Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Verghese

Publications and source records attributed to A Verghese.

124 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Group B streptococcal bacteremia in men.

Twenty-three episodes of bacteremia due to group B Streptococcus (GBS) in men were reviewed for both clinical and microbiologic features. The commonest sources of bacteremia were infections of the respiratory tract (seven cases), skin (five cases), urinary tract (four cases), and intravenous access sites (four cases). Sixteen (70%) of the cases of bacteremia were hospital acquired, and 10 (43%) were polymicrobial (seven with Staphylococcus aureus). GBS bacteremia was generally low-grade and brief as assessed by the percentage and persistence of positive blood cultures. Among patients bacteremic with GBS alone, there were no instances of shock or metastatic suppuration and only one death as a direct result of sepsis. Overall however, nine other patients died of their underlying disease during the same hospitalization. GBS bacteremia in men is, in itself, generally a moderate infection, but it is often found as part of more complex sepsis in hospitalized patients with serious, often fatal, predisposing illnesses.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dysgonic fermenter 2 septicemia.

Dysgonic fermenter 2 (DF-2) is a slow-growing gram-negative bacillus causing a zoonotic infection that is acquired through dog bites or other contact with dogs. Splenectomized patients and those with alcoholic liver disease are most susceptible to DF-2 infection. The clinical picture can be one of fulminant septicemia and disseminated intravascular coagulation in the splenectomized patient; the presentation is milder in the alcoholic patient. The overall mortality from DF-2 septicemia among the 41 cases reported in the literature is 27%. The organism is sensitive to penicillin, resistant to aminoglycosides, and not easily grown on common media. It appears to be serum-sensitive in tests with normal human serum. Penicillin prophylaxis of dog bite wounds is especially important in high-risk patients. DF-2 infection should be considered when any splenectomized patient develops fulminant septicemia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and peripheral gangrene. Examination of a gram stain of the peripheral blood or buffy coat is of value in such cases.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Branhamella catarrhalis respiratory infections.

Branhamella catarrhalis, a normal commensal of the oropharynx, is increasingly recognized as an important cause of bronchitis and bacterial pneumonia. Six patients with B. catarrhalis pneumonia documented by transtracheal aspirate or blood culture were studied, and 429 previously reported cases of B. catarrhalis bronchitis and pneumonia were reviewed. The mean age of patients with B. catarrhalis infection was 64.8 years, and preexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was common. The typical clinical picture was that of purulent tracheobronchitis; patients with pneumonia were not severely ill and differed from those with bronchitis mainly by the presence of patchy lower-lobe infiltrates on chest roentgenogram. Fifty-three percent of reported strains produced beta-lactamase. Thirty-nine percent of the cultures were mixed, predominantly with Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The microbiologic, immunologic, and clinical features of B. catarrhalis infection, as well as the antimicrobial susceptibilities of this organism, were reviewed. The reasons for the lack of recognition of this common pathogen and possible solutions were considered.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Kernig's and Brudzinski's signs revisited.

Although meningitis has been recognized since antiquity, the clear description of signs of meningeal irritation is relatively recent. Kernig's sign is described in physical diagnosis texts; however, the test for Kernig's sign as currently performed differs from Kernig's original description. Brudzinski described several signs of meningitis; his "nape of the neck" sign is the best known. The contralateral leg signs described by Brudzinski are unfamiliar to most clinicians. Brudzinski believed that knowledge of all the meningeal signs was of use because some may be present while others are absent. Since outcome in meningitis is dependent on early treatment--and therefore early diagnosis--familiarity with all the meningeal signs is desirable.

Eponyms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epiglottic abscess due to group B Streptococcus. Communication.

A group B Streptococcus caused epiglottitis with abscess formation in an adult with diabetes mellitus. Group B streptococci are being more commonly isolated from adults, and epiglottitis is another infection in which this organism has been implicated.

Abscess↗