Polymicrobial pericarditis caused by bacterial and fungal translocation from an oesophageal ulcer.

This case report discusses a rare instance of polymicrobial pericarditis in a man in his early 60s with a history of substance abuse. The patient presented with chest pain and shortness of breath, later diagnosed as pericarditis caused by , and , likely originating from a large adjacent oesophageal ulcer. The condition led to critical illness, requiring pericardiocentesis, antibiotic and antifungal therapy.

Cryptococcal pneumonia and meningitis in a renal transplant recipient with a false negative serum cryptococcal antigen due to postzone phenomenon.

Cryptococcal infection can cause significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. We present a patient who was diagnosed with cryptococcal meningitis and pulmonary disease in the setting of a history of renal transplantation. The diagnosis was made based on growth of in blood cultures and identification of cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) using a lateral flow assay (LFA).

septic polyarthritis in a young woman with neuromyelitis optica receiving rituximab.

We report a case of septic polyarthritis caused by in a woman with neuromyelitis optica who was receiving rituximab. Her case exemplifies some of the unique characteristics of invasive infections that can lead to delayed diagnosis as well as treatment challenges including recurrence following antibiotic discontinuation.

Use of BioFire FilmArray gastrointestinal PCR panel associated with reductions in antibiotic use, time to optimal antibiotics, and length of stay.

Background: Rapid and accurate diagnostic tools are needed for appropriate management of infectious diarrhea.

Methods: We evaluated the impact of the introduction of rapid multiplex PCR testing using the FilmArray gastrointestinal (GI) panel (BioFire Diagnostics, LLC, Salt Lake City, UT) at our institution, and compared the results to those of standard stool cultures.

Results: The most common pathogens detected by the FilmArray GI panel were Clostridium difficile (55.

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, human herpesvirus 8 viremia, and HIV-associated multicentric Castleman disease.

Kaposi's sarcoma and multicentric Castleman Disease are HIV-related disease processes that are associated with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection. The development of multicentric Castleman disease can often be a manifestation of the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome phenomenon and is associated with markedly elevated levels of HHV-8 viremia, as illustrated by this case.

Metataxonomic and Metagenomic Approaches vs. Culture-Based Techniques for Clinical Pathology.

Diagnoses that are both timely and accurate are critically important for patients with life-threatening or drug resistant infections. Technological improvements in High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) have led to its use in pathogen detection and its application in clinical diagnoses of infectious diseases. The present study compares two HTS methods, 16S rRNA marker gene sequencing (metataxonomics) and whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing (metagenomics), in their respective abilities to match the same diagnosis as traditional culture methods (culture inference) for patients with ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP).

HIV infection induces structural and functional changes in high density lipoproteins.

Background And Aims: Coronary artery disease is a growing clinical problem in HIV-infected subjects. The increased risk of coronary events in this population has been linked to low levels of HDL, but the effects of HIV infection and anti-retroviral treatment (ART) on HDL structure and function remain unknown. Here, we aimed to determine the composition and function of HDL particles isolated from ART-naive and ART-positive HIV-infected patients.

Single-molecule long-read 16S sequencing to characterize the lung microbiome from mechanically ventilated patients with suspected pneumonia.

In critically ill patients, the development of pneumonia results in significant morbidity and mortality and additional health care costs. The accurate and rapid identification of the microbial pathogens in patients with pulmonary infections might lead to targeted antimicrobial therapy with potentially fewer adverse effects and lower costs. Major advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) allow culture-independent identification of pathogens.

Pulmonary and peritoneal tuberculosis associated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor use: a case report and review of the literature.

The association between the use of tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors and the increased risk of granulomatous infections, especially tuberculosis, has been well documented. Given the rapidly expanding list of inflammatory conditions for which tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors are receiving FDA approval, the incidence of tuberculosis in this patient population has increased. Despite heightened awareness by physicians, the diagnosis of tuberculosis can remain challenging, given that extrapulmonary sites of infection are more frequently involved.

Atrial-esophageal fistula after atrial radiofrequency catheter ablation.

Atrial-esophageal fistula is a rare but often fatal complication of catheter radiofrequency ablation. Patients occasionally have bacteremia and have been misdiagnosed with endocarditis. Infectious diseases specialists are often consulted and need to be aware of this complication.

Legionella feeleii serotype 2 pneumonia in a man with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a challenging diagnosis.

Legionella feeleii has rarely been reported as causing pneumonia in patients with hematologic malignancies. We present a case of Legionella feeleii serotype 2 pneumonia with empyema in a man with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and describe the methods of identifying this organism using both standard methods and newer diagnostic techniques.