Serum interleukin-6 levels as an indicator of aseptic meningitis among children with enterovirus 71-induced hand,foot and mouth disease

Objectives: The enterovirus EV71 is a major pathogen of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in children. Aseptic meningitis is the most common neurologic complication of EV71-induced HFMD. Lumbar puncture is a crucial procedure in the diagnosis of aseptic meningitis. It is often performed based on physicians’ clinical suspicion. A diagnostic method that can aid in deciding whether this procedure should be performed is necessary. Cytokines are speculated to be associated with neurologic complications. In this study, we aimed to find an indicator of the presence of aseptic meningitis in children with EV71-induced HFMD.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included children with EV71-induced HFMD. The children underwent lumbar puncture due to suspected aseptic meningitis. They were categorized into an aseptic meningitis complicated group (n = 54) and uncomplicated group (n = 47) based on the results of cerebrospinal fluid examination. Healthy children were included as controls (n = 51). The sample serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-13 were detected using multiplexed fluorescent bead-based immunoassays.

Results: The levels of all cytokines were significantly higher in children with EV71-induced HFMD complicated with aseptic meningitis than in children with uncomplicated EV71-induced HFMD and controls (p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that IL-6 had the strongest association with aseptic meningitis of all cytokines examined. According to receiver operating characteristic analysis, the optimal cutoff value for IL-6 was 66 pg/mL with maximum sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest the association between higher production of cytokine and aseptic meningitis among children with EV71-induced HFMD. IL-6 was also suggested as an indicator of aseptic meningitis. Rapid measurement of IL-6 could be useful in deciding whether physicians should perform lumbar puncture on children.     

Evidence for Elizabethkingia anophelis Transmission from Mother to Infant,Hong Kong

Elizabethkingia anophelis, recently discovered from mosquito gut, is an emerging bacterium associated with neonatal meningitis and nosocomial outbreaks. However, its transmission route remains unknown. We use rapid genome sequencing to investigate 3 cases of E. anophelis sepsis involving 2 neonates who had meningitis and 1 neonate’s mother who had chorioamnionitis. Comparative genomics revealed evidence for perinatal vertical transmission from a mother to her neonate; the 2 isolates from these patients, HKU37 and HKU38, shared essentially identical genome sequences. In contrast, the strain from another neonate (HKU36) was genetically divergent, showing only 78.6% genome sequence identity to HKU37 and HKU38, thus excluding a clonal outbreak. Comparison to genomes from mosquito strains revealed potential metabolic adaptations in E. anophelis under different environments. Maternal infection, not mosquitoes, is most likely the source of neonatal E. anophelis infections. Our findings highlight the power of genome sequencing in gaining rapid insights on transmission and pathogenesis of emerging pathogens.     

Streptococcus oralis Meningitis with Gingival Bleeding in a Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

An 81-year-old man with a history of gingival bleeding presented with a fever, headache, and drowsiness. His mouth and full dentures were unsanitary. Laboratory tests revealed Streptococcus oralis meningitis caused by odontogenic bacteremia. We reviewed eight reported cases, including the present case, because S. oralis meningitis is rare. Our review indicated that S. oralis meningitis needs to be considered when encountering cases of a fever, disturbance of consciousness, and headache with episodes of possible odontogenic bacteremia.     

骨科和胸外科行清洁手术患者术后罹患医院获得性肺炎影响因素分析

目的 研究清洁手术术后医院获得性肺炎发生的影响因素,并提出相应的预防控制措施.方法 采用流行病学病例-对照研究的方法,回顾性分析2012年1月至2013年9月骨科和胸外科清洁手术术后发生医院获得性肺炎(感染组32例)与未发生(对照组70例)患者在性别、年龄、肺部基础疾病、糖尿病、预防应用抗菌药物、术中追加抗菌药物、应用抑酸剂、术前肺功能/血气、手术时间、手术时长、术后口腔护理等方面的差异.结果 在单因素分析中感染组与对照组患者,肺部基础疾病[感染组46.9％(15/32),对照组15.6％ (11/70),x2=11.227,P =0.007]、手术时间≥180 min[感染组62.5％ (20/32),对照组31.4％ (22/70),x2 =8.753,P=0.003]、术后未进行口腔护理[感染组71.9％(23/32),对照组40.6％(28/70),x2 =8.925,P=0.012]方面差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05);在调整了年龄、性别、糖尿病、术前肺功能/血气的影响后,肺部基础疾病[感染组46.9％(15/32),对照组15.6％ (11/70),比值比(OR)=11.953,95％置信区间(CI):8.132 ～ 18.287)、手术时间(≥180 min)[感染组62.5％ (20/32),对照组31.4％ (22/70);OR=3.152,95％CI:1.014 ～7.258]、术中未追加抗菌药物[感染组81.2％ (26/32),对照组59.4％(42/70);OR =9.738,95％CI:3.401 ～ 14.176]、术后未做口腔护理[感染组71.9％(23/32),对照组40.6％(28/70);OR=7.838,95％ CI:2.974 ～ 16.118)]是清洁手术术后发生医院获得性肺炎的独立危险因素.结论 入院完善各项检查,及时评估患者肺部基础疾病状态、时间超过3h的大手术在术中追加抗菌药物、术后定期进行口腔护理可以减少清洁手术术后医院获得性肺炎的发生.     

