Post-surgical zygomycotic necrotizing subcutaneous infection caused by Absidia corymbifera

Necrotizing infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue are usually bacterial in origin. Rarely, fungi of the class Zygomycetes, which cause deep mycoses, may be responsible for acute necrotizing infections of these areas. Several local and systemic predisposing factors have been associated with such acute necrotizing infections. Surgical debridement and amphotericin B remain the mainstay of treatment. In this report we describe a patient with post-surgical necrotizing subcutaneous infection caused by Absidia corymbifera, 2 weeks following appendectomy. Successful management with surgical debridement, topical amphotericin B and oral potassium iodide is reported.     

Necrotizing Fasciitis

Five patients with necrotizing fasciitis are reported. Streptococci were isolated in all but one patient, in whom Staphylococcus albus was responsible. Other organisms were also isolated in culture. Surgical debridement and skin grafting were needed in all our patients, in addition to systemic antibiotics and topical treatment, comprising Eusol paraffin soaks. One patient developed this condition after a skin biopsy; another had chronic venous leg ulcer. There was no predisposing cause in the remaining three patients.     

Eosinophilic fascitis: a report of two cases treated with ultraviolet A1 phototherapy

Eosinophilic fascitis (EF) (synonyms: Shulman's syndrome, diffuse fascitis with eosinophilia) is a disease characterized by a complex set of symptoms with scleroderma-like skin lesions, the absence of Raynaud's phenomenon and other non-mandatory symptoms including eosinophilia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hypergammaglobulinemia and high levels of circulating immune complexes. EF is probably not a separate disease entity, but an acute variant of localized scleroderma. This rare disease of unknown etiology is usually seen in middle-aged adults. Sclerodermiform indurations without Raynaud's symptoms develop rapidly usually on the extremities and more rarely on the trunk or the face. The skin becomes hard, tightly bound to the underlying structures, so that contractures can develop in as little as a few weeks. The course of the disease is usually chronic but spontaneous remission is possible. Standard therapy includes high doses of corticosteroids, immunosuppressive drugs such as methotrexate, cyclosporin A, cyclophosphamide or azathioprine and others such as psoralen and ultraviolet A radiation.     

艾滋病相关Fournier坏疽三例

【摘要】　目的　初步探讨艾滋病相关Fournier 坏疽的诊断和处理方法。　方法　总结3例艾滋病相关Fournier 坏疽的临床特点。结果　在377例成年男性HIV/AIDS中发现Fournier 坏疽3例,Fournier坏疽在成年男性HIV/AIDS中的发病率为0.80%;其年龄23－32岁;皮损发生前1例有阴囊擦伤,2例有局部搔抓;病程4－9天;CD4细胞86个/mm3－243个/mm3; 2例予以清创手术并使用广谱抗生素,1例仅使用抗生素。治愈1例,死亡2例。结论 AISD相关的Fournier坏疽与HIV感染免疫力低有关,皮损发展快,病死率高,强调早期诊断,及时清创手术和使用有效的抗生素。【关键词】　Fournier 坏疽　　艾滋病     

Erysipelas and necrotizing fasciitis

The clinical course of necrotizing fasciitis in 8 patients is compared with observations on 22 other patients with erysipelas. In necrotizing fasciitis the early erythematous areas turn into a dusky blue colour with later vesiculation and formation of bullae. An important finding is a non-pitting oedema extending outside the erythematous patches. The disease often progresses and involves further skin areas proximal to the initial ones. Gangrene tends to follow in multiple sites after the 1st week of illness. Group A streptococci in conjunction with widespread thrombosis and vascular necrosis of the involved skin are two major factors in the pathogenesis of the gangrene. Early debridement and excision of necrotic tissue in combination with large doses of penicillin and cloxacillin are confirmed as mandatory to remove toxaemia and inhibit further necrosis of the skin. In 3 of the 8 patients with necrotizing fasciitis the syndrome of disseminated intravascular coagulation complicated the course of the disease. A promising therapeutic result was seen in 2 further patients exhibiting alarming signs and symptoms of early necrotizing fasciitis; the combination of heparin, given intravenously in therapeutic doses guided by activated partial thromboplastin time studies, and of systemic antibiotics alleviated the symptoms, which vanished within 10 days of the start of treatment.     

