The occurrence of Rhabditis (Rhabditella) axei in the faeces of a chicken in Egypt

Rhabditis axei, the free living nematode, was detected in the faeces of a chicken maintained in a clean cage in the parasitology laboratory, Zagazig University, Egypt. The source of these worms and the method of their transmission to the laboratory was discussed. The experimental inoculation of 3 chickens with R. axei demonstrated that their survival after passing through the intestine was not possible. Free living nematodes could be confused easily with Strongyloides sp. during routine faecal examination.     

Rhabditis maupasi: occurrence in food snails and cultivation

Rhabditis maupasi, a nematode, inhabits the mantle cavity of terrestrial snails, Helix aspersa, that are imported from Morocco and sold in the food markets of New York City. Most of the nematodes found in living snails are stage-3 larvae which mature and reproduce after the snail has died and decayed. The nematodes were isolated from snails and cultivated with a microflora and then in species isolation, i.e., axenically. Sterile slices of rabbit kidney supported by agar slants served as the initial culture system. Subsequently, a liquid medium was used that contained raw rabbit liver extract. When, instead, raw snail extract was substituted in the liquid medium, nematode larvae did not mature unless the snail extract was digested secondarily or inactivated by heating. Nematodes grow abundantly in dead snails and in treated snail extract but not in living snails or in raw snail extract. The reason is probably not the nematodes' lack of suitable digestive enzymes for snail tissue nor the absence of adequate nutrients in living, microbially poor snails, but rather the presence of an inhibitor in snails.     

Sulperazone in the treatment of severe infections in patients with cancer]

For the evaluation of rational sulperazone position in oncological hospital and elaboration of its implementation criteria investigation was performed. The trial included 193 patients (88 patients with injuries, 66 with hospital pneumonia, 39 with urinary track infection). From different clinical material of the patients were isolated 136 straines of Gram-negative bacteria. Suseptibile to sulperazone were 67 per cent of P. aeruginosa, 78-86 per cent of P. vulgaris, Klebsiella and E. coli isolates, 66 [symbol: see text] 60 per cent of Enterobacter and Serratia isolates subsequently. Comparative results of treatment with sulperazone as monotherapy and for combination with aminoglycosides (gentamycin or amicacin) in the case of P. aeruginosa infection demonstrated high sulperazone efficacy not lower than imipenem/cilsatatin and cefepime efficacy in the case of hospital infections treatment at critical care units. Low price of the sulperazone treatment when compared to imipenem/cilastatine is emphasized. Another advantage of sulperazone when compared to cefepime is anaerobic infection treatment--cefepime is administered in combination with metronidazole while sulperazone is used in monotherapy.     

慢性重型乙肝继发侵袭性真菌感染的研究

目的明确侵袭性真菌感染(invasive fungal infections,IFI)在慢性重型乙肝患者中发病情况及主要病因。方法依据IFI和乙肝诊断标准,筛选上海长征医院感染科慢性重症乙肝患者,60例IFI者为病例组,66例未发生IFI为对照组,进行回顾性分析。结果 IFI患病率47.62%,病死率40%。乙肝病毒DNA水平是最主要的危险因素,当DNA高于3.16×103copies/mL,IFI发病可能性增大。结论慢重肝患者IFI的患病率和病死率超出临床预期,降低DNA拷贝可延缓乙肝进展,在预防及治疗IFI中亦具积极意义。     

Parasite infections in AIDS

'Illnesses no one's got' was the epidemiological clue that led to the identification of AIDS as a new disease in 1981 when a rare infectious organism Pneumocystis carinii was seen in previously healthy homosexuals. Since then a wide range of parasite infections has been recognized in AIDS patients. However, these patients are not susceptible to just any passing parasite. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) produces a specific immune defect and only parasites that can exploit that defect will be able to flourish. In this review Diana Lockwood and Jonathan Weber explore the spectrum of parasite diseases recognized in AIDS and also consider those parasites that occur infrequently in AIDS. Analysis of parasitic infections that AIDS patients do not suffer from will yield valuable information about immune recognition and handling of these parasites.     

