The HIV-positive dentist: balancing the rights of the health care worker and the patient.

We describe a hypothetical case of an HIV-positive dentist without cognitive impairment who uses proper infection control procedures. The dentist's physician notifies the medical officer of health without the dentist's consent. Although HIV-positive health care workers, including dentists, have been identified in the past, proven HIV transmission to patients is very rare. Most authorities recommend that an HIV-positive health care worker be monitored by an expert panel, which could then, if necessary, refer to the regulatory body to revoke or restrict the person's license to practice. Mandatory HIV testing is not required for health care workers because they generally do not pose a risk for infecting their patients; they are, however, ethically and legally obligated to report their HIV status to their profession's regulatory body.

Aortitis due to Salmonella: report of 10 cases and comprehensive review of the literature.

We describe ten cases of aortitis due to Salmonella that were treated at the University of Toronto-affiliated Hospitals between 1978 and 1997. Predisposing conditions included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and myelodysplastic syndrome. Main presenting symptoms were fever and abdominal and back pain. The most frequent site involved was the abdominal aorta, followed by the thoracic aorta. All but one patient were treated with intravenous bactericidal antibiotics; seven also underwent surgery, four with axillobifemoral grafts and three with in situ grafts. Four of seven patients died within 1 month of the surgical procedure (three patients with in situ grafts and one patient with axillobifemoral graft). We also reviewed the pathogenesis, clinical and laboratory characteristics, and treatment of 140 cases of aortitis due to Salmonella reported in the literature since 1948. The use of bactericidal antibiotics, together with early surgical intervention and long-term suppressive antibiotic therapy, has led to improved survival.

Iritis associated with intravenous cidofovir.

OBJECTIVE: To report two patients with AIDS and cytomegalovirus retinitis who developed iritis after receiving intravenous cidofovir. Both experienced recurrent symptoms upon rechallenge. CASE SUMMARIES: Two HIV-positive patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis infections previously controlled with intravenous ganciclovir or foscarnet were treated with intravenous cidofovir. Symptoms of iritis developed after the second or third dose of cidofovir. One patient experienced symptoms unilaterally, while the other patient had bilateral symptoms. In both patients, the iritis resolved with topical ophthalmic therapy, but recurred following subsequent infusions of cidofovir. Therapy with cidofovir was discontinued, and no further recurrences of iritis were noted. One patient had post-inflammatory fixed dilated pupils. CONCLUSIONS: Iritis can uncommonly occur in patients receiving intravenous cidofovir and oral probenecid. With prompt drug discontinuation and administration of topical corticosteroids and/or mydriatic agents, symptoms are usually reversible.

Effects of vitamin E and C supplementation on oxidative stress and viral load in HIV-infected subjects.

OBJECTIVES: The HIV-infected population is known to be oxidatively stressed and deficient in antioxidant micronutrients. Since in vitro replication of HIV is increased with oxidative stress, this study assessed the effect of antioxidant vitamin supplementation on lipid peroxidation, a measure of oxidative stress, and viral load in humans. DESIGN: A randomized placebo-controlled, double-blind study. METHODS: Forty-nine HIV-positive patients were randomized to receive supplements of both DL-alpha-tocopherol acetate (800 IU daily) and vitamin C (1000 mg daily), or matched placebo, for 3 months. Plasma antioxidant micronutrient status, breath pentane output, plasma lipid peroxides, malondialdehyde and viral load were measured at baseline and at 3 months. New or recurrent infections for the 6-month period after study entry were also recorded. RESULTS: The vitamin group (n = 26) had an increase in plasma concentrations of alpha-tocopherol (P < 0.0005) and vitamin C (P < 0.005) and a reduction in lipid peroxidation measured by breath pentane (P < 0.025), plasma lipid peroxides (P < 0.01) and malondialdehyde (P < 0.0005) when compared with controls (n = 23). There was also a trend towards a reduction in viral load (mean +/- SD changes over 3 months, -0.45 +/- 0.39 versus +0.50 +/- 0.40 log10 copies/ml; P = 0.1; 95% confidence interval, -0.21 to -2.14). The number of infections reported was nine in the vitamin group and seven in the placebo group. CONCLUSION: Supplements of vitamin E and C reduce oxidative stress in HIV and produce a trend towards a reduction in viral load. This is worthy of larger clinical trials, especially in HIV-infected persons who cannot afford new combination therapies.

