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We report a rare case of non-menstrual toxic shock syndrome (TSS) in the course of Staphylococcus aureus sepsis in a 31-year-old primigravida who developed high fever and severe pulmonary and cardiovascular failure within a few hours at the end of the 29th week of a twin pregnancy. Mechanical ventilation was necessary due to signs of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and catecholamines were needed to maintain a somewhat adequate blood pressure. A forceps delivery was performed immediately. Postoperatively, the patient was brought to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to the suspicion of severe septic shock. In addition to the extreme cardiovascular instability and massive disturbance of pulmonary gas exchange, the clinical picture was characterised by a disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) with marked petechial bleeding and ecchymoses on all extremities. Moreover, a confluent, spotty exanthem of the trunk and extremities could be seen. Despite all therapeutic efforts, the patient died within a few hours after admission to the ICU with signs of multiorgan failure. Post-mortem, multiple staphylococcal abscesses were found in the kidneys, liver, and uterus. Moreover, acute ulcerous endocarditis of the mitral valve and septic myocardial foci with myocarditis were seen. The Staph. aureus strain isolated from the blood cultures was shown to produce TSS toxin 1 (TSST-1) and enterotoxin B. In summary, the clinical picture can be interpreted as severe staphylococcal sepsis complicated by TSS. TSS is a specific type of infectious disease, occurring mainly in young women during the menstrual period (80%-90%), but it has also been reported in non-menstrual cases (10%-20%). It is characterised by sudden-onset high fever, hypotension, rash, mucosal hyperaemia, and various additional symptoms such as myalgia, vomiting, and diarrhoea. The clinical course depends on the extent of the organ failure due to decreased tissue perfusion during hypotension. Severe cases are accompanied by multiple organ-system failure including impaired renal function, which is reversible in nearly all cases. Respiratory failure ranges from interstitial and alveolar aedema to ARDS in 10% of cases; severe DIC is seen in 10%-15%. Another severe clinical complication is cardiac insufficiency. The etiology of TSS is based on a localized or, rarely, systemic infection with certain Staph. aureus strains that are capable of producing toxins, the most important one being TSST-1. Staph. aureus strains can also produce various other enterotoxins that may be involved in the pathogenesis of TSS. The pathogenetic importance of the toxins is supported by the antibody titers in TSS patients: more than 80% of healthy adults show high levels of antibody titers, whereas 90% of TSS patients exhibit low levels in the acute phase followed by a significant increase during convalescence. It is not clear whether the toxins cause TSS by a direct effect or by release of mediators due to their function as superantigens. The clinical characteristics of non-menstrual TSS are identical to those of menstrual TSS, but it can occur in many clinical settings in both sexes at any age. Severe clinical courses are more frequent in non-menstrual TSS: the mortality is about 8%-11% in non-menstrual TSS compared to 2%-5% in menstrual TSS. The diagnosis is based mainly on clinical signs and the isolation of toxin-producing Staph. aureus strains. Besides antibiotic therapy, treatment is primarily directed to the correction of hypotension and additional organ-system failure. Other therapeutic measures such as the elimination of toxins by plasma separation or the administration of antibodies or gamma-globulins are subjects of investigation with no general recommendations at this time.
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PMID:[Lethal, non-menstrual toxic shock syndrome associated with Staphylococcus aureus sepsis]. 859 62

Thirty-nine Danish cases of Capnocytophaga canimorsus septicemia were reviewed to determine the clinical course of this infection. The cases of septicemia were related to recent dog bites or other close contact with dogs. The period from the bite to the onset of symptoms ranged from 1 to 8 days. The mean age of the patients was 59.1 years (range, 28-83 years). Underlying conditions included previous splenectomy and alcoholism. Thirteen patients had previously been in good health. Common initial symptoms were fever, malaise, myalgia, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dyspnea, confusion, headache and skin manifestations. Disseminated intravascular coagulation developed in 14 patients, meningitis in 5, and endocarditis in 1. Twelve of the patients died. All patients except two were treated with penicillin or ampicillin. Five patients had received antibiotics prior to admission. Attention should be drawn to C. canimorsus septicemia in cases of febrile illness following dog bites or contact with dogs, as well as those involving previously healthy persons. The incidence of this condition in Denmark is estimated to be 0.5 case per 1 million people per year.
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PMID:Capnocytophaga canimorsus septicemia in Denmark, 1982-1995: review of 39 cases. 881 32

Polymyalgia rheumatica is a clinical syndrome of proximal muscle pain in older patients that often presents a diagnostic challenge because of the large differential diagnosis, lack of definitive diagnostic criteria, and relatively frequent "atypical" clinical findings, such as peripheral synovitis, distal extremity pain, normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and mild weakness. Despite an extensive differential diagnosis that includes endocarditis and steroid-responsive malignant neoplasms, routine laboratory testing should be limited, and a low-dose corticosteroid trial is useful as the final step in the evaluation. The clinical overlap with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis is striking, suggesting that these diagnoses may represent different presentations of a similar disease process. While concurrent asymptomatic temporal arteritis is common, there are no data to support obtaining a temporal artery biopsy in patients with pure polymyalgia rheumatica symptoms.
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PMID:Diagnostic dilemmas in polymyalgia rheumatica. 943 85

