Distribution of Buruli ulcer lesions over body surface area in a large case series in Ghana: uncovering clues for mode of transmission

We studied hospital records of 750 consecutive Buruli ulcer patients in a highly endemic area in Amansie West, Ghana. Although more Buruli ulcer lesions were found on the right side of the body, comparison of lesions on arms and legs showed a bilaterally symmetrical distribution. Upper and lower extremities were affected equally by Buruli ulcers, if correction was made for differences in body surface area. Patients from outside the Amansie West district presented significantly more often with ulcerated lesions, which were more often located on a joint, than patients who lived in Amansie West, suggesting that longer travel distance might have caused delay. Our observations of a bilaterally symmetrical distribution of lesions on extremities and equal upper and lower extremity involvement are compatible with a mode of transmission that involves passive exposure of exposed body parts. An asymmetrical distribution of lesions was found in an earlier study, suggesting transmission by vegetation near the ground, through activities like farming or play. Perhaps, transmission in or near water, e.g. by bites of infected aquatic insects, might favour the pattern of distribution of lesions that we found.     

脊柱结核的MRI表现

目的探讨脊柱结核的MRI表现特征。方法回顾性分析38例经手术病理证实的脊柱结核患者的MRI资料。结果(1)38例患者101个椎体受累,单椎体5例,2个椎体13例,3个椎体12例,4个椎体以上8例。T1WI呈均匀低信号37个,混杂低信号61个,等信号3个。T2WI及T2/SPIR呈均匀高信号34个,混杂高信号63个,等信号4个。增强扫描呈不均匀强化。(2)29例45个椎间盘受累,椎间隙狭窄27个,椎间隙消失18个。T1WI呈低信号,T2WI及T2/SPIR呈不均匀高信号。(3)27例寒性脓肿形成,其中25例为椎体前缘或周围脓肿,5例伴腰大肌脓肿,14例见椎管内脓肿。脓肿T1WI呈稍低信号,T2WI及T2/SPIR呈明显高信号,增强扫描呈不均匀强化或环形强化。(4)12例患者19个椎弓根受累;19例脊髓受压。结论脊柱结核病变具有多样性,病变可累及椎体的各部位,MRIT1WI及T2WI以混杂信号为主,综合分析有助于诊断和鉴别诊断。     

Cloning and expression of the fusion protein of interleukin-2 and ESAT6 in Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette Guérin strain

Tuberculosis(TB)isthemostcommoncauseofdeathininfectiousdiseases; itisestimatedthatapproximately2millionpeopleperyeardieofTB ThepresentavailableTBvaccineisaliveattenuatedstrain,MycobacteriumbovisBacillusCalmetteGuérin (BCG) However, ithasbeenshownthatBCGhasvariableprotectiveefficacy, rangingfrom 0 to85% indifferentclinicalexperiments 1 Therefore, anewTBvaccineisurgentlyneeded Manytrialshavebeendonetodevelopthesecond generationTBvaccinesinrecentyears; candidatesincludeavirulent, auxotro…     

Spontaneous small bowel perforations due to intestinal tuberculosis should not be repaired by simple closure

Intestinal tuberculosis is a major problem in many regions of the world. The incidence of it is rising in Western countries due to immigration from Third World countries and human immunodeficiency virus infection. The difference between the simple closure and resection and anastomosis was evaluated in this study. Retrospectively, 12 patients with intestinal tuberculosis diagnosed histopathologically among 50 patients with free intestinal perforations operated on between 1995 and 2003 at Turgut Ozal Medical Center were evaluated. Each patient underwent routine laboratory tests and radiologic studies. The most common symptoms of patients were abdominal pain, night sweats, and weight loss. Sites of perforation were ileum in 10 patients (multiple perforation in 4) and jejunum in 2 patients (both had multiple perforations). The perforation was closed by primary closure in 7 patients. Resection-anastomosis was performed in 5 patients. Leaks occurred in overall 3 of 7 patients with primary closure. Three of the 7 patients with leaks due to septicemia died. The mortality rate among all patients was 25%. Intestinal tuberculosis should be kept in mind as a cause in free intestinal perforations. Because of high mortality rate, the resection of the affected area and anastomosis may be the treatment of choice rather than primary closure.     

