Usage of Traditional and Complementary Medicine among Dengue Fever Patients in the Northeast Region of Peninsular Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: The recent epidemic of dengue fever (DF) in Malaysia was alarming. The treatment of DF remains supportive as there is no anti-viral agent or vaccine available as yet. Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) provides an alternative option for the treatment of DF but there is limited evidence with regard to its usage. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, types and predictor factors of T&CM usage among DF patients in the northeast region of Peninsular Malaysia. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study of DF patients in the northeast region of Peninsular Malaysia who had been admitted to a tertiary centre from January 2014 until December 2015. Serologically-confirmed DF patients aged 18 years and above were randomly selected. Phone interviews were conducted to obtain information regarding the use of T&CM during hospitalisation. Notes were made regarding the prevalence and type of T&CM used. Binary logistic regressions were used to identify the predictor factors of T&CM usage. RESULTS: A total of 241 DF patients with a mean age of 36.62 (SD = 14.62) years were included. The estimated prevalence of T&CM usage was 84.6% (95%CI: 80.1%, 89.2%). The most common T&CM used were crab soup (85.3%), papaya leaf extract (64.2%) and isotonic drinks (61.8%). The significant predictors for T&CM usage were age [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.97; 95%CI: 0.94, 0.99], tertiary education (AOR 3.86; 95%CI: 1.21, 12.32) and unemployment (AOR 2.55; 95%CI: 1.02, 6.42). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of T&CM usage in our population is high. Age, tertiary education and unemployment influence the use of T&CM.

Rare Clinical Presentation of Tuberculous Meningitis: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis is the second leading cause of death under the category of infectious diseases, after the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) constitutes about 5% of all extrapulmonary disease worldwide. This report describes a case of Tuberculous meningitis with rare presentation in a 28-year-old woman, who was treated based on a collection of her social background, clinical findings and Multiplex PCR of tuberculosis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 28-year-old Malay woman with no significant medical history presented to HUSM with one month history of on and off fever, two weeks history of generalised limbs weakness and one week history of dysphagia. She was reported to have experienced visual hallucination and significant weight loss. Her laboratory result is significant for leukocytosis, elevated ESR and hypernatremia. Non-enhanced and contrast CT scan of the brain showed severe bilateral frontal cerebral atrophy. Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) for multiplex PCR for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was positive. She was promptly started on anti-TB regime combined with dexamethasone. Subsequent follow-up showed significant improvement. CONCLUSION: This is a rare clinical manifestation of Tuberculous meningitis that demonstrates the importance of recognising and initiating the treatment early to reduce disabilities and improve clinical outcome.

The deadly ebola threat in the midst of an overwhelming dengue epidemic.

The recent death tolls and morbidities associated with two deadly viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs), i.e., Ebola and dengue, are simply shocking. By the end of August 2014, 65 672 people were afflicted with dengue fever (DF) in Malaysia, with 9505 from Kelantan, and there were 128 reported deaths. More astounding are the death tolls associated with Ebola: 3091 deaths from 6574 reported cases so far. It is not difficult to imagine the potential disaster if Ebola spreads beyond Africa. VHFs are characterised by an acute onset of fever, vascular disruption and a rapid progression to shock and death. The revised World Health Organization (WHO) 2012 classification (dengue with and without warning signs and severe dengue) is more clinically relevant and allows more streamlined admission. With good administrative support and public health and governmental efforts, the dengue epidemic in Malaysia is now more contained. However, there should be no laxity with the imminent lethal Ebola threat. Human-to-human transmission is an important mechanism for the spread of Ebola, and this calls for strict precautions regarding contact with any suspected cases. In contrast, the control and elimination of dengue would require successful control of the vectors and their breeding sites.

Putative Pathogenic Genes of Leptospira interrogans and Leptospira weilii Isolated from Patients with Acute Febrile Illness.

