Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.6.1.2 (alanine aminotransferase)
 26,722 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A nonhuman primate model of clinical Rickettsia prowazekii infections was developed in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Monkeys infected intravenously with 10(7) plaque-forming units developed clinical signs of illness and pathological changes characteristic of epidemic typhus infection in humans. Increases in total leukocyte counts, serum alkaline phosphatase, blood urea nitrogen, and serum glutamic pyruvate transaminase values were observed. Microscopic examination revealed typical typhus nodules in the brains of two monkeys that died. These data indicated that the cynomolgus monkey is a suitable model for study of the pathogenesis of epidemic typhus infection and may prove valuable in the evaluation of candidate R. prowazekii vaccines.
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PMID:Epidemic typhus infection in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). 743 74

We have performed a case-control analysis to determine the significance of clinical, laboratory and epidemiological features as predictive factors of rickettsioses among patients in Sangkhla Buri, Thailand (Thai-Myanmar border). Fifteen serologically-confirmed rickettsiosis patients including Spotted Fever Group (SFG) rickettsioses, scrub typhus, and murine typhus were classified as 'cases'; one hundred and sixty-three acutely febrile patients presenting to the same hospital during the same time period, who had no serological evidence of acute rickettsiosis, were classified as 'controls'. Patients' report of rash/arthropod bite [Odds ratio (OR) 22.90, 95% CI (confidence interval) 6.23, 84.13] and history of jungle trips (OR 5.30, 95% CI 1.69-16.62) were significant risk factors. Elevated ALT (OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.04, 8.88) and depressed platelet count (OR 3.38, 95% CI 1.13, 10.10) were also useful differentiating markers of rickettsioses in this population. Definitive diagnosis of rickettsioses is difficult without specialized diagnostic capabilities that are rarely available in remote areas such as Sangkhla Buri, where other acute febrile illnesses with similar presentation are commonly found. The relative importance of predictive factors presented here may provide clinicians with some useful guidance in distinguishing rickettsioses from other acute febrile illnesses. Timely administration of empiric treatment in highly suspicious cases can deter potential morbidity from these arthropod-borne infections.
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PMID:A study of'febrile illnesses on the Thai-Myanmar border: predictive factors of rickettsioses. 1568 83

There is little information on the diverse infectious causes of jaundice and hepatitis in the Asiatic tropics. Serology (hepatitis A, B, C and E, leptospirosis, dengue, rickettsia), antigen tests (dengue), PCR assays (hepatitis A, C and E) and blood cultures (septicaemia) were performed on samples from 392 patients admitted with jaundice or raised transaminases (> or =x3) to Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Laos over 3 years. Conservative definitions suggested diagnoses of dengue (8.4%), rickettsioses (7.3%), leptospirosis (6.8%), hepatitis B (4.9%), hepatitis C (4.9%), community-acquired septicaemia (3.3%) and hepatitis E (1.6%). Although anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) IgM antibody results suggested that 35.8% of patients had acute HAV infections, anti-HAV IgG antibody avidity and HAV PCR suggested that 82% had polyclonal activation and not acute HAV infections. Scrub typhus, murine typhus or leptospirosis were present in 12.8% of patients and were associated with meningism and relatively low AST and ALT elevation. These patients would be expected to respond to empirical doxycycline therapy which, in the absence of virological diagnosis and treatment, may be an appropriate cost-effective intervention in Lao patients with jaundice/hepatitis.
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PMID:The infective causes of hepatitis and jaundice amongst hospitalised patients in Vientiane, Laos. 2037 38

The aim of this study was to analyse data relating to the liver function profile during acute infection from murine typhus in the city of Chania in the island of Crete (Greece). A retrospective study of the files of all the cases with a diagnosis of murine typhus admitted to the Saint George General Hospital of Chania over a 15-year period (1993-2008) was performed. Variations in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were recorded from three consecutive examined serum samples. A total of 165 patients were diagnosed with murine typhus during the above time period. Serum aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase were abnormal in most of the first examined samples. Remarkably on admission, serum levels of AST, ALT, and LDH recorded an increase above the cut-off point in 142 (86%), 114 (69%) and 136 (82.4%) patients respectively. More than two out of every ten patients presented hepatomegaly. In conclusion, liver dysfunction occurs frequently in patients with murine typhus. A high level of physicians' awareness is required for the liver biochemical abnormalities caused by this worldwide zoonotic disease, especially in endemic areas such as Greece.
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PMID:Liver function test abnormalities in murine typhus in Greece: a retrospective study of 165 cases. 2400 53

Hemorrhagic fevers (HF) caused by viruses and bacteria are a major public health problem in China and characterized by variable clinical manifestations, such that it is often difficult to achieve accurate diagnosis and treatment. The causes of HF in 85 patients admitted to Dandong hospital, China, between 2011-2012 were determined by serological and PCR tests. Of these, 34 patients were diagnosed with Huaiyangshan hemorrhagic fever (HYSHF), 34 with Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), one with murine typhus, and one with scrub typhus. Etiologic agents could not be determined in the 15 remaining patients. Phylogenetic analyses of recovered bacterial and viral sequences revealed that the causative infectious agents were closely related to those described in other geographical regions. As these diseases have no distinctive clinical features in their early stage, only 13 patients were initially accurately diagnosed. The distinctive clinical features of HFRS and HYSHF developed during disease progression. Enlarged lymph nodes, cough, sputum, and diarrhea were more common in HYSHF patients, while more HFRS cases presented with headache, sore throat, oliguria, percussion pain kidney area, and petechiae. Additionally, HYSHF patients displayed significantly lower levels of white blood cells (WBC), higher levels of creations kinase (CK) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), while HFRS patients presented with an elevation of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (CREA). These clinical features will assist in the accurate diagnosis of both HYSHF and HFRS. Overall, our data reveal the complexity of pathogens causing HFs in a single Chinese hospital, and highlight the need for accurate early diagnosis and a better understanding of their distinctive clinical features.
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PMID:Co-circulation of multiple hemorrhagic fever diseases with distinct clinical characteristics in Dandong, China. 2458 7