We report an analysis of clinical course of 18 patients presenting with Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. Community acquired infection was caused by Methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) in 11 patients. MSSA in 3 and Methicillin Resistant S. aureus strains (MRSA) in 4 patients, were the etiologic factor in 7 patients with nosocomial infection. From anamnestic data patients presented with: elevated body temperature--18/18, arthralgia and myalgia--9/18, headache--8/18, nausea--6/18, chills--2/18. Physical examination on admission revealed: meningismus--12/18, hepatomegaly--11/18, purulent and haemorrhagic skin lesions--7/18 and impaired neurological status (Glasgow Coma Scale < or = 12)--6/18. The mean APACHE III score, calculated from data collected at diagnosis of sepsis was 47 (7-114). Several complications had been observed: endocarditis--10, purulent meningitis--5, focal CNS lesions--5, pneumonia--8, pulmonary abscess--3, hydrothorax--1, abscesses of the spleen--5, renum--4, osteomyelitis--2. 11/18 patients required ICU treatment. Ventilator assistance of respiration was necessary in 7/18. Acute thrombocytopenia (< 100,000/ml) was diagnosed in 60%. In 5 patients suppurative meningitis had been diagnosed with a mean pleocytosis-837 (173-1898) microL. The results of treatment were satisfactory in 11 patients, 3 patients required further surgical treatment (2--cardiosurgery, 1--orthopedic surgery), 4 patients died. Infection caused by community acquired MSSA strains had been characterized by severe clinical course with increased incidence of endocarditis, organ failure and abscess forming. We conclude that Staphylococcus aureus sepsis is still a life-threatening disease, which should be treated at centers with immediate access to imaging techniques of CNS and circulatory system as well as intensive care and cardiosurgery. Community acquired S. aureus sepsis compared with nosocomial infection is characterized by more severe clinical course and higher mortality, despite of a great susceptibility to most antibiotics of causative S. aureus strains.
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PMID:[Staphylococcus aureus sepsis--still life threatening disease]. 1177 Mar 18

PRESENTING FEATURES: A 29-year-old woman with a history of rheumatic heart disease and one episode of endocarditis as an adolescent was admitted to the hospital after 1 week of headache, fever, and myalgia. Her past medical history was otherwise unremarkable and did not include illicit drug use. On physical examination, she had a previously noted 3/6 holosystolic murmur at the apex, which radiated to her back; a previously noted 1/4 diastolic murmur at the right upper sternal border; diminished strength in her right upper extremity; multiple painful erythematous nodules on her fingers (Figure 1); and red streaks under her nails (Figure 2). Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated multiple lesions; the largest was in the right frontal lobe with associated hemorrhage (Figure 3). What is the diagnosis?
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PMID:Cases from the osler medical service at Johns Hopkins University. 1213 56

In this study we aimed to investigate the findings in patients with adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) admitted with fever of unknown origin (FUO) during the last 18 years in our unit, in order to discover the ratio of such patients to all patients with FUO during the same period, and to determine the clinical features of AOSD in FUO. The number and the aetiologies of the patients with FUO diagnosed between 1984 and 2001, and the clinical features of those with AOSD, were taken from the patient files. The diagnosis of AOSD was reanalysed according to the diagnostic criteria of Cush et al. [11]. The presumed diagnoses before a diagnosis of AOSD was established were also noted. The chi(2) and Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical analysis. We studied 130 patients with a diagnosis of FUO, 36 (28%) of whom had collagen vascular diseases. Of these 36 patients, 20 (56%, 12 female, 8 male, mean age 34 years, range 16-65) had AOSD. Clinical and laboratory findings were as follows: fever (100%), arthralgia (90%), rash (85%), sore throat (75%), arthritis (65%), myalgia (60%), splenomegaly (40%), hepatomegaly (25%), lymphadenopathy (15%), anaemia (65%), neutrophilic leukocytosis (90%), increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (100%), elevated transaminase levels (65%), a negative RF (100%), and a negative FANA (80%). Antibiotics had been prescribed in 18 (90%) of cases. The presumed infectious diagnoses were streptococcal tonsillitis/pharyngitis (50%), infective endocarditis (four patients), sepsis (two patients) and acute bacterial meningitis (two patients). The presumed non-infectious diagnoses were acute rheumatic fever (three patients), seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (two patients) and polymyositis (two patients). Sixteen patients were followed for a mean duration of 30 months (range 2-59). A remission was obtained with indomethacin in three cases (19%), and with prednisolone in the remainder. Relapse was detected in three cases (19%). AOSD is one of the most frequent aetiologies of FUO. During the diagnostic course of a patient with FUO, a maculopapular rash and/or arthralgia and/or sore throat should raise the suspicion of AOSD. Because the disease has heterogeneous clinical findings, certain bacterial infections (e.g. streptococcal pharyngitis and sepsis) are generally considered and the prescribing of antibiotics is common.
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PMID:Fever of unknown origin: a review of 20 patients with adult-onset Still's disease. 1274 Jun 70

