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Query: UMLS:C0027947 (neutropenia)
 17,527 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Opportunistic fungus infections in neutropenic immunocompromised patients have strikingly increased, especially with the improvement of antibiotic treatment. Their outcome is often fatal because of the difficulties in diagnosis and treatment. Therefore a rationale of surveillance diagnostics and empiric treatment in risk patients is necessary. In these patients a continuous weekly mycotic diagnosis of mouth, throat, faeces, urine, vagina, as well as of the blood is necessary. During an aggressive neutropenia-producing chemotherapy an antimycotic prophylaxis with the aim of reducing fungal colonization in the gastrointestinal tract (sometimes in the respiratory pathways, too) should be performed. Fever of unknown origin lasting longer than 4-5 days in spite of broad spectrum antibiotic treatment and/or positive diagnostic findings must lead to treating risk patients empirically using amphotericin B 1 mg/kg/d or a combination of amphotericin B 0.3-0.5 mg/kg/d together with flucytosin (Ancotil) 150 mg/kg/d. In case of a beginning candidiasis, patients can first be treated with fluconazol (Diflucan). The dose is 400 mg/d, later on 200 mg/d. It is pointed out that, much more often than usual, in risk patients with fever, atypical pneumonia, meningoencephalitis or other organ symptoms fungal infections should be taken into consideration. The most common opportunistic fungal diseases are presented and details concerning the different antimycotic drugs are given.
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PMID:[Fungal infections in granulocytopenic and immunocompromised patients]. 144 71

Central nervous system (CNS) infections in immunocompromised hosts are often accompanied by subtle disorders because immunosuppression usually decreases the inflammatory response. CNS infections in immunocompromised patients are usually caused by organisms different from those found in the general population. The organism causing CNS infection in an immunocompromised host can often be predicted if the type of immune abnormality of the patient is known. The common causes of CNS infection in immunocompromised hosts are reviewed here. Meningitis in patients with neutropenia is usually due to enteric Gram negative bacilli that live in the patient's own digestive tract. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is most common and is followed by E. Coli, Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Proteus. A major risk in patients with abnormal immunoglobulins or splenectomy is infection with encapsulated bacteria, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis. Meningitis caused by any of the encapsulated bacteria can be fulminant. Listeria monocytogenes is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in patients with impaired cellular immunity. Nocardia asteroides is a leading cause of brain abscess in patients with hematologic malignancy. Most patients have evidence of concomitant pulmonary lesions. Fungi are among the most common organisms involving the CNS in immunocompromised hosts. Susceptible patients include those with lymphoma or leukemia and those who receive therapies aimed at suppressing delayed hypersensitivity. Cryptococcus neoformans is a common fungal cause of CNS infection in immunocompromised hosts. The primary site of infection is the lung. Spread to the CNS is via the blood stream. The clinical course is highly variable: meningitis, meningoencephalitis and focal mass lesions. Candida causes meningitis or meningoencephalitis characterized by multiple small abscesses in neutropenic hosts. Organisms reach the CNS via the blood stream usually from the digestive tract or infected intravenous catheters. Aspergillus causes brain abscess, cerebral infarction and focal meningitis in patients with neutropenia. The primary infection is in the lung. The parasites that infest the CNS of immunocompromised patients are usually those that exploit a T-lymphocyte, mononuclear phagocyte host defect. The most common are Toxoplasma gondii and Strongyloides stercoralis. There have been a few cases of amebiasis with dissemination to the brain in patients with hematologic malignancies. Toxoplasma gondii causes major CNS disease in immunocompromised hosts: meningoencephalitis or mass lesions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:[Infections of the central nervous system in malignant hemopathies]. 372 88

