1/267. microsporidia infection in transplant patients.BACKGROUND: microsporidia are the most common cause of chronic diarrhea in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. patients who have undergone organ transplantation may also be infected. The precise immune defect and the clinical picture in transplant patients have not been studied. methods: We report a case of microsporidia infection in a heart transplant patient and review three other cases reported in the literature. RESULTS: Infection in three solid organ transplant patients occurred when the patients were receiving immunosuppressive therapy for rejection 1.5-3 years after transplantation. patients had chronic diarrhea, vomiting, dyspepsia, and weight loss for 1 month to 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: microsporidia may be the cause of chronic unexplained diarrhea and gastrointestinal disturbances in transplant patients. Defects in cell-mediated immunity probably play a role in maintaining the chronicity of this infection. Specific screening requests should be made to the microbiology laboratory when microsporidia infection is suspected.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/267. INR elevation associated with diarrhea in a patient receiving warfarin.OBJECTIVE: To report a case of international normalized ratio (INR) prolongation in a patient receiving warfarin who experienced several episodes of diarrhea. CASE SUMMARY: A 56-year-old white woman, previously controlled on warfarin therapy (INR 2.5-3.5) after aortic valve replacement, experienced six episodes of INR elevation, each associated with an acute bout of diarrhea lasting from one to four days. The patient had not received additional warfarin or new medications (including nonprescription medications and herbal remedies) prior to the episodes. The patient had no obvious signs of bleeding (except bruising on 1 episode) or signs of infection determined through physician evaluation of the patient and her stools. In addition, she had no diagnosis of liver disease or acute or chronic malabsorption. The patient did report that her dietary intake decreased to 25-50% of normal during these episodes of diarrhea, which may result in decreased vitamin k ingestion. DISCUSSION: This is one of the first case reports documenting a trend of INR elevation specifically with episodes of diarrhea. Since most of the common reasons for acute INR elevation have been eliminated, diarrhea with decreased oral intake are the most probable causes for these observed changes in the INR. Several reports suggest that acute diarrhea results in malabsorption of vitamin k, which can predispose patients taking warfarin to INR elevations, but in many of these reports patients had other risk factors for INR elevation. Although the effect of diarrhea on vitamin k absorption and the INR is difficult to quantify, the INR elevation reported here seemed to be directly associated with the duration of each diarrheal episode. CONCLUSIONS: diarrhea episodes in patients receiving warfarin can result in prolongation of the INR and possible bleeding. patients who experience diarrhea or decreased oral intake resulting in elevated INRs should have their INRs evaluated more frequently and their warfarin doses adjusted appropriately.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.14285714285714keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/267. Primary gastric T-cell lymphomas: report of two cases and a review of the literature.To understand more fully the clinicopathological features of primary gastric T-cell lymphomas (PGTL), we report two cases of PGTL and review the literature. The present cases were not associated with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and were at clinical stage IIE. In both cases, T-cell origin of the lymphoma cells was diagnosed immunohistochemically. The clinical courses of these two cases were different: one followed a very aggressive clinical course and the patient died 6 months after the diagnosis, whereas the other patient survived more than 2 years without adjuvant chemotherapy. Clinicopathological features of 23 patients with PGTL are summarized with regard to their differences from primary small intestinal T-cell lymphomas (PSITL) and by association with HTLV-1. The median age at onset of PGTL was 58 years. The gender ratio was male-dominant (M:F = 2.3:1). About two-thirds (10 of 17) of PGTL cases had evidence of HTLV-1 infection. The most common presenting symptom for PGTL was upper abdominal discomfort and/or pain (76%), whereas that in PSITL was weight loss (61%) and diarrhea (42%). Typical lesions for PGTL were large ulcerations at the corpus to antrum. Neoplastic cells had no typical morphological characteristics for PGTL including HTLV-1-associated cases. CD3 4 8- was the most frequently observed surface phenotype of PGTL cells. Laboratory findings at diagnosis were not informative. Most patients were treated by gastrectomy with or without chemotherapy. PGTL, excluding that with HTLV-1, showed better prognosis than PSITL, although PGTL with HTLV-1 had a poorer prognosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.14285714285714keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/267. association of lymphocytic colitis with linear IgA dermatosis.The case of a 66-year-old female patient is presented, who suffered from chronic watery diarrhea. In addition, she developed linear IgA dermatosis after oral treatment of a presumed yeast infection with nystatin. To evaluate the reason for her diarrhea, colonoscopy was performed. The macroscopic aspect of the colon mucosa was described as normal with no specific alterations for chronic inflammatory bowel disease or for bacterial infections. In contrast, the histologic examination revealed the typical characteristics of lymphocytic colitis. This disease is thought to be caused by immunological reactions against as yet unknown luminal antigens. After treatment with steroids and dapsone the diarrhea as well as the skin disease disappeared. To our knowledge, the present report describes for the first time the association of linear IgA dermatosis with lymphocytic colitis after oral treatment with nystatin. A possible causative link between these two disease entities is discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.28571428571429keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/267. clostridium difficile infection of a prosthetic joint presenting 12 months after antibiotic-associated diarrhoea.clostridium difficile is a common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, but it rarely causes extra-colonic disease. An 83-year-old woman who developed culture-positive C. difficile-associated diarrhoea following pneumonia and a total hip replacement was treated successfully with oral metronidazole therapy. She was readmitted 12 months later for revision of the hip prosthesis because of increasing pain. At surgery an abscess associated with the prosthesis was discovered. culture of the pus grew C. difficile. When the surgical isolate and the cryopreserved faecal isolates were compared using Pulsed Field Gel electrophoresis (PFGE), an identical banding pattern was observed. This case extends the clinical spectrum of C. difficile infection by documenting a prolonged interval between the initial infection, and diagnosis of the prosthetic joint infection. The importance of molecular typing to show strain relatedness is demonstrated.