Diagnostic value of a nested polymerase chain reaction for diagnosing cutaneous sporotrichosis from paraffin-embedded skin tissue.

Background: The gold standard for diagnosis of cutaneous sporotrichosis involves the isolation of the fungus, Sporothrix, by a culture test. Generally, the sampling for the culture test is performed at the same time as skin biopsy under local anaesthesia. However, the culture test may occasionally return a false negative result.

GD1b-specific antibodies may bind to complex of GQ1b and GM1, causing ataxia.

Monospecific IgG antibodies to GD1b ganglioside (GD1b-specific antibodies) have been found in patients with acute ataxic neuropathy and Guillain-Barré syndrome, but the association of the GD1b-specific antibodies with specific neurological conditions has yet to be established. We tested sera from more than 10,000 patients with various neurological disorders, and found six sera, which contained IgG antibodies to GD1b, but not to LM1, GM1, GM1b, GD1a, GalNAc-GD1a, GT1a, GT1b and GQ1b. All six patients who carried GD1b-specific antibodies presented with acute onset of ataxia and monophasic course of the illness, of whom five demonstrated cerebellar-like ataxia.

Desulfovibrio desulfuricans bacteremia in a patient hospitalized with acute cerebral infarction: case report and review.

Desulfovibrio spp. can be found in soil, water, and sewage, as well as in the digestive tracts of animals and humans. We report a case of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans bacteremia during hospitalization with acute cerebral infarction following aspiration bronchopneumonia and severe diarrhea, and the case strongly suggests that Desulfovibrio spp.

Comprehensive analysis of bacterial risk factors for the development of Guillain-Barre syndrome after Campylobacter jejuni enteritis.

Background: Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), a postinfectious autoimmune-mediated neuropathy, is a serious complication after Campylobacter jejuni enteritis.

Methods: To investigate the bacterial risk factors for developing GBS, genotypes, serotypes, and ganglioside mimics on lipo-oligosaccharide (LOS) were analyzed in C. jejuni strains from Japanese patients.