Ureaplasma septic arthritis in an immunosuppressed patient with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Mycoplasmas, including Ureaplasma and Mycoplasma species, are uncommon but important causes of septic arthritis, especially affecting immunosuppressed patients. Many of the reported cases have been associated with congenital immunodeficiency disorders, especially hypogammaglobulinemia. Mycoplasmas are difficult to grow in the laboratory, and these infections may be underdiagnosed using culture techniques.

JAAD grand rounds. JAAD grand rounds quiz: a 64-year-old woman with an annular rash on the arm.

At the conclusion of this learning activity, physician participants should be able to assess their own diagnostic and patient management skills and use the results of this exercise to help determine personal learning needs. Instructions: In answering each question, refer to the specific directions provided. Because it is often necessary to provide information occurring later in a series that give away answers to earlier questions, please answer the questions in each series in sequence.

Case report: false negative serum cryptococcal latex agglutination test in a patient with disseminated cryptococcal disease.

A case of false-negative serum latex agglutination cryptococcal antigen (CRAG) test in a 45-year-old HIV-positive male with Cryptococcus-positive culture is described. The patient was presented to a hospital in Botswana, with breathlessness and a diffuse papular rash. His CD4 count was 25 cells/μL.

From the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation: Vaccination in adult patients on systemic therapy for psoriasis.

Patients with moderate to severe psoriasis often require systemic immunomodulatory medications that place them at risk for infection. Vaccination is a proven strategy to reduce infections. However, vaccination rates among patients with inflammatory autoimmune conditions, including psoriasis, remain low.

Tuberculin skin test conversion rate among short-term health care workers returning from Gaborone, Botswana.

Unlabelled: Our objective was to determine tuberculin skin test conversion rate of health care workers traveling to Botswana. The rate of tuberculin skin test conversion was 4.2% for the entire group studied or 6.

Blood and body fluid exposures among US medical students in Botswana.

Introduction: Medical students from resource-rich countries who rotate in resource-limited settings have little pre-departure experience performing procedures, and lack familiarity with local equipment. The risk of blood and body fluid exposures during such rotations is significant.

Aim: 1) Determine whether a simulation-based intervention reduced exposures among US medical students on a rotation in Botswana; 2) determine whether exposures were underreported; 3) describe exposures and provision of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

Challenge of coadministering antiretroviral therapy and oral anticoagulants in HIV-positive patients.

With an improved life expectancy, HIV-positive patients now face interactions between antiretroviral therapy and medications for chronic medical problems. One example is thromboembolism and its treatment with oral anticoagulants. To date, there have been 9 case reports documenting drug interactions between oral anticoagulants and antiretroviral agents.

The use of HAART is associated with decreased risk of death during initial treatment of cryptococcal meningitis in adults in Botswana.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes among adults with a first episode of cryptococcal meningitis (CM), comparing those on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with those not on HAART.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study among HIV-infected adults (aged 18 years and older) with a first episode of CM at the Princess Marina Hospital, in Gaborone, Botswana. The proportions surviving to discharge were compared.

Acute respiratory infections in a recently arrived traveler to your part of the world.

Many acute infectious pulmonary diseases have incubation periods that are long enough for travelers to have symptoms after returning home to a health-care system that is not familiar with "foreign" infections. Respiratory infections have a relatively limited repertoire of clinical manifestations, so that there is often nothing characteristic enough about a specific infection to make the diagnosis obvious. Thus, the pathway to the diagnosis of infections that are not endemic in a region relies heavily on taking a thorough history of both itinerary and of specific exposures.

Travel immunizations.

Advising travelers on vaccine-preventable illnesses is increasingly becoming the responsibility of primary care physicians. The approach to vaccine recommendations should be based on a thorough assessment of the risks for travel-related diseases, the time available before trip departure, and current knowledge of the epidemiology of vaccine-preventable diseases. Routine childhood vaccinations should be reviewed in all travelers and updated as necessary.

Fever in the returned traveler.

With the rising popularity of international travel to exotic locations, family physicians are encountering more febrile patients who recently have visited tropical countries. In the majority of cases, the fever is caused by a common illness such as tracheobronchitis, pneumonia, or urinary tract infection. However, fever in returned travelers always should raise suspicion for a severe or potentially life-threatening tropical infection.

Prevention of malaria in travelers.

Malaria is a major international public health problem, responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality around the world each year. As travel to tropical locations increases, U.S.

Eosinophilic meningitis.

Eosinophilic meningitis is a rare clinical entity that can be useful in narrowing the differential diagnosis of central nervous system disease. It is defined by the presence of 10 or more eosinophils/microL in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or a CSF eosinophilia of at least 10%. The most common cause is invasion of the central nervous system by helminthic parasites, particularly Angiostrongylus cantonensis, but other infections as well as noninfectious conditions may also be associated.