Treatment of Mpox with Suspected Tecovirimat Resistance in Immunocompromised Patient, United States, 2022.

Reports of tecovirimat-resistant mpox have emerged after widespread use of antiviral therapy during the 2022 mpox outbreak. Optimal management of patients with persistent infection with or without suspected resistance is yet to be established. We report a successfully treated case of severe mpox in California, USA, that had suspected tecovirimat resistance.

Case Report: Mpox - Not Just a Rash.

Mpox (formally monkeypox) is an Orthopoxvirus associated with both zoonotic and person-to-person spread. Human mpox classically presents with rash and systemic symptoms. Although sporadic outbreaks of mpox have occurred worldwide, the 2022 outbreak is the first of pandemic significance. Thousands of geographically dispersed cases were reported beginning in May 2022. The clinical presentations and outcomes of mpox infection have varied greatly based on viral clade. Further guidance is needed for clinicians to diagnose and treat this emerging infection. We present five clinical vignettes of confirmed cases diagnosed in June and July 2022 in northern California to demonstrate the range of mpox disease, including myocarditis, pharyngitis, epididymitis, and proctitis. We note a significant overlap with HIV infection and a high rate of concurrent sexually transmitted infection. Given the heterogenous presentations of mpox disease, clinicians should maintain a high degree of suspicion in patients with oropharyngeal or genital lesions, proctitis, or new rash.

Myocarditis Attributable to Monkeypox Virus Infection in 2 Patients, United States, 2022.

We report 2 immunocompetent and otherwise healthy adults in the United States who had monkeypox and required hospitalization for viral myocarditis. Both patients were unvaccinated against orthopoxviruses. They had shortness of breath or chest pain and elevated cardiac biomarkers. No immediate complications were observed. They were discharged home after symptoms resolved.

Death From Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis After Recreational Water Exposure During Recent Travel to India-Santa Clara County, California, 2020.

BACKGROUND: In February 2020, a man returned to the United States after an 11-day trip to India and died of primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), caused by nasal exposure to the free-living ameba Naegleria fowleri found in warm water. We identified potential exposures, confirmed etiology, and described the molecular epidemiology of the infection. METHODS: We reviewed medical records to describe his clinical course and interviewed his family to determine water exposures. Genotyping was performed on the N. fowleri strain and compared with North American strains through repetitive nonpolymorphic nuclear loci analysis to identify differences. We reviewed N. fowleri strains in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database (GenBank) to determine genotypes present in India. RESULTS: The patient became acutely encephalopathic 3 days after returning; the only known nasal water exposure was at an indoor swimming pool in India 5 days earlier. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing demonstrated neutrophil-predominant pleocytosis and low glucose, but negative gram stain and culture. CSF microscopy revealed trophozoites; N. fowleri was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Classical genotyping confirmed genotype I, common in the United States and among Indian strains in GenBank. The North American N. fowleri strains and the patient's strain varied at 5 nonpolymorphic loci. CONCLUSIONS: A man died from PAM after likely exposure at a vacation rental pool in India. We recommend including PAM in the differential diagnosis when CSF studies suggest bacterial meningitis but gram stain is negative. Genotyping can advance our understanding of N. fowleri molecular epidemiology and support future investigations.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and influenza co-infection in immunocompetent hosts: case reports and review of the literature.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is classically considered an illness of severely immunocompromised patients with limited host defenses. However, IPA has been reported in immunocompetent but critically ill patients. This report describes two fatal cases of pathologically confirmed IPA in patients with influenza in the intensive care unit. One patient had influenza B infection, whereas the other had influenza A H1N1. Both patients died despite broad-spectrum antimicrobials, mechanical ventilation, and vasopressor support. Microscopic and histologic postmortem examination confirmed IPA. Review of the English language and foreign literature indicates that galactomannan antigen testing and classic radiologic findings for IPA may not be reliable in immunocompetent patients. Respiratory cultures which grow Aspergillus species in critically ill patients, particularly those with underlying influenza infection, should not necessarily be disregarded as contaminants or colonizers. Further research is needed to better understand the immunological relationship between influenza and IPA for improved prevention and treatment of influenza and Aspergillus co-infections.

Fusarium brain abscess: case report and literature review.

Severely immunocompromised patients such as those with haematological malignancies and haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients are at an increased risk of acquiring invasive mould infections. Fusarium, a ubiquitous fungus, can cause potentially fatal infections in such hosts. It usually manifests as skin lesions, fevers and sino-pulmonary infections. Brain abscesses have been reported, but are relatively uncommon. We report a case of a 50-year-old patient with acute lymphocytic leukaemia and failed autologous peripheral stem cell transplant that presented with new onset seizures and was found to have Fusarium solani brain abscess. Nasal route was the presumed mode of entry of the fungus into the cerebrum. Treatment comprised surgical excision of the lesion, and antimycotic therapy with liposomal amphotericin B and voriconazole. Despite aggressive therapy, patient succumbed to the disease. We have provided an overview of infections secondary to Fusarium, along with a review of the central nervous system involvement by this pathogenic mould.

Bacterial translocation across ePTFE vascular graft surfaces.

OBJECTIVES: Vascular graft infections arise from bacterial colonization of either the external or internal graft surfaces. We assessed whether methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli could translocate through pores of ePTFE grafts. METHODS: To assess translocation from the internal to the external surface, we placed 10(5) cfu of bacterial suspension inside ePTFE graft segments and suspended them in sterile broth for 72 h. To assess translocation from the external to the internal surface, we placed sterile broth inside ePTFE segments, and incubated them for 72 h in a bacterial suspension (10(5) cfu/mL). At 72 h, in addition to culturing the sterile broth and bacterial suspensions, the external and internal surfaces were first qualitatively cultured separately and then quantitatively cultured by sonication. RESULTS: At 72 h, the sterile broth remained sterile. The bacterial suspensions yielded 10(7)-10(9) cfu/mL. Graft cultures indicated that colonization of one surface with either organism did not result in bacterial translocation to the other surface. Quantitative bacterial counts of the external vs. internal surfaces were significantly different (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: MRSA and E. coli do not translocate across ePTFE graft surfaces. These in-vitro findings help elucidate the pathogenesis of graft infections and prompt conduction of validation studies in-vivo.