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/267. capillaria philippinensis: an emerging parasite causing severe diarrhoea in egypt.Four cases with capillaria philippinensis have been reported from egypt during 1989-1992. The authors report here four other cases of severe diarrhoea caused by this parasite. A male and three female patients aged 12-45 years presented with severe diarrhoea of 1-7 months duration associated with vomiting and central abdominal colics. Stools were yellowish or greenish and voluminous. anorexia was profound with loss of weight. Bilateral painless ankle oedema developed early in the course of the disease and two cases had ascites and bilateral pleural effusion at presentation. There was hyponatraemia, hypocalcaemia and marked hypokalaemia and hypoalbulinaemia. Small bowel series showed a rapid transit time in 3 cases and malabsorption pattern in one. Duodenal biopsies showed non-specific chronic inflammation while jejunal biopsies from one case revealed grade II villous atrophy with moderate cellular infiltration of lamina propria. The infection was diagnosed by finding the eggs, larvae and adult worms of C. philippinensis in stool. patients were treated with mebendazole 400 mg/day in two divided doses for 28 days in addition to high protein diet and correction of electrolyte disturbance. vomiting stopped on the second day of treatment, appetite improved and diarrhoea regressed by the fourth day. Unfortunately, one case died two days after admission due to marked hypokalaemia. Clinico-pathological and epidemiological aspects of this infection in egypt are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.28571428571429keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/267. The effect of probiotics on clostridium difficile diarrhea.clostridium difficile is the leading cause of nosocomially acquired intestinal infection in the united states, affecting virtually all cases of pseudomembranous colitis and up to 20% of cases of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Even after receiving antibiotic treatment with either metronidazole or vancomycin, 20% of patients will have recurrent clostridium difficile diarrhea. An innovative approach to the problem involves the introduction of competing, nonpathogenic (probiotic) organisms into the intestinal tract to restore microbial balance. The theoretical premise behind this approach is that the protective intestinal microflora is damaged by antibiotic treatment; the initial antibiotic exposure thus leaves the host susceptible to colonization and subsequent infection by clostridium difficile. A so-called "second-hit" to the intestinal microflora occurs when the infected host is treated with flagyl or vancomycin, further destroying susceptible bacterial flora. Probiotic agents, such as lactobacillus GG and saccharomyces boulardii, have been studied for the treatment of clostridium difficile. We are currently running a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of lactobacillus GG in combination with standard antibiotics for the treatment of clostridium difficile infection. Although it is too early to draw statistically significant conclusions, two patterns seem to be emerging: lactobacillus GG is effective in reducing the 3-wk recurrence rate of clostridium difficile, and patients feel better when taking lactobacillus GG, as compared with the placebo, with early disappearance of abdominal cramps and diarrhea. In conclusion, the use of probiotics for the treatment of primary and recurrent clostridium difficile diarrhea looks promising. patients seem to have less recurrent clostridium difficile diarrhea and early symptomatic improvement when using the probiotic lactobacillus GG.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.42857142857143keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/267. Perianal cytomegalovirus ulcer in an hiv infected patient: case report and review of literature.We report the case of a 25-year-old man with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, presenting with perianal ulcer and diarrhea. He had positive immunocytochemical tests for cytomegalovirus (CMV) in circulating polymorphonuclear cells (PMN). The biopsy specimen was suggestive of CMV infection, and specific immunoperoxidase for CMV antigens positively stained endothelial cells and fibroblasts. In this report we review cutaneous CMV infection in immunocompromised patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.28571428571429keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/267. Pseudomembranous gastritis: a novel complication of aspergillus infection in a patient with a bone marrow transplant and graft versus host disease.A 36-year-old Hispanic man who had undergone allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, complicated by graft versus host disease, was admitted with acute gastrointestinal symptoms, including severe diarrhea and diffuse abdominal pain. He also had a persistent cough with sputum production. blood cultures yielded escherichia coli, and sputum cultures grew Apergillus species. The patient was treated with antifungal agents and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Despite aggressive medical therapy, the patient died 10 days after admission. Postmortem examination disclosed severe, bilateral confluent bronchopneumonia, with numerous septated branching hyphae consistent with aspergillus species fungal organisms that involved the pulmonary parenchyma and tracheobronchial tree. Although the small and large bowels were only mildly congested, the entire gastric mucosa was covered with a 1.5-cm-thick pseudomembrane that contained numerous aspergillus organisms. Our report represents the first description, to our knowledge, of a diffuse inflammatory pseudomembrane in the stomach, a complication that to date has only been associated with small and large bowel involvement.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.57142857142857keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/267. cytomegalovirus and cryptosporidium infections in AIDS: a necropsy study.A case of coinfection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and cryptosporidium in an AIDS patient is reported. Chronic diarrhea was the presenting symptom. Etiologic agents were diagnosed only at postmortem evaluation. CMV intranuclear inclusions were seen in the terminal ileum, colon and vermiform appendix. cryptosporidium oocysts were also present in the intestinal brush border of the colon. Improvement of diagnostic procedures such as colonic biopsy and the use of appropriate staining procedure for AIDS patients with diarrhea can help identify the cause of illness.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.71428571428571keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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