Unique sequelae of portal vein thrombosis in a pediatric patient with cystic echinococcosis: A case report.

This case report presents a rare complication of hepatic cystic echinococcosis in a 12-year-old Latino male, residing in a nonendemic region, who developed long-term sequelae of portal vein thrombosis accompanied by the emergence of a hyper-vascular sigmoid colon mass. Portal vein involvement in hepatic cystic echinococcosis is exceedingly uncommon, with limited documented cases. The presentation of the patient included intermittent hematochezia, abdominal pain, and fatigue. Imaging revealed liver cysts and chronic portal vein thrombosis with cavernous transformation, resulting in portal hypertension. Notably, the patient also exhibited mesenteric venous thrombosis, further complicating the clinical picture. The diagnosis was confirmed through echinococcus serology testing. Treatment involved a six month course of Albendazole, puncture-aspiration-injection-reaspiration procedure, splenectomy, and splenorenal shunt to alleviate portal hypertension. This case underscores the significance of considering portal hypertension secondary to hepatic cystic echinococcosis, even in nonendemic regions, particularly in pediatric patients with unique clinical presentations.

A rare case of neonatal meningoencephalitis from Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus.

Paenibacillus infections can be life threatening and are being reported with increasing incidence. There are only a few case reports of infections and are mainly described in patients who are immunocompromised, injection drug users, or those with prosthetic devices. Due to improved testing and identification, it appears that these infections may not be as rare as once perceived. We present a case of a 16-day-old term neonate who presented with status epilepticus and was found to have Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus meningoencephalitis. The patient was successfully treated with a combination of ampicillin and ceftazidime then meropenem. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an infant in the United States who survived this serious invasive infection. We also present an option for therapy given the difficulty treating invasive intracranial infections.

Complications of Treatment in Youth with HIV.

While combination antiretroviral therapy allows HIV-infected patients to have life expectancies similar to that of the general population, it may also contribute to the development of co-morbidities, such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Such complications could compromise long-term quality of life, especially in HIV-infected youth whose lifetime cumulative exposure to antiretrovirals is likely to be many decades. Recent studies continue to demonstrate abnormalities associated with antiretroviral therapy, although clinical manifestations are rare in this younger population, especially with modern antiretrovirals. The purpose of this paper is to review the most recent literature on complications of treatment in youth with HIV.

Nonpolio enterovirus infections in neonates.

There are currently 12 species and over 100 serotypes that have been identified in the enterovirus genus, including the coxsackieviruses, echoviruses, and polioviruses. Since their discovery 65 years ago, much has been discovered and continues to be researched regarding the pathogenicity and scope of disease of nonpolio enteroviruses. Like many infections, enteroviruses have been found to affect neonates much differently, and often more severely, than older children and adults. Neonatal infections often cause mild illnesses with nonspecific symptoms, but they may also have severe presentations involving the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hematologic, or central nervous systems. This article provides an overview of what is known about nonpolio enteroviruses in neonates including epidemiology, transmission, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment.

Wound botulism complicating internal fixation of a complex radial fracture.

Botulism developed in a patient following surgical repair of an open radial fracture. Symptoms resolved after treatment with antitoxin and antibiotics, and hardware excision was deferred. Subsequent osteomyelitis necessitated hardware exchange, and wound cultures grew Clostridium argentinense. This case highlights the management of botulism associated with orthopedic hardware.

Treatment of children with HIV infection.

The treatment of pediatric HIV infection has seen vast improvements in terms of better long-term suppression of HIV replication and subsequent improvements in the longevity and quality of life in children. This has been realized, in part, by development of newer antiretroviral medications, better knowledge about the pharmaco-kinetics of these drugs in children, and improved insight on drug toxicities in children. This review will discuss some of the newer agents that may be available for children in the near future, in addition to new pharmacokinetic and toxicity data that are specific to the pediatric patient. New information on key vaccines that should be administered to children with HIV infection is also discussed.

Disseminated Candida tropicalis in a patient with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis.

Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis is a heterogeneous group of immunodeficiencies associated with persistent candidal infections. Patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis are rarely associated with systemic infections caused by other fungi, but almost never by Candida. The authors report a case of a 16-year-old with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis who developed a fungemia with Candida tropicalis.