Phenotype of mice and macrophages deficient in both phagocyte oxidase and inducible nitric oxide synthase.
(1/1459)
The two genetically established antimicrobial mechanisms of macrophages are production of reactive oxygen intermediates by phagocyte oxidase (phox) and reactive nitrogen intermediates by inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2). Mice doubly deficient in both enzymes (gp91(phox-/-)/NOS2(-/-)) formed massive abscesses containing commensal organisms, mostly enteric bacteria, even when reared under specific pathogen-free conditions with antibiotics. Neither parental strain showed such infections. Thus, phox and NOS2 appear to compensate for each other's deficiency in providing resistance to indigenous bacteria, and no other pathway does so fully. Macrophages from gp91(phox-/-)/NOS2(-/-) mice could not kill virulent Listeria. Their killing of S. typhimurium, E. coli, and attenuated Listeria was markedly diminished but demonstrable, establishing the existence of a mechanism of macrophage antibacterial activity independent of phox and NOS2. (+info)
Obturator internus muscle abscess in children: report of seven cases and review.
(2/1459)
Obturator internus muscle (OIM) abscess is an uncommon entity often mistaken for septic arthritis of the hip. We describe seven children with OIM abscess and review seven previously reported cases. The most common presenting symptoms were hip or thigh pain (14 patients), fever (13), and limp (13). The hip was flexed, abducted, and externally rotated in 11 patients. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography (CT) were diagnostic for OIM abscess in the 14 patients. Associated abscesses were located in the obturator externus muscle (5 patients), psoas muscle (2), and iliac muscle (1). The etiologic agents were Staphylococcus aureus (8 patients), Streptococcus pyogenes (2), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (2), and Enterococcus faecalis (1). Three patients underwent CT-guided percutaneous drainage, and three had surgical drainage. Three patients had ischial osteomyelitis in addition to OIM abscess. The 11 children with uncomplicated OIM abscess were treated for a median of 28 days. All patients had an uneventful recovery. (+info)
Pathogenesis of experimental Pseudomonas keratitis in the guinea pig: bacteriologic, clinical, and microscopic observations.
(3/1459)
Uniformly severe corneal infections were produced in guinea pigs by intracorneal injection of about 10 viable Pseudomonas aeruginosa. After a brief lag period, multiplication of bacteria was rapid, reaching geometric means of 280,000 after 24 hr and of 5 million after 48 hr. Within 8 hr after inoculation, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) began to infiltrate the anterior two thirds of the stroma. Stromal cells adjacent to the injection site became necrotic and appeared to be engulfed by PMNs. By 14 to 16 hr, an abscess containing a dense aggregate of PMNs and multiplying bacteria developed in the central stroma. By 16 to 24 hr, collagen breakdown was apparent within and around the abscess. Ultrastructural evidence of collagen breakdown included loss of intact collagen fibrils, tactoid formation, and accumulation of amorphous electron-dense material. The area of liquefactive necrosis gradually enlarged, and many corneas perforated after 3 to 4 days. Because the course of infection is highly reproducible, this model should prove useful for many studies of experimental Pseudomonas keratitis. (+info)
Comparison of efficacies of oral levofloxacin and oral ciprofloxacin in a rabbit model of a staphylococcal abscess.
(4/1459)
Oral levofloxacin was compared to oral ciprofloxacin in a Staphylococcus aureus subcutaneous abscess model in rabbits. Rabbits were surgically prepared with subcutaneous wiffle balls (43 mm in diameter) and allowed to recover for 4 to 6 weeks. Rabbits were infected by direct injection into the capsule with S. aureus ATCC 29213 (5 x 10(5) CFU) and were allowed to remain infected for 8 days before the initiation of anti-infective treatment. Efficacy was determined by assessing the bacterial load within the capsule over a 10-day treatment period. In single-dose pharmacokinetic studies in infected rabbits, similar area under the concentration-time curve/MIC ratios were obtained in the plasma and abscess fluid for levofloxacin at 45 mg/kg of body weight and ciprofloxacin at 200 mg/kg of body weight. Similar efficacies were seen with levofloxacin at 45 mg/kg/day and ciprofloxacin 400 mg/kg/day by day 10. In this model, levofloxacin was significantly more efficacious than ciprofloxacin (P < 0.01). (+info)
Hyper-IgE syndrome with recurrent infections--an autosomal dominant multisystem disorder.