Precipitating factors for the chronic fatigue syndrome.

The etiology of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is unknown but it is usually considered to be postinfectious or postviral. Many infecting agents have been suspected as causative but none has been proven. We investigated precipitating factors in 134 CFS patients through the use of a questionnaire, interview, clinical examination and serology for infecting agents; 35 healthy controls completed a similar questionnaire. CFS started with an apparently infectious illness in 96 (72%) but a definite infection was only found in seven of these 96 (7%). Thirty-eight (28%) had no apparent infectious onset: 15/38 (40%) had noninfectious precipitants (trauma, allergy, surgery). There was no apparent precipitating event in 23/38 (61%). Immunization was not a significant precipitant. Stressful events were very common in the year preceding the onset of CFS (114/134, 85%) but these occurred in only 2/35 (6%) of the controls (p < .0001). The onset of CFS may be associated with preceding stressful events and multiple other precipitants. An infectious illness is not uniformly present at the onset and no single infectious agent has been found; CFS is most likely multifactorial in origin.

Human and canine blastomycosis: A common source infection.

In fall 1993 a man and a dog developed blastomycosis after visiting an island off Bayfield Inlet, Georgian Bay, located near Parry Sound, Ontario. The man recovered but the dog died of blastomycosis. It was hypothesized that the common source of exposure was the island since the permanent residences of the two cases were in different cities. One further case of human infection, based on positive serology, and four additional cases of probable canine blastomycosis were identified. All cases had travelled to Bayfield Inlet during summer and early fall 1993. To the authors' knowledge this is the first Canadian report of a common source of infection of human and canine blastomycosis. This report also provides evidence for a new endemic area of blastomycosis infection.

Successful treatment of systemic and local infections due to Exophiala species.

We report the successful treatment of three cases of infection due to Exophiala species. These organisms belong to the heterogeneous group of dematiaceous (darkly pigmented) fungi. Two cases of infection occurred in organ transplant recipients who were receiving immunosuppressive medications. Both of these infections remained localized to the subcutaneous tissues and were successfully treated with surgical excision of the lesions. We also describe what is to our knowledge the first reported case of prosthetic valve endocarditis due to Exophiala castellanii that was managed with a combination of medical and surgical therapies. Exophiala species remain an uncommon cause of infection. However, as the population of immunocompromised patients continues to grow and further improvements in the microbiological techniques for identification of these fungi occur, these organisms will be recognized with increasing frequency as a cause of human disease.

Hepatitis C virus infection in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

The prevalence and characteristics of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 226 patients who were seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were determined. Antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) was detected by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and positive results were confirmed by a neutralization EIA or recombinant immunoblot assay. The prevalence of anti-HCV was 8%. Intravenous drug use was the most common risk factor for HCV infection (61.1% of patients), and 52.4% of intravenous drug users were seropositive for anti-HCV (HCV+). Only 16.7% of HCV+ patients had AIDS, as compared with 37.4% of anti-HCV-seronegative (HCV-) patients (P = .04). The prevalence of hepatitis B virus markers in patients with and without anti-HCV was similar. The CD4+ lymphocyte counts were higher for HCV+ patients than for HCV- patients (P = .001), and the prevalence of anti-HCV decreased in parallel with CD4+ counts. Elevated liver function test values were more common for HCV+ patients than for HCV- patients (61.1% vs. 26.0%; P < .01), but abnormalities were usually slight (< 2-fold elevation in values). HCV viremia was detected by the polymerase chain reaction in 88.2% of HCV+ patients. Despite the coexistence of HIV and HCV infection, liver disease appeared to be mild, and HCV infection did not appear to increase the severity of HIV infection. Serological tests for HCV appear to underestimate the prevalence of HCV infection in patients with advanced HIV infection or AIDS.

Aeromonas hydrophila infections of skin and soft tissue: report of 11 cases and review.

