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[Outpatient antibiotherapy in children with neutropenia and fever. A review of the literature].

NEW STRATEGIES: Fever in a neutropenic patient requires the rapid initiation of a broad spectrum antibiotic and continued until correction of the neutropenia. Several studies have been conducted recently in order to define the populations of children in whom the antibiotherapy could be suspended early without risk of relapse of fever and/or severe infection. Moreover, the high costs of hospitalisation and the limited number of beds in the departments of Paediatric Oncology Haematology have led to studies on the feasibility of an antibiotherapy at home. THE EARLY SUSPENSION OF THE ANTIBIOTHERAPY: The criteria retained in several studies for the early suspension of the antibiotherapy have been: apyrexia for at least 24 hours, a satisfactory clinical status, the absence of positive haemocultures and haematological signs showing the end of aplasia in patients in remission of their disease. Studies have confirmed the possibility of early suspension of intravenous antibiotics in low-risk patients, without fever and without microbiological signs. THE PLACE OF ORAL ANTIBIOTICS: In several comparative studies, the success rate with intravenous antibiotics and oral antibiotics was comparable. The rate of failures was greater in patients with severe initial neutropenia. OUTPATIENT ANTIBIOTICS: In children, 2 types of studies have been conducted. The first studied the feasibility of an antibiotherapy at home following antibiotherapy in the hospital in order to reduce the costs and duration of hospitalisation. The others proposed an antibiotherapy at home from the start, either with the intravenous or the oral route. Following all these studies, it appeared that, in certain low-risk neutropenic children with fever, not only the antibiotics could be suspended before the complete correction of the neutropenia, but also a large spectrum oral antibiotherapy could replace the intravenous antibiotherapy and outpatient treatment would therefore be feasible.

Ambulatory Care↗

[Urticarial vasculitis as a symptom of Muckle-Wells syndrome?].

A patient is reported with a history of several years of chronic urticaria, transient fever, arthralgias and secondary systemic amyloidosis. A biopsy of an urticarial lesion showed necrotizing vasculitis and amyloid deposits in the eccrine sweat glands. Amyloid A deposits were also detected in kidney and rectum biopsies. This patient is likely to represent a variant of the Muckle-Wells syndrome (chronic relapsing urticaria, fever, arthralgia, deafness and renal amyloidosis). Hitherto undescribed is the presence of a necrotizing vasculitis as cause of the urticarial rash; further investigation will determine whether or not this finding represents the rule rather than an exception.

Adult↗

[Erythema annulare centrifugum and relapsing polychondritis].

BACKGROUND: Relapsing polychondritis is a rare systemic disease. Skin involvement occurs in 20 to 50 % of cases. Cutaneous signs are most often related to a leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Association of relapsing polychondritis with neutrophilic dermatosis have also been reported. We report the first case of an erythema annulare centrifugum-like dermatosis associated with relapsing polychondritis, with a two years delay between both conditions. CASE REPORT: A 74 year-old man was seen for papulo-erythematous centrifugal annular lesions that appeared 18 months earlier in a context of bad general conditions. Biological tests were normal. Several skin biopsies were performed, showing at the beginning features of drug reaction and then of lupus-lichen. Treatment with hydroxychloroquine, topical corticosteroids, dapsone and thalidomide were unsuccessful. In the following months, the patient developed fever and relapsing bronchitis. Suddenly, a chondritis of the ears appeared, leading to the diagnosis of relapsing polychondritis. All the cutaneous, chondritic and respiratory signs disappeared with oral steroid therapy. Two years after the diagnosis of relapsing polychondritis the patient developed refractory anemia. DISCUSSION: Cutaneous signs of relapsing polychondritis are frequent and may occur several months or years before the chondritis. They are polymorphous, but to the best of our knowledge, a clinical aspect of erythema annulare centrifugum has never been described. Our observation recalls the sometimes long delay between the cutaneous and the chondritic signs of relapsing polychondritis and the high frequency of dysmyelopoiesis in relapsing polychondritis with cutaneous involvement.

Aged↗

Drug eruption due to peplomycin: an unusual form of Stevens-Johnson syndrome with pustules.

