Abdominal Surgery in Patients With COVID-19: Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Abdominal and Adipose Tissues.

Multiple tissue samples were obtained during emergent abdominal surgery in 4 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to examine for tissue involvement by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first patient underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder empyema and died from severe respiratory failure. The second patient with Crohn disease underwent emergent laparotomy for a perforation in the terminal ileum and recovered. The third patient underwent an open appendectomy and recovered. The fourth patient underwent emergent laparotomy for a perforated peptic ulcer and died from sepsis. Although the SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in the feces of 3 patients and in the duodenal wall of the patient with perforated peptic ulcer, real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) examination of abdominal fluid was negative for the virus. The RT-PCR did not detect viral RNA in the wall of small intestine, appendix, gallbladder, bile, liver, and urine. Visceral fat (omentum) and abdominal subcutaneous fat of 4 patients were also not infected with the SARS-CoV-2. Although this limited experience did not show direct involvement of abdominal fluid and omentum, assessment in large series is suggested to provide answers about the safety of abdominal surgery in patients with COVID-19.

Early diagnosis and successful treatment of cytomegalovirus peritonitis in children with primary nephrotic syndrome: case series and literature review.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a major pathogen in immunocompromised population and CMV infections in immunocompromised patients cause substantial morbidity and mortality. The common clinical manifestations of CMV infection are pneumonia, hepatitis, colitis and so on, while CMV peritonitis without gut perforation is rare. Reviewing the literature, CMV peritonitis in patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) had not been reported. Only four cases of CMV peritonitis without gut perforation were reported in adults with other diseases. Two cases were diagnosed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of ascites while the other two cases by histopathological examination of peritoneal tissue. We report four cases of primary nephrotic syndrome complicated with CMV peritonitis. Four cases all diagnosed by RT-PCR of ascites (659-455 000 copies/mL). We mainly discusses the diagnosis and treatment of CMV peritonitis without gut perforation.

Cytomegalovirus peritonitis after kidney transplantation diagnosed through histopathological examination.

Among organ transplant recipients, cytomegalovirus (CMV) commonly results in various types of infection such as pneumonitis, hepatitis, and enterocolitis. However, CMV peritonitis is very rare and difficult to diagnose owing to lack of visible clinical signs. We present a case of a 35-year-old female kidney recipient who developed abdominal pain and urinary retention caused by CMV peritonitis. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of CMV peritonitis after organ transplantation to be diagnosed through histopathological examination.

Opportunistic cytomegalovirus infection causing colonic perforation in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

We present the case of a 58-year-old woman with a long-standing history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who developed a cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection with colonic perforation and subsequent purulent peritonitis whilst using combined immunosuppressive therapy. The pathogenesis and the clinical presentation of this unique case is discussed in detail. Opportunistic infection should always be kept in mind in SLE patients presenting with fever. Viral serology should be routinely performed in these patients, especially when immunosuppressive therapy is given, to avoid delay in instituting adequate management and therapy.

Natural history of hepatitis B virus-related cirrhotic patients hospitalized to control ascites.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Few studies have assessed the natural history of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related cirrhotic ascites. We investigated the natural history of patients with HBV-related cirrhotic ascites hospitalized to control ascites and determined their prognosis, including survival rates and prognostic factors affecting survival. METHODS: Between January 1996 and December 2005, 203 consecutive patients with HBV-related cirrhotic ascites were followed for a median of 80.7 months (range, 15-149) after their first significant ascitic decompensation that required hospitalization. RESULTS: The mean age of all patients was 52.6 years. Male gender predominated (male/female, 138/65). A subgroup analysis of 165 patients who had ascitic decompensation as their first episode of hepatic decompensation revealed that gastrointestinal variceal bleeding developed after a median interval of 8 months following ascitic decompensation in 31 (18.8%) patients, hepatic encephalopathy occurred at 9 months in 53 (32.1%), spontaneous bacterial peritonitis appeared at 12.7 months in 24 (14.5%), hepatorenal syndrome occurred at 8.1 months in five (3%), and hepatocellular carcinoma was observed at 21.2 months in 10 (6.1%). The overall median survival was 12.4 months. The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 50.7 and 18.7%. The prognostic factors that independently correlated with survival at the time of ascitic decompensation were Child-Pugh classification B/C (P = 0.030), serum white blood cell (WBC; P = 0.035), serum creatinine (Cr; P = 0.039), serum sodium (Na; P = 0.010), and antiviral therapy (P = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of HBV-related cirrhotic patients with ascitic decompensation is poor. Child-Pugh class, serum WBC/Cr/Na, and antiviral therapy primarily influenced survival.

