Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever: case report and review.

We report a case of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) associated with Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). The patient initially presented with fever, rash, and an altered mental status, and he responded to therapy with intravenous doxycycline; serological data confirmed RMSF. Concurrent physical findings and results of cerebrospinal fluid analysis and nerve conduction studies were compatible with GBS.

Ten years' experience with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Up to January 1989, 171 patients were trained at our center on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), and 17 on continuous cyclic peritoneal dialysis (CCPD). Over 10 years, we have gained 5,068 patient-months experience. Patient survival was 60% and 31% at 5 and 10 years, respectively.

Infections associated with pets.

Dogs, cats, rodents, reptiles and birds can transmit numerous diseases. Some are localized infections resulting from bites, scratches or other skin contact. Occasionally, a minor scratch or bite can lead to more serious infection, such as cat-scratch disease.

Group C beta-hemolytic streptococci causing pharyngitis and scarlet fever.

After a young woman had scarlet fever associated with group C beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis, we reviewed all cases of pharyngitis treated at a student health clinic during that semester. From 541 cases of pharyngitis, 34 cultures yielded group C Streptococcus. The patients who harbored group C organisms were similar to the patients with group A streptococcal pharyngitis in the presence of fever, exudate, and cervical adenopathy.

Absence of antimycobacterial synergism between garlic extract and antituberculosis drugs.

Garlic extract inhibited the growth of four strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, three strains of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare, and three strains of Mycobacterium kansasii in concentrations ranging from 0.98 mg/ml to 2.94 mg/ml.

Cytomegalovirus encephalitis associated with episodic neurologic deficits and OKT-8+ pleocytosis.

After 3 days of symptoms suggesting a viral illness, a 35-year-old man experienced three episodes of aphasia, right-sided sensory symptoms, and bifrontal headache. Each lasted several hours. CSF examination revealed a moderate lymphocytosis consisting of 80% OKT-8+ cells.

Inhibition of mycobacteria by garlic extract (Allium sativum).

Thirty strains of mycobacteria, consisting of 17 species, were inhibited by various concentrations of garlic extract incorporated in Middlebrook 7H10 agar. The concentration required ranged from a low of 1.34 mg/ml to a high of 3.

Stability of an injectable disulfiram formulation sterilized by gamma irradiation.

Stability of an injectable disulfiram suspension sterilized by gamma(gamma) irradiation was tested. Single doses of disulfiram powder in plastic syringes were subjected to 50,000 rads of gamma radiation. Culture media were inoculated with the irradiated drug to test for growth of bacteria, fungi, and mycobacteria.

Pulmonary oxalosis caused by Aspergillus niger.

A case report involving a pleuropulmonary mixed bacterial infection in association with Aspergillus niger is described. The patient responded to a combination of antibiotics, aerosolized and intravenously administered amphotericin B, and surgery. Aspergillus niger appeared to be a secondary invader and caused lung damage by the production of oxalic acid.

Fatal disseminated cytomegalovirus infection in an apparently normal adult.

An ostensibly normal 43-year-old man had intermittent fever, erythema multiforme, and leukopenia that evolved into fulminant hepatic and bone marrow necrosis. The cause of his illness was compatible with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection since there was a fourfold increase in immunofluorescent antibody titer. This report suggests that CMV can produce a rapidly progressive and overwhelming infection in an apparently healthy adult.

Current management of fungal enteritis.

Fungal infections of the gastrointestinal tract have risen to higher levels of prevalence in the past decade. Major factors accounting for this increase are social changes, such as the increased ease and frequency of travel, which exposes the individual to environmental conditions that may result in fungal infection; increasing use of antibiotic and hormonal medications by otherwise healthy persons; and improved therapy for other diseases, such as polychemotherapy of cancer with its immunosuppressive effects. Both noninvasive and invasive fungal disease of the intestinal tract in otherwise healthy individuals can be successfully treated.

Antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis: an epidemiologic investigation of a cluster of cases.

Ten cases of antibiotic-associated colitis (AAC) were identified at a hospital in Washington, D.C., from March 17 to May 9, 1979.

Disseminated Petriellidium boydii and pacemaker endocarditis.

Clinical and morphologic findings are described in a 62 year old woman with "mixed connective tissue disease" who received corticosteroid therapy, and in whom disseminated and fatal Petriellidium boydii infection with right-sided endocarditis developed. The patient was a gardener. The organism is ubiquitous in soil in many part of the United States; therefore, it is likely that the infection was introduced by this means.

Fatal-cat trasmitted tularemia: demonstration of the organism in tissue.

The case reported represents an unusual mode of transmission of tularemia from cat to man, with fatal outcome. The use of the modified Dieterle spirochete stain demonstrated F tularensis in tissue when all other routine stains failed. Direct immunofluorescent staining confirmed the presence of the organism in tissue sections.

Group B beta-hemolytic streptococci causing pharyngitis.

Group B beta-hemolytic streptococci were isolated from the throats of 49 of 1,110 patients who had pharyngitis. Compared with patients whose throat cultures were negative for beta-hemolytic streptococci, those harboring group B were more likely to have enlarged tonsils (P less than 0.001), exudate (P less than 0.

Human aeromonas infections: a review of the literature and a case report of endocarditis.

Our patient, with cirrhosis and chronic renal failure, represents an example of the susceptibility of a compromised host to Aeromonas infections. This patient, however, differs from previously reported cases in at least two important aspects. First, it is possible that her portal of entry was a fresh A-V fistula puncture site rather than an intestinal site.