39 research outputs found
Coinfection of Schistosoma mansoni and Strongyloides stercoralis in a patient with variceal bleeding
We report a case of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis with portal
hypertension and variceal bleeding in an immigrant patient from Egypt,
coinfected with Strongyloides stercoralis. The diagnosis was based on
the following: (a) identification of Schistosoma mansoni ova in the
stools and colonic biopsy specimens, (b) portal hypertension and
esophageal varices with normal Liver function and the absence of hepatic
cirrhosis stigmata, (c) history of migration from an endemic area and
(d) ultrasonographic findings of spleen and liver enlargement, fibrosed
portal tracts, and normal lobular architecture of Liver parenchyma.
Hepatosplenic schistosomiasis should be suspected in any patient from an
endemic area who has splenomegaly, portal hypertension, and esophageal
varices bleeding in the absence of stigmata of liver cirrhosis and
hepatic insufficiency. Coinfection with S. stercoralis could be
attributed to common epidemiological features of the parasites and the
patient’s habits
Evaluation of imipenem/imipenem+EDTA disk method for detection of metallo-β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from blood cultures
The objective of this study was to evaluate the imipenem (IMP) and IMP+EDTA (IMP/IMP+EDTA) disk method for the detection of metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae with various MIC levels to IMP. Forty-one blood isolates of K. pneumoniae with MIC to IMP ranging from ≤0.5 to ≥16 μg/ml were examined. The MICs were determined by VITEK-2 (bioMerieux Vitek two, France). Disks of 10 μg IMP with and without the addition of 0.5 M EDTA were used for the IMP/IMP+EDTA disk method. The E-test (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden) for MBL detection was also used. All isolates were examined for the blaVIM-1 gene by PCR and for clonality of VIM-1-producing isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). All isolates with MIC values of IMP ≤0.5 μg/ml exhibited no differences in inhibition zone diameters (IZD) produced by IMP and IMP+EDTA disks, whereas the isolates with MICs ≥1 μg/ml showed an increase in IZD, ranging from 8 to 26 mm. AH isolates with MIC values of ≥1 μg/ml were found positive for the blaVIM-1 gene by PCR and for MBL production by the E-test, whereas none of isolates with MICs ≤0.5 μg/ml was found positive by any of the tests. DNA restriction fragments generated by PFGE of VIM-1-producing isolates were classified in four main types. The IMP/IMP+EDTA disk method is simple to perform, sensitive, and specific for detection of MBL-producing K. pneumoniae clinical isolates. K. pneumoniae isolates with MICs of IMP ≥1 μg/ml and/or IZD produced by IMP disk ≤19 mm should be tested for MBL production. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc
Genotyping of pathogenic Acanthamoebae isolated from clinical samples in Greece - Report of a clinical isolate presenting T5 genotype
Amoebae belonging to the genus Acanthamoeba are potentially pathogenic
to humans, causing mainly amoebic keratitis. Pathogenic ability of the
15 known Acanthamoeba genotypes is under investigation. We report that
four out of five cases of amoebic keratitis studied in Greece, present
T4 sequence type, while the remaining one presents T5 sequence type
(Acanthamoeba lenticulata), which is the second most frequent genotype
found among environmental samples. Thus, it is confirmed, for the first
time to our knowledge, that A. lenticulata can cause keratitis. However
the reason that it is under represented in clinical samples compared to
environmental ones is unknown. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights
reserved