We report the clinical and microbiological characteristics of 11 cases of Aeromonas hydrophila infection of skin and soft tissue, and we review the English-language literature on such infections. Of our 11 patients, seven (64%) presented to the hospital between the months of May and September (inclusive). Three patients (27%) had an underlying systemic illness, and two (18%) had nosocomially acquired infection. The nine patients with community-acquired infection had all experienced antecedent trauma, and seven (78%) of these nine reported recent exposure to freshwater. All patients had clinical evidence of soft-tissue inflammation, and nine (82%) had fever. Four wounds were characterized by a foul odor. The infection was polymicrobial in nine cases (82%). Treatment included the administration of antibiotics in nine instances, but empirical antimicrobial therapy provided coverage against Aeromonas in only two cases. Ten patients required surgical management of their wounds. Posttraumatic wound infections with a history of freshwater exposure should alert the clinician to the possible presence of A. hydrophila. Prompt surgical evaluation of wounds in combination with appropriate antibiotic therapy is recommended for the management of these infections.

Assessment of regional cerebral perfusion by 99Tcm-HMPAO SPECT in chronic fatigue syndrome.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a severely disabling illness of uncertain aetiology. It is characterized by a chronic, sustained or fluctuating sense of debilitating fatigue without any other known underlying medical conditions. It is also associated with both somatic and neuropsychological symptoms. Both physical and laboratory findings are usually unremarkable. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was assessed in 60 clinically defined CFS patients and 14 normal control (NC) subjects using 99Tcm-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (99Tcm-HMPAO) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Compared with the NC group, the CFS group showed significantly lower cortical/cerebellar rCBF ratios, throughout multiple brain regions (P < 0.05). Forty-eight CFS subjects (80%) showed at least one or more rCBF ratios significantly less than normal values. The major cerebral regions involved were frontal (38 cases, 63%), temporal (21 cases, 35%), parietal (32 cases, 53%) and occipital lobes (23 cases, 38%). The rCBF ratios of basal ganglia (24 cases, 40%) were also reduced. 99Tcm-HMPAO brain SPECT provided objective evidence for functional impairment of the brain in the majority of the CFS subjects. The findings may not be diagnostic of CFS but 99Tcm-HMPAO SPECT may play an important role in clarifying the pathoaetiology of CFS. Further studies are warranted.

HIV infection in patients over 55 years of age.

We describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in patients greater than 55 years of age at the time of diagnosis and make comparisons with younger HIV-infected patients. Patients were selected by stratification according to age (greater than 55 years and less than 40 years) from a large cohort, and information was obtained by review of charts. Three samples of younger patients were used for general comparison (sample 1), for analysis of progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (sample 2), and for analysis of survival after AIDS (sample 3). We identified 33 patients greater than 55 years of age (30 men and 3 women). The mean age was 60.1 years (range, 55-72). Risk factors included homosexual/bisexual, 22 (67%); blood products, seven (21%); heterosexual, two (6%); and unknown risk, two (6%). HIV encephalopathy tended to be more common in the older group, while Kaposi's sarcoma was more common in younger controls. Older patients more frequently acquired HIV infection via transfusion of blood or blood products (p less than 0.005), were more likely to have AIDS at presentation (p less than 0.001), progressed to AIDS more rapidly (p less than 0.002), and had higher mortality rates (p less than 0.001). Transfusion of blood or blood products is an important mode of acquisition of HIV in patients greater than 55 years of age. HIV infection has a more rapid and aggressive course in older patients.

Pleural fluid infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes: case report and review.

Nine cases of pleural fluid infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes (one case described here and eight cases previously reported in the literature) were reviewed. Eight patients (88.9%) had an underlying malignancy (three had Hodgkin's disease, three had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and two had leukemia), and six (66.7%) were receiving immunosuppressive therapy at the time of presentation. Seven patients (77.8%) presented with fever and five (55.6%) with respiratory tract symptoms. Those with symptoms of greater than 3 weeks' duration had a relatively poor prognosis. Bacteremia was documented in five patients (55.6%). Examination of pleural fluid typically revealed normal levels of glucose, slightly elevated concentrations of protein, and a negative gram stain. Four patients died, for an overall mortality of 44.4%. Mortality appeared to be lower for patients who received a combination of penicillin or ampicillin plus an aminoglycoside and for those who underwent drainage of pleural fluid than for those not given such treatment. Rapid diagnosis, prompt institution of appropriate antimicrobial therapy, and drainage of the pleural fluid are likely to improve the chances for survival in listerial infection of pleural fluid.

Behçet's disease in a patient with immunodeficiency virus infection.

A patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who developed Behçet's disease is described. As various vasculitis syndromes have been encountered recently in association with HIV infection it is suggested that Behçet's disease may be related to the HIV infection in this patient.