Listeria monocytogenes meningitis

Presented is the case of a 42-year-old, previously healthy man with meningitis secondary to Listeria monocytogenes. Following lumbar puncture, empiric therapy with intravenous penicillin was started and he was hospitalized. Subsequently L monocytogenes was proven to be the causative organism and antibiotic therapy was changed to ampicillin and gentamicin. The patient's condition improved. He was discharged and continues to do well. There was no evidence at any time of underlying predisposition to infection. Listeria meningitis in healthy patients and in patients with underlying disease is discussed, along with possible implications about choice of empiric antibiotics.     

Outbreaks of serogroup X meningococcal meningitis in Niger 1995-2000

In the African meningitis belt, the recurrent meningococcal meningitis epidemics are generally caused by serogroup A. In the past 20 years, other serogroups have been detected, such as X or W135, which have caused sporadic cases or clusters. We report here 134 meningitis cases caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup X that occurred in Niamey between 1995 and 2000. They represented 3.91% of the meningococcal isolates from all CSF samples, whereas 94.4% were of serogroup A. Meningococcal meningitis cases were detected using the framework of the routine surveillance system for reportable diseases organized by the Ministry of Public Health of Niger. The strains were isolated and determined by the reference laboratory for meningitis in Niamey (CERMES) and further typed at the WHO collaborating center of the Pharo in Marseille and at the National Reference Center for the Meningococci at the Institut Pasteur. Reference laboratories in Marseille and Paris characterized 47 isolates having the antigenic formula (serogroup:serotype:sero-subtype) X:NT:P1.5. Meningitis cases due to meningococcus serogroup X did not present any clinical or epidemiological differences to those due to serogroup A. The seasonal incidence was classical; 93.3% of the cases were recorded during the dry season. The mean age of patients was 9.2 years (+/- 6 years). The sex ratio M/F was 1.3. Case fatality rate was 11.9% without any difference related to age or sex. The increasing incidence of the serogroup X was not related to the decrease of serogroup A, but seemed cyclic, and evolved independently of the recurrence of both serogroups A and C.     

脑脊液冲洗置换注药联合治疗结核性脑膜炎82例临床研究

目的探讨脑脊液冲洗置换注药联合治疗结核性脑膜炎的临床价值。方法82例结核性脑膜炎患者随机分组后，将脑脊液冲洗置换注药联合治疗组与非联合治疗组临床疗效比较。结果脑脊液冲洗置换注药联合治疗组疗效和预后明显优于非联合治疗组，住院时间明显短于非联合治疗组。结论在全身系统化疗基础上行脑脊液冲洗置换注药联合治疗可明显提高结核性脑膜炎疗效、改善其预后、缩短住院时间、节省住院治疗费用，具有明显的社会效益，值得临床推广。     

Herpes Zoster Meningitis in a Young,Immunocompetent Adult

BackgroundVaricella-zoster virus is typically encountered in the emergency department (ED) in two forms: varicella (chickenpox) in children and zoster (shingles) in older adults. Zoster is infrequently encountered in young, healthy adults, and neurological complications are extremely rare.Case ReportWe describe a case of a previously healthy 36-year-old woman who presented to the ED with fever, nuchal rigidity, and headache 4 days after being diagnosed with herpes zoster and started on oral valacyclovir. Lumbar puncture confirmed herpes zoster meningitis. Despite initiation of antivirals within 48 h of symptom onset, progression to zoster meningitis occurred.Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?Emergency physicians must be aware that neurological complications of varicella zoster can develop despite initiation of oral antivirals. These patients must be identified in the ED, as admission for intravenous antivirals is indicated.     

A coxsackievirus B5‐associated aseptic meningitis outbreak in Shandong Province,China in 2009

In 2009, a major outbreak of aseptic meningitis was noted in Linyi city, Shandong province, China. From June to September 2009, a total of 2,104 cases were involved in this outbreak, and 98.6% of patients were <16 years of age. To determine the pathogen of the outbreak, 42 cerebrospinal fluid specimens collected from aseptic meningitis cases were tested for cell culture, and 17 (40.5%) enteroviruses were isolated and identified as Coxsackievirus B5 (CVB5). Homologous comparison indicated that these isolates had 0–7.7% nucleotide divergence with each other. Phylogenetic reconstruction showed global CVB5 could be separated into four genogroups, and all Linyi CVB5 isolates belonged to the genogroup C which had been circulating for recent 27 years in Asia and Europe. Interestingly, two distinct lineages were observed for the 17 isolates in the phylogenetic tree, indicating that at least two different transmission chains of CVB5 were responsible for this outbreak. This study showed that CVB5‐associated aseptic meningitis is an emerging concern in China. J. Med. Virol. 85:483–489, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.