Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Adults Associated with Recent Infection with COVID-19.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A) is an uncommon but severe and still understudied post-infectious complication of COVID-19. Clinically, the disease manifests itself most often 2-6 weeks after overcoming the infection. Young and middle-aged patients are especially affected. The clinical picture of the disease is very diverse. The dominant symptoms are mainly fever and myalgia, usually accompanied by various, especially extrapulmonary, manifestations. Cardiac damage (often in the form of cardiogenic shock) and significantly increased inflammatory parameters are often associated with MIS-A, while respiratory symptoms, including hypoxia, are less frequent. Due to the seriousness of the disease and the possibility of rapid progression, the basis of a successful treatment of the patient is early diagnosis, based mainly on anamnesis (overcoming the disease of COVID-19 in the recent past) and clinical symptoms, which often imitate other severe conditions such as, e.g., sepsis, septic shock, or toxic shock syndrome. Because of the danger of missing the treatment, it is necessary to initiate it immediately after the suspicion of MIS-A is expressed, without waiting for the results of microbiological and serological examinations. The cornerstone of pharmacological therapy is the administration of corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins, to which the majority of patients clinically react. In this article, the authors describe the case report of a 21-year-old patient admitted to the Clinic of Infectology and Travel Medicine for febrility up to 40.5 °C, myalgia, arthralgia, headache, vomiting, and diarrhea three weeks after overcoming COVID-19. However, as part of the routine differential diagnosis of fevers (imaging and laboratory examinations), their cause was not clarified. Due to the overall worsening of the condition, the patient was transferred to the ICU with suspicion of developing MIS-A (he met all clinical and laboratory criteria). Given the above, reserve antibiotics, intravenous corticosteroids, and immunoglobulins were added to the treatment due to the risk of missing them, with a good clinical and laboratory effect. After stabilizing the condition and adjusting the laboratory parameters, the patient was transferred to a standard bed and sent home.

Delayed Spontaneous Pneumothorax in a Previously Healthy Nonventilated COVID-19 Patient.

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a serious and life-threatening complication of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. It most commonly occurs during the acute phase of the disease in patients with pre-existing lung disease (e.g. emphysema, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, etc.) and in patients who require oxygen supplementation in any form (low-flow oxygen therapy, high-flow non-invasive or mechanical invasive or mechanical invasion). A rare case of a 52-year-old patient with a spontaneous pneumothorax who developed four weeks after PCR SARS-CoV-2 positivity was described. Interestingly, the patient did not have any factors that the literature considered risky for the development of this complication. During the acute phase of the disease, his condition did not require hospitalization. Imaging examinations could not clarify the cause of pneumothorax. With this case report, we want to point out the fact that spontaneous pneumothorax, as a rare and life-threatening complication of COVID-19 infection, may develop during recovery, and it is necessary to think about this complication in the differential diagnosis of dyspnoea.

[Imipenem-cilastatin-relebactam used to treat ventilator-associated pneumonia developing after infection with SARS-CoV-2].

The article describes the use of the last-resort carbapenem antibiotic imipenem in combination with relebactam, a novel b-lactamase inhibitor, in the treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia developing after SARS-CoV-2 infection in a young pregnant patient. The introduction briefly describes the mechanism and spectrum of activity of the antibiotic, including its dosage.

Occurrence of bacteria belonging to the genus Enterococcus and Staphylococcus on inanimate surfaces of selected hospital facilities and their nosocomial significance.

