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Synergistic necrotizing cellulitis is a rapidly progressive infection of subcutaneous tissues and muscles. We report a rare case of synergistic necrotizing cellulitis of the chest wall occurring after a pneumonectomy in a patient without any predisposing factors. Despite rapid and aggressive treatment, the patient died in acute respiratory failure 28 h after the first signs of sepsis.
We are reporting a case of pneumococcal cellulitis with bacteremia in a patient with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and nephrotic syndrome. Four cases of pneumococcal cellulitis in adults have been reported in the literature. The potential etiologic role of Streptococcus pneumoniae in skin infections is pointed out, and possible predisposing factors and contributory conditions are described.
Reports have focused attention on a rare but potentially serious complication following rubber band ligation of internal hemorrhoids: pelvic cellulitis with progression to shock and death. This report documents the successful treatment of pelvic cellulitis. The timely use of broad-spectrum antibiotics at an early stage is critical. Emphasis is placed on early recognition and treatment of this potentially fatal complication.
A 62-year-old woman developed eosinophilic cellulitis of her right arm, accompanied by systemic signs (fever, leucocytosis) and massive restriction of the motility of her right shoulder joint. Sonography and computed tomography revealed massive cutaneous and subcutaneous oedema, and accumulations of fluid around the deep muscular fasciae, interstices and (less severe) within the joint. High-dose systemic corticosteroid treatment led to rapid clearing of the skin lesions, and joint motility was restored several weeks later. This is the first case of eosinophilic cellulitis in which involvement of deep structures adjacent to joints has been demonstrated by modern imaging techniques.
Eosinophilic cellulitis (Wells' syndrome) is a rare disorder characterized clinically by recurrent erythematous plaques resembling cellulitis and histologically by a dermal infiltrate of lymphocytes, eosinophils and eosinophil debris between collagen bundles, forming flame figures in typical cases. A 71-year-old woman with Wells' syndrome with blood and bone marrow eosinophilia showed a good response to dapsone. The level of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in serum was elevated. Immunophenotyping of peripheral T cells revealed an increased proportion of CD3+CD4+T cells. The patients' cultured peripheral lymphocytes spontaneously released significant amounts of interleukin 5 (IL-5), but not interleukin 4 (IL-4) or interferon gamma (IFN gamma). These findings suggest that activated T cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of blood and tissue eosinophilia in this patient.
BACKGROUND: To report a case of severe acute retinal necrosis syndrome (ARN) associated with initial features of orbital cellulitis. METHODS: A 49-year-old immunocompetent woman presented with unilateral painful orbital inflammation associated with deep visual loss due to ARN. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of viral DNA was applied to ocular fluids. Immunohistochemistry for detection of viral antigens and histopathologic studies were performed on orbital biopsy specimens. RESULTS: HSV-2 DNA was detected by PCR in ocular fluids. Orbital biopsy disclosed non-specific inflammation without viral replication. Orbital inflammation resolved rapidly after the initiation of antiviral drugs, whereas intraocular inflammation worsened. Final ophthalmic examination disclosed no light perception due to optic atrophy. CONCLUSION: ARN and cellulitis may be associated. Consequently, ARN should be investigated in all patients with orbital inflammation, in order to initiate immediately an appropriate antiviral strategy.
Although retroperitoneal or psoas abscess is an unusual clinical problem, the insidious and occult characteristics of this abscess sometimes cause diagnostic delays, resulting in considerably high morbidity and mortality. In particular, psoas abscess caused by perforated colon carcinoma is uncommon. We report a case of psoas abscess caused by a carcinoma of the cecum. A 72-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to our hospital, with pain in the right groin and buttock. The pain had appeared 6 months before admission, and the symptoms had then been relieved by oral antibiotics. On March 25, 1999, inflammatory signs in the right buttock indicated localized cellulitis, and incision and drainage was performed at a local hospital. The patient was referred to our hospital on the same day. On admission to our hospital, computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a thick right-sided colonic wall and enlargement of the right ileopsoas muscle. Barium enema and colonofiberscopy revealed an ulcerated tumor occupying the entire circumference of the cecum. A retroperitoneal abscess and fistula had been formed by the retroperitoneal perforation of cecum carcinoma: surgical resection was performed after remission of the local inflammatory signs. Operative findings indicated that the cancerous lesion and its surrounding tissues were firmly attached to the right iliopsoas and major psoas muscle, and en-bloc resection, including adjacent muscular tissue, was performed. The fact that carcinoma of the colon could be a cause of psoas abscess and cellulitis in the gluteal region should be considered when an unexplained psoas abscess is diagnosed.
Infection with Campylobacter species is a predominant cause of food-borne gastroenteritis in the industrialized world. Bacteremia is detected in <1% of patients with diarrhea, mainly in immunocompromised hosts or those in the extremes of age. Reported here is the case of a 78-year-old, immunocompromised male patient with Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni bacteremia complicated by cellulitis. The infection was characterized by a protracted course with several recurrences and refractoriness to multiple antibiotic regimens, responding only to a prolonged course of meropenem treatment. The frequency of cellulitis as reflected in previously reported series of Campylobacter bacteremia and the clinical characteristics of this difficult-to-treat infection are reviewed.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is an uncommon cause of cellulitis. In almost all of the reported cases, the infection occurred in immunosuppressed patients, especially in those with connective tissue diseases. We report a case of cervical cellulitis associated with septicemia which occurred in an HIV-infected adult.
