Infection
-
The value of serum and cerebrospinaL fluid (CSF) procalcitonin for differentiating between acute bacterial and viral meningitis was assessed and compared to other parameters which are usually used in clinical practice. ⋯ Serum and CSF procalcitonin concentrations > 0.5 ng/ml appear to be a reliable indicator of bacterial central nervous system (CNS) infection, with maximal positive predictive values and high negative predictive values.
-
Spinal epidural abscess (SEA) due to Streptococcus pneumoniae is rare and has never been reported in an HIV-infected patient, despite the higher risk of invasive disease in this group. We describe here the first case of pneumococcal epidural abscess, presenting with fever and back pain in a 60-year-old man infected with HIV. ⋯ The patient was successfully treated with iv ceftriaxone without surgical intervention. The clinical characteristics of this case are compared with existing literature on pneumococcal SEA.
-
Hospital-based surveillance study to estimate the burden of hospitalizations due to pneumonia in Spain. ⋯ Each year more than 50,000 persons were hospitalized for pneumonia and approximately 4,000 died.
-
Streptobacillus moniliformis is the causative agent of rat bite fever, with endocarditis being a rare but well-documented complication. We report the case of an HIV-positive man who acquired S. moniliformis endocarditis through a rat bite. ⋯ At the end of the antibiotic therapy he suffered a generalized Candida albicans infection, which was treated with fluconazole for 1 week. He was subsequently discharged in a satisfactory condition.
-
Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Long-term responses to treatment including ritonavir or nelfinavir in HIV-1-infected children. Pediatric AIDS Group of Switzerland.
Knowledge concerning the long-term antiretroviral and immunological efficacy of protease inhibitors in children is limited. ⋯ The antiretroviral and immunologic benefits of protease inhibitors are more profound in ART-naive than in non-naive children.