Primary cutaneous nocardiosis accounts for 5-8 % of all nocardiosis cases and represents a diagnostic dilemma among immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts. Herein, we present a case of a 30-year-old male with history of psoriasis with recent addition of Apremilast. Patient received intralesional triamcinolone injections for psoriatic plaques on the hands and abdomen prior to traveling to warm climate vacation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic continues to expand, healthcare resources globally have been spread thin. Now, the disease is rapidly spreading across South America, with deadly consequences in areas with already weakened public health systems. The Amazon region is particularly susceptible to the widespread devastation from Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) because of its immunologically fragile native Amerindian inhabitants and epidemiologic vulnerabilities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSARS-Cov-2 (severe acute respiratory disease coronavirus 2), which causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) was first detected in China in late 2019 and has since then caused a global pandemic. While molecular assays to directly detect the viral genetic material are available for the diagnosis of acute infection, we currently lack serological assays suitable to specifically detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Here we describe serological enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) that we developed using recombinant antigens derived from the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHere, we describe a serological enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the screening and identification of human SARS-CoV-2 seroconverters. This assay does not require the handling of infectious virus, can be adjusted to detect different antibody types in serum and plasma and is amenable to scaling. Serological assays are of critical importance to help define previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in populations, identify highly reactive human donors for convalescent plasma therapy and investigate correlates of protection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe six previously reported civilian cases of mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) diagnosed in the United States have all represented imported New World ML. We describe two new patients with ML diagnosed in New York City-a Syrian immigrant with a nasal mass (), the first report of Old World ML in the United States, and an American ecologist who worked in Bolivia and had been treated for cutaneous infection 23 years before developing lesions (. () ) initially of the uvula, soft palate, and posterior pharynx and subsequently the larynx.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe arrival of Zika virus in the Americas in recent years brought with it a dramatic increase in the rates of microcephaly in regions of Northeastern Brazil. It was from this region of the of the world that we began to understand that this flavivirus (once considered a less severe version of dengue) could have devastating consequences when the infection occurred in pregnant women who did not yet have immunity. We now understand that Zika Congenital Syndrome can have additional effects outside of the central nervous system, but its most lasting consequences are related to the brain infection in utero.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCase Rep Infect Dis
December 2017
is an opportunistic pathogen that rarely causes pneumonia in otherwise healthy patients. We describe a case of community-acquired pneumonia in a previously healthy individual who likely acquired the infection from a home humidifier.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChagas disease-associated cardiomyopathy is clinically similar to other causes of cardiomyopathy and, therefore, the diagnosis can be easily overlooked. We found a 13% point prevalence of Chagas disease in a sample of New York City immigrants with dilated cardiomyopathy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHistoplasma capsulatum is a common opportunistic pathogen that often causes disseminated infection among AIDS patients from endemic areas. Virtually any organ system can be affected, but biliary involvement has not been described. We report the first case of AIDS cholangiopathy associated with H.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present an unusual case of disseminated cryptococcosis involving the lungs, placenta, and gall bladder in an apparently immunocompetent pregnant woman. The infection resulted in spontaneous abortion. The patient's condition only improved after cholecystectomy and several weeks of antifungal therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntiretroviral therapy has led to a substantial increase in the life expectancy and quality of life for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. Increasingly, physicians are asked to counsel them before international travel to regions in which infectious diseases are more prevalent. The pretravel evaluation requires an accurate assessment of the patient's level of immune compromise as well as an understanding of the risks involved in travel to tropical countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Clin Microbiol Antimicrob
November 2005
Background: Extrapulmonary manifestations of tuberculosis have become increasingly important in the era of HIV/AIDS.
Case Presentation: We describe a case of tuberculosis (TB) dactylitis in a patient with AIDS who originated from the Ivory Coast. The diagnosis was established by direct visualization of acid-fast bacilli on joint fluid and bone biopsy of the proximal phalanx.