in patients with and without thrombosis. The study included 29 females and 29 males; of these, 28 had a history of thrombosis. We found that transcripts of several selected genes were upregulated in patients with PV or ET compared with controls. In granulocytes, the expression levels of F3, SELP, VEGFA, and SLC2A1 were significantly higher in patients with a history of thrombosis compared with those who did not have thrombosis. Patients with a history of thrombosis have significantly higher expression of IL1RAP (P < .05) in platelets compared with those without thrombosis. Our study confirms the presence of a thrombo-inflammatory state and augmented HIF activity in PV and ET and its role in thrombosis. These data may provide the background for targeted therapies in PV and ET.

Diagnosis and follow-up of Bartonella henselae infection in the spleen of an immunocompetent patient by real-time quantitative PCR

2013 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1081-1085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Carla Liberto ◽  
Giovanni Matera ◽  
Angelo G. Lamberti ◽  
Angela Quirino ◽  
Giorgio S. Barreca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Bartonella Henselae ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Immunocompetent Patient ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Real Time Quantitative Pcr ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Immunocompetent Adults

Systemic Bartonella henselae infections are unusual in immunocompetent adults. However, here we report one such case of bartonellosis in a 34-year-old patient, who presented with fever and multinodular splenomegaly. We also describe a novel method of identifying Bartonella henselae by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and sequencing of amplified products. This could prevent splenic bartonellosis being mistaken for lymphoma and thereby avert unnecessary splenectomy.

scholarly journals Vulvar Tuberculosis—A Rare Manifestation of the Disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (09) ◽  
pp. 575-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Bragança ◽  
Inês Gonçalves ◽  
Luísa Guerreiro ◽  
Maria Janeiro
Keyword(s):  
Rare Case ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
World Health ◽  
Histological Findings ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Rare Manifestation ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractTuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. According to data from the World Health Organization, this disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Although it most commonly affects the lungs, tuberculosis can compromise any organ. The present study reports a rare case of vulvar tuberculosis in a postmenopausal woman with a history of asymptomatic pulmonary and pleural tuberculosis, with no prior documented contact with the bacillus. Diagnosis was based on vulvar lesion biopsies, with histological findings suggestive of infection and isolation of M. tuberculosis by microbiological culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) essays. The lesions reverted to normal after tuberculostatic therapy.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Autopsies, Oklahoma, USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 153 (6) ◽  
pp. 725-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M Barton ◽  
Eric J Duval ◽  
Edana Stroberg ◽  
Subha Ghosh ◽  
Sanjay Mukhopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Diffuse Alveolar Damage ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing ◽  
Standard Procedures ◽  
History Of ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Viral Inclusions ◽  
Postmortem Examinations

Abstract Objectives To report the methods and findings of two complete autopsies of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive individuals who died in Oklahoma (United States) in March 2020. Methods Complete postmortem examinations were performed according to standard procedures in a negative-pressure autopsy suite/isolation room using personal protective equipment, including N95 masks, eye protection, and gowns. The diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction testing on postmortem swabs. Results A 77-year-old obese man with a history of hypertension, splenectomy, and 6 days of fever and chills died while being transported for medical care. He tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on postmortem nasopharyngeal and lung parenchymal swabs. Autopsy revealed diffuse alveolar damage and chronic inflammation and edema in the bronchial mucosa. A 42-year-old obese man with a history of myotonic dystrophy developed abdominal pain followed by fever, shortness of breath, and cough. Postmortem nasopharyngeal swab was positive for SARS-CoV-2; lung parenchymal swabs were negative. Autopsy showed acute bronchopneumonia with evidence of aspiration. Neither autopsy revealed viral inclusions, mucus plugging in airways, eosinophils, or myocarditis. Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 testing can be performed at autopsy. Autopsy findings such as diffuse alveolar damage and airway inflammation reflect true virus-related pathology; other findings represent superimposed or unrelated processes.

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