Leptospirosis is an important worldwide tropical disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira spp. The determination of virulence genes is important, as it influences patients' clinical manifestations and clinical outcomes. This case report focused on detecting the pathogenic genes of Leptospira in association with the clinical manifestations of patients at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, who presented with acute febrile illness. Two cases were found and, to the best of our knowledge, these were the first two cases in Malaysia in which patients presented with febrile illness were associated with successful Leptospira isolation from clinical samples. Both clinical isolates were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing as Leptospira weilii and Leptospira interrogans, respectively, and they were classified as pathogenic Leptospira by the presence of different pathogenic genes, based on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of targeted genes. This report emphasizes that different infecting Leptospira species and the presence of different virulence factors cause a slight difference in clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of leptospirosis. Genomic sequencing and annotation revealed the detection of classical leptospiral virulence factor genes that were otherwise missed using PCR for detection of Leptospira weilii genome B208.

Leptospiral Culture without 5'-Fluorouracil Revealed Improved Leptospira Isolation from Febrile Patients in North-Eastern Malaysia.

Objectives: Isolation of Leptospira by culture represents a definitive growth and confirmation of the disease, yet it is hampered with its nature of slow growth. With slight modification of culture method, the study aims to isolate and characterize Leptospira spp. from patients with acute febrile illness. Methods: A total of 109 blood samples were collected from patients with acute febrile illness that presented at the Emergency Department of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia. Clinical samples were subjected to Leptospira IgM Rapid test, microscopic agglutination test (MAT), isolation by culture method, and direct real-time PCR test. For leptospiral isolation, the samples (whole blood and deposit from spun plasma) were cultured into modified Ellinghausen McCullough Johnson Harris (EMJH) media with and without 5'-fluorouracil (5-FU). In every culture positive sample, partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed for molecular identification of the isolates. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out to determine the genetic relatedness among the isolates. An inhibition of 5-FU study was performed on Leptospirainterrogans serovar Canicola with different concentrations to compare the growth detection of the tested Leptospira with or without 5-FU within 7 days of incubation. Results: Leptospirosis was diagnosed in 14.7% of patients with acute febrile illness. Two Leptospira spp. (n = 2/109, 1.85%) were successfully isolated from whole blood and deposit from spun plasma samples. B004 and B208 samples were positive at day 11 and day 7, respectively, in EMJH media without addition of 5-FU. Sample B004 was identified as Leptospira interrogans and B208 as Leptospira weilli. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that both of them were within pathogenic group and they were not related. The 5-FU inhibition study revealed that additional of 5-FU at final concentration of 200 µg/mL to EMJH media demonstrated an inhibitory effect on the growth of the tested strain Conclusion: Isolation of Leptospira spp. using EMJH media without addition of 5'-fluorouracil resulted in a better outcome. Two pathogenic Leptospira isolates were successfully cultivated from patients with acute febrile illness that were genetically not related.

Disseminated Salmonella infection.

A 47-year-old Malay man who presented with fever, poor oral intake and loss of weight for 1 month duration. Further work-up revealed evidence of disseminated Salmonella infection that was further complicated with pericardial and pleural empyema. Cultures from pericardial and pleural fluids grew Salmonella species with negative serial blood cultures. Contrast enhanced CT thorax showed pleural effusion with large pericardial effusion. The patient was treated with antibiotics and drainage of pericardial and pleural empyema was done and he was discharged well.

Intraventricular Tuberculoma with Profound Visual Loss: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Intracranial tuberculoma is a rare manifestation of tuberculosis involving the central nervous system. The involvement of the ventricular system is extremely uncommon. We describe a young woman with bilateral papilledema secondary to intraventricular tuberculoma with hydrocephalus. She was treated with anti-tuberculosis therapy and intravenous dexamethasone. Her visual acuity deteriorated after one month of treatment. We provide a literature review of this uncommon ocular sequelae.

Muscular sarcocystosis: an index case in a native Malaysian.

