| The authors report a patient with an axonal guillain-barre syndrome (acute motor axonal neuropathy) associated with anti-GM1 antibody after haemophilus influenzae infection. The result of ELISA inhibition studies and cytochemical staining with cholera toxin suggest the presence of a GM1-like structure on the surface of H. influenzae isolated from the patient. A particular strain of H. influenzae may have a GM1-like structure and may elicit an axonal guillain-barre syndrome. ( info) |
2/466. Polyarticular septic arthritis caused by non-encapsulated haemophilus influenzae biotype I in a rheumatic adult. haemophilus influenzae causes less than 1% of all septic arthritis cases in adults. Most often serotype b is responsible. Here we describe a rare case of non-encapsulated H. influenzae-induced polyarticular septic arthritis in a rheumatic patient with no other infectious focus. ( info) |
3/466. Congenital malformation of the inner ear associated with recurrent meningitis. Congenital deformities of the labyrinth of the inner ear can be associated with meningitis and varying degrees of hearing loss or deafness. A recurrence of meningitis is due to the development of a fistulous communication between the subarachnoid space and the middle ear cavity, and can prove lethal. An illustrative case of a 4-year-old Japanese girl with bilateral severe hearing loss, recurrent meningitis and malformations of the inner ear and stapes footplate is presented. Removal of the stapes during tympanotomy provoked a gush of cerebrospinal fluid. The defect was repaired successfully, and there has been no further episodes of meningitis to date. ( info) |
| A 36-year-old patient who was otherwise healthy had acute osteomyelitis of the humeral shaft develop after routine prophylactic dental cleaning and ultrasonic scaling. Haemophilus aphrophilus grew on cultures of material obtained during biopsy of the humerus, and pathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of acute osteomyelitis. Haemophilus aphrophilus, a fastidious gram negative bacillus, is part of the normal oral flora and is a rare pathogen. osteomyelitis caused by Haemophilus aphrophilus has not been reported to occur after routine dental prophylaxis. The patient was treated successfully with surgical debridement and appropriate antibiotics. ( info) |
5/466. Recurrent meningitis in the pediatric patient--the otolaryngologist's role. OBJECTIVE: To assess the etiology of recurrent meningitis in the pediatric patient. DESIGN: Retrospective case series and literature review. SETTING: Tertiary-care pediatric hospital. patients: Children (< 17-years-old) with recurrent meningitis, treated at texas Children's Hospital (TCH) between 1984 and 1995. RESULTS: A review of 463 cases of bacterial meningitis over an 11 year period revealed six children aged 3 months to 15 years with the diagnosis of recurrent meningitis. The patient's age, number of episodes of meningitis, diagnostic investigations performed and etiologies of recurrent meningitis were recorded. Fifteen episodes of meningitis were identified in these six patients; streptococcus pneumoniae represented the bacteriology in 73% of the cases. Two patients were diagnosed with temporal bone abnormalities, two children with immunological deficiencies and no underlying etiology for the recurrent meningitis was identified in the remaining two patients. In this series, one-third of patients had an otolaryngologic etiology for their recurrent meningitis. These six patients, along with a review of the recent literature, will highlight the need for otolaryngological assessment and the importance of considering immunological investigations when managing recurrent meningitis in the pediatric patient. CONCLUSION: We propose that children with recurrent meningitis of unknown etiology undergo: (1) an audiological evaluation; (2) a CT scan of the temporal bones, skull base and paranasal sinuses; and (3) an immunological evaluation. ( info) |
| AIMS: To describe the clinical course and treatment of haemophilus influenzae associated scleritis. methods: Retrospective case series. RESULTS: Three patients developed scleritis associated with ocular H influenzae infection. Past medical history, review of systems, and laboratory testing for underlying collagen vascular disorders were negative in two patients. One patient had arthritis associated with an antinuclear antibody titre of 1:160 and a Westergren erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 83 mm in the first hour. Each patient had ocular surgery more than 6 months before developing scleritis. Two had cataract extraction and one had strabismus surgery. Nodular abscesses associated with areas of scleral necrosis were present in each case. culture of these abscesses revealed H influenzae in all patients. Treatments included topical, subconjunctival, and systemic antibiotics. Scleral inflammation resolved and visual acuity improved in each case. CONCLUSION: H influenzae infection may be associated with scleritis. Accurate diagnosis and treatment may preserve ocular integrity and good visual acuity. ( info) |
| haemophilus parainfluenzae was isolated from the bile specimens of 2 patients with acute cholecystitis. The strains were genetically unrelated by the random amplified polymorphic dna (RAPD). The 2 H. parainfluenzae strains represented 11.7% of all positive bile cultures inoculated in blood culture bottles. The routine inoculation of bile specimens in media able to support growth of Haemophilus species should be considered. ( info) |
| A case of life-threatening laryngo-epiglottitis is reported, caused by ampicillin-resistant haemophilus paraphrophilus. Clinicians and microbiologists should be aware of a beta-lactamase-mediated resistance among Haemophilus species other than H. influenzae. ( info) |
9/466. Non-surgical treatment of purulent pericarditis, due to non-encapsulated haemophilus influenzae, in an immunocompromised patient. A 59-year-old woman suffering from rheumatoid arthritis was admitted with pleural empyema and pericarditis due to non-encapsulated H. influenzae, and developed signs of cardiac tamponade. Purulent pericarditis resolved after ultrasound-guided percutaneous aspiration and systemic antimicrobial therapy. Serial echocardiographic examinations showed a slowly vanishing effusion. Long term follow-up revealed no evidence of pericardial constriction. This case illustrates that life-threatening purulent pericarditis in an immunocompromised patient may respond well to non-surgical treatment. ( info) |
10/466. Tissue expander infections in children: look beyond the expander pocket. infection of the expander pocket is the most common complication encountered with soft-tissue expansion. It is usually due to direct inoculation with skin flora either at the time of expander insertion or from extrusion of the device. The authors report two cases of infection of tissue expanders in which the children had concomitant infected sites distant from the prosthesis. Etiological bacteria of common pediatric infections like otitis media and pharyngitis were cultured from the infected expander pocket, raising suspicion that translocation of the organism to the expander had occurred. Aggressive antibiotic treatment, removal of the prosthesis, and flap advancement is advocated. ( info) |