Giant scrotal elephantiasis in a migrant from Niger.

We hereby describe the case of a giant scrotal elephantiasis due to infection by Wuchereria bancrofti, imported in Belgium. We briefly discuss diagnostic methods, their subtlety, and therapeutic possibilities.

A rare case of voluminous brain abscess due to Actinomyces meyeri and Aggregatibacter aphrophilus: is there any evidence for a prolonged antibiotic oral relay?

We present the case of a patient with a voluminous cerebral abscess caused by Aggregatibacter aphrophilus and Actinomyces meyeri occurring a week post dental scaling. Both these bacteria are rarely involved in brain abscesses, and so far, cases of cerebral actinomyces have mostly been treated surgically and with intravenous (IV) antibiotics for 3-4 months, then put on oral antibiotic therapy with penicillin or amoxicillin for a further 3-12 months. Our patient underwent drainage through craniotomy and was subsequently put on intravenous ceftriaxone for 3 months accompanied by brain imaging control at the end of this period which showed complete regression of the abscess. Following parenteral treatment, no oral antibiotics were given since pharmacokinetic properties do not allow to attain high tissue concentration in the brain. This treatment gave excellent results.

Mycobacterium avium complex and Cryptococcus neoformans co-infection in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Opportunistic infections (OI) are common in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Cryptococcus neoformans and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) are frequently responsible of such infections. However, concurrent infection with these two pathogens is uncommon and underreported in the literature. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe the case of a 28-year-old Caucasian Belgian patient with no travel history, who presented with low-grade fever, headache and wasting syndrome. He was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection at AIDS stage, with a HIV viral load of 506,000 viral copies/mL and a CD4 + T-cells count of 10 cells/µL. Diagnosis of disseminated Cryptococcus neoformans infection was made by positive serum cryptococcal antigen and positive culture for Cryptococcus neoformans in blood and in cerebrospinal fluid. Diagnosis of disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex infection was made by positive culture on a biopsy of a mediastinal lymph node. With adequate anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and treatment of these OIs, the patient recovered well and had a good clinical evolution. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the second case of coexistence of these two dangerous OIs reported in the post ART era. Clinicians should be aware that such co-infections still happen in high-income countries, in patients with severe immunodeficiency. Early detection and treatment of HIV is of paramount importance to prevent AIDS and its complications. We highlight the importance of thoroughly excluding all opportunistic infections in patients with newly diagnosed AIDS.Abbreviations: ABC: abacavir; AIDS: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; AFB: acid-fast bacilli; ART: antiretroviral therapy; CM: cryptococcal meningitis; CrAg: cryptococcal antigen; CSF: cerebrospinal fluid; CT: computed tomography; EACS: European AIDS Clinical Society; FTC: emtricitabine; HIC: high-income countries; HIV: human immunodeficiency virus; HIV-VL: HIV-viral load; ICP: intracranial pressure; IRIS: immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome; MAC: Mycobacterium avium complex; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; MSM: man who has sex with men; NR: normal range; OD: omne in die = once daily; OI: opportunistic infection; RAL: raltegravir; TAF: tenofovir alafenamide fumarate.

A rare case of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis presenting as organizing pneumonia due to Aspergillus niger in an immunocompetent host.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis associated with organizing pneumonia is increasingly described and mainly affects the immunocompromised individual. Most of Aspergillus invasive infections in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients are attributed to Aspergillus fumigatus. Herein we describe a clinical case of pulmonary Aspergillus niger infection presenting as an organizing pneumonia in an immunocompetent patient. A wedge resection and two successive cures of azoles (voriconazole 6 weeks then itraconazole 6 weeks) were necessary for the patient to be totally recovered. The association of OP and IPA is rare. The involvement of A. niger makes it even rarer, this is the reason why we decided to report on this case.

Incidence and Risk Factors of COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Intensive Care Unit-A Monocentric Retrospective Observational Study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is an increasingly recognized complication of COVID-19 and is associated with significant over-mortality. We performed a retrospective monocentric study in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for respiratory insufficiency due to COVID-19 from March to December 2020, in order to evaluate the incidence of CAPA and the associated risk factors. We also analysed the diagnostic approach used in our medical centre for CAPA diagnosis. We defined CAPA using recently proposed consensus definitions based on clinical, radiological and microbiological criteria. Probable cases of CAPA occurred in 9 out of 141 patients included in the analysis (6.4%). All cases were diagnosed during the second wave of the pandemic. We observed a significantly higher realization rate of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) (51.1% vs. 28.6%, p = 0.01) and Aspergillus testing (through galactomannan, culture, PCR) on BAL samples during the second wave (p < 0.0001). The testing for Aspergillus in patients meeting the clinical and radiological criteria of CAPA increased between the two waves (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, we reported a low but likely underestimated incidence of CAPA in our population. A greater awareness and more systematic testing for Aspergillus are necessary to assess the real incidence and characteristics of CAPA.

Infective endocarditis caused by Neisseria mucosa on a prosthetic pulmonary valve with false positive serology for Coxiella burnetii - The first described case.

We present a case of infective endocarditis (IE) on a prosthetic pulmonary valve in a 36-year-old patient with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). The patient underwent valve replacement surgery and active antibiotic treatment against Gram-negative cocci (Piperacillin Tazobactam then Ceftriaxone) for a total duration of 42 days with a favourable outcome. The causative agent was Neisseria mucosa which was identified on the infected valve by sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA. To our knowledge, this is the first described case of a N. mucosa infective endocarditis on a pulmonary valve. Initially, serologies performed in clinical settings by immunofluorescence for Coxiella burnetii antibodies showed a major increase in phase I IgG titers at 1024 (normal values <16) corresponding with the diagnostic criteria for Q fever endocarditis. However, this diagnosis could not be confirmed by the National Reference Center, making it the first reported case of a false positive serology for C. burnetii during an infection due to Neisseria spp.

Aggregatibacter aphrophilus spinal epidural abscess.

A 76-year-old woman with a rare case of spinal epidural abscess (SEA) that had no risk factors for such type of infection, presented symptoms of back pain, progressive neurological deficit of the lower limb and loss of sphincter control. A gadolinium-enhanced MRI confirmed the diagnosis of an SEA. The patient underwent laminectomy with surgical drainage, where cultures showed the presence of Aggregatibacter aphrophilus, a bacterium of the HACEK group (Haemophilus species, Aggregatibacter species, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella species), rarely involved in SEA. Following surgery, the patient was treated with intravenous ceftriaxone for 6 weeks, and this gave excellent results.