Spontaneous resolution of a plasma cell granuloma in a 9-year-old.

A previously healthy 9-year-old white boy presented with a 13-lb weight loss over a period of 4 weeks and a 4.5-cm mass in the right lung. Histology was compatible with a plasma cell granuloma, which is the most common benign childhood lung tumor.

Infective endocarditis caused by beta-hemolytic streptococci. The Infectious Diseases Society of America's Emerging Infections Network.

Infective endocarditis caused by beta-hemolytic streptococci is infrequently seen. Members of the Infectious Diseases Society of America's Emerging Infections Network (EIN) were polled for cases of beta-hemolytic streptococcal endocarditis that were seen between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1996. Thirty-one cases were submitted by 22 members.

Hyperleukocytosis with pertussis.

A 9-month-old nonimmunized white female patient presented with a paroxysmal cough and a white blood cell count of 114,000/mm3. A nasopharyngeal culture was positive for Bordetella pertussis. Hyperleukocytosis is a rare complication of pertussis and is attributed to lymphocytosis-promoting factor.

Is irregular regression of corpora lutea in climacteric women caused by age-induced alterations in the "tissue control system"?

Problem: We have recently observed that the regression of corpora lutea (CL) in women during the reproductive period of life is accompanied by a diminution of Thy-1 differentiation protein release from vascular pericytes and an accumulation of T lymphocytes and activated macrophages among both degenerating granulosa lutein cells (GLC) and theca lutein cells. These data suggest that the immune system and other stromal factors, representing components of the "tissue control system," may play a role in regression of the CL. We investigated degenerating CL from climacteric women to address the possibility that the decline of immune functions with advancing age may result in incomplete regression of luteal tissue.

Risk factor assessment for the acquisition of fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a community-based hospital.

A case-control study was performed in a community-based nonteaching hospital to assess patient risk factors for the acquisition of fluoroquinolone-resistant isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Fifty-five patients who were hospitalized between July 1, 1993 and December 31, 1993 and who had P. aeruginosa recovered from a clinical specimen were included in the analysis.

Long-term suppressive therapy for Candida parapsilosis-induced prosthetic valve endocarditis.

Prompt valve replacement is advocated in patients in whom candidal prosthetic valve endocarditis develops. Unfortunately, some patients with this condition are considered nonsurgical candidates, and they are unable to tolerate long-term administration of amphotericin B with or without flucytosine. Herein we describe a patient with Candida parapsilosis-induced prosthetic valve endocarditis in whom oral administration of fluconazole during an 11-month period successfully suppressed the fungal infection.

Pasteurella multocida tonsillitis: case report and review.

Pasteurella multocida is frequently part of the normal flora of the nasopharynx and digestive tract of several wild and domestic animals. Although P. multocida can produce a variety of upper and lower respiratory tract infections, only four previous cases of tonsillitis caused by this organism have been reported.

Virulence of coagulase-deficient mutants of Staphylococcus aureus in experimental endocarditis.

A sensitive rat endocarditis model which employed relatively small inocula (< or = 10(4) cfu) was used to examine the role of coagulase in the pathogenesis of infection. Rats with indwelling, intracardiac catheters were challenged intravenously with three strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The virulence of a coagulase-positive parental strain DU5808 was compared in terms of its ID50 for resected vegetations and catheters to that of two coagulase-negative mutant strains (DU5809 and DU5814) which had undergone site-specific mutagenesis.

Case report: purpura in disseminated strongyloidiasis.

Purpuric lesions have been described previously in 10 patients with disseminated strongyloidiasis. We identified three additional patients in whom purpura developed as a manifestation of disseminated strongyloidiasis. Nine (69%) of the 13 patients were men, and the median age of patients was 61 years (range, 32-75 years).

Dual infections with Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes causing toxic shock syndrome. Possible synergistic effects of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 and streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin C.

We describe a 35-year-old woman with clinical, microbiologic, and serologic findings suggesting that the patient developed toxic shock syndrome as a result of dual infections caused by toxin-producing strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Certain aspects of the pathogenesis of this toxin-related syndrome are reviewed.

Cervical vertebral osteomyelitis presenting as a retropharyngeal abscess.

Retropharyngeal abscess as a manifestation of nontuberculous cervical vertebral osteomyelitis in adults has been described rarely in the literature. We report a case of cervical vertebral osteomyelitis that was caused by Staphylococcus aureus and that presented as a retropharyngeal abscess in a 66-year-old man. In addition, we review related cases.