Gene polymorphisms in pro-inflammatory cytokines are associated with systemic inflammation in patients with severe periodontal infections

The inflammatory response to chronic infections such as periodontitis may be central to the systemic implications of these diseases. This study examined the possible association between specific gene polymorphisms and the systemic inflammatory response in individuals suffering from severe generalized periodontitis. Ninety-four subjects with periodontitis were genotyped for polymorphisms in IL-1A (-889), IL-1B (-511, +3954), TNF-A (-308), IL-6 (-174) and TLR4 (-299, -399) genes. We found that the genotypes for IL-1A or IL-6 are associated with higher levels of serum IL-6 (P < 0.03) and serum CRP (P < 0.05), similarly the TNF-A genotype is associated with higher levels of serum IL-6 (P < 0.05) after correction for age, body mass index, gender, ethnicity and cigarette smoking. Systemic inflammatory responses are higher in severe periodontitis patients carrying rare alleles for functional inflammatory gene polymorphisms. These results suggest that cytokine genotypes are important determinants of the systemic inflammatory response in subjects with periodontitis. Genetic polymorphism therefore, may in part explain the reported association between periodontitis and systemic disease.     

Red blood cell T-activation and hemolysis in surgical intensive care patients with severe infections

The exposure of Thomsen-Friedenreich (T) antigens on RBCs, serum neuraminidase, and serum hemoglobin levels were investigated in 53 adult surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients with septicemia. Unmasked T-antigens were assayed by a hemagglutination test using peanut agglutinin (PNA) (direct anti-T test), and by an indirect anti-T test employing rabbit anti-PNA globulin. RBC T-activation was demonstrated in 17/53 patients (32%); in 2/53 patients (4%) the direct anti-T test was positive, indicating strong T-exposure. No polyagglutination phenomena were observed. Serum neuraminidase was elevated in 12/17 (71%) patients with T-activation and in 7/36 (19%) patients without T-activation. Free serum hemoglobin was elevated in 12/17 (71%) patients with T-activation and in 5/36 (14%) patients without T-activation. Correlations between T-activation and serum neuraminidase and between T-activation and serum hemoglobin were significant (p less than 0.001). Potentially neuraminidase-releasing bacteria were demonstrated in 13/17 (76%) patients with RBC T-exposure. We conclude that neuraminidase-induced RBC T-activation and subsequent hemolysis may be involved in the pathomechanism of hemolytic anemia in patients with severe infections.     

艾滋病合并多部位真菌感染1例

报道1例艾滋病并发由红色毛癣菌引起的双侧乳房周围及阴囊、股部皮肤的体、股癣患者,男,41岁,双侧乳房周围及阴囊、双侧股部皮肤出现境界清楚的红斑,真菌学检查为:红色毛癣菌。外涂阿莫罗芬乳膏治愈。患者在1个月前血液化验检查确诊为艾滋病。     

Intestinal parasites infections in hospitalized AIDS patients in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

