Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L S Rickman

Publications and source records attributed to L S Rickman.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Plasmodium falciparum-infected Anopheles stephensi inconsistently transmit malaria to humans.

Malaria was transmitted to only 5 of 10 volunteers bitten by 1-2 Anopheles stephensi carrying sporozoites of the 3D7 clone of the NF54 strain of Plasmodium falciparum in their salivary glands. Parasites were detectable by culture in blood taken 7-10 days following exposure and by thick blood film 14-16.5 days after exposure. Infectivity did not correlate with the numbers of sporozoites in the salivary glands.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Rapid diagnosis of Brugia malayi and Wuchereria bancrofti filariasis by an acridine orange/microhematocrit tube technique.

A microhematocrit tube technique for diagnosis of human filariasis has been previously described. A system incorporating heparin, EDTA, and acridine orange into a microhematocrit tube (Quantitative Blood Count, QBC) has been commercially developed for the quantitation of blood counts and has been used for the diagnosis of malaria. We evaluated this test for its usefulness in the diagnosis of filariasis. Upon centrifugation, the parasites were concentrated in the area of the buffy coat and could be observed through the wall of the tube. The parasites were concentrated further by a plastic float that expands the buffy coat and confines the parasites to the periphery of the tube. Acridine orange stains the DNA of the parasite, and morphologic characteristics can be examined by fluorescence microscopy. The terminal and subterminal nuclei and long cephalic space of Brugia malayi, as well as the short cephalic space and caudal nuclei of Wuchereria bancrofti, were easily recognized and differentiated from each other. Microfilariae were detected in samples diluted to a level of approximately 50/ml.

Acridine Orange↗
PubMed1989

Rapid diagnosis of malaria by acridine orange staining of centrifuged parasites.

A rapid diagnostic test for malaria based on acridine orange staining of centrifuged parasites in a microhaematocrit tube ('QBC' tube) was compared with the thick blood smear in 12 volunteers experimentally infected with Plasmodium falciparum, 408 residents of a malaria endemic area, and 180 hospital patients with suspected malaria. In the experimentally infected volunteers, the QBC tube test and the thick blood smear were comparable and the QBC tube could detect as few as 4 parasites/microliter blood. When used for mass screening in the field study, the test had a sensitivity of 70% for the diagnosis of malaria compared with 92% for a single thick blood smear. However, when used to diagnose malaria in hospital patients, the test detected as few as 3 parasites/microliter in 91 of 92 patients with asexual parasitaemia. For the three studies, the QBC tube was highly specific (98.4%), indicating malaria in only 8 of 487 subjects with negative blood films. The species of parasite was correctly identified in 77% of species. Processing the QBC tube was easier and much more rapid than was processing a thick blood smear, taking only 5 min for centrifugation and 5 min for examination. The QBC tube is not a substitute for the blood smear, but its speed and ease of use make it an important new tool for the diagnosis of malaria.

Acridine Orange↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Toxic shock syndrome following submandibular gland excision.

Acute toxic shock syndrome (TSS), initially described in association with the use of super absorbent tampons in menstruating women, has complicated a variety of surgical procedures. Recent attention in head and neck surgery has focused on absorbent packing materials, such as those used in postoperative nasal care. It is important to maintain a high index of suspicion in all postoperative patients to fever, hypotension, and erythroderma. We report TSS following submandibular gland excision.

Dermatitis, Exfoliative↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pulmonary manifestations of leptospirosis.

Pulmonary involvement in leptospiral infection is common, usually mild, and often overlooked. When pulmonary manifestations are prominent in a patient with leptospirosis, there is the potential for diagnostic confusion. We present the case of a patient with adult respiratory distress syndrome secondary to leptospirosis and review the pulmonary manifestations of leptospiral infection.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Infectious causes of carpal tunnel syndrome: case report and review.

A case of carpal tunnel syndrome caused by Histoplasma capsulatum is presented and the medical literature is reviewed for cases of carpal tunnel syndrome that resulted from infection. Over 100 cases of carpal tunnel syndrome secondary to fungal, bacterial, mycobacterial, viral, and parasitic infections are reviewed. In most of these cases, infectious causes of the syndrome were not suspected; the etiology was often determined incidentally at surgery. Although infection is not a common cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, it should be considered in patients with persistent or recurrent symptoms. For those patients who require surgical exploration or carpal tunnel release, specimens should be submitted for histopathologic evaluation and culture. Most patients respond well to appropriate chemotherapy or surgery plus chemotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bugs and drugs: antibiotic resistance in the 1990s.

1. Bacteria have been versatile in circumventing the mechanisms by which antibiotics work; in the 1990s there has been a world-wide resurgence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial diseases. 2. Resistance to certain antibiotics develops in bacteria through three basic processes: mutation, transduction, and conjugation. 3. Infection-control programs, if combined with intensive infection-control measures and control of antibiotic use, may be effective at reducing the transmission of resistant pathogens.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