scholarly journals Silent Mastoiditis Associated with Pneumococcal Meningitis

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Ashikin Mohd Nordin ◽  
Jean Jun Ong ◽  
Juriza Ismail ◽  
Norazlin Kamal Nor ◽  
Sau Wei Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Imaging ◽  
Pneumococcal Meningitis ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Slow Recovery ◽  
Acute Mastoiditis ◽  
Focus Of Infection ◽  
Upper Respiratory

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S pneumoniae) can cause a wide spectrum of diseases which includes upper respiratory tract infection as well as more severe invasive disease such as meningitis. Meningitis may be caused by invasion of the organism through the blood brain barrier, either via haematological spread or from an adjacent focus of infection such as the ears. We describe two infants with pneumococcal meningitis and silent mastoiditis. They both presented with a classical history to suggest meningitis with no apparent focus of infection. A brain imaging was done in the first infant to look for the underlying cause of his focal seizure and in the second infant, to assess for complications of meningitis, as he had a slow recovery. While they did not have any clinical signs to point towards the diagnosis, they were both diagnosed to have acute mastoiditis from brain imaging. We would like to highlight the importance of brain imaging in excluding silent mastoiditis in infants with meningitis, particularly in those whose clinical course appears atypical.

scholarly journals An outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 with high mortality in mink (Neovison vison) on multiple Utah farms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chrissy Eckstrand ◽  
Tom Baldwin ◽  
Mia Kim Torchetti ◽  
Mary Lea Killian ◽  
Kerry A Rood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Viral Transmission ◽  
Viral Rna ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Tracheobronchial Lymph Node ◽  
Multiple Organs ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Polymerase Chain

The breadth of animal hosts that are susceptible to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and may serve as reservoirs for continued viral transmission are not known entirely. In August 2020, an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 occurred in multiple mink farms in Utah and was associated with high mink mortality and rapid viral transmission between animals. The outbreak's epidemiology, pathology, molecular characterization, and tissue distribution of virus within infected mink is provided. Infection of mink was likely by reverse zoonosis. Once established, infection spread rapidly between independently housed animals and farms, and caused severe respiratory disease and death. Clinical signs were most notably sudden death, anorexia, and increased respiratory effort. Gross pathology examination revealed severe pulmonary congestion and edema. Microscopically there was pulmonary edema with moderate vasculitis, perivasculitis, and fibrinous interstitial pneumonia. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of tissues collected at necropsy demonstrated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in multiple organs including nasal turbinates, lung, tracheobronchial lymph node, epithelial surfaces, and others. Whole genome sequencing from multiple mink was consistent with published SARS-CoV-2 genomes with few polymorphisms. The Utah mink SARS-CoV-2 strain fell into Clade GH, which is unique among mink and other animal strains sequenced to date and did not share other spike RBD mutations Y453F and F486L found in mink. Localization of viral RNA by in situ hybridization revealed a more localized infection, particularly of the upper respiratory tract. Mink in the outbreak reported herein had high levels of virus in the upper respiratory tract associated with mink-to-mink transmission in a confined housing environment and were particularly susceptible to disease and death due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Otorhinolaryngological manifestations of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarosław Wysocki
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Distress Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Multiple Organ ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Equilibrium System ◽  
Similar Frequency ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Loss Of Strength

COVID-19 manifests itself in a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms, both in terms of their variety and severity. It can be asymptomatic or abortive, mild, moderate, severe and lightning, as septic with multiple organ failure and shock Typical leading symptoms of COVID-19 are: high fever poorly responding to drugs, severe loss of strength, chest pain, dyspnoea, pain headaches, bone and joint pain and muscle pain, until the onset of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, many publications mention among the possible symptoms also others, not related to the involvement of the lower respiratory tract. These are gastrointestinal disorders, damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract and dysfunctions of the sensory organs. The aim of this literature review was to determine the frequency of various head and neck dysfunctions that are part of COVID-19. Symptoms of conjunctivitis, nasal mucosa, pharynx and larynx are reported by about of patients, but they do not always occur at the same time, as in infections caused, for example, by rhinoviruses. Anosmi / hyposmia or ageusia / hypogeusia occur with a similar frequency. Symptoms of damage to the equilibrium system, such as dizziness, are reported by approx. 1/3, vertigo and hearing loss approx. 5-6%, tinnitus approx. 10% of patients. Reports of coexistence with COVID-19 of peripheral paresis of the facial nerve are so far relatively few and often included in the neurological disorders, the frequency of which is also about 1/3 of COVID-19 cases. Importantly, both catarrhal symptoms and the others listed here may precede, co-occur or follow the appearance of the leading symptoms of COVID-19. They can also be the only symptoms of this disease. This should prompt otorhinolaryngologists to be particularly vigilant in this regard

scholarly journals Effects of famciclovir in cats with spontaneous acute upper respiratory tract disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 492-499
Author(s):  
Lucy Kopecny ◽  
David J Maggs ◽  
Christian M Leutenegger ◽  
Lynelle R Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Response To Therapy ◽  
Study Entry ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Disease ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract Disease ◽  
Tract Disease ◽  
Group D

Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the effects of famciclovir administration in cats with spontaneously acquired acute upper respiratory tract disease. Methods Twenty-four kittens with clinical signs of acute upper respiratory tract disease were randomly allocated to receive doxycycline (5 mg/kg PO q12h) alone (group D; n = 12) or with famciclovir (90 mg/kg PO q12h; group DF; n = 12) for up to 3 weeks. Clinical disease severity was scored at study entry and daily thereafter. Oculo-oropharyngeal swabs collected at study entry and exit were assessed using quantitative PCR for nucleic acids of feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1), feline calicivirus (FCV), Chlamydia felis, Bordetella bronchiseptica and Mycoplasma felis. Results The median (range) age of cats was 1.5 (1–6) months in group D vs 1.6 (1–5) months in group DF ( P = 0.54). Pathogens detected in oculo-oropharyngeal swabs at study entry included FCV (n = 13/24; 54%), M felis (n = 8/24; 33%), FHV-1 (n = 7/24; 29 %), C felis (n = 7/24; 29%) and B bronchiseptica (n = 3/24; 12%). Median (range) duration of clinical signs was 11.5 (3–21) days in group DF and 11 (3–21) days in group D ( P = 0.75). Median (range) total disease score at the end of the study did not differ between groups (group D 1 [1–1] vs group DF 1 [1–3]; P = 0.08). Conclusions and relevance This study revealed no significant difference in response to therapy between cats treated with doxycycline alone or with famciclovir; cats improved rapidly in both groups. However, identification of FHV-1 DNA was relatively uncommon in this study and clinical trials focused on FHV-1-infected cats are warranted to better evaluate famciclovir efficacy.

Sinusitis in Infants and Children

1992 ◽  
Vol 101 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 37-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen R. Wald
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Maxillary Sinusitis ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Clinical Problem ◽  
Nasal Discharge ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Radiographic Findings ◽  
Upper Respiratory

The major clinical problem in considering a diagnosis of sinusitis is differentiating uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection from a secondary bacterial infection of the paranasal sinuses that may benefit from antimicrobial therapy. A diagnosis of sinusitis is suggested by presentation with protracted upper respiratory tract symptoms or a cold that is more severe than usual with fever and purulent nasal discharge. Confirmatory tests of sinus disease are transillumination (useful in adolescents if interpretation is confined to the extremes — normal or absent); radiographic findings of opacification, mucous membrane thickening, or an air-fluid level; and sinus aspiration (indicated for severe pain, clinical failures, or complicated disease). When clinical signs and symptoms are accompanied by abnormal radiographic findings, bacteria in high colony count are recovered from the maxillary sinus aspirate in 70% of patients. The common bacterial species recovered from children with acute maxillary sinusitis are Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis, and Hemophilus influenzae.

scholarly journals The basic keratin 10-binding domain of the virulence-associated pneumococcal serine-rich protein PsrP adopts a novel MSCRAMM fold

Open Biology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 130090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Schulte ◽  
Jonas Löfling ◽  
Cecilia Mikaelsson ◽  
Alexey Kikhney ◽  
Karina Hentrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Binding Region ◽  
Sequence Identity ◽  
Novel Variant ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Β Sheet ◽  
Specific Virulence

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major human pathogen, and a leading cause of disease and death worldwide. Pneumococcal invasive disease is triggered by initial asymptomatic colonization of the human upper respiratory tract. The pneumococcal serine-rich repeat protein (PsrP) is a lung-specific virulence factor whose functional binding region (BR) binds to keratin-10 (KRT10) and promotes pneumococcal biofilm formation through self-oligomerization. We present the crystal structure of the KRT10-binding domain of PsrP (BR 187–385 ) determined to 2.0 Å resolution. BR 187–385 adopts a novel variant of the DEv-IgG fold, typical for microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules adhesins, despite very low sequence identity. An extended β-sheet on one side of the compressed, two-sided barrel presents a basic groove that possibly binds to the acidic helical rod domain of KRT10. Our study also demonstrates the importance of the other side of the barrel, formed by extensive well-ordered loops and stabilized by short β-strands, for interaction with KRT10.

scholarly journals Case Report: A Re-Positive Case of SARS-CoV-2 Associated With Glaucoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoli Zhou ◽  
Ya-Na Zhou ◽  
Ashaq Ali ◽  
Cuiqin Liang ◽  
Zhiqin Ye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Population ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Ocular Complications ◽  
Ocular Abnormalities ◽  
N Protein ◽  
Upper Respiratory ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
Privileged Site