The incidence, aetiology and clinical significance of visceral mycoses in HIV-infected subjects were evaluated by a retrospective survey of the clinical and microbiological records of 237 consecutive AIDS patients followed-up since 1984. Seventy-four patients out of 237 (31.2%) (56 males, 18 females; 55 IV drug abusers, 7 heterosexuals, 6 homobisexuals, 3 blood recipients and 3 children with congenitally-acquired HIV infection) presented 77 different episodes of visceral fungal infection as a whole, represented by candidiasis in 56 cases (oesophageal 45, pulmonary 5, sepsis 2, eye involvement 2, endocarditis and invasive oropharyngeal infection in the remaining 2 patients), cryptococcosis in 17 cases (meningoencephalitis in all subjects, with disseminated infection in 11 of them), and aspergillosis in 4 cases (pulmonary 2, cerebral and cranio-facial in the remaining 2 patients). In 57 out of 74 patients (77%), visceral mycoses were diagnostic or concurrent with the diagnosis of AIDS. Fungal diseases, as a whole, showed a significantly higher incidence (p < 0.03) among drug abusers, whereas homobisexual men presented a significantly lower frequency (p < 0.001, chi-square test) than AIDS patients with other risk factors for HIV infection. The onset of cryptococcosis was significantly associated with the male sex (p < 0.005, Fisher exact test). All subjects suffering from a visceral mycosis were severely immunosuppressed, with a higher rate of neutropenia in patients developing Candida and Aspergillus spp. infection (23 out of 56 patients with visceral candidiasis and 3 out of 4 cases of aspergillosis had an absolute neutrophil count lower than 1500 cells/mm3), while a severe reduction in CD4+ lymphocyte count was more evident among patients with cryptococcosis (13 out of 17 patients had a CD4+ cell count lower than 50/mm3). After remission of the primary episode of fungal infection (obtained in 80.5% of cases), the incidence of relapse observed in a long follow-up period (mean time 57.6 +/- 39.2 weeks) was elevated both for patients with cryptococcosis (7 cases out of 17) and subjects with candidiasis (19 cases out of 53), with no significant difference among patients receiving a secondary prophylaxis or not (22 relapses observed in 53 patients treated with maintenance antifungals versus 4 episodes in 8 patients followed for a comparable mean time with no antimycotic treatment). Fifty-two out of 74 patients (70.3%) have died up to now; in 21 of them death was due to or associated with the visceral mycosis (cryptococcosis in 11 cases, candidiasis in 8, aspergillosis in 2).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:[The incidence, etiology and clinical significance of visceral mycoses in patients with AIDS]. 841 30

Bilateral facial paralysis of diverse infectious aetiologies has been reported in HIV infected patients. We present a patient with bilateral facial palsy most likely due to herpes zoster meningoencephalitis in a patient with neutropenia and who subsequently tested HIV-positive.
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PMID:Bilateral facial palsy secondary to herpes zoster meningoencephalitis in a HIV-positive woman. 920 35

Scedosporium prolificans, a mold morphologically similar to Scedosporium apiospermum, may cause asymptomatic colonization or localized or disseminated infection following trauma, surgery, and immunosuppression. S. prolificans is normally resistant to available antifungal agents, and prognosis depends largely on the host's immune status, extent of infection, and feasibility of surgical debridement. We report on 16 patients with deep S. prolificans infections, focusing on predisposing factors, clinical characteristics, outcome, postmortem findings, and antifungal susceptibility testing to 6 antifungal agents. Between 1989 and 1994, 16 cases of deep infections by S. prolificans were documented in 6 clinical centers in Spain (15 adults and 1 child: male/female = 0.77). Fifteen patients had underlying hematologic malignancy (14 with neutropenia) and 1 had a prosthetic cardiac valve. Syndromes included disseminated infection in 14 patients (1 with prosthetic valve endocarditis) and fungal pneumonia and meningoencephalitis in 1 patient each. S. prolificans was isolated from 2 specimens in 14 patients and from 1 specimen in 2 patients (blood, n = 12; respiratory tract, n = 4; CNS, n = 4; and skin biopsy, n = 3). Antifungal susceptibility testing by a micromethod with RPMI-2% glucose medium was performed in 8 isolates, all of which were resistant to amphotericin B, flucytosine, ketoconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, and miconazole. All patients received antifungal therapy (amphotericin B, n = 9; amphotericin B+ flucytosine, n = 1; amphotericin B+ itraconazole, n = 2; liposomal amphotericin B+ itraconazole, n = 1; amphotericin B+ fluconazole, n = 1 and 2 underwent surgical procedures. Two patients survived coinciding with hematologic recovery and 14 (87.5%) patients died in a median time of 4 days after the first positive culture (range, 0-60 d). Necropsy was performed in 10 patients, and disseminated infection was found in 9. In conclusion, S. prolificans is an emerging multiresistant fungal pathogen that may cause asymptomatic colonization, localized infection related to trauma or surgery, and rapidly fatal disseminated infection in immunocompromised hosts, particularly those with neutropenia. This mycosis underscores the urgent need for new antifungal agents.
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PMID:Deep infections caused by Scedosporium prolificans. A report on 16 cases in Spain and a review of the literature. Scedosporium Prolificans Spanish Study Group. 927 32

Balamuthia mandrillaris is a newly described pathogen that causes granulomatous amebic encephalitis, an extremely rare clinical entity that usually occurs in immunosuppressed individuals. We report a case of pathologically proven Balamuthia encephalitis with unusual laboratory and radiologic findings. A 52-year-old woman with idiopathic seizures and a 2-year history of chronic neutropenia of unknown cause had a subacute illness with progressive lethargy, headaches, and coma and died 3 months after the onset of symptoms. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose concentrations were extremely low or unmeasurable, a feature not previously described (to our knowledge). Cranial magnetic resonance imaging scans showed a single large temporal lobe nodule, followed 6 weeks later by the appearance of 18 ring-enhancing lesions in the cerebral hemispheres that disappeared after treatment with antibiotics and high-dose corticosteroids. The initial brain biopsy specimen and analysis of CSF samples did not demonstate amebae, but a second biopsy specimen and the postmortem pathologic examination showed Balamuthia trophozoites surrounded by widespread granulomatous inflammation and vasculitis. The patient's neutropenia and antibiotic use may have caused susceptibility to this organism. Amebic meningoencephalitis should be considered in cases of subacute meningoencephalitis with greatly depressed CSF glucose concentrations and multiple nodular lesions on cerebral imaging. Arch Neurol. 2000;57:1210-1212
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PMID:A case of Balamuthia mandrillaris meningoencephalitis. 1092 4

