infection with bacteremia and pneumonia.

species are non-fermentative Gram-negative coccobacilli that are ubiquitous in the environment. The archetype pathogen within the genus is , however, other species have the potential to cause human infection, especially in the hospital setting. We describe a patient with infection due to , a rare agent of human disease, which is often misidentified using biochemical methods.

Osteomyelitis and Bacteremia: Review of an Emerging Human Pathogen with an Expanding Spectrum of Disease.

Background: is an uncommon pathogen that may be misdiagnosed as viridans group streptococci. We review the literature of and report 2 clinical cases in which catalase-negative Gram-positive cocci resembling viridans group streptococci with elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to ceftriaxone were inconsistently identified phenotypically, with further molecular characterization and ultimate identification of .

Methods: Two clinical strains (from 2 obese women; 1 with a prosthetic hip infection and the other with bacteremia) were analyzed with standard identification methods, followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, 16S recombinant ribonucleic acid (rRNA), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Blastomycosis during pregnancy: a case report and review of the literature.

The diagnosis of blastomycosis during pregnancy is rare, but can carry significant clinical questions for both the infected mother and developing fetus. Furthermore, given its rarity, providers have little available data to help manage and counsel patients in this uncommon, yet serious, scenario. We present a case of blastomycosis in a woman at 38weeks' gestation and review all published cases of blastomycosis during pregnancy.

Pulmonary Nocardiosis in the Immunocompetent Host: Case Series.

Pulmonary nocardiosis is commonly recognized as an opportunistic infection in patients with predisposing immunosuppressive conditions. However, reports of pulmonary nocardiosis in the immunocompetent host are rare. Here, we report a case series of four patients with pulmonary nocardiosis without a predisposing condition.

Mycotic Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm After Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Treatment.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is widely used for the treatment of bladder cancer. We report a case of BCG-associated mycotic thoracic aortic aneurysm that was successfully treated with resection and antimycobacterial therapy.

Endocarditis caused by Rhodotorula infection.

Rhodotorula is an emerging opportunistic fungal pathogen that is rarely reported to cause endocarditis. We describe a case involving a patient who developed endocarditis due to Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis, proven by culture and histopathology. The case illustrates the unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges relevant to Rhodotorula spp.

Herpes zoster with cutaneous dissemination in a patient 21 years after splenectomy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Background: Varicella-zoster virus is a member of the herpes virus family that causes varicella during a primary infection and herpes zoster (HZ) when reactivated. Patients who are immunocompromised often have atypical presentations of HZ and experience complications such as multidermal involvement and dissemination.

Objective: We report a case of disseminated HZ in an immunocompetent patient with a history of splenectomy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

The management of encephalitis: clinical practice guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with encephalitis were prepared by an Expert Panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The guidelines are intended for use by health care providers who care for patients with encephalitis. The guideline includes data on the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of many viral, bacterial, fungal, protozoal, and helminthic etiologies of encephalitis and provides information on when specific etiologic agents should be considered in individual patients with encephalitis.

Persistent and relapsing babesiosis in immunocompromised patients.

Background: Human babesiosis is a tickborne malaria-like illness that generally resolves without complication after administration of atovaquone and azithromycin or clindamycin and quinine. Although patients experiencing babesiosis that is unresponsive to standard antimicrobial therapy have been described, the pathogenesis, clinical course, and optimal treatment regimen of such cases remain uncertain.

Methods: We compared the immunologic status, clinical course, and treatment of 14 case patients who experienced morbidity or death after persistence of Babesia microti infection, despite repeated courses of antibabesial treatment, with those of 46 control subjects whose infection resolved after a single course of standard therapy.

Pichia ohmeri prosthetic valve endocarditis and review of the literature.

Fungal prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) is a serious complication of valve replacement surgery. We report the first case of documented Pichia ohmeri PVE in an immunocompetent man who was successfully treated with valve replacement and antifungal therapy with amphotericin B.