Efficient Differentiation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycobacterium tuberculosis</Emphasis> Strains of the W-Beijing Family from Russia using Highly Polymorphic VNTR Loci

The W-Beijing family is a widespread Mycobacterium tuberculosis clonal lineage that frequently causes epidemic outbreaks. This family is genetically homogeneous and conserved, so ETR-VNTR (exact tandem repeat-variable number of tandem repeats) typing is insufficient for strain differentiation, due to a common ETR-A to E profile (42435). This leads to the false clustering in molecular epidemiological studies, especially in the regions of predominance of the W-Beijing family. In this study, we searched for VNTR loci with a high evolutionary rate of polymorphism in the W-Beijing genome. Here we further evaluated VNTR typing on a set of 99 Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates and reference strains. These isolates were characterized and classified into several genotype families based on three ETR loci (A, C, E) and eight additional loci [previously described as QUB (Queen’s University Belfast) or MIRU (Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Units) or Mtubs]. Ninety-nine strains were divided into 74 VNTR-types, 51 isolates of the W-Beijing family identified by IS6110 RFLP-typing (the restriction fragment length polymorphism-typing) and/or spoligotyping were subdivided into 30 VNTR-types. HGDI (the Hunter–Gaston discriminatory index) for all studied loci was close to that of IS6110 RFLP typing, a “gold standard” method for subtyping M. tuberculosis complex strains. The QUB 26 and QUB 18 loci located in the PPE genes were highly polymorphic and more discriminative than other loci (HGDI is 0.8). Statistically significant increase of tandem repeats number in loci ETR-A, -E, QUB 26, QUB 18, QUB 11B, Mtub21 was revealed in the W-Beijing group compared to genetically divergent non-W-Beijing strains. Thirty-six isolates were subjected to IS6110 RFLP typing. The congruence between results of the IS6110 RFLP typing and 11-loci VNTR typing was estimated on 23 isolates of the W-Beijing family. These isolates were subdivided into 9 IS6110-RFLP types and 13 VNTR types. The poor profiles correlation (0.767) reflects the differences in the rate and type of evolution between genome regions targeted by IS6110-RFLP and VNTR typing. VNTR typing in proposed format is powerful tool for discrimination of M. tuberculosis strains with different level of genetic relationship.     

Mycobacterium haemophilum and lymphadenitis in children

Infections associated with Mycobacterium haemophilum are underdiagnosed because specific culture methods required for its recovery are not applied routinely. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology on fine needle aspirates and biopsied specimens from 89 children with cervicofacial lymphadenitis, we assessed the importance of M. haemophilum. Application of a Mycobacterium genus-specific real-time PCR in combination with amplicon sequencing and a M. haemophilum-specific PCR resulted in the recognition of M. haemophilum as the causative agent in 16 (18%) children with cervicofacial lymphadenitis. M. avium was the most frequently found species (56%), and M. haemophilum was the second most commonly recognized pathogen. Real-time PCR results were superior to culture because only 9 (56%) of the 16 diagnosed M. haemophilum infections were positive by culture.     

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis detection, Latvia

To improve multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) detection, we successfully introduced the rpoB gene mutation line probe assay into the national laboratory in Latvia, a country with epidemic MDR-TB. The assay detected rifampin resistance with 91% sensitivity and 96% specificity within 1 to 5 days (vs. 12-47 days for BACTEC).     

Hedgehog zoonoses

Exotic pets, including hedgehogs, have become popular in recent years among pet owners, especially in North America. Such animals can carry and introduce zoonotic agents, a fact well illustrated by the recent outbreak of monkeypox in pet prairie dogs. We reviewed known and potential zoonotic diseases that could be carried and transmitted by pet hedgehogs or by wild-caught hedgehogs that have been rescued.     

Simit epidemiological multicentric study on hospitalized immigrants in Italy during 2002

The aim of this article is to retrospectively evaluate the patient characteristics and the most common infectious diseases in immigrant patients hospitalized in 46 Italian infectious disease clinics during 2002. The main Italian infectious disease clinics were invited to fill in a questionnaire that regarded the number and type of hospital admissions, the country of origin, and demographic features (age, sex, and resident state) of immigrants. A total of 46 clinics including 2255 patients participated in the study. Most patients were men (63%) with an age between 16 and 40 years (63.4%) covered by the National Health Service (71%) and coming from Africa (44.3%). The main infectious diseases observed were: 378 (16.76%) cases of HIV infection, 303 (13.43%) cases of tuberculosis diseases, 282 (12.5%) cases of various forms of viral hepatitis, 177 (7.84%) cases of respiratory diseases, and 196 (8.69%) gastrointestinal diseases. Tropical diseases found were 134 (5.94%) including 95 cases of malaria (70.9%). In conclusion, a broad range of diseases was noted in immigrants which were directly correlated with conditions of poverty. Only a few tropical diseases were diagnosed and therefore the immigrant should not be considered as an infectious disease carrier.