Reviews of infectious diseases
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For the treatment of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis, short-course chemotherapy of 6 months' duration (with the four-drug combination of isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide, and either ethambutol or streptomycin given daily for a 2-month initial intensive phase followed by a 4-month daily continuation phase with isoniazid and rifampin) is as effective and as acceptable as the standard 9-month daily course of therapy (with isoniazid, rifampin, and ethambutol given for a 2-month initial intensive phase followed by a 7-month daily continuation phase with isoniazid and rifampin). The duration of short-course chemotherapy cannot be further reduced for smear-negative and culture-positive or smear-negative and culture-negative pulmonary tuberculosis or for extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Isoniazid has been demonstrated to be active as prophylactic therapy for tuberculosis at a daily dose of 300 mg (5-10 mg/kg in children) for 6-12 months. Prophylaxis of 2 months' duration with daily administration of isoniazid, rifampin, and pyrazinamide may be as effective as prophylactic therapy with isoniazid of 12 months' duration.
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Review Case Reports
Disseminated fusarial infection in the immunocompromised host.
A report of the species Fusarium proliferatum causing systemic infection in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia is presented, with a review of the clinical and laboratory features relating to outcome in disseminated fusarial infections. Thirteen cases of disseminated infection due to Fusarium species have been reported, all but one of which were fatal. Hematologic malignancy is the commonest underlying illness. ⋯ Fusarium isolates from disseminated infections are variably sensitive to amphotericin B, ketoconazole, and miconazole and uniformly resistant to 5-fluorocytosine. The correlation between antifungal susceptibility status and clinical outcome is poor, reflecting problems in susceptibility testing, marginally effective chemotherapy, and serious impairment of host defenses. Attention to early diagnosis and the care of indwelling prosthetic devices may enhance survival until more effective chemotherapy is available.
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A search of the medical literature published since 1950 disclosed 19 cases of probable AIDS reported before the start of the current epidemic. These cases retrospectively met the Centers for Disease Control's surveillance definition of the syndrome and had a clinical course suggestive of AIDS. The reports originated from North America, Western Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. ⋯ In two instances concurrent or subsequent opportunistic infection occurred in family members. All patients died 1 month to 6 years after the initial manifestation of disease. In view of the historical data, unrecognized cases of AIDS appear to have occurred sporadically in the pre-AIDS era.