Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases
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Scand. J. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2011
Comparative StudyComparison of neutrophil volume distribution width to C-reactive protein and procalcitonin as a proposed new marker of acute infection.
The aim of this study was to assess the use of neutrophil distribution width (NDW) and to compare it to C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT), in the detection of early sepsis in the intensive care unit. ⋯ NDW had the highest diagnostic accuracy and is available with the complete blood count with differential (CBC). It may be a promising parameter to aid in the diagnosis of acute infection in adults, provided the possibility of haematological disorders is first ruled out.
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Scand. J. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2011
Whooping cough in Pakistan: Bordetella pertussis vs Bordetella parapertussis in 2005-2009.
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is an acute respiratory disease mainly affecting infants and children and is caused by Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis. The aim of this study was to investigate the share of Bordetella species from potential whooping cough cases during 2005-2009. Eight hundred and two samples from suspected pertussis cases were collected, mainly from 2 provinces of Pakistan. ⋯ The results were unexpected, because all of the isolates collected from the different cities were identified as B. parapertussis (7.4%); B. pertussis was not isolated from any sample. However, PCR results indicated the presence of a small percentage (0.6%) of B. pertussis among the total cases studied. This study suggests that vaccines to protect against both B. pertussis and B. parapertussis should be considered.
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Scand. J. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2011
Case ReportsCefepime neurotoxicity despite renal adjusted dosing.
Neurotoxicity is a rare side-effect of cefepime. There are previous reports of cefepime neurotoxicity in patients whose dosages were not adjusted for their kidney disease. We report a toxic case of non-convulsive status epilepticus in a patient receiving renally-dosed cefepime. ⋯ Our case illustrates that cefepime toxicity may still occur in patients who are dose-adjusted for renal insufficiency. It also underscores the importance of assessing for additional risk factors like history of stroke and seizures. Because cefepime-induced status epilepticus is completely reversible, prompt recognition and medication discontinuance can prevent further morbidity and mortality.
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Scand. J. Infect. Dis. · Aug 2011
Clinical impact of combined viral and bacterial infection in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.
New methods for identifying respiratory pathogens have led to several reports of a high yield of mixed infections in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The clinical impact of these findings has, however, not been fully evaluated. We aimed to compare patients with a pure bacterial etiology with those with findings of both bacteria and virus regarding severity of illness and length of hospital stay. ⋯ Patients infected with a virus and a bacterial pathogen more often develop severe CAP and have a longer hospitalization than those with a bacterial etiology alone.
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Scand. J. Infect. Dis. · Jul 2011
Meta AnalysisAssociation between lymphotoxin-α intron +252 polymorphism and sepsis: a meta-analysis.
We evaluated the association of lymphotoxin-α (LTA, also known as tumour necrosis factor-β) promoter +252 A/G polymorphism with sepsis. ⋯ The LTA +252 A/G polymorphism is associated with both susceptibility to and mortality from sepsis.