Histopathology of a granulomatous lobular panniculitis in acute Q fever: a case report.

Q fever is a zoonotic infection caused by Coxiella burnetii. Two forms of the disease have been described: an acute form with pneumonia, hepatitis or a flu-like syndrome; and a chronic form in which endocarditis is the most frequent clinical expression. We report a 77 year old male with fever and an erythematous nodule on the right leg. Biopsy revealed a granulomatous lobular panniculitis with some granulomas rimmed by an eosinophilic material, giving a "doughnut" or "fibrin-ring" appearance. Q fever serological studies were positive. Cutaneous signs, among them panniculitis, are probably underestimated during the acute phase of the disease, and recognizing different granulomatous patterns may contribute to the diagnosis.

[Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a case of lymph node botryomycosis]. / Une botryomycose ganglionnaire àStaphylococcus aureus.

Botryomycosis is an uncommon chronic bacterial infection, which usually involves the skin and the subcutaneous tissues. Visceral involvement often occurs in immunodepressed patients. We describe the case of a 4-year-old boy who presented a right inguinal inflammatory mass associated with pruritic papules without fever. Blood analyses showed a substantial inflammatory syndrome and blood hypereosinophilia. Histological examination of the right inguinal lymph node showed granulomatous adenitis with a Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon surrounding Gram-positive bacteria, corresponding to Staphylococcus aureus after biopsy culture. The diagnosis of S. aureus lymph node botryomycosis was made and the child was successfully treated with a double dose of oxacillin over 3 weeks.

[Desmoplastic small round-cell tumor: two cases of diffuse abdominopelvic infiltration]. / Tumeur desmoplastique à petites cellules rondes: deux cas d'atteinte abdominopelvienne diffuse.

Desmoplastic small round-cell tumors are a rare malignant tumor that affects male children and young adults. It frequently presents as a large abdominal mass with widespread peritoneal involvement at diagnosis. We report two cases of desmoplastic small round-cell tumors, with diffuse infiltration in the abdomen and pelvis in two adult caucasian males. The first case-report is a middle-aged man and the second a young adult man with early recurrence and diffuse metastatic lymph nodes. Both tumors have a distinct morphology, a polyphenotypic differentiation and a t(11;22) (p13;q12) translocation. The prognosis remains poor and leads to death in most cases, despite surgical resection, radiotherapy and high-dose chemotherapy.