Japanese journal of infectious diseases
-
Jpn. J. Infect. Dis. · Jan 2014
Case ReportsA severe case of Lemierre Syndrome with Streptococcus constellatus Infection.
A 76-year-old Japanese male presenting with high fever, headache, and disturbance of consciousness was hospitalized. Contrast computed tomography revealed thrombophlebitis in the internal jugular vein and abscesses in the posterior neck region, pharynx, and pterygoid muscle. ⋯ In addition to the administration of antibiotics and anticoagulants, abscess drainage was performed. S. constellatus should be considered as a causative bacterium in elderly patients with Lemierre syndrome.
-
Jpn. J. Infect. Dis. · Jan 2014
Validation of thwaites' diagnostic scoring system for the differential diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis and bacterial meningitis.
To compare the clinical features of patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) and bacterial meningitis (BM) and to validate Thwaites' diagnostic scoring system for the differential diagnosis of TBM and BM, a retrospective review of 211 patients with TBM or BM who were admitted to Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, from 2007 to 2012 was conducted. The clinical characteristics and laboratory data were compared, and Thwaites' diagnostic scores were assessed at the time of admission for the differential diagnosis of TBM and BM. ⋯ The sensitivity and specificity for the differential diagnosis of TBM and initially treated BM were 98.2% and 82.9%, respectively, but were only 98.2% and 24.2% for that of TBM and partially treated BM, respectively. Thus, Thwaites' diagnostic scoring system was found to be highly effective for the differential diagnosis of TBM and initially treated BM but was found to be less effective for that of TBM and partially treated BM.
-
Jpn. J. Infect. Dis. · Jan 2014
Device-associated nosocomial infection rates and distribution of antimicrobial resistance in a medical-surgical intensive care unit in Turkey.
The aim of this study was to explore the rate of device-associated nosocomial infections (DANIs) and the distributions of causative agents and patterns of antibiotic resistance in the medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) over a 3-year period and to compare these rates with those reported by National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System and International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium. A total of 1,798 patients were hospitalized in our ICU for 13,942 days, of which 309 patients had DANIs, indicating an overall infection rate of 22.1 per 1,000 ICU-days. The central line-associated bloodstream infection rate was 6.4 per 1,000 catheter-days, whereas the ventilator-associated pneumonia rate was 14.3 per 1,000 ventilator-days and the catheter-associated urinary tract infection rate was 4.3 per 1,000 catheter-days. ⋯ With respect to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 30.9% of the strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 23.3% to amikacin, 43.1% to ceftazidime, 19.1% to piperacillin-tazobactam, and 34.7% to imipenem. Furthermore, 1.9% of the Enterococcus spp. were resistant to vancomycin, and 51.1% of Enterobacteriaceae were resistant to ceftriaxone. DANI rates decreased over the 3-year study period, which was likely in response to the infection control measures implemented in our ICU.
-
Jpn. J. Infect. Dis. · Jan 2014
Seroprevalence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in southeastern Bulgaria.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), which is endemic in Bulgaria, is caused by the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV). The seroprevalence of CCHFV in southeastern Bulgaria was examined in this study. For this purpose, a total of 751 human blood samples were collected and examined by indirect immunofluorescence assay. ⋯ None of the seropositive individuals had a history of CCHF. The results indicate that the proportion of positive findings increase with age. The significant risk factors for CCHFV infection are tick bites (18.85%, 23/122), livestock breeding (6.15%, 16/260), and residing in rural areas (6.20%, 21/339).