Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0017160 (gastroenteritis)
 11,398 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

During 1998-2002, CDC received reports from state health departments regarding Salmonella infections in persons who had contact with reptiles (e.g., lizards, snakes, and turtles). Salmonella infections usually cause gastroenteritis but can result in invasive illness (e.g., septicemia and meningitis), especially in infants and immunocompromised persons. For decades, reptiles have been known as a source for salmonellosis; however, numerous reptile owners remain unaware that reptile contact places them and other household members, including children, at greater risk for salmonellosis. Increasing evidence suggests that amphibians (e.g., frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders) also can pose risks for salmonellosis in humans. This report describes cases of reptile-associated salmonellosis in six states, offers recommendations on preventing transmission of Salmonella from reptiles and amphibians to humans, and provides an update on state regulations mandating education at pet stores about salmonellosis.
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PMID:Reptile-associated salmonellosis--selected states, 1998-2002. 1466 12

Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly reactive free radical that is involved in a variety of different biological process. In recent reports, the putative role of NO in the neuropathogenesis of brain inflammation has been demonstrated. And then the relation between neuronal NO and convulsive seizures induced by virus has been suggested. However, there are few reports about NO in vivo under viral neurological infections. In order to evaluate the relation between NO production and neurological disorders induced by viral infection, sixty-six cases including 11 patients with rotavirus gastroenteritis admitted for convulsions were examined in this study. NO metabolites (NOx) levels in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid obtained from rotavirus gastroenteritis patients with convulsion were much higher than in those of patients with purulent meningitis, encephalitis, febrile convulsion or in the control group. There was a relative correlation between IL-6 and NOx in some cases. These results indicated that NO may have a pathophysiological role in convulsions associated by rotavirus infection either through indirect or direct effects of NO. Consequently, NOx inhibitors might be helpful for the treatment of rotavirus encephalopathy.
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PMID:Serum and cerebrospinal fluid nitrite/nitrate levels in patients with rotavirus gastroenteritis induced convulsion. 1470 70

The rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) is the principal cause of eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis worldwide. It is endemic in Taiwan and the Asia Pacific area. We report the case of a 10-year-old boy who was referred to us suffering from intermittent headache, low-grade fever and blurred vision of 4-5 days' duration. He had been treated for gastroenteritis just prior to referral. The patient's history was unremarkable, except that he raised snail (Ampullarium canaliculatus) as pet at home. On physical examination, the patient's consciousness was alert and well oriented. No papilledema was found on fundal examination. The neurological examination revealed normal cranial nerve function, mild weakness of both lower limbs and normal deep tendon reflexes, but positive Babinski and Kernig signs. Laboratory findings showed peripheral eosinophilia, elevated immunoglobulin E level, cerebrospinal fluid eosinophilic pleocytosis and the presence of stage 3 A. cantonensis larvae, which confirmed the diagnosis of eosinophilic meningitis. A 2-week course of mebendazole combined the glucocorticosteroids was beneficial in relieving headache, paresthesia and the other eosinophilic meningitis symptoms in the patient.
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PMID:Eosinophilic meningitis in a child raising snails as pets. 1473 22

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne bacterial pathogen that causes a wide spectrum of diseases, such as meningitis, septicemia, abortion, and gastroenteritis, in humans and animals. Among the 13 L. monocytogenes serovars described, invasive disease is mostly associated with serovar 4b strains. To investigate the genetic diversity of L. monocytogenes strains with different virulence potentials, we partially sequenced an epidemic serovar 4b strain and compared it with the complete sequence of the nonepidemic L. monocytogenes EGDe serovar 1/2a strain. We identified an unexpected genetic divergence between the two strains, as about 8% of the sequences were serovar 4b specific. These sequences included seven genes coding for surface proteins, two of which belong to the internalin family, and three genes coding for transcriptional regulators, all of which might be important in different steps of the infectious process. Based on the sequence information, we then characterized the gene content of 113 Listeria strains by using a newly designed Listeria array containing the "flexible" part of the sequenced Listeria genomes. Hybridization results showed that all of the previously identified virulence factors of L. monocytogenes were present in the 93 L. monocytogenes strains tested. However, distinct patterns of the presence or absence of other genes were identified among the different L. monocytogenes serovars and Listeria species. These results allow new insights into the evolution of L. monocytogenes, suggesting that early divergence of the ancestral L. monocytogenes serovar 1/2c strains from the serovar 1/2b strains led to two major phylogenetic lineages, one of them including the serogroup 4 strains, which branched off the serovar 1/2b ancestral lineage, leading (mostly by gene loss) to the species Listeria innocua. The identification of 30 L. monocytogenes-specific and several serovar-specific marker genes, such as three L. monocytogenes serovar 4b-specific surface protein-coding genes, should prove powerful for the rapid tracing of listeriosis outbreaks, but it also represents a fundamental basis for the functional study of virulence differences between L. monocytogenes strains.
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PMID:New aspects regarding evolution and virulence of Listeria monocytogenes revealed by comparative genomics and DNA arrays. 1474 55

