Mycobacterium caprae Infection in Captive Borneo Elephant, Japan

In 2016, disseminated tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium caprae was diagnosed in a captive Borneo elephant in Japan. The bacterium was initially identified from clinical isolates. An isolate collected during a relapse showed isoniazid monoresistance and a codon 315 katG mutation

マウス Mycobacterium avium complex ハイ カンセン モデル ニ オケル エストロゲン ノ エイキョウ

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(医学)甲第8823号医博第2326号新制||医||761(附属図書館)UT51-2001-F153京都大学大学院医学研究科内科系専攻(主査)教授 光山 正雄, 教授 一山 智, 教授 福井 次也学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Medical ScienceKyoto UniversityDA

Increased lactate dehydrogenase reflects the progression of COVID-19 pneumonia on chest computed tomography and predicts subsequent severe disease

Abstract Chest computed tomography (CT) is effective for assessing the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the clinical factors reflecting the disease progression of COVID-19 pneumonia on chest CT and predicting a subsequent exacerbation remain controversial. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 450 COVID-19 patients. We used an automated image processing tool to quantify the COVID-19 pneumonia lesion extent on chest CT at admission. The factors associated with the lesion extent were estimated by a multiple regression analysis. After adjusting for background factors by propensity score matching, we conducted a multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis to identify factors associated with severe disease after admission. The multiple regression analysis identified, body-mass index (BMI), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), and albumin as continuous variables associated with the lesion extent on chest CT. The standardized partial regression coefficients for them were 1.76, 2.42, 1.54, and 0.71. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis identified LDH (hazard ratio, 1.003; 95% confidence interval, 1.001–1.005) as a factor independently associated with the development of severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Increased serum LDH at admission may be useful in real-world clinical practice for the simple screening of COVID-19 patients at high risk of developing subsequent severe disease

Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. abscessus Lung Disease: Drug Susceptibility Testing in Sputum Culture Negative Conversion

Background: Among Mycobacterium abscessus complex infections, patients with M. abscessus subsp. abscessus (MAA) lung disease are difficult to treat and no standard therapy has been established. Few reports have investigated the drug susceptibility of these strains. We retrospectively investigated how in vitro drug susceptibility testing (DST) of MAA affects the induction of sputum conversion using pharmacotherapy. Methods: Patients with MAA lung disease diagnosed and treated between 2010 and 2014 at our hospital were enrolled and divided into Group A (sputum conversion without relapse within 1 year) and Group B (persistent positive cultured or negative conversion with relapse). MAA was identified in M. abscessus using sequence with genotyping, and DST of MAA was performed. Results: We assessed 23 patients (9 males and 14 females). There were 8 patients in Group A and 15 in Group B. Higher prevalence of susceptible isolates for clarithromycin (CAM) susceptibility on day 14 was noted in Group A than in Group B (P = 0.03) and no significant difference observed in the two groups for other drugs. Conclusions: In vitro DST of MAA, especially CAM susceptibility on day 14, affected the results of negative conversion. No other drugs were found to affect sputum culture negative conversion