Brucella endocarditis as a late onset complication of brucellosis.

Brucella endocarditis (BE) is a rare but life threatening complication of brucellosis. We present a case report of a patient with relapsing brucellosis complicated with aortic valve endocarditis. The patient underwent valve replacement and required prolonged antibiotic treatment because of rupture of the noncoronary leaflet and development of congestive heart failure.

A local outbreak of autochthonous Plasmodium vivax malaria in Laconia, Greece--a re-emerging infection in the southern borders of Europe?

Objectives: Malaria is considered to have been eradicated in Greece and only sporadic cases in travelers are reported. However the migration of populations from endemic countries of Asia to Greece may have caused a re-emergence of the disease.

Methods: A cluster of nine human malaria cases due to Plasmodium vivax infection in the area of Laconia (southern Peloponnesus) from 2009 to 2010 is presented.

Effects of combined deferiprone and deferoxamine chelation therapy on iron load indices in beta-thalassemia.

The benefits of combined deferoxamine (DFO) and deferiprone (L1) chelation therapy, focusing on reducing myocardial iron loading, have been widely reported. Herein, we present the efficacy of combined chelation and its effects on iron load indices. Five thalassemia major (TM) patients who were undergoing chelation monotherapy with DFO were enrolled.

Acute Q fever lobar pneumonia: a case report.

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii-an obligate, Gram-negative, intracellular bacteria. Acute febrile illness, hepatitis, and atypical pneumonia are the three most common manifestations, whereas lobar pneumonia is rarely reported among acute Q fever patients. We report a case of acute Q fever with lobar pneumonia and multi-organ involvement.