The safety and potential efficacy of interferon (IFN)-alpha2b were determined for 15 patients during an outbreak of meningoencephalitis due to St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus. Clinical and laboratory results were compared with those of 17 untreated patients who were admitted to the same hospital during this nonrandomized preliminary trial. Quadriplegia, quadriparesis, or respiratory insufficiency persisted after the first week of hospitalization, for 11 of 17 untreated patients and for only 2 of 15 treated patients. These complications existed after the second week of hospitalization for 5 of the 17 untreated patients and for 1 of the 15 treated patients. Transient neutropenia and/or mild hepatitis occurred in 11 treated patients. Early initiation of IFN-alpha2b therapy may reduce the severity and duration of complications due to previously untreatable flavivirus meningoencephalitis. A prospective randomized controlled trial is warranted.
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PMID:Effect of interferon-alpha2b therapy on St. Louis viral meningoencephalitis: clinical and laboratory results of a pilot study. 1531 57

Rhodotorula species have been reported as a causative agent of opportunistic mycoses in immunocompromised hosts. We report a case of sepsis and meningoencephalitis caused by Rhodotorula glutinis in a 20-year-old female patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which was diagnosed at autopsy. The patient presented with longstanding fever. She was diagnosed with SLE after admission to the hospital and died on day 5 of the hospital stay. Autopsy was performed to confirm the presence of infection. Sepsis and meningoencephalitis due to Rhodotorula glutinis was confirmed by postmortem blood cultures and histopathological examination of biopsies taken from the brain at autopsy. Infection by Rhodotorula spp. is rare but can be fatal in immunocompromised hosts. Infections by such uncommon yeasts may often be difficult to diagnose, especially in the setting of febrile neutropenia. This report also emphasizes the value of autopsy as a powerful educational tool.
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PMID:Sepsis and meningoencephalitis due to Rhodotorula glutinis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus, diagnosed at autopsy. 1792 63

Temozolomide (TMZ) is an oral alkylating agent with proven antitumoral activity in preclinical and clinical studies in adults with high-grade glioma (HGG). However, only limited efficacy has been reported in children with HGG using the 5-day schedule. This study investigated the safety of administering TMZ to children and adolescents with brain tumors over an extended period. Extended schedules have been proven to overcome chemoresistance without any major toxicity. The toxicity of TMZ, administered at 70 mg/m(2)/day orally for 21 consecutive days every 28 days, was assessed in children with brain tumors. A total of 156 courses of TMZ were given to 17 patients (median age 12.5 years, range 1-17 years), who were recruited into the study. Eleven patients had progressive or relapsing disease, and six patients were newly diagnosed. In this cohort no cases of toxic death or nonhematological toxicity were reported. In comparison with the 5-day schedule, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia were noted to be less frequent. Grades 3 and 4 lymphopenia occurred in 10.8 and 22.4% of courses, respectively; among the lymphopenic patients there was one case of disseminated zoster (meningoencephalitis and cutaneous involvement), one case of rotavirus gastroenteritis, and two cases of herpetic stomatitis reported. The objective response rate was 11.8%. Overall, 82.3% of patients showed stable disease. The prolonged TMZ schedule appeared to be well tolerated, with few cases of neutropenia or thrombocytopenia recorded. Nevertheless, prolonged exposure to TMZ was associated with lymphopenia and may lead to a higher rate of viral infections.
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PMID:Feasibility study of 21-day-on/7-day-off temozolomide in children with brain tumors. 2081 28

Locked-in syndrome is a rare clinical syndrome due to basilary artery thrombosis generally associated with trauma, vascular, or cardiac malformation. It can present as various types of clinical evolution and occasionally masquerades as other pathological conditions, such as infective meningoencephalitis. These complications are the cause of diagnostic delay, if not promptly recognised, followed by patient death. We report the case of a 42-year-old female with a systemic B and cutaneous T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, with a severe neutropenia lasting over a year, who eventually developed a rapid and fatal fungal mucormycosis sepsis following a skin infection on her right arm, associated with locked-in syndrome and meningoencephalitis.
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PMID:Locked-in syndrome after basilary artery thrombosis by mucormycosis masquerading as meningoencephalitis in a lymphoma patient. 2438 11


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