Lyme neuroborreliosis with antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid but not in serum.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To diagnose Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is tested for pleocytosis and intrathecal antibody production. The Dutch guideline for Lyme borreliosis indicates a lumbar puncture in the case of positive Borrelia serology or a strong clinical suspicion of LNB. This suggests that LNB might be underdiagnosed in patients with negative Borrelia serology and/or a minor clinical suspicion. The objective was to assess how often negative Borrelia serology occurs in the case of LNB. METHOD: A retrospective study was performed among patients with LNB visiting Gelre Hospitals between January 2007 and December 2020. Electronic medical records of patients with pleocytosis were reviewed to identify patients with LNB. Data were collected from medical records. RESULTS: Included were 127 patients with LNB, 58 of whom were children. In 67 patients Borrelia antibodies were present in both serum and CSF. In 53 of 67 patients there was intrathecal antibody production. In 28 patients there was intrathecal antibody production but serum antibodies were absent. Of patients with positive serology 77% had antibodies in CSF versus 83% of patients with negative serology (p = 0.435). Of patients with positive serology 61% had intrathecal antibody production versus 78% of patients with negative serology (p = 0.073). CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-eight LNB patients had intrathecal antibody production but no antibodies in serum. In this specific patient population, positive serum serology was not associated with antibodies in CSF nor with intrathecal antibody production. In Lyme endemic areas, in patients with symptoms suggestive for LNB, there is a need to lower the threshold for a lumbar puncture.

Long-term quality of life after endoscopic removal of sinonasal inverted papillomas: a 6-year cohort analysis in a tertiary academic hospital.

Inverted papillomas may affect the (para)nasal cavity. While some of these papillomas can undergo malignant transformation, others grow slowly and cause few if any symptoms. An endoscopic approach is seen as providing a balance between the greatest removal possible and avoiding unnecessary morbidity. However, the actual long-term quality of life of patients having undergone surgery for inverted papillomas has never been studied. Our primary aim is to assess the long-term sequelae and the quality of life of patients after endoscopic surgery of sinonasal inverted papillomas. The secondary aim is to establish which nasal symptoms, if any, are the most prevalent before and after surgery. We used the SNOT-22 questionnaire to assess the quality of life of patients who had undergone endoscopic surgery for sinonasal inverted papillomas between 2000 and 2011. Twenty-seven out of 34 patients returned the questionnaire (79 % response rate). Median follow-up was 6 years (range 1-10). Mean age was 58.9 years (range 40-85). Median SNOT-22 score was 12, while the most frequent postoperative symptom was the need to blow the nose (18 patients) and the most frequent preoperative symptom was nasal obstruction. Patients after endoscopic removal of sinonasal inverted papillomas return to an almost normal quality of life, as measured by the disease-specific questionnaire SNOT-22. The most frequent symptom was the need to blow the nose.

Negative Myoclonus Induced by Ciprofloxacin.

BACKGROUND: Negative myoclonus is characterized by a brief sudden loss of muscle activity, and can be caused by a variety of acquired factors and epilepsy syndromes. PHENOMENOLOGY SHOWN: We show a clear video example of a patient with an extensive negative myoclonus that was induced by ciprofloxacin. EDUCATIONAL VALUE: Several neurotoxic effects have been associated with the use of ciprofloxacin, but negative myoclonus has not been reported previously.

Zoonotic bacterial meningitis in human adults.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology, etiology, clinical characteristics, treatment, outcome, and prevention of zoonotic bacterial meningitis in human adults. METHODS: We identified 16 zoonotic bacteria causing meningitis in adults. RESULTS: Zoonotic bacterial meningitis is uncommon compared to bacterial meningitis caused by human pathogens, and the incidence has a strong regional distribution. Zoonotic bacterial meningitis is mainly associated with animal contact, consumption of animal products, and an immunocompromised state of the patient. In a high proportion of zoonotic bacterial meningitis cases, CSF analysis showed only a mildly elevated leukocyte count. The recommended antibiotic therapy differs per pathogen, and the overall mortality is low. CONCLUSIONS: Zoonotic bacterial meningitis is uncommon but is associated with specific complications. The suspicion should be raised in patients with bacterial meningitis who have recreational or professional contact with animals and in patients living in regions endemic for specific zoonotic pathogens. An immunocompromised state is associated with a worse prognosis. Identification of risk factors and underlying disease is necessary to improve treatment.