Fetal peritonitis due to appendiceal rupture: a rare complication of hydrops.

A rare complication (appendiceal perforation with meconium peritonitis) was observed in a second trimester fetus affected by nonimmune fetal hydrops due to parvovirus B-19 infection. The complication is not considered specific to this or any other etiology for hydrops, which is highly heterogeneous; rather it is an expression of the fragility and friability of edematous tissues.

The Role of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria in Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Infections: A Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Peritonitis is one of the most frequent reasons for withdrawal of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Although most cases of PD-related peritonitis can be treated with antibiotics, it is occasionally refractory and culture-negative. SUMMARY: The causes of refractory PD-related peritonitis include antibiotic-resistant bacteria, fungal peritonitis, biofilm formation in PD catheters, bacterial translocation from the gastrointestinal tract, and encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis. Among them, culture-negative peritonitis is notable, and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) can be a cause of culture-negative peritonitis. In the present study, the treatment and outcomes of NTM peritonitis and exit site infections were investigated by collecting data from relevant reviews published during the last 10 years. Catheter removal was required in 92.2% of the patients with NTM peritonitis, and withdrawal of PD was performed in 91.9%. The overall mortality rate (including unrelated deaths) was 12.4% in patients with NTM peritonitis. Among patients with NTM exit site infections, 33.3% developed peritonitis, and catheter removal was required in 50.0%. A lower percentage of patients stopped PD when the catheter was removed without developing peritonitis (37.5%) than when it was removed after the onset of peritonitis (91.9%). Changing the exit site or unroofing was performed in 12.5% of the patients with NTM exit site infections. In addition, these infections resolved with antibiotics alone or without antibiotics in 18.8 and 12.5% of the patients, respectively, while 6.25% of the patients died. Key Messages: NTM peritonitis often requires catheter removal or withdrawal of PD, and the associated mortality is not low. Thus, prevention of NTM peritonitis is important. In patients with NTM exit site infections, appropriate antimicrobial therapy and/or PD catheter removal should be performed to prevent peritonitis.

SEN virus infection in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND: Many reports have demonstrated SEN virus (SEN-V) infection rates in hemodialysis patients, but the SEN-V infection rate in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients has never been reported. In this study, we determined the prevalence rate of SEN-V viremia in a PD population. METHODS: Serum samples from 47 PD patients and a control group of 43 subjects from the general population at their health examination were assayed for SEN-V-D and -H viremia using polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The proportions of female gender (p = 0.001), previous transfusion (p < 0.0001), and higher mean serum AST level (p = 0.012) were significantly higher in PD patients. The prevalence rates of SEN-V-D and/or -H viremia were not significantly different between PD patients and controls (27.7% vs 32.6%). SEN-V-D(+) patients had lower mean duration of PD than SEN-V(-) patients. Mean ALT level was significantly lower in SEN-V-H(+) than in SEN-V(-) patients (12.8 +/- 5.8 vs 19.6 +/- 12.1 (IU/L), p = 0.025). None of the SEN-V-infected PD patients had overt clinical or biochemical signs of liver disease. There were no statistically significant differences in prevalence of SEN-V-D and/or -H viremia between automated PD (APD) patients and continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD) patients. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the SEN-V infection rate is not different between healthy individuals and PD patients. Infection with SEN-V is not associated with evident liver disease in PD patients and SEN-V infection rate is not different between APD patients and CAPD patients.

