Diffuse Unilateral Subacute Neuroretinitis Caused by Ancylostoma Hookworm.

Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis is an ocular infectious disease caused by several distinct nematodes. Definite identification of the involved nematodes is rarely achieved. We report on the molecular-based genetic identification of an Ancylostoma ceylanicum hookworm implicated in a case of diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis in a child.

Outcome of second- and third-line Helicobacter pylori eradication therapies based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the outcome of antimicrobial susceptibility-guided therapies in Helicobacter pylori-infected individuals who had undergone unsuccessful prior eradication treatments. METHODS: From October 2004 to December 2013, 481 H. pylori-positive patients with prior unsuccessful eradication treatments were administered susceptibility-guided salvage eradication treatments. Six months on, treatment outcome was assessed by urea breath test, stool antigen ELISA, Helicobacter urease test or microbiology and/or histopathology. RESULTS: Resistance to metronidazole and clarithromycin was high in patients with prior unsuccessful eradication treatments and was dependent on the number of treatment failures. Susceptibility-guided salvage eradication treatments achieved eradication rates of nearly 70% in these patients. No particular regimen was significantly better than another. CONCLUSIONS: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing prevents prescription of inefficient antimicrobials and enables individualized and promising salvage treatments in patients with prior unsuccessful eradication treatments.

Prospective multicentre study on antimicrobial resistance of Helicobacter pylori in Germany.

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial resistance of Helicobacter pylori endangers the successful eradication of the bacteria. The aim of this prospective surveillance study (ResiNet) is to continuously keep antimicrobial resistance of H. pylori in Germany under surveillance and to identify risk factors for its development. METHODS: From July 2001 until December 2012, we tested the antimicrobial susceptibility of H. pylori strains isolated from 1651 prospectively enrolled patients. We analysed clinical and epidemiological data and identified risk factors for the development of resistance. RESULTS: Average primary resistances were 29.4% for metronidazole, 6.7% for clarithromycin and 3.1% for both antimicrobials. Prior unsuccessful eradication treatments, female sex and country or continent of origin were identified as independent risk factors for development of resistance. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori-positive patients without prior eradication therapy can be treated empirically; antimicrobial susceptibility testing is recommended in previously unsuccessfully treated patients and in patients who have received antimicrobial chemotherapies due to unrelated bacterial infections.

Culture of a gastric non-Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter from the stomach of a 14-year-old girl.

Helicobacter felis belongs to the fastidious gastric non-Helicobacter pylori helicobacter species that are typically found in the stomach of cats and dogs. These bacteria have the potential to colonize the human stomach and are then associated with gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcers, and MALT lymphoma. Strains cultured from the human stomach are rare. Here, we present the first isolation of H. felis from a gastric biopsy specimen of a 14-year-old girl who presented with persistent epigastric pain. The strain was cultured using our routine protocol for H. pylori and identified by phylogenetic analyses of partial urease AB and gyrB gene sequences.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum strains from voles and shrews exhibit specific ankA gene sequences.

BACKGROUND: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a Gram-negative bacterium that replicates obligate intracellularly in neutrophils. It is transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks and causes acute febrile disease in humans, dogs, horses, cats, and livestock. Because A. phagocytophilum is not transmitted transovarially in Ixodes spp., it is thought to depend on reservoir hosts to complete its life cycle. In Europe, A. phagocytophilum was detected in roe deer, red deer, wild boars, and small mammals. In contrast to roe deer, red deer and wild boars have been considered as reservoir hosts for granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans, dogs, and horses according to groESL- and ankA-based genotyping. A. phagocytophilum variants infecting small mammals in Europe have not been characterized extensively to date. RESULTS: We amplified the total ankA open reading frames of 27 strains from voles and shrews. The analysis revealed that they harboured A. phagocytophilum strains that belonged to a distinct newly described ankA gene cluster. Further, we provide evidence that the heterogeneity of ankA gene sequences might have arisen via recombination. CONCLUSIONS: Based on ankA-based genotyping voles and shrews are unlikely reservoir hosts for granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans, dogs, horses, and livestock in Europe.

Rhino-orbitocerebral zygomycosis caused by Conidiobolus incongruus in an immunocompromised patient in Germany.

Mucorales (subphylum Mucoromycotina) are well-known agents of invasive mucormycosis, whereas Entomophthorales (subphylum Entomophthoromycotina) are rarely encountered in human diseases in temperate zones. Here we report a fatal case of invasive rhino-orbitocerebral entomophthoramycosis caused by Conidiobolus incongruus in a 78-year-old woman with myelodysplastic syndrome.