S2k guidelines for skin and soft tissue infections Excerpts from the S2k guidelines for “calculated initial parenteral treatment of bacterial infections in adults – update 2018“

These first German S2k guidelines for bacterial skin and soft tissue infections were developed as one chapter of the recommendations for “calculated initial parenteral treatment of bacterial infections” issued under the auspices of the Paul‐Ehrlich Society, of which the main part is presented here. Well‐calculated antibiotic therapies require precise diagnostic criteria. Erysipelas is defined as non‐purulent infection considered to be caused by beta‐hemolytic strepto­cocci. It is diagnosed clinically by its bright‐red erythema and early fever or chills at disease onset. Penicillin is the treatment of choice. Limited soft tissue infection (cellulitis) is usually caused by Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, frequently originates from chronic wounds and presents with a more violaceous‐red hue and only rarely with initial fever or chills. Treatment consists of first‐ or second‐­generation cephalosporins or flucloxacillin (IV). Severe cellulitis is a purulent, partially necrotic infection which extends through tissue boundaries to fascias and requires surgical management in addition to antibiotics. Moreover, it frequently fulfills the criteria for “complicated soft tissue infections”, as previously defined by the Food and Drug Administration for use in clinical trials (they include comorbidities such as uncontrolled diabetes, peripheral artery disease, neutropenia). It requires antibiotics which besides S. aureus target anaerobic and/or gramnegative bacteria. The rare so‐called necrotizing skin and soft tissue infections represent a distinct entity. They are characterized by rapid, life‐threatening progression due to special bacterial toxins that cause ischemic necrosis and shock and need rapid and thorough debridement in addition to appropriate antibiotics. For cutaneous abscesses the first‐line treatment is adequate drainage. Additional antibiotic therapy is required only under certain circumstances (e.g., involvement of the face, hands, or anogenital region, or if drainage is somehow complicated). The present guidelines also contain consensus‐based recommendations for higher doses of antibiotics than those approved or usually given in clinical trials. The goal is to deliver rational antibiotic treatment that is both effective and well‐tolerated and that exerts no unnecessary selection pressure in terms of multidrug resistance.     

A Case of Subacute Necrotizing Fasciitis

We report a 48-year-old woman who developed necrotizing groin fasciitis with insidious onset. Before she visited us, she had been unsuccessfully treated with several kinds of antibiotics by other doctors for one month, because of a small ulcer covered by blackish necrotic tissue. She was referred to us because of high fever, an ulcer on the left labium majus, and a cellulitis-like lesion with severe pain on the lower abdomen. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Streptococcus intermedius, and Bacteroides uniformis were isolated from the wound. After aggressive debridement on the eighth day after admission of the whole indurated area and the fascia of the underlying muscle, healthy granulation tissue covered the defect, and the wound was finally closed with a skin graft. Long-term administration of antibiotics along with insufficient and delayed surgical treatment were considered to have caused the full development of this disease.     

Acute osteomyelitis. A rare erysipelas differential diagnosis

INTRODUCTION: Acute haematogenous osteomyelitis, whose clinical features may mimic erysipelas, is an uncommon disease in adults. OBSERVATION: A 56 year-old man was hospitalized for a suspicion of leg erysipelas. Oral and intravenous antibiotic therapy was inefficient. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the leg revealed osteomyelitis with subperiosteal abscess. Change of antibiotics and surgical debridement improved the patient's condition. DISCUSSION: Erysipela is a common disease which most often responds to anti-streptococcal therapy. Unfavourable evolution under antibiotherapy must lead to consider necrotizing fasciitis but also acute osteomyelitis. In these cases MRI is necessary. In our observation, the leg pain which preceded other signs of local inflammation, suggested the existence of primitive bone infection which further diffused in soft tissues, thus explaining the erysipelatoid aspect.     

Calciphylaxis in the patient with chronic renal failure

Calciphylaxis is a rare, painful, necrotizing skin condition that occurs most frequently in patients with chronic renal failure who are receiving dialysis. These patients commonly have secondary hyperparathyroidism. Treatment involves a multidisciplinary approach. Surgical wound debridement, local wound care, pain control, and nutritional support are the primary care issues that must be addressed. The outcome is often poor, with the fatal outcome often resulting from sepsis.     

Palatal necrosis in an AIDS patient: a case of mucormycosis

We report a case of rhinocerebral mucormycosis presenting in a patient with AIDS and review the literature on mucormycosis occurring in the setting of HIV disease. Mucormycosis in HIV is rare. However, it can be the presenting opportunistic infection in AIDS. Predisposing factors for Mucor infection in HIV disease include low CD4 count, neutropenia, and active intravenous drug use. Mucormycosis can present in the basal ganglia, the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, or may be disseminated. The disease may develop insidiously or may progress rapidly with a fulminant course. Therapy usually consists of surgical debridement/excision accompanied by intravenous amphotericin B.     