(5/1459)
BACKGROUND: The hyper-IgE syndrome with recurrent infections is a rare immunodeficiency characterized by recurrent skin and pulmonary abscesses and extremely elevated levels of IgE in serum. Associated facial and skeletal features have been recognized, but their frequency is unknown, and the genetic basis of the hyper-IgE syndrome is poorly understood. METHODS: We studied 30 patients with the hyper-IgE syndrome and 70 of their relatives. We took histories, reviewed records, performed physical and dental examinations, took anthropometric measurements, and conducted laboratory studies. RESULTS: Nonimmunologic features of the hyper-IgE syndrome were present in all patients older than eight years. Seventy-two percent had the previously unrecognized feature of failure or delay of shedding of the primary teeth owing to lack of root resorption. Common findings among patients were recurrent fractures (in 57 percent of patients), hyperextensible joints (in 68 percent), and scoliosis (in 76 percent of patients 16 years of age or older). The classic triad of abscesses, pneumonia, and an elevated IgE level was identified in 77 percent of all patients and in 85 percent of those older than eight. In 6 of 23 adults (26 percent), IgE levels declined over time and came closer to or fell within the normal range. Autosomal dominant transmission of the hyper-IgE syndrome was found, but with variable expressivity. Of the 27 relatives at risk for inheriting the hyper-IgE syndrome, 10 were fully affected, 11 were unaffected, and 6 had combinations of mild immunologic, dental, and skeletal features of the hyper-IgE syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: The hyper-IgE syndrome is a multisystem disorder that affects the dentition, the skeleton, connective tissue, and the immune system. It is inherited as a single-locus autosomal dominant trait with variable expressivity. (+info)
A murine model of renal abscess formation.
(6/1459)
We developed a murine model of kidney abscess by direct renal injection of either Escherichia coli (1 x 10(6) to 7 x 10(6) organisms) or sterile medium. Bacterial infection produced renal abscesses, bacteremia, and late-onset leukocytosis in all animals. Controls were unaffected. This model may be useful for the study of various sequelae of kidney infection. (+info)
Gallium-67 scintigraphy and intraabdominal sepsis. Clinical experience in 140 patients with suspected intraabdominal abscess.
(7/1459)
In 140 patients with suspected intraabdominal abscess, studies were made using gallium-67 citrate and technetium-99m labeled radiopharmaceuticals. Gallium-67 scintigrams correctly localized 52 of 56 intraabdominal abscesses confirmed at surgical operation or necropsy. In an additional 20 patients in whom findings on scintigrams were abnormal, there were clinically established infections. Sixty-one patients in whom findings on scintigrams were normal were conservatively managed and discharged from the hospital; none proved to have an abscess. Four false-negative and three false-positive studies were recorded. Gallium-67 scintigraphy is a useful noninvasive diagnostic adjunct that should be employed early in the evaluation of patients with suspected intraabdominal sepsis. (+info)
Spinal epidural abscess associated with epidural catheterization: report of a case and a review of the literature.
(8/1459)
We describe a 53-year-old man who developed a catheter-related epidural abscess 8 days after left upper lobectomy for lung cancer. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was detected in a culture of the epidural pus. Magnetic resonance imaging was essential for the diagnosis of epidural abscess and for determining the extent of spread. The patient was treated by laminectomy and administration of appropriate antibiotics, with almost complete recovery, except for urinary retention. A literature search yielded 29 additional cases of catheter-related epidural abscess. The median duration of catheterization was 4 days and the median time to onset of the clinical symptoms after catheter placement was 8 days. Eleven of the 30 patients had some underlying disorders, including malignancy or herpes zoster, or were receiving steroids. Nine of the 10 patients with thoracic epidural abscess had persistent neurological deficits, whereas 12 of the 15 patients with lumbar epidural abscess showed a full recovery after treatment. Surgical decompression was not required in six patients without significant neurological deficits, who recovered following antibiotic treatment (four patients) or percutaneous drainage (two patients). Thoracic catheters are associated with a disproportionately high incidence of epidural abscess and persistent neurological sequelae following treatment. (+info)