[Gastrointestinal opportunistic infections and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Case report]. / Infezioni opprtuniste gastrointestinali e HIV. Caso clinico.

There have been millions of people found to have AIDS. Death rates from AIDS have declined 15% to 20% in the past 5 years. However, nearly 75000 people will die with AIDS in this year. Patients with AIDS are also at risk for developing both Aids-defining cancers, such as Kaposi's sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and non-Aids-defining cancers and opportunistic infections. In patients with advanced Aids, the Cytomegalovirus is a frequent cause of chorioretinitis, pneumonitis, chronic perineal ulcerations and oesophagitis. It has been involved in endocrine, bone marrow, central nervous system and kidney abnormalities. CMV infection of the small bowel accounts for only 4.3% of all cytomegalovirus infection of the GI tract (large bowel 47%, duodenum 21,7%, stomach 17,4%); isolated cases of small bowel perforation due to CMV have been reported in AIDS patients, and all but one patient died. The Authors report a rare case of an HIV-positive young man with gastroenteric Cytomegalovirus infection responsible for generalized peritonitis from multiple perforations.

Cytomegalovirus Peritonitis Without Gut Perforation But With Concomitant Colitis After a Liver Allograft Transplant.

We present a 24-year-old man who developed primary cytomegalovirus peritonitis without gut perforation, but with concomitant colitis 6 weeks after liver transplant from a deceased donor for end-stage liver disease because of primary sclerosing cholangitis. The patient was treated only medically, with no need for surgery, and is well at 12 months. This case represents the need for suspicious for cytomegalovirus peritonitis in the appropriate setting in post liver transplant even in the absence of perforation.

A cloudy bag and genital ulcers.

A 30-year-old patient treated with CCPD presented with genital ulcers and a culture-negative peritonitis. Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was cultured from the effluent and the genital lesions. Primary HSV-2 infection was diagnosed by serology. This is the first documented case of PD peritonitis caused by HSV-2. We speculate that cases of culture-negative PD peritonitis may be due to recurrences of genital herpes.

Primary pneumococcal peritonitis as a presenting feature of HIV infection.

We report a case of primary pneumococcal peritonitis in a 28-year old previously healthy woman. There are no previously reported associations between this rare form of spontaneous peritonitis and HIV infection, and it is usually associated with underlying cirrhosis, ascites or other immune compromise. In this case this was the presenting illness of HIV infection. When atypical infections such as this arise in previously healthy adults the clinician must have a high index of suspicion of HIV or other underlying immunodeficiency.

Primary herpetic peritonitis causing intestinal perforation: case report and review of the literature.

Peritonitis of viral etiology is rarely reported in the literature; a prior report described a patient undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis who had the disease. We report a case of primary herpetic peritonitis (the agent of which was typed by polymerase chain reaction as herpes simplex virus biotype 1), which caused intestinal perforation, and we review the current literature and provide possible pathophysiologic mechanisms.

Detection of feline coronaviruses by culture and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction of blood samples from healthy cats and cats with clinical feline infectious peritonitis.

A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for the detection of the feline coronavirus (FCoV) genome and a co-cultivation method for the isolation of field strains of FCoV are described. Using the RT-PCR assay to assess blood samples from cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) (n = 47) and healthy cats from households with endemic FCoV (n = 69) it was shown that approximately 80% of the cats were viraemic, irrespective of their health status. It was also shown that, over a 12-month period, a similar percentage of healthy cats remained viraemic, and that the presence of viraemia did not appear to predispose the cats to the development of FIP. The co-cultivation system proved to be a suitable method for the culture of field strains of FCoV from blood samples, so long as the cultures were maintained for at least 4 weeks. Using this system, followed by the RT-PCR, viraemia was detected as frequently as by RT-PCR on RNA extracted directly from peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Emergency surgery for generalized peritonitis caused by cytomegalovirus colitis in a patient with AIDS.

Cytomegalovirus infection of the colon is a late and severe complication in human immunodeficiency virus patients. Despite availability of medical treatment, occasional life-saving emergency surgery must be performed. The controversial surgical aspects of treatment are discussed based upon an unusual case of aseptic generalized peritonitis without perforation. The feasibility and value of limited resection are emphasized.