OBJECTIVES: This work aimed to determine the representation and resistance of bacteria belonging to the genus Staphylococcus and Enterococcus on inanimate surfaces of two selected workplaces of the University Hospital of L. Pasteur in Kosice (UHLP) and to investigate their importance in the hospital environment. The men's ward of the Department of Internal Medicine (DIM) and the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (DAIC) were chosen. METHODS: Using sterile sampling kits, a total of 182 swabs were collected from the inanimate surfaces of both UHLP workplaces. The swabs were then transported to a microbiological laboratory and inoculated onto sterile culture media (blood agar containing 5% ram erythrocytes). After culturing (24-48 hours, in a thermostat at constant temperature 37 °C), bacterial colonies were identified by mass spectrometry on a MALDI TOF MS. Bacteria belonging to the genera Staphylococcus and Enterococcus were subsequently separated from the spectrum of identified bacteria. Nosocomial significant strains of staphylococci (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus) and all isolated enterococci were subjected to susceptibility testing for selected antibiotics using the disk diffusion method - E-tests. RESULTS: Several members of the genus Staphylococcus were identified from the inanimate surfaces of both workplaces. These were mainly coagulase-negative strains - Staphylococcus epidermidis (45), Staphylococcus capitis (34), Staphylococcus haemolyticus (20), Staphylococcus hominis (45), Staphylococcus pasteuri (2), Staphylococcus sroph (1), Staphylococcus simulans (3), and Staphylococcus warneri (4). Staphylococcus aureus strains were also identified (2). Nosocomial significant isolates were tested for susceptibility to the antibiotics cefoxitin (FOX) and oxacillin (OXA). Two members of the genus Enterococcus - Enterococcus faecium (7) and Enterococcus faecalis (8) were isolated. All strains were subject to vancomycin susceptibility testing using the disk method.

Diagnostic Value of Radioisotope Cisternography Using 111In-DTPA in a Patient with Rhinorrhea and Purulent Meningitis.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is a rare condition. Prompt diagnosis and early treatment of CSF leakage minimizes the risk of severe complications such as bacterial meningitis. Different diagnostic modalities are used to detect the site of CSF leakage but often with unreliable results. The literature offers limited evidence-based guidance on the diagnostic approach for rhinorrhea. Correct localization of the defect is the mainstay for successful surgical treatment. Herein, we describe a case of recurrent meningitis due to cranio-nasal fistula and rhinorrhea successfully localized with radioisotope cisternography (RIC). We provide a detailed and practical overview of the RIC procedure and compare different imaging modalities used to detect the site of CSF leakage.

Gram-Negative Rods on Inanimate Surfaces of Selected Hospital Facilities and Their Nosocomial Significance.

Inanimate surfaces are often referred to as nosocomial bacterial reservoirs and represent an important vector in the process of spreading pathogens to patients. Most gram-negative rods can survive on inanimate surfaces for several months. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and resistance of gram-negative bacteria isolated from the inanimate surfaces of two selected hospital departments. MALDI-TOF identified gram-negative rods isolated from inanimate surfaces. Antibiotic resistance was determined using a disk diffusion method, and the phenotype of resistance was determined using an inhibitory analyzer. From the inanimate surfaces, 98 strains of gram-negative nosocomial bacteria were identified by the MALDI-TOF MS. The most frequently isolated bacterium occurring in both departments was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 33), followed by Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 20) and Enterobacter cloacae (n = 14). The most common phenotypic type of resistance in both departments was ampicillin resistance-AmpC (n = 38), then production of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) (n = 33), followed by SHV-1 (n = 11), TEM-1 (n = 11), and fluoroquinolone resistance-Qnr (n = 22). The nosocomial important enzymes capable of hydrolyzing carbapenems, OXA-48 and metallo-ß-lactamases, were confirmed in 12 and 2 cases, respectively. The results of our study prove that inanimate surfaces in hospitals are a reservoir of resistant gram-negative bacteria, which directly threaten hospitalized patients.

Intravenous veterinary ivermectin in a COVID-19 patient causing neurotoxicity.

Ivermectin administration for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has gained a lot of attention recently. Although ivermectin has a relatively good safety profile, serious adverse events may occur in patients given doses that are presumed experimental. Ivermectin for human use is available only as an oral formulation. Parenteral administration, as a subcutaneous injection, is possible in veterinary medicine only. In this brief report we describe an unprecedented case of a patient with severe neurotoxicity after intravenous administration of veterinary ivermectin for confirmed COVID-19 infection. The patient required hospitalization in the intensive care unit (ICU). The toxic serum concentration of ivermectin was determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry - time of flight (LC/MS-TOF) with the value of 187.74 ng/mL.

[Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and esophageal candidiasis in a patient with decompensated liver cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C and alcohol]. / Invazívna pl'úcna aspergilóza a kandidová ezofagitída u pacienta s dekompenzáciou cirhózy pecene na podklade chronickej hepatitídy C a alkoholu.

We present a rare case of combined fungal infection in a critically ill 47 year-old patient with chronic hepatitis C at the stage of liver cirrhosis. The patient was admitted for signs of decompensated cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C and increased alcohol consumption. After 2 week hospital stay, his condition was complicated by a pulmonary infiltrate and rapid deterioration followed. Despite intensive care, the patient died. Autopsy findings showed invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. The aim of this case report is to point to a broad differential diagnosis of jaundice and pulmonary infiltrates, thus stressing the value of interdisciplinary cooperation and the need to consider the possibility of invasive fungal infections when caring for liver cirrhosis patients. In addition, several risk factors contributing to the development of fungal diseases in these patients are discussed in the article.

[Haematologic adverse effects of treatment of chronic viral hepatitis B and C]. / Hematologické neziaduce úcinky liecby chronickej vírusovej hepatitídy B a C.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and severity of adverse effects of treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C (CHB and CHC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A group of 104 patients with CHC and 74 CHB patients treated in 1994-2005 was evaluated. The patients were divided according to their treatment patterns and sex. Selected haematologic parameters (haemoglobin, neutrophil and platelet counts) were assessed. RESULTS: In CHC patients treated with interferon alpha (IFN), IFN alpha and ribavirin (IFN+RIB) or pegylated IFN alpha with ribavirin (PEG+RIB), and in CHB patients, anaemia was observed in 6 (37.5 %), 43 (56.6 %), 27 (54.0 %) and 11 (24.4 %) cases, respectively. Anaemia was significantly more frequent in women treated with IFN(RIB or PEG+RIB +p > 0.01 and p > 0.005, respectively), and in those with CHB (p > 0.005). The difference in the incidence of anaemia in those treated with RIB and without RIB was statistically significant (55.5 vs. 27.9 %, respectively, p > 0,001). In CHC patients treated with IFN, IFN+RIB or PEG+RIB, and in CHB patients, neutropenia was observed in 9 (56.3 %), 51 (67.1 %), 36 (72.0 %) and 20 (44.4 %) cases, respectively. In women treated with IFN+RIB or PEG+RIB, neutropenia was significantly more frequent (p > 0.05). In CHC patients treated with IFN, IFN+RIB or PEG+RIB, and in CHB patients, thrombocytopenia was detected in 9 (56.3%), 41 (53.9 %), 35 (70.0 %) and 23 (51.1 %) cases, respectively. No significant difference was noted in the incidence of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia between the individual treatment patterns used in CHC or CHB patients. In two cases, the treatment was discontinued due to its adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: The data confirm a high incidence of haematologic adverse effects, mostly mild. From the point of view of haematologic complications, the treatment may be classified as safe.

Prevalence, epidemiological aspects and clinical importance of TT virus infection in Slovakia.

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence, clinical impact and importance of different risk factors of transmission of TTV infection in Slovakia using two PCR methods. Sera of 426 adult persons were examined. TTV DNA was identified by PCR using primers from N22 and untranslated region (UTR) respectively. The established prevalence of TTV tested with N22 and UTR primers according to patients groups was: acute hepatitis of unknown etiology 4 resp. 28 of 37, acute hepatitis B 3 resp. 29 of 38, chronic hepatitis B 11 resp. 41 of 44, chronic hepatitis C 10 resp. 93 of 102, hemodialysis patients 13 resp. 72 of 72, health care workers 0 resp. 27 of 33, control group 8 resp. 83 of 100. Using N22 primers, TTV infection occurred more frequently in chronic hepatitis B group compared with health care workers, if UTR primers were used the group of hemodialysis patients differed significantly from both acute hepatitis groups, health care workers and controls (p < 0.05). From possible risk factors hemodialysis and transfusion count showed notable differences. Bilirubin and aminotransferase levels did not differ between TTV positive and negative groups. No pathogenetic role of TT virus in liver injury was confirmed.