Effect of administration of diethylcarbamazine with and without fluconazole on experimental fungal infections in mice.

Other researchers have found that diethylcarbamazine (DEC) is effective treatment for filariasis despite a lack of demonstrated in vitro antifilarial activity. The results of our previous investigations using feline and murine leukemia virus models encouraged us to investigate the use of DEC with other infections. In our current experiments, DEC treatment was associated with lower brain fungal burden in fluconazole-treated mice following intravenous injection of Aspergillus fumigatus or increasing numbers of Cryptococcus neoformans organisms, and lower brain and kidney levels of Candida albicans following intravenous injection of increasing numbers of C. albicans. Further investigation of combined DEC and fluconazole treatment of fungal infections is warranted.

Adenovirus pneumonia with severe sequelae in an immunocompetent adult.

Notable complications from adenovirus pneumonia in healthy adults are rare. We report a well-documented case of adenovirus type 3 infection in a previously well adult woman that resulted in severe pulmonary complications as well as self-limited ocular, hepatic, and gastrointestinal abnormalities.

Effect of administration of diethylcarbamazine on experimental bacterial and fungal infections in mice.

Other researchers have found that diethylcarbamazine (DEC) is effective treatment for filariasis despite a lack of demonstrated in vitro antifilarial activity. The results of our previous investigations using feline and murine leukemia virus models encouraged us to investigate the use of DEC with other infections. In the current experiments, DEC treatmentS was associated with (a) increased survival and decreased brain Streptococcus pneumoniae levels following S. pneumoniae challenge in previously immunized mice; (b) increased serum antibody levels to S. pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Haemophilus influenzae following inoculation of live bacteria; and (c) lower brain fungal levels following intravenous injection of Aspergillus fumigatus or increasing numbers of Cryptococcus neoformans organisms, and lower brain and kidney levels of Candida albicans following intravenous injection of increasing numbers of C. albicans.

Characteristics and outcome variables of HIV cases at a university-based medical practice.

An increasing number of AIDS cases occur each year in West Virginia despite its small urban population. From January 1984 to March 1991 at the Marshall University based multispecialty internal medicine group (the University Physicians in Internal Medicine), 66 HIV-infected persons were treated, most of whom are native West Virginians and always resided in the state. The study group consisted of 61 men and 5 women; four-fifths of the men are homosexual/bisexual and one-seventh used intravenous illicit drugs. Four women acquired infection heterosexually and one from transfusion. Twenty-eight patients never had any opportunistic infection (OI) and 38 experienced at least one OI, usually Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia. About two-fifths of patients had CD4 counts less than 200 cells/cmm at their initial examination. Three-fourths of patients received AZT, six ddI, and most aerosolized pentamidine. Nineteen patients have died, all of whom suffered at least one OI. The mean interval until death from HIV infection and from AIDS was about 27 and 11.5 months, respectively.