A fatal case of pancreatic panniculitis presenting in a young patient with systemic lupus

BACKGROUND: Subcutaneous fat necrosis associated with pancreatic disease is a rare event. The clinical cutaneous findings are non-specific erythematous nodules with central softening located predominantly on the lower extremities. The histopathologic features of these lesions are very characteristic and diagnostic. METHODS: We present an unusual case of pancreatic panniculitis associated with lupus pancreatitis in a 21-year-old African American female. The patient presented with lower extremity skin nodules, arthralgia, and serositis prior to the diagnosis of systemic lupus and pancreatitis. The skin lesions progressed despite normalization of serum pancreatic enzymes. Following femoral vein catheterization for renal dialysis, she developed a large indurated area over the left lower quadrant, flank, groin, and upper thigh measuring 25 cm. She was treated with repeated debridement, tissue grafts, and hyperbaric oxygen because of a clinical suspicion of necrotizing fasciitis. RESULTS: Examination of skin biopsies and debrided tissue revealed the pathognomonic features of pancreatic panniculitis without any evidence of necrotizing fasciitis. Organisms were not detected by tissue examination or microbiologic cultures. CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates the potential role of vascular trauma in the pathogenesis of pancreatic panniculitis.     

Necrotizing cellulitis of the scrotum: a new complication of heroin addiction

A drug addict experienced a necrotizing cellulitis of his scrotum and medial thigh after an injection of heroin into his left femoral artery. It is proposed that the arterial injection was directly responsible for producing the low tissue oxygen tension necessary for the synergistic growth of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria responsible for skin necrosis. The patient responded to wide surgical debridement and antibiotic therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of necrotizing cellulitis associated with the intra-arterial injection of heroin.     

Multiple Necrotizing Fasciitis: Its Etiology and Histopathological Features

Clinical, laboratory, and pathologic findings from a case of multiple necrotizing fasciitis were reported. The eruptions were found on the face, and the upper and lower extremities. Repeated debridement and radical surgical excision were combined with antibiotics. We believe that only early recognition and radical surgical treatment improve the prognosis of this disease.     

Necrotizing Black Tattoo Reaction

We report the rare case of an 18-year-old man who developed a necrotizing cutaneous reaction 5 days after having a permanent black tattoo on his left forearm spelling his name. Three cases of reactions to permanent black tattoos have been reported within the literature. These cases described the development of cellulitis of the skin adjacent to the tattoo but none reported florid necrotizing cutaneous reactions. The initial management with oral antibacterials failed to resolve the symptoms and use of intravenous antibacterials and topical corticosteroids was needed. Six weeks after presentation the tattoo lettering showed the presence of hyperpigmented skin. Subsequent patch testing confirmed that the patient had no allergy to black tattoo pigments suggesting that the necrotizing cutaneous reaction was secondary to infection. We show that successful treatment of this rare infective complication of permanent black tattoos involves the early institution of intravenous antibacterial agents and topical corticosteroids.     

Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time in the wound management of necrotizing fasciitis

ObjectiveRecent literature has shown that negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) is a valid method of managing complex wounds and gained increasingly wider interest due in part to the increasing complexity of wounds. The purpose of this case study was to obtain information on the profile of NPWTi-d in necrotizing fasciitis patients, investigate the role it play in wound bed preparation, length of hospital stay and number of debridement operations.MethodsNPWTi-d has been used in patients with necrotizing fasciitis with either normal saline or Prontosan® solution and complete the treatment were involved in the present study. Following aggressive surgical debridement, NPWTi-d was initiated by instilling solution with a set dwell time of 5–10 min, followed by continuous NPWT of ?125 mm Hg for 3–5 h. The system was changed on a 3–5 days schedule until sufficient granulation tissue was evident. Patients received systemic antibiotics and underwent wound debridement as indicated. Data of wound bed preparation, length of hospital stay, duration of NPWTi-d therapy, number of surgical interventions were collected retrospectively from patient medical records.ResultsA total of 32 patients with diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis received NPWTi-d were included. Granulation tissue was found to be sufficient in 9–16 days. The mean duration of NPWTi-d therapy was 12.5 days prior to wound closure by split-thickness autograft (n = 21), suture (n = 9), or flap transplantation (n = 2).Patients received NPWTi-d treatment over a period of 8–16 days. The mean length of hospitalization was 22.8 days. All wounds were successfully closed and no recurrence of infection or adverse event was observed during NPWTi-d treatment.ConclusionIn these patients, NPWTi-d facilitates wound cleansing and wound bed preparation and offers the clinician an additional tool for the management of necrotizing fasciitis. Further well designed prospective investigations with low risk of bias are needed to confirm these findings in the future work.     

