Comparison of two antibiotic regimens in the empirical treatment of severe childhood pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis and the treatment of community-acquired severe pneumonia is still a serious child health problem in developing countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two different antibiotic regimens in the empirical treatment of severe childhood pneumonia. METHODOLOGY: We enrolled 97 infants (aged 2-24 months) with severe community-acquired pneumonia in a randomized-controlled trial of 10 days of treatment with penicillin G+chloramphenicol (n:46) or ceftriaxone (n:51). We evaluated the effectiveness of treatments with symptoms and some laboratory tests during and at the end of the study. RESULTS: The cure rates were similar in both groups and the antibiotic regimens in all patients were found effective (P< 0.001). The number of nurse rounds was much more in penicillin plus chloramphenicol group than ceftriaxone group. CONCLUSION: Both penicillin G plus chloramphenicol and ceftriaxone are effective in the empirical treatment of severe community pneumonia of young children. In spite of more nurse visits for antibiotic treatment, penicillin G+ chloramphenicol combination may be a cheaper alternative to ceftriaxone in the treatment of childhood pneumonia.

Leptospirosis in children.

Leptospirosis has a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations varying, from inapparent influenza like illness to fulminant fatal disease with hepato-renal dysfunction and hemorrhagic phenomena. Our cases had fever, puffiness, respiratory distress and bleeding diathesis as leading manifestations. Leptospirosis was suspected in view of epidemic situation prevailing in the city. We report four cases here, three of which survived and one died.

Penicillium keratitis in vernal Keratoconjunctivitis.

We report a case of penicillium keratitis in vernal shield ulcer in the absence of corticosteroid use. This report illustrates super-added infection in vernal shield ulcer by an organism which is otherwise innocuous and forms a part of the normal ocular flora.

Mycobacterium avium complex in HIV-infected Thai children.

Of the 169 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children being cared for at Siriraj Hospital from January 1998 to September 2000, 10 had Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection; seven had disseminated disease and three had MAC pneumonia. Nine children were in the advanced stage of HIV disease at the time of diagnosis with the median CD4 count of 7 cells/mm3 and 127 cells/mm3 and the median age of 65 months and 63 months in disseminated MAC and MAC pneumonia respectively. None of these children had received prior chemoprophylaxis. Common clinical findings included prolonged fever, weight loss, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, diarrhea, anemia and leukopenia. The outcome of MAC infection was poor, with a mortality rate of 60 per cent. In in vitro susceptibility testing, clarithromycin was the least resistant drug. With the incidence rate of 2.15 per 100 person-years, the high rate of antimicrobial resistance, and the poor outcome, primary chemoprophylaxis for MAC infection in conjunction with effective antiretroviral therapy should be considered for Thai children in the advanced stage of HIV infection.

Infection in Thai patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a review of hospitalized patients.

Infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The authors conducted retrospective review of 488 admissions at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital during a 5-year period (1994-1999) to determine the infectious complications in these patients. One hundred ninety-one patients with SL2 were admitted because of infection. Lower respiratory tract infection was the most commonly found in these patients (24.6%) followed by infections of the urinary tract (15.7%), skin (15.7%), septicemia (13.6%) and the musculoskeletal system (11.5%). The most common pathogens were Salmonella spp (12.6%), while Escherichiae coli (9.9%) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (8.4), respectively.

Streptococcus suis infection in Thailand.

This is a retrospective study of Streptococcus suis infection in humans submitted to the National Streptococcal Referrence Center of Thailand from 1994 to 2001. There were 11 men and 6 women whose mean age was 46.24 years (range 1 month to 75 years). Among the men, two had known occupational and behavioral exposure to pork or meat products. Among the women, one was a butcher and three were housewives. Half of the patients had underlying diseases. One patient had congenital hydrocephalus, three patients had rheumatic heart disease and three were alcoholics. Two of these patients had a history of skin injury before infection. Nine patients had evidence of acute bacterial meningitis, four patients had infective endocarditis, two had the sepsis syndrome and two suffered from pneumonia and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. The authors suspected that many cases are not reported particularly where pig-rearing or pork consumption are common. In the absence of an effective vaccine, prevention by public health surveillance is important. Prompt treatment of any cuts and wounds among pork-handlers is a sensible precaution. Furthermore, a high index of suspicion and early detection in order to identify and apply effective antimicrobial agents is necessary to successfully treat S. suis infection.

Burkholderia pseudomallei: abscess in an unusual site.

Melioidosis is an infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is an important human pathogen in tropical area. The clinical manifestations are protean and multisystem involvement. We report an unusual case of melioidosis with abscess at root of mesentery in an elderly, non-insulin dependent diabetic Thai women. She presented with prolonged fever and chronic abdominal pain. The early clinical diagnosis was carcinomatous mass with peritonitis. Diagnosis of melioidosis arose from the surgical finding and pus culture. Treatment with surgical drainage and ceftazidime followed by co-trimoxazole plus doxycycline had a good clinical outcome.

Short-term (48 hours) versus long-term (7 days) antibiotic prophylaxis for permanent pacemaker implantation.

