Concentrations of Pneumococcal IgA and IgM are compromised in some individuals with antibody deficiencies.

The response to pneumococcal vaccination is assessed by measurement of antigen specific IgG only and is compromised in a number of antibody deficiencies. We measured the concentrations of Pneumococcal IgA and IgM in individuals with both normal and abnormal pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide (PCP) IgG concentrations. A higher number of individuals had abnormal pre-vaccination IgA and IgM concentrations below the lower limit of the normal range compared to the control group. Post vaccination a lower number of individuals had IgA and IgM concentrations below the upper limit of the normal range compared to the control group. Non responders had a higher percentage of individuals with a prior history of infection. In addition, individuals with a history of prior infection had lower pre- and post-vaccination concentrations of PCP IgG, IgA, and IgM. Post-vaccination IgA and IgM concentrations identified four groups of responses which correlated with prior history of infection. A higher percentage of individuals with abnormal PCP IgA and IgM concentrations had a history of prior infection compared to the percentage of individuals with normal concentrations. In individuals with an antibody deficiency, measurement of Pneumococcal IgA and IgM correlates with the number of individuals with prior history of infection.

Unusual presentation of herpes simplex virus infection in a boxer: 'Boxing glove herpes'.

Herein, we describe a patient with lesions of cutaneous herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection over the knuckles of both hands in the context of an outbreak among boxers. Interestingly, the infection had an unusually long duration (4 weeks), and was not acquired directly through skin-to-skin contact, as it usually does among athletes (herpes gladiatorum). In our case, transmission was acquired through the use of shared boxing gloves contaminated by HSV-1. To the best of our knowledge, herpes gladiatorum, or wrestler's herpes, has not been described previously in boxers and infection over the knuckles is not commonly reported.

Fatal outcome due to bacterial superinfection of eczema herpeticum in a patient with mycosis fungoides.

Kaposi varicelliform eruption or eczema herpeticum is well known to be associated with several chronic dermatoses, including atopic dermatitis, foliaceus pemphigus, seborrheic dermatitis, Darier disease, and congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma. Although less frequently, it has also been described in cases of mycosis fungoides and Sèzary syndrome. We would like to report an extremely rare case of a woman with a T-cell cutaneous lymphoma who developed disseminated cutaneous herpes simplex with S. aureus sepsis and a fatal outcome.