Stroke in pediatric patients is distinctive as compare to adults. The authors report a rare case of familial hypertriglyceridemia type IV who had left hemiparesis with cerebellar signs. There was no history of oral trauma, head injury, convulsions, acute gastroenteritis, meningitis or otitis media.
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PMID:Familial type IV hypertriglyceridemia presenting as hemiparesis with cerebellar signs. 1510 18

Listeria monocytogenes is the etiological agent of listeriosis, a severe human foodborne infection characterized by gastroenteritis, meningitis, encephalitis, abortions, and perinatal infections. This gram-positive bacterium is a facultative intracellular pathogen that induces its own uptake into nonphagocytic cells and spreads from cell to cell using an actin-based motility process. This review covers both well-established and recent advances in the characterization of L. monocytogenes virulence determinants and their role in the pathophysiology of listeriosis.
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PMID:Molecular determinants of Listeria monocytogenes virulence. 1548 49

The bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes causes food-borne illnesses leading to gastroenteritis, meningitis, or abortion. Listeria induces its internalization into some mammalian cells through interaction of the bacterial surface protein InlB with host Met receptor tyrosine kinase. Binding of InlB leads to phosphorylation of Met and the adapter Gab1 and to activation of host phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase. The mammalian ligand of Met, hepatocyte growth factor, promotes cell motility and morphogenesis in a manner dependent on phosphorylation of two docking site tyrosines at positions 1349 and 1356 in the receptor's cytoplasmic tail. Here we determined if these tyrosines were essential for Listeria entry. A derivative of the human cell line T47D stably expressing a truncated Met lacking most of its cytoplasmic domain was unable to support InlB-mediated signaling or entry. Surprisingly, cells expressing mutant Met containing phenylalanine substitutions in both tyrosines 1349 and 1356 (MetYF) allowed entry and InlB-induced Gab1 phosphorylation. However, in contrast to the situation in cells expressing wild-type Met, Gab1 phosphorylation in MetYF cells required PI 3-kinase activity. The Gab1 pleckstrin homology (PH) domain was constitutively associated with the plasma membrane of cells in a PI 3-kinase-dependent manner. Overexpression of the PH domain blocked entry of Listeria into cells expressing MetYF but not into cells expressing wild-type Met. Taken together, these results indicate that the docking site tyrosines are dispensable for internalization when membrane localization of Gab1 is constitutive. Distinct pathways of recruitment by phosphorylated tyrosines in Met and PH domain ligands in the membrane are redundant for bacterial entry.
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PMID:Redundant roles for Met docking site tyrosines and the Gab1 pleckstrin homology domain in InlB-mediated entry of Listeria monocytogenes. 1578 47