Campylobacter Fetus Meningitis in Adults: Report of 2 Cases and Review of the Literature.

The zoonotic pathogen Campylobacter fetus is a rare cause of bacterial meningitis. Little is known about the clinical characteristics, predisposing factors and outcome of C fetus meningitis in adults.We report cases of C fetus meningitis in a nationwide cohort study of adult bacterial meningitis patients in the Netherlands and performed a review of the literature.Two patients with C fetus meningitis were identified from January 2006 through May 2015. The calculated annual incidence was 0.02 per million adults. Combined with the literature, we identified 22 patients with a median age of 48 years. An immunocompromised state was present in 16 patients (73%), mostly due to alcoholism (41%) and diabetes mellitus (27%). The source of infection was identified in 13 out of 19 patients (68%), consisting of regular contact with domestic animals in 5 and working on a farm in 4. Recurrent fever and illness was reported in 4 patients (18%), requiring prolonged antibiotic treatment. Two patients died (9%) and 3 survivors (15%) had neurological sequelae.C fetus is a rare cause of bacterial meningitis and is associated with an immunocompromised state. Based on the apparent slow clinical response seen in this limited number of cases, the authors of this study recommend a prolonged course of antimicrobial therapy when C fetus is identified as a causative agent of bacterial meningitis. Cases appeared to do best with carbapenem therapy.

Streptococcus suis Meningitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Streptococcus suis is the most common cause of meningitis in pork consuming and pig rearing countries in South-East Asia. We performed a systematic review of studies on S. suis meningitis to define the clinical characteristics, predisposing factors and outcome. METHODOLOGY: Studies published between January 1, 1980 and August 1, 2015 were identified from main literature databases and reference lists. Studies were included if they were written in West-European languages and described at least 5 adult patients with S. suis meningitis in whom at least one clinical characteristic was described. FINDINGS: We identified 913 patients with S. suis meningitis included in 24 studies between 1980 and 2015. The mean age was 49 years and 581 of 711 patients were male (82%). Exposure to pigs or pork was present in 395 of 648 patients (61%) while other predisposing factors were less common. 514 of 528 patients presented with fever (97%), 429 of 451 with headache (95%), 462 of 496 with neck stiffness (93%) and 78 of 384 patients (20%) had a skin injury in the presence of pig/pork contact. The case fatality rate was 2.9% and hearing loss was a common sequel occurring in 259 of 489 patients (53%). Treatment included dexamethasone in 157 of 300 (52%) of patients and was associated with reduced hearing loss in S. suis meningitis patients included in a randomized controlled trial. CONCLUSION: S. suis meningitis has a clear association with pig and pork contact. Mortality is low, but hearing loss occurs frequently. Dexamethasone was shown to reduce hearing loss.

The Bruckner test variant (BTV): a promising instrument in detecting vision disorders.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In the Netherlands, children are screened for amblyopia based on the early detection of visual disorders (VOV) protocol by child health care physicians. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the Brückner test variant (BTV) as an alternative method was assessed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this historical prospective analysis, the results of the VOV and BTV methods were compared. Results at the ages of 15 and 27 months of 414 children were compared against diagnosis by the ophthalmologist; follow-up was at 72 months. RESULTS: Visual disorders were found in 12 of 15 children (14 had an abnormal BTV) who underwent ophthalmological examination. The PPV of the BTV was 86%; 12 of the 14 children with an abnormal BTV had a vision disorder in the preverbal phase. CONCLUSION: The BTV is superior to the VOV method in the early detection of vision disorders and could be a cost-effective public health intervention.