Extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in wastewaters and refugee camp in Lebanon.

AIM: To evaluate the effects of population influx of refugees on the prevalence of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in wastewater networks in Lebanon. MATERIALS & METHODS: Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing and antibiotic resistance genes typing were performed. RESULTS: 53.1% of isolates recovered from Al-Qaa refugee camp were positive for the tested resistant determinants compared with 49.1% from river effluents. All isolates carried aac(6)-1b and/or aac(3)-II; none carried armA, rmtB, ant(4')-Iia, aph(3')-Ia or carbapenemases. CTX-M-15, TEM-1, OXA-1, CMY-2 and SHV-12 were detected. Single and/or double substitutions were detected in GyrA and ParC. Phylogenetic group B2 and ST6470 were the most prevalent. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed 19 XbaI patterns and 17 pulsotypes. CONCLUSION: The introduction of novel resistance patterns into the wastewater network requires effective control.

Streptococcus pneumoniae infections in 47 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients: clinical characteristics of infections and vaccine-breakthrough infections, 1989-2005.

Streptococcus pneumoniae infections can cause serious systemic disease in patients following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and the response to pneumococcal vaccine is inadequate in most HSCT recipients. We evaluated the clinical spectrum of pneumococcal disease and vaccine-breakthrough infections in HSCT recipients at our cancer center in a retrospective analysis of all consecutive episodes of S. pneumoniae infection from 1989 through 2005. During the study period, 7888 patients underwent HSCT at our center; we identified 47 HSCT recipients with 54 S. pneumoniae infections. The overall incidence of S. pneumoniae infection was 7 per 1000 HSCTs. The incidence was higher in recipients of allogeneic grafts than in recipients of autologous grafts (9 vs. 5 per 1000 HSCTs, respectively; p

The crucial role of catheters in micrococcal bloodstream infections in cancer patients.

Micrococcus bacteria are frequently isolated from blood cultures and could represent a cause of infections associated with medical devices, particularly in immunocompromised patients; however, there is a lack of information on the management of micrococcal bacteremia. We report what is, to our knowledge, the largest series of cases of micrococcal bacteremia ever studied and the great impact of catheter removal on its outcome.

Disseminated salmonellosis in a patient treated with temozolomide.

Temozolomide is a relatively new chemotherapeutic agent frequently associated with selective CD4+ T-lymphocytopenia. Patients with cell-mediated immune defects are at higher risk for acquiring infections with Salmonella species. We describe the first case of disseminated salmonellosis in a patient treated with temozolomide.

Unusual case of pyopneumothorax in Tennessee.

Rupture of a coccidioidal pulmonary cavity with subsequent pyopneumothorax is a rare clinical event, even in areas endemic for coccidioidomycosis. Our encounter with a patient diagnosed with this condition in northeast Tennessee serves notice to clinicians that coccidioidomycosis is indeed a traveling fungal disease, and practitioners must be alert to common and uncommon manifestations of infection associated with this fungus. A literature review pertaining to coccidioidal pyopneumothorax revealed that patients usually present with a recent onset of chest pain. Serologic testing and pleural fluid culture are highly useful, and management includes surgical intervention with or without antifungal therapy.

Acute flaccid paralysis: the spectrum of a newly recognized complication of West Nile virus infection.

OBJECTIVES: Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) has recently emerged as a major central nervous system complication associated with West Nile virus (WNV) infection. The spectrum of clinical presentations of AFP in WNV infection and its sequelae have not been well-studied. METHODS: We describe three patients with AFP due to WNV infection and review the clinical presentations of 56 patients with this complication derived from published studies. RESULTS: Patients with AFP and WNV presented with a spectrum of illness ranging from single extremity paralysis to quadriparalysis with cranial nerve involvement. Patients commonly developed respiratory failure (54%) and bladder dysfunction (22%). While fever was nearly universal (92%), signs of meningismus were less common (17%). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis generally revealed a modest pleocytosis, and imaging studies were not diagnositic. Persistent neurologic impairment occurred in all survivors; overall mortality rate was high (22%) and was associated with both the extent of paralysis and advanced age. CONCLUSION: AFP in the setting of WNV is associated with significant mortality and long-term morbidity.

Jaundice secondary to isolated porta hepatis metastasis in colorectal cancer: case report and review of the literature.

Colorectal cancer occurs mainly after the age of 50. The liver is the most frequent site of metastases, although isolated metastases to the porta hepatis are rarely reported in the literature. From 1924 to 1993, only 16 cases of periportal lymph nodes metastases were reported. We report a case of jaundice secondary to porta hepatis metastases from primary colorectal cancer. The appearance of symptoms was concurrent with the elevation of carcinoembryonic antigen in our case. This emphasizes the importance of polymerase chain reaction to detect the small amount of carcinoembryonic antigen transcript in blood or in peritoneal fluid before the appearance of symptoms. Polymerase chain reaction allows the prediction of high risk of recurrence and the presence of micrometastases. More trials are needed to assess the outcome after treatment by adjuvant chemotherapy for micrometastases.