Over the last three decades, the literature pointed out the implications of Aeromonas species in human pathology. These species were described as being involved in intestinal (several outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis of choleric/dysenteric form or chronic diarrhoea, ulcerative colitis, etc.) in normal adults or children, as well as in extraintestinal infections in immunocompromised hosts. This last aspect included a large range of cutaneous injuries (micronecrosis, abscesses, bums, cellulites, furunculosis), joint, bones, respiratory, urinary tract, ocular infections up to meningitis, endocarditis, peritonitis, hepatobilliary disease, endotoxic shock and septicemia (as consequence of leech microvascular surgery). During the last decade, the literature reported a high mortality in Aeromonas infections determined by certain phenospecies (A. hydrophila and A. veronii) especially in extraintestinal infections in immunocompromised patients. In microbiologists' opinion this high rate of mortality was probably due to poor knowledge concerning the aspects of antibioresistance in Aeromonas strains, to empiric treatments with antibiotics to which these bacteria exhibiting constitutive resistance lead to insuccessful results, and at last to the increasing trend of aeromonads resistance to certain antibiotics after 1996. The literature mentioned also that for a great number of Beta-lactamase producing Aeromonas strains, the use of microdilution method (by comparison to disk diffusion in agar medium) giving false results made more difficult the true knowledge of Aeromonas antibioresistance patterns. At the same time, in 2002, the literature mentioned 4 ecological compartments considered as "reservoirs for dissemination and transfer of microbial antibioresistance i.e. humans, animals, plants and natural soil and water. In the last time, more and more data of the literature revealed that some bacteria with role of reservoir of antibioresistance in the natural environment, even without a direct medical impact, however they could play an indirect one remaining permanent sources of R genes for bacterial strains with pathogenic abilities implicated in human pathology (i.e. Aeromonas infections in man related to different professional activities such as fishing, surfing, swimming, diving, etc.). The purpose of this work was to determine the aspects related to constitutive and acquired antibioresistance in 35 A. hydrophila strains isolated in aquatic environment of Danube Delta (10 salmaster waters, 5 aquatic plants, 5 fish intestinal content, 5 fish sapling, 5 snake and oyster shells). The strains were biochemically identified by using API20E and API20NE kits. The antibioresistance spectrum was determined by disk diffusion method following NCCLS 2000 recommendations. The choice and disposal of antibiotics on the Mueller Hinton plate was done to allow the interpretive reading and the phenotypic detection of different antibioresistance mechanisms, as follows: beta-lactamases (PEN, ME, AMX, AMC, CAZ) and carbapenemase (IMP) production; porin deficiency (FOX); efflux mechanism (C, TE, NOR). All tested strains exhibited high resistance to penicillin, aspect pleading for constitutive penicillinase production in Aeromonas strains. With reference to other penicillins (ME, AMX, AMC) and cephalosporins (CAZ, FOX) the tested strains exhibited 2 different antibioresistance patterns: AMX-R, AMC-S, CAZ-S (65%) indicating the presence of beta-lactamase sensitive to inhibitors and AMX-R, AMC-R, CAZ-S (22%) indicating the presence of beta-lactamase resistant to inhibitors. Resistance to FOX in 8% of strains signifies a phenotypical marker for the presence of porin deficiency. Only one Aeromonas strain (2.8%) was resistant to IMP. Three strains (8%) were simultaneous resistant to TE and TMP/SMX, NOR and CHL probably due to the presence of a resistance plasmid (codifying an efflux/ enzymatic mechanism). These aspects are pleading for the necessity to investigate the bacterial antibioresistance patterns of bacterial strains isolated from the environment, in the purpose to identify the factors responsible for the spreading of certain antibioresistance mechanisms in the external medium as risk factors for the colonization process with possible impact upon the human pathology.
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PMID:Aspects of constitutive and acquired antibioresistance in Aeromonas hydrophila strains isolated from water sources. 1600 42

Deciphering how Listeria monocytogenes exploits the host cell machinery to invade mammalian cells is a key issue in understanding the pathogenesis of this food-borne pathogen, which can cause diseases ranging from gastroenteritis to meningitis and abortion. In this study, we show that the lysosomal aspartyl-protease cathepsin-D (Ctsd) is of considerable importance for nonoxidative listericidal defense mechanisms. We observed enhanced susceptibility to L. monocytogenes infection of fibroblasts and bone-marrow macrophages and increased intraphagosomal viability of bacteria in fibroblasts isolated from Ctsd-deficient mice compared with wild type. These findings are further supported by prolonged survival of L. monocytogenes in Ctsd-deficient mice after infection. Transient transfection of Ctsd in wild-type cells was sufficient to revert these wild-type phagosomes back to microbicidal compartments. Based on infection experiments with mutant bacteria, in vitro degradation, and immunoprecipitation experiments, we suggest that a major target of cathepsin D is the main virulence factor listeriolysin O.
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PMID:Cutting edge: a novel nonoxidative phagosomal mechanism exerted by cathepsin-D controls Listeria monocytogenes intracellular growth. 1642 57

Listeria Monocytogenes meningitis is a rare affection after the neonatal period, but in immunocompromised patients. Listeria Monocytogenes is a Gram-positive, facultative intracellular bacterium frequently causing infection in pregnant women, in patients with cell-mediated immunity deficit and in the early and late stages of life. We present a case of Listeria Monocytogenes meningitis in an immunocompetent nomad 8-month-child, preceded by gastroenteritis. Although gastrointestinal symptoms may be due to intestinal infection by Listeria, the concomitant presence of other bacteric or viral enteric pathogens may have promoted bacterium intestinal translocation and generated disseminated disease. The main transmission route of infection after the neonatal period is ingestion of contaminated food. A diet history was taken after isolation of the bacterium in liquor and showed that the child was an eater of undercooked hot-dogs. Despite the frequency of clinical complication in such affection, the outcome in this patient was a complete recovery. Although the infection is extremely infrequent in healthy children, physicians should always consider Listeria as a possible etiologic agent of meningitis in pediatric patients, regardless of their age or immunological status, especially in patients living in precarious sanitary conditions, where weaning times and conditions are not respected and a suitable food cooking is not assured.
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PMID:[A case of Listeria monocytogenes meningitis in an immunocompetent infant]. 1700 49


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