Peliosis hepatis complicated by portal hypertension following renal transplantation.

Peliosis hepatis is a rare benign disease, but in last years the number of identified cases has increased. This disease is known to be sometimes accompanied by hepatocellular carcinoma. In the recent article, Yu et al describe a case of liver peliosis, characterized by an increased proliferative index. Therefore, additional diagnosis of patients should include analyzing other tumor markers expression in order to assess the risk of malignant cell transformation in peliosis hepatis.

Diffuse glutamine synthetase overexpression restricted to areas of peliosis in a ß-catenin-activated hepatocellular adenoma: a potential pitfall in glutamine synthetase interpretation.

Hepatocellular adenomas have recently been classified into four subtypes based on molecular findings: hepatocyte nuclear factor 1α (HNF1α) inactivated, inflammatory/telangiectatic, ß-catenin activated, and unclassifiable. ß-catenin-activated adenomas have the potential for malignant transformation and are thus important to recognize. Diffuse glutamine synthetase immunohistochemical positivity has been shown to be a reliable surrogate marker for ß-catenin activation, though variations in staining patterns may be difficult to interpret. We report a case of a peliotic adenoma that was morphologically consistent with a ß-catenin wild-type hepatocellular adenoma but harbored a ß-catenin mutation by molecular analysis. The tumor lacked nuclear ß-catenin positivity and demonstrated a hitherto undescribed pattern of glutamine synthetase overexpression restricted to areas of peliosis with mostly negative staining in non-peliotic areas. This pattern was initially interpreted as physiologic and may represent a potential pitfall in glutamine synthetase interpretation.

Hepatocellular carcinoma with extensive peliotic change.

Peliosis hepatis is a rare lesion histologically characterized by multiple cavities representing dilated sinusoids filled with blood in the liver. Although it has been observed in the liver parenchyma in association with several diseases and medications, there are few reports of nodules of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) showing extensive peliotic change. We describe a case of HCC showing extensive peliotic change in the cancer nodule. A 73-year-old man with a liver tumor was referred to our hospital for further investigation. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed an 8-cm hyperechoic lesion with a halo and mosaic pattern in segment 8 (S8) of the liver. Dynamic magnetic resonance imaging of the liver showed early irregular enhancement of the peripheral part of the lesion, and the effect persisted into the late phase, spreading into the central part of the nodule. Hepatic arteriography showed the "cotton-wool" sign, usually observed in cavernous hemangiomas. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealed the diagnosis of HCC. Anterior sectionectomy of the liver was conducted. Histological examination of the resected specimen showed that the tumor was a well-differentiated HCC with extensive dilated sinusoid-like structures in the main portion of the nodule, suggestive of peliotic change.

Enfermedades producidas por Bartonella spp / Diseases produced by Bartonella

Las bacterias del género Bartonella son responsables de un amplio grupo de enfermedades infecciosas emergentes y reemergentes. Las manifestaciones clínicas varían en dependencia de la especie de Bartonella y de la situación inmunológica del paciente. En las infecciones por Bartonella spp. no existe un tratamiento universalizado, por lo que debe adaptarse a la situación clínica de cada paciente. Al ser responsables de cuadros clínicos potencialmente graves (endocarditis, bacteriemias prolongadas, angiomatosis bacilar, enfermedad de Carrión, etc.), la sospecha clínica, la rapidez con que se realice el diagnóstico y el inicio precoz del tratamiento puede conducir a una evolución favorable (AU)

The genus Bartonella is cause of a broad number of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Clinical manifestations depend on the implicated Bartonella sp. and the immunity of the host. Because there is not a universal therapy for this infection, treatment should be chosen individually. Bartonella sp. is responsible of potentially serious clinical pictures (endocarditis, chronic bacteremia, bacillary angiomatosis, Carrion's disease, etc.), so clinical suspicion, a quickly diagnosis and an early treatment provide a better resolution (AU)

Molecular epidemiology of Bartonella henselae infection in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients and their cat contacts, using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and genotyping.

Bartonella henselae causes severe disease in immunocompromised individuals. B. henselae was isolated from 12 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals with bacillary angiomatosis and/or peliosis hepatis and from their 15 cat contacts. Specific associations between the 2 B. henselae genotypes, individual pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns, and different clinical syndromes and pathogenicity were investigated. The role of cat contacts as the source of human infection was also examined. Three of the 4 patients with B. henselae genotype I infection, but none of the 8 patients with genotype II infection, had hepatosplenic vascular proliferative lesions (P=.018). Four of 5 human-cat pairs had closely-related PFGE patterns and concordant results by 16S rDNA typing, which strongly suggests that human infection was caused by the cat contact. These results corroborate the major role of cats in the transmission of B. henselae to humans and suggest that B. henselae genotypes may induce different pathological features in HIV-infected patients.