Cellulitis due to Hemophilus influenzae type B is a rare but treatable event in adults. Herein is described a 67-year-old woman with anterior neck cellulitis caused by H. influenzae type B, documented by positive blood culture results. Six additional cases reported in the literature are reviewed. The following clinical syndrome emerges: the patient is usually older than 50 years of age, and pharyngitis develops first, followed by the onset of high fever and rapidly progressive anterior neck swelling, tenderness, and erythema associated with dysphagia. Because the causative organism may be resistant to ampicillin, the early use of chloramphenicol is recommended along with a beta-lactamase-resistant penicillin or cephalosporin (to cover other potential pathogens), or an appropriate third-generation cephalosporin that would also adequately cover all possible pathogens.
A 3-month-old infant being treated for bronchitis developed a rapid onset but otherwise typical orbital cellulitis. Because gram-negative infections and septicemia are common occurrences in the newborn nursery, this patient was given systemic gentamicin and ampicillin. Sinus x-rays were not attempted. Two days after treatment the eyelids were opened. A strikingly large corneal ulcer with perforated globe and endophthalmitis was found. Pseudomonas aeroginosa was cultured from the blood, conjunctiva, and throat. A diagnosis of Pseudomonas orbital cellulitis with secondary corneal perforation and endophthalmitis was made. The source of infection was believed to be the respiratory tract.
A case of acute orbital cellulitis in an adolescent girl is reported and compared with ten cases treated in the same hospital in recent years. The clinical features and stages of orbital cellulitis and its differentiation from cavernous sinus thrombophlebitis is discussed. Although these complications are nowadays rare with modern chemotherapy and antibiotics, they may still occasionally result in blindness and death. (Duke-Elder et al., 1974).
An acute pulpal-alveolar cellulitis, involving a drug-resistant Candida albicans, was resolved successfully with endodontic treatment in 6 days. Effective debridement, irrigation, and intracanal medication were significant factors in obtaining a negative culture at completion of treatment. The case illustrates that clinical procedures and judgment can be major factors in the resolution of serious infection, where antibiotic therapy is not feasible. External heat compresses should be avoided in pulpal-alveolar cellulitis cases. Hot intraoral saline rinses are recommended to promote tooth drainage and the formation of fluctuant mucosal swellings. External cold compresses may help reduce facial swelling and provide relief from discomfort.
A statement has been made by Sundqvist that it has not been possible to isolate the specific bacteria that is responsible for acute exacerbations during endodontic treatment of existing periapical inflammation. This clinical study presents specific microbial isolates from 34 intact nonvital teeth involved with acute cellulitis exacerbations during endodontic therapy. No obligate anaerobes were isolated. Forty-seven aerobic and facultative microbes were isolated. Streptococci, primarily facultative, were the major group of microbes isolated (80%); alpha hemolytic streptococci and the group D enterococcus were predominant as mixed and pure culture specimens. Gram-negative microbes as strict aerobic and facultative microbes were also reported as specific isolates. The biological role of anaerobes were discussed in primary pulpal-periapical infections. The alteration of the tissue oxidation-reduction potential, (Eh) is proposed as an etiologic factor in cellulitis exacerbations during endodontic treatment. This is further substantiated in the Part 2 report. Attention is drawn to the pathogenic potential of streptococci and other microbes isolated in this study.
An asymptomatic abscessed maxillary premolar, which had undergone previous endodontic treatment, was retreated. The initial attempt to remove the silver cone seal was unsuccessful. Early the next morning, the patient appeared with a severe cellulitis exacerbation. The silver cone was now loose: a lateral "blowout." Specific cultures of the silver cone and exudate revealed three aerobic microbes: a Streptococcus sp and two obligate Pseudomonas spp. Anaerobes were shown to be absent with anaerobic subcultures. This case would appear to substantiate the alteration of the tissue oxidation-reduction potential as the major factor in endodontic cellulitis exacerbations, as previously reported.
Das with Matusow and Goodall previously noted the rapid clinical apexogenesis of nonvital immature permanent teeth that are involved with an acute endodontic cellulitis. This apexogenesis was achieved by control of infection and by nonspecific intracanal medication without the use of calcium hydroxide. The case report confirms the clinical observations. The experimental canine endodontic cellulitis in a Cebus primate was induced as an immunologic pulp infection with a facultative Streptococcus species. The noted epithelial proliferation and organization into lacelike strands and bilaminar loops, similar to Hertwig's epithelial root sheath in root development, appear to be immunologic and genetic in origin, with an acceleration of the root maturation process.
Four neutropenic patients on a haematology ward developed orbital cellulitis due to different strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa over a 7-month period. Investigation of patients and the ward environment revealed two P. aeruginosa isolates indistinguishable from the infecting strains in a plastic washing bowl and a sink in a single cubicle respectively. These items were unlikely to have been the sources of the infecting strains but were a potential cross infection hazard. Treatment of orbital cellulitis is discussed briefly.
In neutropenic patients cellulitis caused by Gram-negative organisms may prove difficult to control and cause considerable tissue damage. Phenoxyethanol has activity against a range of bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and is absorbed by intact skin. Three severely neutropenic patients are described in whom cellulitis failed to respond to appropriate intravenous antibiotics. However the topical application of phenoxyethanol solution gave prompt local control. This cheap and nontoxic agent may give dramatic improvement in this difficult clinical situation.