A rare case of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) due to peplomycin in a 48-year-old man is described. The patient had squamous cell carcinoma on the scalp and underwent preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy with peplomycin. On the fifth day of the chemotherapy, he developed a fever and multiple dusky violaceous erythematous areas and pustules on his trunk, thighs, and palms. Erosive erythema and erosions also developed on his soles, scrotum, and oral mucosa. A biopsy specimen taken from the eruption on the thigh revealed marked liquefaction degeneration of the basal layer of the epidermis. Laboratory examinations demonstrated aggravation of liver function. Additionally, the patient developed conjunctivitis and corneal erosions. Although he had some subcorneal pustules, we diagnosed the case as an unusual form of SJS because of severe mucous membrane involvement. Oral prednisolone was administered, and the symptoms subsided. Then the patient underwent wide local excision. One month after surgery, we performed patch tests and a lymphocyte stimulation test with negative results. Then we re-administered peplomycin starting with 1/20 of a daily dose and gradually increasing the dose each day. After administration of the regular daily dose, the patient had a relapse of fever, eruptions, stomatitis, corneal erosions, and liver dysfunction. Therefore, a definite diagnosis of drug eruption due to peplomycin was made.

Biopsy, Needle↗

[Borreliosis and pregnancy. (Review of the literature apropos of 1 case)].

It exists, essentially, in two, epidemiological forms: recurrent fever (FR) carried by fleas, resulting in wide scale epidemics; recurrent fever carried by ticks (soft ticks) of the ornithodorus type which results in localized, endemo-sporadic manifestations throughout the world. The second type is the main one in these regions, but the first is not uncommon. The report covers a peculiar case of flea-borne borreliosis occurring in a pregnant woman and associated with the presence of HBS antigen and plasmodium falciparum malaria. Although the review of literature is not exhaustive, the affliction, notably its obstetric implications, are highlighted.

Adult↗

[Treatment of Borrelia infected ticks (author's transl)].

The Ornithodorus tholozani, carrier and main reservoir of Borrelia persica, causing agent of the regional recurrent fever in Iran, gets rid of the infection by stuffing in blood containing a cycline type antibiotic, in an adequate concentration. The treatment efficiency is 100%, confirmed on 60 infected ticks who showed to be free from Borrelia after a treatment meal, so that the crushing of their whole body, inoculated to the guinea-pig, the most sensitive animal to Borrelia persica, remains always non pathogenic. There is not a single risk or danger, neither for man nor for the environment, in the application of this method, which ensures only the cure of Borrelia reservoir ticks, without affecting or disturbing their natural balance. This method could be used successfully in the future.

Animals↗

Outbreak of epidemic typhus associated with trench fever in Burundi.

BACKGROUND: After a 12-year absence, epidemic typhus has re-emerged among the displaced population of Burundi. Following the outbreak of civil war in 1993, over 760000 people now inhabit refugee camps, under appalling conditions. A typhus outbreak occurred among prisoners in a jail in N'Gozi in 1995. At the time, the disease was not recognised, and was referred to as sutama. Reports of sutama among the civilian population date back to late 1995 and, in association with body-louse infestation, the disease has subsequently swept across the higher and colder regions of the country. METHODS: During a field study in February, 1997, 102 refugees with sutama underwent clinical examination and interview. Serum samples were collected and infesting body lice removed. Microbiological analysis included antibody estimations and specific PCRs aimed at diagnosis of Rickettsia prowezekii, Bartonella quintana, and Borrelia recurrentis. Between January and September, 1997, nationwide epidemiological data on the prevalence and distribution of sutama was obtained through liaison with local health services. A second field study in March, 1997, entailed the collection of further serum samples from suspected cases of sutama in different regions of Burundi. FINDINGS: Most of the 102 patients with sutama during initial assessment presented with manifestations similar to those previously described for typhus in Africa, though skin eruptions occurred in only 25 (25%) cases. Microbiological testing revealed evidence of R prowazeki infection in 76 (75%) patients, confirming that most cases of clinically-diagnosed sutama were epidemic typhus, and supporting the reliability of clinical diagnosis as a basis for the nationwide surveillance of the disease. Up to September, 1997, 45558 typhus cases were clinically diagnosed, most of which occurred in regions at an altitude of over 1500 m. Serological testing of 232 individuals from different regions of Burundi provided microbiological evidence to support clinical diagnoses in seven provinces, confirming the widespread nature of the outbreak. Serum from 13 of the original 102 patients and 19 (8%) of the 232 suspected cases had raised antibody titres against B quintana. A fatality rate of 15% among jail inmates fell to 0.5% after administration of a single dose of 200 mg doxycycline to suspected cases. INTERPRETATION: A gigantic outbreak of R prowazekii-induced typhus and B quintana-induced trench fever is continuing in Burundi. Transmission of both diseases to such a large number of people has followed a widespread epidemic of body-louse infestation. Diagnosis of typhus could be reliably made by means of clinical criteria, and the disease could be efficiently and easily treated by antibiotics. This epidemic highlights the appalling conditions in central-African refugee camps and the failure of public-health programmes to serve their inhabitants. Louse-associated disease remains a major health threat in this and other war-torn regions of the world.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