Human brucellosis has become a rare disease in Germany since the eradication of bovine and ovine/caprine brucellosis in this country. Therefore, most physicians are unfamiliar with the illnesses clinical presentation, diagnostic tools, and therapeutic strategies. This retrospective study was carried out to evaluate the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory features of human brucellosis in Germany in the years 2002 and 2003. Thirty-one bacterial isolates from 30 patients sent to the German national reference laboratory were characterized using the genus-specific bcsp31 real-time PCR, the species-specific AMOS-PCR, and standard microbiological methods for the detection and identification of Brucella spp. The medical records of all patients with bacteriologically confirmed brucellosis were evaluated. All 31 isolates proved to be Brucella (30 Brucella melitensis and 1 Brucella suis). Most of the brucellosis patients were infected in endemic countries while visiting friends and relatives during their summer holidays. One case of laboratory-acquired infection was identified. Brucellosis was transmitted mainly by the consumption of contaminated unpasteurized milk or cheese from goats and sheep. The patients presented primarily with flu-like symptoms, i.e. fever, chills, sweating, headaches, arthralgia, and myalgia. In most cases, however, symptoms and signs of focal complications, e.g. spondylitis, endocarditis, and meningoencephalitis, predominated. The rate of complications was much higher than that in endemic countries, presumably as a result of diagnostic delay due to a low index of suspicion. In summary, physicians in nonendemic countries such as Germany must be aware of brucellosis being a possible cause of fever of unknown origin in immigrants and tourists travelling from endemic countries.
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PMID:Human brucellosis in a nonendemic country: a report from Germany, 2002 and 2003. 1595 15

Cardiobacterium hominis, a member of the HACEK group (Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Haemophilus aphrophilus, and Haemophilus paraphrophilus, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, C. hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella species), is a rare cause of endocarditis. There are 61 reported cases of C. hominis infective endocarditis in the English-language literature, 15 of which involved prosthetic valve endocarditis. There is one reported case of C. hominis after upper endoscopy and none reported after colonoscopy. Presented here are two cases of C. hominis prosthetic valve endocarditis following colonoscopy and a review of the microbiological and clinical features of C. hominis endocarditis. Patients with C. hominis infection have a long duration of symptoms preceding diagnosis (138+/-128 days). The most common symptoms were fever (74%), fatigue/malaise (53%), weight loss/anorexia (40%), night sweats (24%), and arthralgia/myalgia (21%). The most common risk factors were pre-existing cardiac disease (61%), the presence of a prosthetic valve (28%), and history of rheumatic fever (20%). Of the 61 cases reviewed here, the aortic valve was infected in 24 (39%) and the mitral valve in 19 (31%) patients. The average duration of blood culture incubation before growth was detected was 6.3 days (range, 2-21 days). Complications were congestive heart failure (40%), central nervous system (CNS) emboli (21%), arrhythmia (16%), and mycotic aneurysm (9%). C. hominis is almost always susceptible to beta-lactam antibiotics. Ceftriaxone is recommended by the recently published American Heart Association guidelines. The prognosis of C. hominis native valve and prosthetic valve endocarditis is favorable. The cure rate among 60 patients reviewed was 93% (56/60). For prosthetic valve endocarditis, the cure rate was 16/17 (94%). Valve replacement was required in 27 (45%) cases.
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PMID:Cardiobacterium hominis endocarditis: Two cases and a review of the literature. 1695 50

Rhabdomyolysis secondary to bacterial infection has only rarely been investigated, and there are case reports of the same mainly in adults. This article describes the first reported case of rhabdomyolysis in a child secondary to Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis. A 12-year-old child presented with myalgia, pyrexia and dark urine and was found to have infective endocarditis due to S. aureus.
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PMID:Rhabdomyolysis in a Child Secondary to Staphylococcus aureus Endocarditis. 2030 Apr 6

Streptococcus vestibularis is a recently described member of the viridans group that was first isolated from the vestibular mucosa of the human oral cavity and described as a new species in 1988. It has been rarely associated with human infections. In few papers, it has been reported as a causal agent of systemic infection in immunosupressed adults and in those with other severe underlying diseases, like coronary valve diseases. A 65-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with complaints of fever for three months, general malaise, effort dyspnea, weight loss, back pain and myalgia. Both native aortic valve endocarditis and spondylodiscitis due to Streptococcus vestibularis were detected. The patient was successfully treated with intravenous potassium penicillin G and gentamicin for six weeks, followed by oral amoxicillin for three months, in addition to aortic valve replacement. In all patients with spondylodiscitis, infective endocarditis should be considered, particularly in patients with heart valve disease history, since spondylodiscitis may be the presenting sign of an infective endocarditis. Cardiac valve replacement surgery should be performed if the course of fever and inflammatory syndrome is unfavorable after appropriate antibiotic treatment. We report the first case with both native aortic valve endocarditis and spondylodiscitis due to Streptococcus vestibularis.
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PMID:Spondylodiscitis and endocarditis caused by S. vestibularis. 2096 24


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