Necrotizing stomatitis in the developed world

We present a case of a malnourished 68-year old man with occult hypothyroidism who presented with malaise, pyrexia, tongue swelling, oral ulceration and dysphagia after a 6-month period of increasing lethargy and failing self-care. Severe necrotic oral ulcerative lesions were accompanied by cutaneous purpura, blood-filled blisters and bedsores. It was concluded that the patient's clinical condition reflected necrotizing stomatitis on a background of malnutrition with scorbutic skin lesions and hypothyroidism. The patient made a good recovery with scrupulous oral hygiene, debridement, intravenous metronidazole and nutritional support. Healing occurred with marked fibrosis and trismus, which has slowly improved with mouth-opening exercises. Necrotizing stomatitis is more commonly encountered in malnourished children in developing countries, and may subsequently result in devastating facial defects and death. Patients in the developed world with poor oral hygiene, malnourishment and immunosuppression are also at risk, but early diagnosis and treatment is life-saving and reduces subsequent disability.     

Fatal group A streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome in a patient with psoriasis and chronic renal impairment

A 78-year-old woman presented with rapid onset of skin pain which evolved into oedema, discoloration and infarction. She was diagnosed with group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes) necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. The patient had a past history of psoriasis and end-stage renal impairment. Despite treatment with multiple antibiotics in an intensive care unit, the skin infarction involving the upper trunk continued to expand and the patient died within 24 hours of hospital admission. Group A streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus were cultured from a tissue biopsy. Renal failure and compromised skin barrier function are known to predispose to invasive streptococcal infections, but necrotizing fasciitis has only rarely been reported in association with psoriasis. This case illustrates the fulminant nature of the infection.     

Necrotizing fasciitis and myonecrosis "synergistic necrotizing cellulitis" caused by Bacillus cereus

Our patient was a 37-year-old man with diabetes mellitus and hepatopathy as underlying diseases. Swelling, erythema and pain appeared in the left upper limb on the day before the initial examination. On examination, diffuse purpura was noted on the left upper limb, and, as it rapidly extended to the left upper trunk, emergency surgery was performed. Intraoperatively, gas-producing necrosis was observed not only in subcutaneous tissues but also from the fascia to muscle tissues, and the condition resembled clostridial gas gangrene. However, as the culturing of samples from the lesion yielded Bacillus cereus , a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis and myonecrosis (synergistic necrotizing cellulitis) due to B. cereus was made. While the patient developed a serious condition due to sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation, he could be saved by early debridement and intensive treatment with an appropriate selection of antibiotics.     

Antimicrobial therapy in Dermatology

The extensive and sometimes indiscriminate use of antibiotics sometimes without strict indications has led to increases in both bacterial resistance and sensitization of patients. Systemic antibiotics in skin infections are indicated when a severe local infection occurs which spreads into the surrounding tissue or when there are signs of systemic infection. There are special indications in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease,diabetes or immunosuppression. Topical use of antibiotics should be abandoned and replaced by antiseptics. The β‐lactam antibiotics are the antibiotics of first choice for many skin infections. They are usually effective, have a well‐defined profile of adverse events and most are affordable. Penicillin G or V are the first line treatment for erysipelas. Infections with Staphylococcus aureus are usually treated with isoxazolyl penicillins or second generation cephalosporins. In mixed infections in patients with diabetes or peripheral arterial occlusive disease,the treatment of choice is metronidazole plus β‐lactam‐/β‐lactamase inhibitor antibiotics, but quinolones or second generation cephalosporins can also be used, once again with metronidazole. The aim of this review is to define the indications for antibiotics in dermatology, to highlight their modes of action and adverse effects and to make suggestions for rational antibiotic therapy in cutaneous infections frequently encountered in the practice of dermatology.     

Skin infections with MRSA. Epidemiology and clinical features

Staphylococcus aureus is the most prevalent pathogen in dermatology causing a broad array of pyogenic, community-acquired (CA) and health care-associated (HA), acute and chronic, superficial and deep skin infections which can progress to life-threatening systemic infections. The pathogen causes also toxin-mediated diseases with cutaneous symptoms. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains are not sensitive to the beta-lactam antibiotics available in Germany. Even though they cause the same skin infections as methicillin -sensitive strains, they are associated with greater morbidity and mortality because of their resistance to therapy. In addition to HA-MSRA in hospitalized patients with well-known and defined risk factors, there are new CA-MSRA strains which arise in the community or from, animal husbandry sources. These MSRA strains are also a problem in hospitals today. CA-MRSA strains often have special virulence factors, such as Panton Valentine leukocidin), and are often associated with specific often recurrent skin and soft tissue infections (furuncles, abscesses, necrotizing entities).