Acute Bacterial Meningitis

Author(s):  
Eelco F. M. Wijdicks

Meningitis, an infection of the meninges and subarachnoid space, is a syndrome involving the cortex and vasculature that leads to vasculitis and secondary infarctions. The cerebral venous system is involved in severe cases. Acute bacterial meningitis usually results from community-acquired infections, but when it occurs in hospitalized patients (ie, nosocomial bacterial meningitis), it is usually due to invasive procedures. Factors that increase the risk of community-acquired meningitis include the immunocompromised state, human immunodeficiency virus infections, asplenia, and genetic factors such as complement factor deficiencies. In most adults with acute bacterial meningitis, a normal state of health is first interrupted by an upper respiratory tract infection or an ear infection that does not improve with antibiotic therapy. The potential source for acute bacterial meningitis, such as pneumonia, paranasal sinusitis, or middle ear infection, should be sought.

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 231-234
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Albert Srouji

The middle ear has long been considered a continuum of the upper respiratory tract and modern physicians recognize the impact of upper respiratory tract pathology on the middle ear and are familiar with the possible neurosurgical complications of any resultant chronic or acute middle ear infection. In the 16th century, lack of this knowledge may have led to a sequence of events and one of the most important turning points for the British monarchy. This paper on the illness and death of King Francis II of France uncovers interesting aspects of ENT practice from the French Renaissance period and the intrigue surrounding this royal patient's well-documented but little discussed illness.


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 4984-4984
Author(s):  
Gaurav Trikha ◽  
Rebecca Conway ◽  
John W Hiemenz ◽  
Per T. Ljungman

Abstract BACKGROUND Respiratory virus infections (RVI) are significant cause of morbidity and mortality in adult patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients, causing delay in administering chemotherapy and HSCT, increased hospital stay and in occasionally resulting in mortality. In 2008, the FDA approved the use of multiplex PCR assay to detect respiratory viruses. Our institution has been using the multiplex PCR technique for approximately four years. With this technology the time to diagnosis of a RVI became shorter and detection of multiple viruses at the same time became feasible. RVIs have been studied more exclusively in the HSCT population where lymphopenia has been identified for poor outcomes. These infections have been less well studied in the acute leukemia population. This report, however, encompasses both patient populations. The natural progression of RVIs apart from influenza is poorly understood. The viruses isolated from the upper respiratory tract, development of lower respiratory tract infection (LRI), as well as overall survival of the patients identified with RVIs are reported here. STUDY DESIGN This is a retrospective cohort study of adult patients (>=18yrs) with acute leukemia and/or after HSCT diagnosed with laboratory documented RVI between May 1st 2010 and March 1st2014. A list of positive RVIs from multiplex PCR was retrieved from the hospital laboratory based on patients with specific ICD-9 codes. RESULTS Between May 2010 to March 2014, there were 208 episodes of RVI in 122 patients. Out of these, 77 patients were post-HSCT and 45 patients had acute leukemia without undergoing HSCT. Out of these episodes, 85 were caused by rhinovirus, 37 by coronavirus, 18 by RSV, 35 by parainfluenza, 15 by influenza, 12 by metapneumovirus, 3 by adenovirus, 3 by poly-viral infection. 189 episodes were initially diagnosed as an upper respiratory tract infection (URI). There were 47 episodes of LRI; of these 32 (16.9%) had a prior URI with rhinovirus (n=13), coronavirus (n=5), parainfluenza (n=4), RSV (n=4), influenza (n=3) and poly-viral infections (n=2). 15 (7.2%) episodes were LRI at initial presentation (4 metapneumovirus, 4 parainfluenza, 2 RSV, 3 rhinovirus, 1 coronavirus, 1 adenovirus). Out of the 122 patients there were 7 deaths (5.7%). CONCLUSION The availability of multiplex PCR has allowed for the identification of respiratory viruses responsible for URI in this patient population. Most of these infections have limited clinical consequences. However, in our study 25% of the episodes either presented with or progressed to LRI. The exact role of respiratory virus in causing LRI is difficult to determine in a retrospective study. Disclosures Off Label Use: Treating MDS with one of these regimens: (1) nelfinavir, (2) bortezomib, (3) metformin + simvastatin, (4) metformin + seliciclib, (5) nelfinavir + bortezomib, (6) nelfinavir + ruxolitinib, (7) nelfinavir + simvastatin, (8) nelfinavir + sorafenib, (9) nelfinavir + trametinib, (10) ponatinib + bortezomib, (11) nelfinavir + ponatinib, and (12) trametinib + simvastatin.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonathan Agung ◽  
Hannah Stacey ◽  
Michael D'Agostino ◽  
Ali Zhang

Influenza is a common disease caused by influenza virus infections. There are an estimated 3 to 5 million annual cases of severe illness and 290 000 to 650 000 respiratory deaths caused by influenza virus infections worldwide (1). Transmission can occur in three ways: direct contact with an infected person, through fomites, or by inhaling aerosolized infectious particles (2). Systemic manifestations of uncomplicated influenza include fever, fatigue, and headaches, and symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection including sore throat, nasal discharge, and non-productive cough (3). Although antiviral drugs are available to treat influenza, vaccination remains the best way to prevent infection. This article will provide an overview of influenza virus biology, as well as current methods and those in development to treat and prevent influenza.


mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Muzzi ◽  
Marirosa Mora ◽  
Mariagrazia Pizza ◽  
Rino Rappuoli ◽  
Claudio Donati

ABSTRACTNeisseria meningitidis, one of the major causes of bacterial meningitis and sepsis, is a member of the genusNeisseria, which includes species that colonize the mucosae of many animals. Three meningococcal proteins, factor H-binding protein (fHbp), neisserial heparin-binding antigen (NHBA), andN. meningitidisadhesin A (NadA), have been described as antigens protective againstN. meningitidisof serogroup B, and they have been employed as vaccine components in preclinical and clinical studies. In the vaccine formulation, fHbp and NHBA were fused to the GNA2091 and GNA1030 proteins, respectively, to enhance protein stability and immunogenicity. To determine the possible impact of vaccination on commensal neisseriae, we determined the presence, distribution, and conservation of these antigens in the available genome sequences of the genusNeisseria, finding that fHbp, NHBA, and NadA were conserved only in species colonizing humans, while GNA1030 and GNA2091 were conserved in many human and nonhuman neisseriae. Sequence analysis showed that homologous recombination contributed to shape the evolution and distribution of both NHBA and fHbp, three major variants of which have been defined. fHbp variant 3 was probably the ancestral form of meningococcal fHbp, while fHbp variant 1 fromN. cinereawas introduced intoN. meningitidisby a recombination event. fHbp variant 2 was the result of a recombination event inserting a stretch of 483 bp from variant 1 into the variant 3 background. These data indicate that a high rate of exchange of genetic material between neisseriae that colonize the human upper respiratory tract exists.IMPORTANCEThe upper respiratory tract of healthy individuals is a complex ecosystem colonized by many bacterial species. Among these, there are representatives of the genusNeisseria, includingNeisseria meningitidis, a major cause of bacterial meningitis and sepsis. Given the close relationship between commensal and pathogenic species, a protein-based vaccine againstN. meningitidishas the potential to impact the other commensal species ofNeisseria. For this reason, we have studied the distribution and evolutionary history of the antigen components of a recombinant vaccine, 4CMenB, that recently received approval in Europe under the commercial name of Bexsero®. We found that fHbp, NHBA, and NadA can be found in some of the human commensal species and that the evolution of these antigens has been essentially shaped by the high rate of genetic exchange that occurs between strains of neisseriae that cocolonize the same environment.


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