BACKGROUND: Infection following permanent pacemaker implantation is a dreaded complication. Antibiotic prophylaxis for 1-10 days at the time of implant has been used in the past but there is no consensus regarding its duration. We carried out a prospective, randomized study of two durations of antibiotic prophylaxis to determine which one was more effective. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-eight patients undergoing permanent pacemaker implantation for the first time were randomized to receive short duration (group A, n = 8 8) or longer duration (group B, n = 90) antibiotic prophylaxis for 2 days and 7 days, respectively. Patients in both groups received cloxacillin 2 g 2 hours prior to the procedure followed by ampicillin and cloxacillin (50 mg/kg/day in 4 divided doses) and gentamicin (3 mg/kg/day in 2 divided doses) for the respective duration. Patients were followed up for 1-17.3 months (9.3 +/- 1.8 months) in group A and 1-16.5 months (8.9 +/- 2 months) in group B. One patient in group B had an infection at the pacemaker site and two patients in each group had to undergo reimplantation due to pus in the pocket. There was no significant difference in the primary end-point in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: A short course (48 hours) of antibiotic prophylaxis following permanent pacemaker implantation is as effective as a longer course (7 days).

Neonatal Salmonella typhimurium meningitis.

Meningitis due to Salmonella is a very rare sign of Salmonellosis. A 10-day-old female premature neonate with Salmonella typhimurium meningitis is presented in this report. The clinical features, outcome and antibiotic treatment are discussed. Although it is extremely rare, Salmonella meningitis should be considered in differential diagnosis of neonatal meningitis.

Streptococcus agalactiae endocarditis.

Streptococcus agalactiae (S. agalactiae) is a rare cause of infective endocarditis, which is associated with a high mortality rate. Endocarditis in adults is generally related to immunocompromised states. We hereby report the case of a 35 year old man who presented with fever and delirium in whom aortic valve endocarditis due to S. agalactiae was detected. Though most patients with S. agalactiae endocarditis need surgical intervention along with antibiotics, our patient improved with medical therapy alone.

Early onset mixed Morganella and Klebsiella sepsis in a neonate.

A premature baby girl was delivered vaginally to a mother who had an otherwise normal pregnancy, and spontaneous premature onset of labour. She had early onset neonatal sepsis with pneumonia. The baby's blood culture as well as the amniotic membrane culture grew Morganella and Klebsiella. She recovered on appropriate antibiotics. This is only the second reported case of early onset neonatal sepsis due to Morganella. The literature is reviewed.

Current management of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori is commonly found throughout the world. It is associated with a wide range of gastroduodenal diseases. Knowledge regarding the characteristic organism, behaviour, and related clinical conditions is extensive. Indeed, the bacteria is not the only factor which can cause the diseases, the host as well as environmental factors are also important. Largely, H. pylori is disappearing worldwide due to eradication of this organism allowing frequency of an H. pylori negative ulcer to relatively increase and may be more difficult to treat. The PPI triple therapy remains the first line of treatment with quadruple therapy as the second rescue line. The rising of bacterial resistant strains is a new problem which requires new drugs to improve the efficacy of the current regimens.

Cronkhite Canada syndrome.

Cronkhite Canada syndrome is an acquired non-familial syndrome characterised by diffuse gastrointestinal polyposis with alopecia nail dystrophy and hyperpigmentation. There is chronic diarrhoea and protein losing enteropathy. The etiology of this syndrome remains obscure. The rarity of the case prompts this case report.

Streptococcus suis peritonitis: case report.

A 45-year-old Thai man who presented with peritonitis was seen in a tertiary care centre in Thailand. An exploratory laparotomy was done because of peritonitis from abdominal trauma. Postoperatively the patient received intravenous ceftriaxone and metronidazole, but he developed rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure. Hemodialysis was performed. After 8 days, the peritonitis had relapsed with hypotension. The patient was given vasopressives but clinicaly deteriorated and expired on day 11. The peritoniteal fluid culture grew Streptococcus suis serotype 2 and the organism was resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents including penicillin (MIC > 32 mcg/ml) but was susceptible to vancomycin.

Actinomicosis cervicofacial / Cervicofacial actinomycosis

Hemos considerado oportuna la presentación de 4 casos clínicos de Actinomicosis Cervicofacial vistos en la Cátedra de Dermatología de la UNT en el período 1999-2000, dada la baja frecuencia de presentación y la confusión con fístulas dentarias. Además queremos destacar la importancia del trabajo multidisciplinario (Odontólogo, Dermatólogo y Micólogo) para solucionar en totalidad el problema.

Sinusite esfenoidal com extensäo intracraniana: relato de caso e revisäo de literatura / Sphenoid sinusitis with intracranial extension: case report and review of literature

As sinusites säo entidades clínicas que raramente colocam em risco a vida dos pacientes; porém, podem eventualmente apresentar complicaçöes orbitárias, ósseas ou mesmo intracranianas. Com relaçäo a este aspecto, chama atençäo o comportamento das sinusites esfenoidais. O seio esfenóide, apesar de raramente ser o sítio isolado de um processo infeccioso, quando acometido, leva a complicaçöes em grande parte dos pacientes. Como meio para melhor controle da morbidade e mortalidade causada por esta afecçäo, devemos lembrar a importância do diagnóstico precoce e tratarnento efetivo. Os autores relatam o caso de um paciente com sinusite esfenoidal apresentando complicaçöes intracranianas, que apresentou evoluçäo satisfatória após tratamento clínico