Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is the etiologic agent of varicella, and it remains common among children in Japan due to low vaccination rates. It can cause a variety of serious and life-threatening complications. Generally, the most frequent complication of varicella in healthy children is bacterial superinfection, but empyema after VZV infection is a rare condition. This case report describes a previously healthy 21-month-old boy who attended nursery school with a recent varicella and group A β-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) pharyngitis outbreak and who presented with a 7 day history of vesicular rash along with progressive fever. Due to continued mild cough and prolonged fever, however, chest radiography was done, which showed a right pleural effusion. Further computed tomography showed a right pulmonary empyema, and purulent material was drained and eventually grew GABHS. This report hereby describes the development of pleural empyema caused by GABHS after VZV infection in a serologically immunocompetent patient.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ped.12300 | DOI Listing |
J Thorac Dis
December 2024
Critical Care Medicine, Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, GA, USA.
Background: Empyema, characterized by the accumulation of pus in the pleural cavity, poses significant treatment challenges. While intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and deoxyribonuclease (DNase) therapy is effective for many patients, a substantial proportion require surgical intervention, such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), following treatment failure. Identifying tPA/DNase treatment failure-associated predictors is crucial for optimizing patient management and improving outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRespir Res
January 2025
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Background: Pleural diseases is a common respiratory disorder, mainly characterized as pleural effusion and patients with pleural effusion caused by pneumonia and empyema constituted 29% of the cohort, which suggests pleural infection as the predominant etiology of pleural effusion in China. Medical thoracoscopy (MT) combined with intrapleural injection of Urokinase holds significant therapeutic value for patients with early to moderate-stage empyema. However, there remains a lack of high-quality evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of combining MT with intrapleural injection of Urokinase administration in patients with pleural infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cardiothorac Surg
January 2025
Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, and Lung Transplantation, Marie-Lannelongue Hospital, Le Plessis-Robinson, France.
Background: Post-pneumonectomy bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a life-threatening event whose treatment is not standardized.
Case Presentation: We report the management of a 28-year-old patient with a 3-year history of BPF complicating right pneumonectomy for congenital emphysema. Despite closure by an Amplatzer device, the patient had chronic pyothorax and severely deteriorated general health and quality of life.
Microbiol Spectr
January 2025
Sunshine Coast Health Institute, Birtinya, Queensland, Australia.
Pleural infections are common and associated with substantial healthcare costs, morbidity, and mortality. Accurate diagnosis remains challenging due to low culture positivity rates, frequent polymicrobial involvement, and non-specific diagnostic biomarkers. Here, we undertook a prospective study examining the feasibility and performance of molecular methods for diagnosing suspected pleural infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRespir Med Case Rep
December 2024
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, China.
Acinetobacter baumannii is a pathogen that typically causes nosocomial infections. Its resistance to multiple antibiotics poses significant challenges for treatment. Fulminant Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (FMPP) is relatively rare despite Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia is common among children and young adults.
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