Articles: disease.
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Rev Chilena Infectol · Feb 2015
Case Reports[Pott's disease and immunological diagnosis of tuberculosis, about a pediatric clinical case].
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major health problem in the world. The clinical forms of TB in children are variable, pulmonary involvement occurs in two thirds of cases. In the remaining third, clinical forms incluye node, meningeal and osteoarticular involvement. ⋯ 7 year old boy with a history of an osteolytic lesion of the right ischial branch. Three months later he presented with spondylodiscitis at L2-L3, associated with a large abscess in the right iliac psoas muscle. Pott's disease was suspected, and tuberculin test and T-SPOT®.TB test were performed, with a positive result. Antimicrobial treatment was initiated with isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. After 30 days, Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated from psoas abscess. We discuss methods of TB diagnosis, with special emphasis on immunological methods: tuberculin test and interferon-gamma release assays. Methods of immunological TB diagnosis are an important contribution to the diagnosis of this disease, allowing early initiation of treatment.
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Frontiers in microbiology · Jan 2015
The use of phage FCL-2 as an alternative to chemotherapy against columnaris disease in aquaculture.
Flavobacterium columnare, the causative agent of columnaris disease in fish, causes millions of dollars of losses in the US channel catfish industry alone, not to mention aquaculture industry worldwide. Novel methods are needed for the control and treatment of bacterial diseases in aquaculture to replace traditionally used chemotherapies. A potential solution could be the use of phages, i.e., bacterial viruses, host-specific and self-enriching particles that can be can easily distributed via water flow. ⋯ Hundred percent of the zebrafish and 50% of the rainbow trout survived in the phage treatment (survival without phage 0 and 8.3%, respectively). Most importantly, the rainbow trout population was rescued from infection by a single addition of the phage into the water in a flow-through fish tank system. Thus, F. columnare could be used as a model system to test the benefits and risks of phage therapy on a larger scale.
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Review Meta Analysis
Global Morbidity and Mortality of Leptospirosis: A Systematic Review.
Leptospirosis, a spirochaetal zoonosis, occurs in diverse epidemiological settings and affects vulnerable populations, such as rural subsistence farmers and urban slum dwellers. Although leptospirosis is a life-threatening disease and recognized as an important cause of pulmonary haemorrhage syndrome, the lack of global estimates for morbidity and mortality has contributed to its neglected disease status. ⋯ Leptospirosis is among the leading zoonotic causes of morbidity worldwide and accounts for numbers of deaths, which approach or exceed those for other causes of haemorrhagic fever. Highest morbidity and mortality were estimated to occur in resource-poor countries, which include regions where the burden of leptospirosis has been underappreciated.