Peritonitis, moderate ascites and hepatitis due to infection with Chlamydia trachomatis and Epstein-Barr virus in a young woman. Diagnosis by polymerase chain reaction from peritoneal tissue.

Perihepatitis with ascites is a well-known presentation of pelvic inflammatory disease due to Chlamydia trachomatis. Diagnosis is based on the presence of IgM antibodies or positive culture from cervical samples or ascites. We describe a young woman with a concomitant infection of C. trachomatis and Epstein-Barr virus presenting with fever, hepatitis and ascites. Cultures remained negative and other tests were--at first--inconclusive. Diagnosis was ultimately established by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and RNA in situ hybridisation of peritoneal tissue obtained at laparoscopy.

An association exists between bovine herpesvirus-4 seropositivity and abortion in cows.

The prevalence of cattle seropositive to bovine herpesvirus-4 (BHV-4) is high in Belgium. In Belgian farms, clinical signs associated with BHV-4 infection essentially involve the genital tract and consist mainly of postpartum metritis or metroperitonitis. The role of BHV-4 in abortion has not been definitively demonstrated but epidemiological and experimental facts suggest its involvement. A seroepidemiological investigation was therefore conducted as a case-control study to compare the seroprevalences of BHV-4 infections in the aborted-cow population and in a randomly selected control group in the province of Liège (Belgium). The seroprevalence (17.2%) in aborted cows was significantly higher than that of the control group (10.0%). The odds ratio (OR) was 1.87 (1.06 < 3.30). BHV-4 infection is therefore considered as a risk factor for abortion in cows.

The occurrence of avian influenza A subtype H6N2 in commercial layer flocks in Southern California (2000-02): clinicopathologic findings.

Between February 2000 and February 2002, the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System diagnosed 26 cases of low-pathogenic H6N2 avian influenza from 12 commercial egg-laying farms. The most common gross and histologic lesions observed in infected chickens were fibrinous yolk peritonitis, salpingitis, oophoritis, and nephritis. Edema of the mesentery of the oviduct and pale, swollen kidneys were also observed. Mortality in infected flocks ranged from 0.25% to 3%, and egg production dropped 7% to 40%.

MHV-induced fatal peritonitis in mice lacking IFN-gamma.

IFN-gamma gene was disrupted by homologous recombination in A3-1 embryonic stem cells. Germinally transmitted chimeric mice were successfully obtained and backcrossed with C57BL/6 (B6) mice 5 or 6 times. Deficiency of IFN-gamma in homozygous mice was confirmed by northern blot analysis of spleen cells stimulated with phorbor esther and calcium ionophore and also by IFN-gamma production in the culture supernatant of spleen cells stimulated with the same reagents. B6 mice lacking IFN-gamma were infected intraperitoneally (ip) with 10(6) PFU of JHMV and monitored for their survival. Approximately 90% of the mice died at 50 days post-infection (pi) and the mean survival time was 28 days. Mice sacrificed at 3 weeks pi showed severe peritonitis accompanying the accumulation of a viscous fluid in the abdominal and thoracic cavities. Microscopically, the disease was characterized by disseminated granulomatous inflammation and exudative fibrinous serositis in the abdominal cavity. Infectious virus was isolated in most tissues including the liver, spleen, kidney, pancreas and lung during the experimental periods. The disease was not observed in wild-type or heterozygous littermates infected i.p. with JHMV. These results suggest that IFN-gamma plays a critical role in MHV infection in mice. This experimental model may provide a unique opportunity to address the pathogenesis of virus-induced peritonitis such as feline infectious peritonitis in cats.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome mimicking acute abdomen.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a novel epidemic disease. The clinical presentation can sometimes be very non-specific. The present study reports a case of SARS, which presented as acute abdomen, warranting laparotomy. The atypical presentation in the present case reminded us of the importance of strict infection control measures in all surgery-related specialist workplaces.