1/15. Fatal biphasic brainstem and spinal leptomeningitis with cryptococcus neoformans in a non-immunocompromised child.Cryptococcal meningitis is one of the most common life-threatening, invasive fungal infections of the central nervous system in patients with defective T-lymphocyte function. It is, however, unusual in children. We report on a non-immunocompromised 10-y-old boy without evidence of immunological abnormality who developed headache, vomiting, disturbances of consciousness and areflexia. magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and the spinal cord revealed enlargement of the ventricles and high signal lesions in the leptomeninges at the level of the cerebral peduncles and the cervical and thoracic cord. cerebrospinal fluid analysis was positive for cryptococcus neoformans. He was treated with amphotericin b and was symptom-free within 1 wk. Despite an extended course of therapy his symptoms suddenly relapsed and he succumbed to the medical complications of cardiac and respiratory failure. Central nervous system appearances at postmortem were those of cryptococcal leptomeningitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/15. coccidioidomycosis meningitis with massive dural and cerebral venous thrombosis and tissue arthroconidia.To our knowledge we report the first case of meningitis from coccidioides immitis associated with massive dural and cerebral venous thrombosis and with mycelial forms of the organism in brain tissue. The patient was a 43-year-old man with late-stage acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) whose premortem and postmortem cultures confirmed C immitis as the only central nervous system pathogenic organism. death was attributable to multiple hemorrhagic venous infarctions with cerebral edema and herniation. Although phlebitis has been noted parenthetically to occur in C immitis meningitis in the past, it has been overshadowed by the arteritic complications of the disease. This patient's severe C immitis ventriculitis with adjacent venulitis appeared to be the cause of the widespread venous thrombosis. AIDS-related coagulation defects may have contributed to his thrombotic tendency.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.82046266140454keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/15. glioblastoma, transforming growth factor-beta, and Candida meningitis: a potential link.The development of Candida meningitis in a patient following partial resection of a glioblastoma raised suspicion that transforming growth factor (TGF-beta), an immunosuppressive cytokine known to be produced by this tumor, would be elevated in his cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). By using a highly specific bioassay, the concentration of TGF-beta was found to be 609 pg/mL, which was 10-fold greater than the mean CSF TGF-beta value in control subjects with no neurologic disease. Increased CSF TGF-beta levels were also detected in patients with other central nervous system (CNS) diseases: malignancies and aids dementia complex. These findings suggest that TGF-beta may play an immunopathogenetic role in the CNS.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.82046266140454keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/15. Central nervous system aspergillus fumigatus infection after near drowning.AIMS: To report the case of a 26 year old white man, who developed chronic meningitis and intracerebral granulomata 15 days after an episode of near drowning in a swamp. methods: aspergillus fumigatus was isolated from cerebrospinal fluid cultures. RESULTS: The patient died 70 days after the symptoms were first noticed, and seven days after a subarachnoid haemorrhage. Aspergillus has never been reported before as a cause of intracranial infection after near drowning. CONCLUSIONS: physicians must be aware of this possibility when confronted with such a situation, because there are now effective therapeutic options for systemic aspergillosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.71814935438182keywords = nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/15. Infection of the CNS by scedosporium apiospermum after near drowning. Report of a fatal case and analysis of its confounding factors.This report describes a fatal case of central nervous system pseudallescheriasis. A 32 year old white man presented with headache and meningismus 15 days after nearly drowning in a swine sewage reservoir. Computerised tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the head revealed multiple brain granulomata, which vanished when steroid and broad spectrum antimicrobial and antifungal agents, in addition to dexamethasone, were started. cerebrospinal fluid analysis disclosed a neutrophilic meningitis. Treatment with antibiotics and amphotericin b, together with fluconazole and later itraconazole, was ineffective. miconazole was added through an Ommaya reservoir, but was insufficient to halt the infection. pseudallescheria boydii was finally isolated and identified in cerebrospinal fluid cultures, a few days before death, three and a half months after the symptoms began. diagnosis was delayed because of a reduction in the lesions after partial treatment, which prevented a stereotactic biopsy. physicians should be aware of this condition, and provide prompt stereotactic biopsy. Confirmed cases should perhaps be treated with voriconazole, probably the most effective, currently available treatment for this agent.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.82046266140454keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/15. Detection of the Candida antigen mannan in cerebrospinal fluid specimens from patients suspected of having Candida meningitis.cerebrospinal fluid samples from five patients from which Candida cells were cultured were tested for the presence of mannan. Samples from four patients categorized as having proven candidosis reacted positively. Samples from the remaining patient and from patients with other central nervous system infections were negative. Detection of mannan may be valuable in the diagnosis of Candida meningitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.82046266140454keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/15. Tumoral form of aspergillosis in central nervous system (cerebral aspergilloma): case report.aspergillosis of the central nervous system is an uncommon infection, mainly occurring in immunocompromised patients. It may be presented in several forms: meningitis, mycotic aneurysms, infarcts and the tumoral form (aspergilloma). The authors report a case of a diabetic patient with cerebral aspergilloma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4.1023133070227keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/15. Refractory candidal meningitis in an immunocompromised patient cured by caspofungin.Candidal meningitis is a rare infectious disease that usually leads to substantial morbidity and mortality. We present a case of candidal meningitis refractory to systemic antifungal therapy (amphotericin b and fluconazole). A 63-year-old female with lymphoblastic lymphoma and myelodysplasia with leukemia transformation developed prolonged fever and headache on the seventh day following intrathecal prophylactic chemotherapy. A lumbar puncture showed neutrophilic pleocytosis, and a cerebrospinal fluid culture yielded candida albicans. The clinical course was complicated by brain edema, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and hydrocephalus. Parenteral therapy with amphotericin b alone or amphotericin b in combination with fluconazole or intrathecal administration of amphotericin b failed to eradicate C. albicans in the cerebrospinal fluid. After 7 days of caspofungin therapy, however, the cerebrospinal fluid became sterile and the patient gradually regained consciousness. She was discharged 1 month after completing 4 weeks of caspofungin therapy. There were two critical issues we thought to be relevant to the favorable outcome of this case. First, isolation of C. albicans was achieved by inoculating enriched liquid medium with cerebrospinal fluid. Second, there is a potential therapeutic benefit of caspofungin in treating a fungal infection of the central nervous system.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.82046266140454keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/15. Chronic histoplasma capsulatum infection of the central nervous system successfully treated with fluconazole.A 48-year-old man with a long-standing history of communicating hydrocephalus is reported. Ventriculoperitoneal shunting led to clinical improvement, but symptoms recurred despite surgical re-exploration switching the shunt to an atrial drainage. Ten months after the last surgical procedure, an acute myelopathy developed. Concomitant pharyngeal granuloma examination identified histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) yeasts. Despite initial response to amphotericin b, Hc was isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), valve reservoir and distal catheter after two courses of therapy. fluconazole successfully sterilized CSF, but transverse myelopathy persisted unchanged, and shunting was needed to control hydrocephalus.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3.2818506456182keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/15. Unusual patterns of histoplasma capsulatum meningitis and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in a patient with the acquired immunodeficiency virus.Disseminated histoplasmosis (DH) and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy occur in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). At autopsy, DH patients with central nervous system involvement almost always show extensive involvement of the lungs and reticuloendothelial system in addition to the brain, and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is manifest as multiple demyelinating lesions in several locations in the brain. We describe an AIDS patient with a long history of aggressively treated DH who died with DH in the brain only; fungus was not found elsewhere at autopsy. In addition, there was a papovavirus infection restricted to the cerebellum with predominant involvement of the internal granular cell layer; again, demyelinating lesions were not found elsewhere in the brain. Each of these patterns of brain involvement is rare. As the incidence of AIDS increases and patients are treated aggressively, the frequency of unusual neuropathologic patterns of opportunistic infections may be expected to increase.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.82046266140454keywords = central nervous system, nervous system (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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