ro13-9904 and Phlebitis

Meningococcal infection is a multifaceted disease including acute polyarthritis. This presentation should be known by clinicians in order to prevent delay in treatment. We report what we believe to be the first case of an association of parvovirus B19 and meningococcal polyarthritis in a young adult.. A 19-year-old Caucasian woman presented to our hospital with fever, intense leg pain, and a transient rash. A physical examination showed asymmetric polyarthritis and no neurological abnormalities. A parvovirus B19 polymerase chain reaction performed using a blood sample and knee fluid aspirate came back positive, but serology was negative for immunoglobulin M and positive for immunoglobulin G. A blood culture was positive for serotype C meningococcus; a polymerase chain reaction performed for Neisseria meningitidis was positive in joint fluid but negative in blood samples (performed after antibiotic treatment had begun). Our patient was treated with ceftriaxone for 15 days, associated with analgesic therapy. Hydroxychloroquine treatment was introduced 5 months after the onset of polyarthritis because of persisting inflammatory arthralgia.. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of polyarthritis caused by concomitant meningococcal and parvovirus B19 infections. This unusual presentation of meningococcal disease may have resulted from the persistent parvovirus B19 infection. Our experience with this case illustrates the need for a systematic approach to the diagnosis of febrile acute polyarthritis. Only long-term follow-up will reveal if this infectious polyarthritis will evolve towards an autoimmune rheumatism.

Topics: Analgesia; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antibodies, Viral; Arthritis; Ceftriaxone; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Meningococcal Infections; Pain; Pain Measurement; Parvoviridae Infections; Parvovirus B19, Human; Phlebitis; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult

The combination of penicillin with an aminoglycoside has been recommended as an initial treatment of choice for patients with acute infections of the biliary tract. However, many patients have incidence of renal problems and for this reason aminoglycosides must be avoided. Newer antimicrobial agents with lesser nephrotoxic effects will be tried. We, therefore, performed a prospective, randomized trial of ofloxacin, a new quinolone and ceftriaxone in patients with acute biliary tract infections. Fifty-two patients with severe biliary tract infections (cholecystitis and cholangitis) were randomly assigned to receive either ofloxacin (n = 28) or ceftriaxone (n = 24). The 2 groups receiving antibiotics were similar with respect to all clinical and laboratory parameters. Bacteria were documented in 48% of patients in the ofloxacin group and in 46% in the ceftriaxone group. The percentage of patients with a clinical cure or significant improvement was the same in the 2 groups. No significant difference was noted between the 2 treatment groups with respect to drug toxicity. These data suggest that intravenous ofloxacin followed by oral administration is an effective and safe single drug for the therapy of patients with acute biliary tract infections.

Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Bacteremia; Ceftriaxone; Cephalosporins; Cholangitis; Cholecystitis; Escherichia coli Infections; Female; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Humans; Klebsiella Infections; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Male; Middle Aged; Ofloxacin; Phlebitis

Topics: Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Ceftriaxone; Doxycycline; Electroretinography; Eye Infections, Bacterial; Female; Fluorescein Angiography; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Phlebitis; Prednisolone; Retinal Vein; Retrospective Studies; Scotoma; Syphilis; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Visual Acuity; Visual Field Tests; Visual Fields; White Dot Syndromes

An 83-year-old woman presented to us with a 4-week history of general malaise, subjective fever and lower abdominal pain. Despite the intravenous infusion of antibiotics, her blood results and physical condition worsened, resulting in her sudden death. Autopsy study revealed that the medium-sized veins of the mesentery were infiltrated by eosinophil granulocytes, lymphocytes, macrophages and multinucleated giant cells; however, the arteries were not involved. Microscopically, venous giant cell infiltration was observed in the gastrointestinal tract, bladder, retroperitoneal tissues and myocardium. The final diagnosis was giant cell phlebitis, a rare disease of unknown aetiology. This case demonstrates for the first time that giant cell phlebitis involving extra-abdominal organs, including hearts, can cause serious morbidity.

Topics: Abdominal Pain; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Autopsy; Ceftriaxone; Death, Sudden; Fatal Outcome; Female; Fever; Fluid Therapy; Giant Cells; Humans; Phlebitis