trimethoprim--sulfamethoxazole-drug-combination and Paraplegia

Nocardia is a Gram-positive, partially acid-fast, catalase-positive, and urease-positive bacterium that grows aerobically. We present an extremely rare case of cauda equina syndrome due to isolated intramedullary Nocardia farcinica infection. A 44-year-old male presented with low backache and gradually progressive weakness in bilateral lower limbs followed by paraplegia. He was found to have a well-defined, sharply demarcated ring-enhancing lesion located from T11-T12 to L3 vertebral body. He underwent laminectomy and decompression. The histopathological examination revealed a Gram-positive filamentous organism that looks like Nocardia. The culture report was suggestive of Nocardia farcinica. He was then treated with antibiotics and had a remarkable clinical and radiological improvement.

Topics: Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cauda Equina; Cauda Equina Syndrome; Decompression, Surgical; Humans; Laminectomy; Low Back Pain; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Meropenem; Nocardia; Nocardia Infections; Paraplegia; Treatment Outcome; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

Sphingomonas paucimobilis is an aerobic, oxidase-positive, yellow-pigmented, non-fermentative, Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that rarely causes infections in humans. It is commonly found in nosocomial environments and, despite its low clinical virulence, it can be responsible for several different infections especially among patients with underlying disease. Here we describe a clinical case of a 46-year-old male paraplegic patient with a history of neurogenic bladder due to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and renal failure who was admitted to the urology clinic of a university hospital in Kirsehir, Turkey, with the complaints of urinary tract infection (UTI) including fever, chills, dysuria, abdominal and back pain. The urine culture was positive for Sphingomonas paucimobilis identified by the Vitek-2 system and the patient was successfully treated with oral co-trimoxazole 800/160 mg twice a day for ten days associated to cefixime and fosfomycin. A literature review of UTIs associated to Sphingomonas paucimobilis is reported as well.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cefixime; Community-Acquired Infections; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Diabetic Nephropathies; Disease Susceptibility; Drug Therapy, Combination; Fosfomycin; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Humans; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Male; Middle Aged; Opportunistic Infections; Paraplegia; Recurrence; Sphingomonas; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; Turkey; Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic; Urinary Tract Infections

Pyogenic spondylodiscitis associated with epidural abscess is a rare but serious problem in spinal surgery, because it may cause a severe morbidity or mortality, if the diagnosis is established late and the treatment is inadequate. A case of pyogenic thoracic spondylodiscitis associated with epidural abscess whose symptoms progressed over two months from back pain to acute paraplegia was presented. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine suggested the presence of T9-10 spondylodiscitis with partial destruction of the T9 and T10 vertebral bodies and concomitant epidural abscess. Treatment consisting of surgical debridement of infected vertebrae and disc material, fusion and anterior spinal instrumentation was performed. Microbiological culture of the material revealed infection with Staphylococcus aureus and after 3 months of antibiotic treatment, recovery was almost complete. Based on a thorough review of the literature and the case presented in this report, it is concluded that accurate and prompt diagnosis requires high index of suspicion followed by a combination of adequate surgical and conservative treatment prevents severe morbidity in cases of nonspecific pyogenic spondylodiscitis associated with epidural abscess.

Topics: Acute Disease; Administration, Oral; Cefazolin; Debridement; Discitis; Diskectomy; Epidural Abscess; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Neurologic Examination; Paraplegia; Postoperative Care; Postoperative Complications; Recovery of Function; Spinal Cord Compression; Spinal Fusion; Staphylococcal Infections; Thoracic Vertebrae; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

A 20-year-old male Turkish immigrant to Norway suffering from severe chronic neurobrucellosis with spastic paraplegia and deafness is presented. The diagnosis was established by isolation of Brucella melitensis from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture. Brucella antibody agglutination titers were high in serum and CSF. In spite of intensive, prolonged treatment with a combination of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TPM-SMZ), rifampicin and doxycycline, the course of the illness was characterized by relapses and severe neurological defects.

Topics: Adult; Agglutination; Brucellosis; Deafness; Humans; Male; Paraplegia; Rifampin; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; Turkey

Topics: Aged; Anti-Infective Agents, Urinary; Cystitis; Drug Combinations; Female; Humans; Methylprednisolone Hemisuccinate; Paraplegia; Prednisolone; Sulfamethoxazole; Trimethoprim; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination