tetracycline and Hematologic-Diseases

Whipple's disease is a systemic bacterial infection that once was uniformly fatal and now is treatable with several different antibiotics in most cases. The exact nature of the Whipple's bacillus is unknown, since the organism cannot consistently be cultured. There is also controversy concerning the role of immunologic dysfunction in patients with Whipple's disease. In addition to the small intestine, Whipple's disease can involve the remainder of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the lymph nodes, joints, nervous system, heart, eyes, hematopoietic system, lungs, liver, and other organs. The clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of this rare but fascinating disease will be reviewed in this article.

Topics: Bacterial Infections; Diagnosis, Differential; Drug Combinations; Eye Diseases; Heart Diseases; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Joint Diseases; Lung Diseases; Lymphatic Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Penicillins; Skin Diseases; Streptomycin; Sulfamethoxazole; Tetracycline; Trimethoprim; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; Whipple Disease

Topics: Anaphylaxis; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Hypersensitivity; Female; Fetal Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Hearing Disorders; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Injections, Intramuscular; Injections, Intravenous; Kidney Diseases; Neomycin; Nervous System Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Novobiocin; Penicillins; Pregnancy; Psychoses, Substance-Induced; Serum Sickness; Streptomycin; Tetracycline; Vision Disorders

Topics: Adolescent; Brain Diseases; Brain Neoplasms; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Child; Diagnosis, Differential; Electroencephalography; Endocrine System Diseases; Female; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Infant; Male; Obesity; Papilledema; Prognosis; Pseudotumor Cerebri; Tetracycline; Vitamin A; Vitamin A Deficiency

Sixteen cases of chronic Q fever are described. In eight there was a history of exposure to infection from farms or farm products. All had valvular heart disease, involving the mitral valve in nine and the aortic valve in seven. Infection occurred on a prosthetic valve in two patients. Arterial embolism was common. Venous thrombosis occured in three patients, and pulmonary embolism occurred in three other patients. Complement fixing antibodies to phase 1 antigen were found in a titre of 1:200 or greater in all except two patients. In one of these post-mortem examination revealed rickettsial bodies in mitral valve vegetations, and in the other Coxiella burneti was isolated from heart valve tissue. The majority presented with infective endocarditis but two presented primarily with liver disease. All patients had evidence of liver involvement and in one this led to death from cirrhosis. Abnormal tests of liver function, particularly hyperglobulinaemia, raised alkaline phsophatase and abnormal bromsulphthalein retention were found in all patients. Hepatic histology was abnormal in all eight patients in whom it was studied. The commonest features were mononuclear cell infiltration of the portal tracts and prominence of the sinusoidal Kupffer cells. Patchy focal necrosis of parenchymal cells, granulomata, fatty change, and eosinophilia of the sinusoidal walls were also noted in several patients and cirrhosis developed in one. Six patients had a purpuric rash, and in 12 there was thrombocytopenia. It is suggested that the presence of hepatomegaly and liver involvement and thrombocytopenia may help to differentiate Q fever endocarditis from bacterial endocarditis. Raised serum IgM and IgA levels occured frequently, but with only a moderate dominance of IgM. Sheep cell agglutination and latex fixation tests for rheumatoid factor were occasionally positive. Several features of the disease suggest the possibility that immune-complex mechanisms may play a role in chronic Q fever. Treatment was with prolonged courses of tetracycline usually combined with lincomycin. Seven patients underwent valve replacement surgery for haemodynamic reasons. Five patients died; two from heart failure, one from cirrhosis, one seven days after valve replacement and one from intraperitoneal haemorrhage following percutaneous liver biopsy. Three patients have survived for more than five years, and another six for more than three and a half years after diagnosis. Of these nine patients, th

Topics: Adult; Chronic Disease; Endocarditis; Female; Heart Valve Diseases; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Hypergammaglobulinemia; Lincomycin; Liver Diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Q Fever; Tetracycline; Thrombocytopenia

Topics: Avitaminosis; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Denture, Complete; Gingival Diseases; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mouth Neoplasms; Poisoning; Stomatitis, Aphthous; Tetracycline; Ulcer

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Anemia; Anemia, Myelophthisic; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Ascorbic Acid; Benzene; Biopsy; Blood Transfusion; Cortisone; Female; Hematologic Diseases; Hematology; Leukemia; Liver Extracts; Mortality; Occupational Diseases; Pathology; Poisoning; Prednisolone; Prednisone; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic; Tetracycline; Toxicology; Vasopressins; Vitamin B 12