The current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has already become a global threat to the human population. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. Ocular abnormalities have been reported in association with COVID-19, but the nature of the impairments was not specified. Here, we report a case of a female patient diagnosed with glaucoma on re-hospitalization for ocular complications two months after being discharged from the hospital upon recovery from COVID-19. Meanwhile, the patient was found re-positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the upper respiratory tract. The infection was also diagnosed in the aqueous humor through immunostaining with antibodies against the N protein and S protein of SARS-CoV-2. Considering the eye is an immune-privileged site, we speculate that SARS-CoV-2 survived in the eye and resulted in the patient testing re-positive for SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals CoViD-19: An early intervention therapeutic strategy to prevent developing a severe disease as an alternative approach to control the pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
HAMID MERCHANT
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Therapeutic Strategy ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Antimicrobial Properties ◽  
The Body ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Holistic Treatment ◽  
Upper Respiratory

While we wait for a confirmed drug or a vaccine for CoViD-19, it may be possible to intervene early to prevent the virus causing a severe disease to offer an alternative therapeutic strategy to control the pandemic. The global burden of CoViD-19 on the healthcare system can be significantly reduced by targeting CoViD-19 patients with or without symptoms who are self-isolating at home or in quarantine. If any therapeutic support can be offered to this group of patients that could attenuate the virus within the upper respiratory tract during the early stages of CoViD-19, it can give the body the time to produce enough antibodies to recover naturally from the disease before progressing into severe disease. An early intervention can, therefore, prevent the virus to get down the lower respiratory tract, reduce the number of cases with severe disease involving pneumonia and the need for hospitalisation. This article presents a simple yet holistic treatment strategy that involves inhaling steam supplemented with essential oils possessing wide spectrum antimicrobial properties in conjunction with oropharyngeal sanitisation to all those who are CoViD-19 positive or are under self-isolation due to symptoms. The approach is very simple, cheap, and effective in relieving the symptoms of the disease and is likely to reduce the viral load in the upper respiratory tract that may help recover from the infection. Since there is no vaccine or treatment yet approved to prevent or treat the CoViD-19, the importance of early intervention is invaluable in reducing the global disease burden. In the authors opinion, this strategy may be very effective to nip the infection in the bud before it gets difficult to treat and therefore, have a potential to significantly reduce the CoViD-19 associated hospitalisation.

Predicción molecular de serotipos de Streptococcus suis aislados de granjas porcinas en México

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 681-693
Author(s):  
Arianna Romero Flores ◽  
Marcelo Gottschalk ◽  
Gabriela Bárcenas Morales ◽  
Víctor Quintero Ramírez ◽  
Rosario Esperanza Galván Pérez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Streptococcus Suis ◽  
Second Step ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Molecular Approaches ◽  
Pig Farming ◽  
Pig Farms ◽  
Upper Respiratory

Infections caused by Streptococcus suis (S. suis) pose a problem for the pig industry worldwide. Pigs often carry multiple serotypes of S. suis in the upper respiratory tract, where S. suis is frequently isolated from. The clinical diagnosis of the infection is presumptive and is generally based on clinical signs, the age of the animal and macroscopic lesions. In the laboratory, identification of S. suis is performed biochemically, and then, serotyping is performed with antisera to determine the serotype, but these tests can be inconclusive. To date, there are few studies that have documented the presence and diversity of S. suis serotypes in Mexico. In the present study, it was characterized S. suis strains from Mexican pig farms using molecular approaches; samples were first processed by PCR of the gdh gene to detect S. suis. Positive samples were then subjected to a two-step multiplex PCR (cps PCR) to detect and characterize each strain; the first step consisted of a grouping PCR and the second step consisted of a typing PCR. The serotypes detected in the pig farming areas of Mexico included 1/2, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 17, and 23. These findings are important for the characterization of serotypes present in Mexico and for outbreak prevention.

scholarly journals Increased Chain Length Promotes Pneumococcal Adherence and Colonization

2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (10) ◽  
pp. 3454-3459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse L. Rodriguez ◽  
Ankur B. Dalia ◽  
Jeffrey N. Weiser
Keyword(s):  
Parental Strain ◽  
A549 Cells ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Epithelial Surface ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Morphological Heterogeneity ◽  
Upper Respiratory

ABSTRACTStreptococcus pneumoniaeis a mucosal pathogen that grows in chains of variable lengths. Short-chain forms are less likely to activate complement, and as a consequence they evade opsonophagocytic clearance more effectively during invasive disease. When grown in human nasal airway surface fluid, pneumococci exhibited both short- and long-chain forms. Here, we determined whether longer chains provide an advantage during colonization when the organism is attached to the epithelial surface. Chain-forming mutants and the parental strain grown under conditions to promote chain formation showed increased adherence to human epithelial cells (A549 cells)in vitro. Additionally, adherence to A549 cells selected for longer chains within the wild-type strain.In vivoin a murine model of colonization, chain-forming mutants outcompeted the parental strain. Together, our results demonstrate that morphological heterogeneity in the pneumococcus may promote colonization of the upper respiratory tract by enhancing the ability of the organism to bind to the epithelial surface.

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