[A case of pulmonary manifestation associated with myelodysplastic syndrome].

A 69-year-old woman with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) was admitted to our hospital because of recurrent fever and pulmonary infiltration shadows. On the seventh day of hospitalization, she had an attack of high fever and cough and laboratory tests revealed an elevated leukocyte count and elevated serum C-reactive protein. Chest radiographs showed infiltration shadows in the right middle and lower lung fields. Because a diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia was initially suggested, she was treated with antibiotics. However, the infiltration shadows on the chest radiograph had not improve, so bronchofiberscopy was performed. Analysis of fluid obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) showed an increase in the total cell count, predominantly in lymphocytes and neutrophils. A transbronchial biopsy specimen showed infiltration of numerous neutrophils with necrosis under the bronchial epithelium, and edematous septa were infiltrated with numerous neutrophils and lymphocytes. BAL, blood, urine, bone marrow, and sputum cultures were all free of bacteria, mycobacteria and fungi. Interstitial infiltration by numbers of neutrophils associated with MDS was diagnosed and steroid treatment was performed.

Aged↗

[The causes of death of patients with rheumatic diseases in Moscow].

The study was held in order to analyze the main causes of death in cases of rheumatic diseases (RD) in Moscow. The authors studied the pathology records of autopsies performed in 1999-2002 in two pathology departments of Moscow clinics. Cases with RD were selected. The study found 165 cases of RD, which constituted 2% of all autopsies performed in these departments. There were 99 cases (60%) of rheumatic heart disease (RHD), 4 cases (2.4%) of rheumatic fever (RF) relapse, 28 cases (17%) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 8 cases (4.8%) of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 3 cases (1.8%) of scleroderma systematica (SS), 2 cases (1.2%) of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 2 cases (1.2%) of systemic vasculitis (SPV), 11 cases (7.3%) of osteoarthrosis, 3 cases (1.8%) of gout, 1 case (0.6%) of polymyositis. The death of patients with RHD had been caused by hemodynamic decompensation (HD) in 54% of the cases, acute cardiovascular collapse (ACC) in 14% of the cases, 6% of the patients had died from thromboembolism (TE) and 26%--from other conditions (intoxication, uremia, brain and lung edema etc). The death of patients with RF was caused by TE in 2 cases, by HD in 1 case and by ACC in 1 case. Secondary amyloidosis resulting in chronic renal failure and uremia occurred in 5 out of 28 cases of RA, HD--in 3, ACC--in 7, TE--in 1, infectious complications--in 5, other complications--in 7 cases. Patients with SLE died from various conditions: uremia in 2 cases, acute adrenal failure in 1 case, infectious complications in 2, ACC--in 2, brain edema--in 1 case. The complications of SS were uremia and intoxication. ACC was the cause of death in cases of gout and SS. The majority of RD cases were patients with RHD. The main cause of death in RD was cardiovascular disorders.

Adult↗

Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting oedema: a study of 12 cases.