To determine the prevalence and the species spectrum of intestinal parasites (IP) involved in hospitalized AIDS patients, a prospective observational and cross-sectional study was carried out in the four main hospitals in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. From November 2006 through September 2007, a single stool sample was collected from 175 hospitalized AIDS patients older than 15 years. Parasites were detected by light microscopy, including Ziehl-Neelsen, Fungi-Fluor, modified trichrome stains, and by immunofluorescence antibody tests and PCR for species diagnosis of microsporidia. At baseline, 19 patients (10.8%) were under antiretroviral therapy and 156 (89.2%) were eligible for ART. The main diagnosis for justifying hospitalization was intestinal infection associated with diarrhea in 87 out of 175 (49.7%). 47 out of 175 (26.9%) were found to harbor an IP, and 27 out of 175 (15.4%) were infected with at least one opportunistic IP (OIP). Prevalence rate for OIP were 9.7%, 5.1%, 1.7% and 0.6% for Cryptosporidium sp., Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Isospora belli and Encephalitozoon intestinalis respectively. Considering patients with diarrhea only, prevalence rate were 12.6%, 4.6%, 3.4% and 1.1% respectively. The other IP observed were Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar in nine cases (5.1%), Ascoris lumbricoides in seven cases (4.0%), Giardia intestinalis in three cases (1.7%), hookworm in two cases (1.1%) and Trichiuris trichiura, Enterobius vermicularis, Schistosoma mansoni in one patient each (0.6%). No significant relationship was established between any individual IP and diarrhea. These results underline the importance of OIP in symptomatic AIDS patients regardless of diarrhea at the time of the hospitalisation, and showed that routine microscopic examination using stains designed for Cryptosporidium spp. or the microsporidia should be considered due to the absence of clinical markers.     

艾滋病患者侵袭性真菌感染的治疗

艾滋病患者由于严重免疫缺陷而易于并发各种机会感染和肿瘤。高效抗反转录病毒联合治疗(HAART)的出现明显改善了艾滋病患者的预后,提高了患者生存质量,随着HAART在临床的广泛使用,艾滋病患者出现各种机会感染包括侵袭性真菌感染的概率大大降低。然而,由于我国艾滋病患者明确诊断时大多处于疾病晚期,机体免疫功能极低;部分患者尽管接受了HAART,但是由于依从性、病毒耐药性等原因导致患者未能出现良好的应答反应,患者的免疫功能仍未能得到     

Treatment of severe bacteroides infections with parenteral clindamycin

Clindamycin, by intravenous or intramuscular administration, was used in the treatment of 18 patients seriously ill with infections due to bacteroides organisms. In 17 cases there was a rapid favourable clinical response to treatment. No serious toxic effects were observed. This study appears to confirm previous in vitro evidence that clindamycin is presently the antibiotic of choice for such infections.     

Toxocara cati infections in stray cats in northern Iran

A cross-sectional survey was undertaken to study the prevalence and intensity of infection with Toxocara cati in 100 stray cats, from April to October 2004 in urban areas of Sari, northern Iran. A total of 44 cats (44%) were found to be infected with T. cati. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of infection relative to host age and weight (P = 0.000). There was also a significant difference in the intensity of infection relative to body weight and urban sites (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between the prevalence of infection relative to host gender, urban sites and season (P>0.05), nor in the intensity of infection between host gender, age and season (P>0.05). The intensity of infection ranged from 1 to 32 worms per cat, with a mean of 7.30 +/- 6.82.     

The probability of severe disease in zoonotic and commensal infections

Cross-species transfers of pathogens (zoonoses) cause some of the most virulent diseases, including anthrax, hantavirus and Q fever. Zoonotic infections occur when a pathogen moves from its reservoir host species into a secondary host species. Similarly, commensal infections often have a primary reservoir location within their hosts' bodies from which they rarely cause disease symptoms, but commensals such as Neisseria meningitidis cause severe disease when they cross into a different body compartment from their normal location. Both zoonotic and commensal infections cause either mild symptoms or severe disease, but rarely intermediate symptoms. We develop a mathematical model for studying three factors that affect the probability of severe disease: the size of the inoculum, the route of inoculation and the frequency of naturally occurring infections that do not cause symptoms but do induce protective immunity (vaccinating inoculations). With a single route of infection, increasing pathogen density causes inoculations to develop more often into disease rather than asymptomatic vaccinations that provide protective immunity. With two routes of infection, it may happen that a lower density of a pathogen or of a particular antigenic variant leads to a relatively higher frequency of disease-inducing versus vaccinating inoculations. This reversal occurs when one route of infection tends to vaccinate against relatively common pathogens but less often vaccinates against relatively rare pathogens, whereas the other route of infection is susceptible to disease-inducing inoculation even at relatively low pathogen density.