Ear presentation of Lyme borreliosis in a child.

Objective: This case report aims to raise awareness amongst clinicians of ear presentation of cutaneous borrelia.

Case Report: We report a recent case of borrelia lymphocytoma cutis benigna in a child presenting with unilateral earlobe swelling, who was otherwise well. A review of the English language literature, including management of the disease, is also presented.

A cost-effective protocol for screening patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The incidence of hospital-acquired infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is rising worldwide. Rapid identification of MRSA carriers is an important step in reducing the risk of transmission to other patients. Molecular methods are increasingly popular but are technically demanding and expensive.

Changes in Toxoplasma diagnosis.

The serological laboratory workload in detecting toxoplasma infection may be expected to change with changes in the clinical profile of patient populations. We have examined the clinical information and laboratory results for patients referred to the Scottish Toxoplasma Reference Laboratory in April-March 1999-2000 and 2009-2010. Numbers of patient sera submitted for testing were similar (1624 and 1552) but there was a change in the clinical profile, with a significant fall in patients with symptoms of current infection (612 versus 335; P<0.

Interpretation criteria in Western blot diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis.

This study reviews the Lyme borreliosis Western blot interpretation process, including what bands are classed as specific, the number of bands needed for a positive result, the role of band intensity and the use of clinical information. In 2008, 3688 patients (4223 serum samples) were tested by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), with 832 patients tested by confirmatory in-house IgG Western blot: 272 patients were Western blot-positive, 170 were weak positive, 156 were equivocal and 234 were negative. These results were assessed, and a review of interpretation criteria from both the USA and Europe was carried out.

Is Tayside becoming a Scottish hotspot for Lyme borreliosis?

The epidemiology of Lyme borreliosis (LB) in Tayside was studied and compared with Highland (an area of high endemicity) and the rest of Scotland. From April 2001 to March 2008 the incidence of LB in Tayside rose from an estimated 2.57 to 5.