Twelve patients with remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting oedema (RS3PE) were analysed. Eight of them had typical RS3PE without underlying disease, and four presented associated neoplasia. The first patients experienced an excellent response to low doses of prednisone, and they all achieved complete and permanent remission. The mean treatment duration was 18 months and the mean follow-up was 4.4 years. During the follow-up, none of these patients relapsed, had fever or general health deterioration, and hand and foot radiographs did not show erosion. One of them developed a panarteritis nodosa 6 years later. Four RS3PE patients had associated neoplasia. Two were with solid malignancies, and the other two presented haematological malignancies. In one of them RS3PE preceded the diagnosis of malignancy. The diagnosis of RS3PE in the other patients was subsequent to cancer. The first patients presented clinical characteristics suggestive of paraneoplastic RS3PE, and they had a poor response to corticosteroid therapy. Two patients died, and the rest of them had a complete response to surgical resection of the tumour or to chemotherapy. In general, idiopathic RS3PE patients do not show either general health deterioration or fever and they do respond to low doses of steroids (10 mg/day). We observed strong contrasts with the results obtained when treating RS3PE patients with associated neoplasia. In patients with RS3PE the presence of systemic symptoms along with resistance to low doses of corticosteroid therapy should alert the physician to the possible presence of malignancy.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Activation of protein mediators of inflammation and evidence for endotoxemia in Borrelia recurrentis infection.

Fifteen patients with Borrelia recurrentis infection were studied to evaluate the role of certain plasma proteins and endotoxin in the pathophysiology of both the acute illness and the Jarisch-Herxheimer-like reaction. The causative spirochetes disappeared from the blood during the Jarisch-Herxheimer-like reaction, which occurred about 2 hours after antibiotic therapy. The mean titers of Hageman factor, plasma prekallikrein and serum hemolytic complement activity were decreased at the time of admission and 2 hours after treatment, and rose to normal values during convalescence. Serum properdin titers were decreased in 14 patients at the time of admission, in 12 patients 2 hours after treatment, and in none during convalescence. The frequency of elevated levels of fibrinogen-related antigens increased from three patients at the time of admission to 12 patients 2 hours after treatment. Results of plasma limulus tests for endotoxin-like material were positive in 11 patients at the time of admission and in 13 patients 2 hours after treatment. These findings demonstrated that Hageman factor, prekallikrein and proteins of the complement system are activated in B. recurrentis infection and that endotoxin may play a role in both the acute illness and in the development of the Jarisch-Herxheimer-like reaction after treatment.

Adolescent↗

Serological markers of hepatitis B virus and certain other viruses in the population of eastern Caprivi, Namibia.

Serum samples from 475 male and 420 female subjects from the population of eastern Caprivi, the north-easternmost territory in northern Namibia, were examined for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies to HBsAg (anti-HBs) and hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc). There appeared to be a rapid acquisition of antibodies to the different markers in childhood, reaching maximum values in the 20-24 year age group. The prevalence rate for all markers was lower in eastern Caprivi than in Kavango, an area 180 km to the west. The reason for these differences is unclear. It is postulated that the hut tampan tick (Ornithodoros moubata), which has previously been shown to be implicated in the transmission of hepatitis B virus in Kavango, is more common in the latter territory than in eastern Caprivi. Huts in eastern Caprivi are usually better constructed than in Kavango, where reeds are commonly used as building material. Tampans lodge between the reeds and are more difficult to eradicate. West Nile virus was the most common of the arboviruses found in our sero-prevalence studies.

Antibodies, Viral↗

[Respiratory virosis and invasive bacterial superinfections. The case for influenza and meningococcal diseases].

The pathophysiology of bacterial superinfections of influenza, including meningococcal diseases, remains obscure. Mice, normally resistant to the meningococcus, become susceptible after previous influenza A virus infection. This immunosuppressive effect is transitory and is associated with the peak of the inflammatory anti-virus reaction. These results underline the importance of preventing bacterial superinfections of influenza by the surveillance of any relapse of fever after improvement of the influenza syndrome. At the community level, influenza vaccine, beside its specific effects, might also prevent many cases of invasive superinfections, including meningococcal diseases.

Humans↗

Antigen diversity in the bacterium B. hermsii through "somatic" mutations in rearranged vmp genes.

B. hermsii counters host immunity with multiphasic antigenic variation. This is conferred by interplasmidic and intraplasmidic rearrangements of vmp genes. In several independent events, activation of a silent vmp gene through intraplasmidic deletions but not interplasmidic recombinations was followed by the appearance at its 5' end of multiple mutations that were not present in the silent gene. The prevalence of mutant alleles in postwitch populations increased during infections. Differences between the silent and expressed genes were at the same nucleotides at which vmp pseudogenes differed, suggesting these were templates for postswitch gene conversions. The mechanism of this bacterium to generate diversity, namely, intramolecular deletions followed by mutations in the rearranged gene, mirrors the strategy used by vertebrate hosts to eliminate it.

Animals↗