Molecular epidemiology of bartonella infections in patients with bacillary angiomatosis-peliosis.

BACKGROUND: Bacillary angiomatosis and bacillary peliosis are vascular proliferative manifestations of infection with species of the genus bartonella that occur predominantly in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Two species, B. henselae and B. quintana, have been associated with bacillary angiomatosis, but culture and speciation are difficult, and there has been little systematic evaluation of the species-specific disease characteristics. We studied 49 patients seen over eight years who were infected with bartonella species identified by molecular techniques and who had clinical lesions consistent with bacillary angiomatosis-peliosis. METHODS: In this case-control study, a standardized questionnaire about exposures was administered to patients with bacillary angiomatosis-peliosis and to 96 matched controls. The infecting bartonella species were determined by molecular techniques. RESULTS: Of the 49 patients with bacillary angiomatosis-peliosis, 26 (53 percent) were infected with B. henselae and 23 (47 percent) with B. quintana. Subcutaneous and lytic bone lesions were strongly associated with B. quintana, whereas peliosis hepatis was associated exclusively with B. henselae. Patients with B. henselae infection were identified throughout the study period and were epidemiologically linked to cat and flea exposure (P< or =0.004), whereas those with B. quintana were clustered and were characterized by low income (P=0.003), homelessness (P = 0.004), and exposure to lice (P= 0.03). Prior treatment with macrolide antibiotics appeared to be protective against infection with either species. CONCLUSIONS: B. henselae and B. quintana, the organisms that cause bacillary angiomatosis-peliosis, are associated with different epidemiologic risk factors and with predilections for involvement of different organs.

Laparoscopic study of peliosis hepatis and nodular transformation of the liver before and after renal transplantation: natural history and aetiology in follow-up cases.

Although peliosis hepatis and nodular transformation of the liver can occur after renal transplantation, their prevalence has not been well defined. To investigate the incidence of these complications, 137 laparoscopies were studied, 52 in 50 cases before and 85 in 66 cases after renal transplantation. To elucidate the aetiology and natural history of these diseases, cases were followed up by repeated laparoscopies. Peliosis was observed after transplantation (before: n = 1, after: n = 15 [22%], p < 0.005). Nodular transformation was seen only after transplantation (n = 5 [7%]), and was accompanied by peliosis (n = 4, p < 0.01). On observation before and after transplantation in the same cases, these diseases appeared after transplantation (peliosis: n = 9, p < 0.005; nodular transformation: n = 2). In follow-up cases, these diseases were confirmed after the discontinuation of or the controlled administration of immunosuppressants. The aetiology of the micronodular transformation which appeared following peliosis in a case treated without cyclosporin was shown to be azathioprine. However, the macronodular transformation observed in two cases treated with both azathioprine and cyclosporin seemed to be due to cyclosporin. This suggests that cases of peliosis hepatis and nodular transformation which appear after renal transplantation are associated with immunosuppressants, and that cyclosporin treatment may also affect the morphogenesis of nodular transformation.

The epidemiology of bacillary angiomatosis and bacillary peliosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine environmental risk factors for bacillary angiomatosis-bacillary peliosis (BAP), and to confirm infection with Rochalimaea species. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Community and university hospitals and clinics. PATIENTS: Case patients (N = 48) had biopsy-confirmed BAP. Controls (N = 94) were matched to patients by institution and by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serological status. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical information was obtained from medical records. Subjects were queried about environmental exposures. Univariate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined. Bivariate analyses were performed on variables associated with disease by univariate analysis. DNA from 22 available case-patient tissues and from 22 control tissues was amplified with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers designed to detect Rochalimaea species. RESULTS: We identified five HIV-negative, immunocompetent case patients; one HIV-negative, immunodeficient case patient; and 42 HIV-positive case patients. There were no significant differences between case patients and controls by race, sex, age, or risk factors for HIV infection. Owning a cat (OR, 2.8; CI, 1.4 to 5.8) and history of a recent cat lick (OR, 1.95; CI, 1.0 to 3.8), cat scratch (OR, 3.7; CI, 1.7 to 8.0), or cat bite (OR, 3.9; CI, 1.8 to 8.9) were associated with disease in the univariate analysis. In bivariate analyses, only the variables representing traumatic contact with a cat (bite or scratch) remained associated with disease. No other environmental exposure was associated with disease. The PCR amplified a DNA fragment of the size expected for Rochalimaea species in all 22 case-patient tissue specimens. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that BAP is a new zoonosis associated with both traumatic exposure to cats and infection with Rochalimaea species or a closely related organism.