A previously healthy 20-year-old man presented with prolonged intermittent low grade fever and cough for 6months. He had bilateral calf pain and lower limb weakness 2days prior to admission. Physical examination revealed multiple enlarged lymph nodes with hepatomegaly. There was bilateral calf tenderness with evidence of proximal myopathy. Full blood picture showed lymphocytosis with reactive lymphocytes and eosinophilia. Creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase were markedly elevated. Over 2 weeks of admission, patient was treated symptomatically until the muscle biopsy of right calf revealed eosinophilic myositis with muscular sarcocystosis. He was treated with albendazole and high-dose corticosteroids. Symptoms subsided on reviewed at 2weeks and the dose of corticosteroid was tapered down slowly over a month. Due to poor compliance, he was readmitted 1month later because of relapsed. High-dose corticosteroid was restarted and duration for albendazole was prolonged for 1month. His symptom finally resolved over 2weeks.

Severe Plasmodium knowlesi with dengue coinfection.

We report a case of severe Plasmodium knowlesi and dengue coinfection in a previously healthy 59-year-old Malay man who presented with worsening shortness of breath, high-grade fever with chills and rigors, dry cough, myalgia, arthralgia, chest discomfort and poor appetite of 1 week duration. There was a history mosquito fogging around his neighbourhood in his hometown. Further history revealed that he went to a forest in Jeli (northern part of Kelantan) 3 weeks prior to the event. Initially he was treated as severe dengue with plasma leakage complicated with type 1 respiratory failure as evidenced by positive serum NS1-antigen and thrombocytopenia. Blood for malarial parasite (BFMP) was sent for test as there was suspicion of malaria due to persistent thrombocytopenia despite recovering from dengue infection and the presence of a risk factor. The test revealed high count of malaria parasite. Confirmatory PCR identified the parasite to be Plasmodium knowlesi Intravenous artesunate was administered to the patient immediately after acquiring the BFMP result. Severe malaria was complicated with acute kidney injury and septicaemic shock. Fortunately the patient made full recovery and was discharged from the ward after 2 weeks of hospitalisation.

Concurrent hyphema and orbital apex syndrome following herpes zoster ophthalmicus in a middle aged lady.

INTRODUCTION: Hyphema and orbital apex syndrome occurring concurrently in a patient with herpes zoster ophthalmicus have not been reported previously. We present a case with these unique findings and discuss the pathogenesis of these conditions and their management. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 59-year-old Malay lady with underlying diabetes mellitus presented with manifestations of zoster ophthalmicus in the left eye. Two weeks later, she developed total hyphema, and complete ophthalmoplegia suggestive of orbital apex syndrome. She was treated with combination of intravenous acyclovir and oral corticosteroids, and regained full recovery of ocular motility. Total hyphema persisted, and she required surgical intervention. DISCUSSION: Hyphema is postulated to occur due to an immune vasculitis affecting the iris vessels. Orbital apex syndrome is probably due to an occlusive vasculitis affecting the vasculature of the extraocular muscles and optic nerve, resulting from a direct invasion by varicella zoster virus or infiltration of perivascular inflammatory cells. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the brain is essential to exclude possibility of local causes at the orbital apex area. CONCLUSION: Herpes zoster ophthalmicus is an uncommon ocular presentation. Managing two concurrent complications; persistent total hyphema and orbital apex syndrome is a challenging clinical situation. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential to prevent potential blinding situation.

Case report: Unusual cause of difficulty in intubation and ventilation with asthmatic-like presentation of Endobronchial Tuberculosis.

Endobronchial Tuberculosis is hazardous in causing circumferential narrowing of tracheobronchial tree despite the eradication of tubercle bacilli in the initial insult from Pulmonary Tuberculosis. They may present as treatment resistant bronchial asthma and pose challenge to airway management in the acute setting. We present a 25 year-old lady who was newly diagnosed bronchial asthma with a past history of Pulmonary Tuberculosis that had completed treatment. She presented with sudden onset of difficulty breathing associated with noisy breathing for 3 days and hoarseness of voice for 6 months. Due to resistant bronchospasm, attempts were made to secure the airway which led to unanticipated difficult intubation and ventilation. Subsequent investigations confirmed the diagnosis of Endobronchial Tuberculosis and patient was managed successfully with anti TB medication, corticosteroids and multiple sessions of tracheal dilatation for tracheal stenosis. This case highlights the unusual cause of difficulty in intubation and ventilation due to Endobronchial Tuberculosis, which required medical and surgical intervention to improve the condition.