Analysis of the population structure of Anaplasma phagocytophilum using multilocus sequence typing.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that replicates in neutrophils. It is transmitted via tick-bite and causes febrile disease in humans and animals. Human granulocytic anaplasmosis is regarded as an emerging infectious disease in North America, Europe and Asia. However, although increasingly detected, it is still rare in Europe. Clinically apparent A. phagocytophilum infections in animals are mainly found in horses, dogs, cats, sheep and cattle. Evidence from cross-infection experiments that A. phagocytophilum isolates of distinct host origin are not uniformly infectious for heterologous hosts has led to several approaches of molecular strain characterization. Unfortunately, the results of these studies are not always easily comparable, because different gene regions and fragment lengths were investigated. Multilocus sequence typing is a widely accepted method for molecular characterization of bacteria. We here provide for the first time a universal typing method that is easily transferable between different laboratories. We validated our approach on an unprecedented large data set of almost 400 A. phagocytophilum strains from humans and animals mostly from Europe. The typability was 74% (284/383). One major clonal complex containing 177 strains was detected. However, 54% (49/90) of the sequence types were not part of a clonal complex indicating that the population structure of A. phagocytophilum is probably semiclonal. All strains from humans, dogs and horses from Europe belonged to the same clonal complex. As canine and equine granulocytic anaplasmosis occurs frequently in Europe, human granulocytic anaplasmosis is likely to be underdiagnosed in Europe. Further, wild boars and hedgehogs may serve as reservoir hosts of the disease in humans and domestic animals in Europe, because their strains belonged to the same clonal complex. In contrast, as they were only distantly related, roe deer, voles and shrews are unlikely to harbor A. phagocytophilum strains infectious for humans, domestic or farm animals.

Influence of a 23S ribosomal RNA mutation in Helicobacter pylori strains on the in vitro synergistic effect of clarithromycin and amoxicillin.

BACKGROUND: Clarithromycin (CLR) is the most commonly recommended antibiotic in Helicobacter pylori eradication regimens, but the prevalence of CLR-resistant H. pylori is increasing. CLR resistance is associated with mutations in the 23S rRNA gene. However, H. pylori eradication can still be achieved with triple therapy, and an additive effect may occur with multiple antibiotics. METHODS: Twenty-six CLR-resistant strains were examined. The MIC of clarithromycin was determined by agar-dilution-testing on Columbia agar, as described elsewhere. The conserved region of the H. pylori 23S rRNA gene between nucleotide positions 1445 and 2846 [GenBank: U27270] was amplified. RFLP and sequence analysis were performed with the 1402-bp PCR product. Synergy between clarithromycin and amoxicillin was assessed using the agar dilution checkerboard technique. To confirm the correlation between mutation and synergistic effect with subinhibitory concentrations of AMX, site-directed mutagenesis was performed in four CLR-susceptible H. pylori isolates. RESULTS: Twenty-six clarithromycin-resistant strains were examined. The conserved region of the H. pylori 23S rRNA gene was amplified, and the purified PCR product was checked for mutations by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and sequencing. A synergistic effect was found in only three of the 12 H. pylori strains (25%) with the A2142G mutation and five of the 10 H. pylori strains (50%) with the A2143G mutation (fractional inhibitory concentration: FIC < 0.5, minimal inhibitory concentration: MIC<2 mg/L) was found. Site-directed mutagenesis was performed in four CLR-susceptible H. pylori isolates.Three of these isolates harboring a mutation in position A2143G grew under selection with CLR (MIC >16 mg/L), and all three strains showed the synergistic effect (FIC<0.5). In contrast, three of the same four strains transformed with DNA fragments with a mutation in position A2142G were resistant to CLR (MIC>16 mg/L) and showed no synergism with amoxicillin (FIC>2). CONCLUSIONS: Here we demonstrate that in 100% of the in vitro transformed strains, a mutation at position A2143G leads to a synergistic effect between clarithromycin and amoxicillin, whereas a mutation at position at A2142G had no discernible effect.

Sensitivity and specificity of 3-phase bone scintigraphy in the diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome of the upper extremity.

OBJECTIVES: Joint and bone alterations are seldom mentioned in the diagnostic criteria for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) even though they are important for long-term outcome. Altered periarticular bone metabolism can be detected by 3-phase bone scintigraphy (TPBS). Although frequently examining the diagnostic efficacy of TPBS is debatable. METHODS: In all, 78 TPBS (45 CRPS/33 control group) were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. Sensitivity and specificity of the qualitative blinded reviewer analysis (n=57) compared with quantitative region of interest (ROI)-based analysis over the metacarpophalangeal, proximal, and distal interphalangeal joints (n=74) were evaluated. Patients' sex, age, duration of CRPS, inciting event, extent of joint alteration, and handedness were included as covariables. RESULTS: Qualitative blinded reviewer TPBS analysis had a high specificity (83%-100%). However, sensitivity was 31% to 50%. Interrater reliability was moderate (kappa score 0.56). Using the ROI-based evaluation, the highest sensitivity (69%) and specificity (75%) (ROI score > or =1.32) was shown for phase 3, whereas sensitivity of phases 1 and 2 rapidly declined to 50%. Duration of CRPS until TPBS was the only variable with significant impact on ROI scores of phase 3 (F=23.7; P=0.000; R=0.42). ROI scores declined with increasing duration of CRPS. DISCUSSION: In conclusion, TPBS is a highly specific tool for diagnosing CRPS of the upper limb. ROI evaluation of phase 3 within the first 5 months after onset of CRPS is an appropriate additional diagnostic tool to confirm or exclude CRPS of the upper extremity.