Although the precise pathoetiology of Behcet's disease (BD) remains obscure, patients with BD have a high incidence of chronic infectious foci, indicating an enhanced susceptibility to chronic tonsillitis, and dental caries. Sometimes, clinical symptoms appear after treatment of these foci in BD patients. It is believed that BD might be related to an allergic reaction to a bacterial infection in view of the many clinical symptoms, especially the presence of aphthous and genital ulcerations. An attempt to obtain cutaneous responses to bacterial antigens has been carried out using various vaccines developed from bacteria isolated from the ulcerative lesions and oral cavities of BD patients. BD patients often show intense hypersensitivity to various strains of streptococci, not only by their cutaneous reactions but also by in vitro testing. In this report, we describe our previous studies on the correlation between streptococcal antigens and the pathogenesis of BD and also discuss the recent reports of other authors. The intense hypersensitivity to streptococcal antigens acquired after streptococcal infection is thought to play an important role in the appearance of symptoms in BD patients since the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was enhanced when stimulated with streptococcal antigen in a culture system. Minocycline, an antibiotic to which certain strains of streptococci are sensitive, reduced the frequency of clinical symptoms in BD patients as well as the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by BD-PBMC stimulated with streptococcal antigen.
Adult ; Antibiotics, Tetracycline/therapeutic use* ; Antigens, Bacterial/immunology ; Behcet's Syndrome/immunology ; Behcet's Syndrome/etiology* ; Behcet's Syndrome/drug therapy ; Cytokines/biosynthesis ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Minocycline/therapeutic use* ; Skin Tests ; Streptococcal Infections/drug therapy ; Streptococcal Infections/complications*

OBJECTIVEAntiphospholipid antibody (APL) is a particularly important laboratory diagnostic criterion for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The significances of positive APL in childhood are seldom reported nor fully understood. The purpose of this study was to analyze 13 cases with positive APL seen in our hospital and to study the relationship between the positive rates of APL and various clinical diseases especially systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in order to improve the clinical diagnoses and treatment level of APS in children.

METHODSThe clinical data collected from 2000 to 2002 of 13 hospitalized children with positive APL were retrospectively evaluated. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence technique were used respectively to detect APL and antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) of sera from those children. Other various indexes were also detected according to different characteristics of different diseases.

RESULTSEight cases had SLE; 2 had acute post-streptococcal infections. The other 3 cases did not show any evidences of primary diseases; they probably had primary APS. SLE was the most common primary diseases to cause development of APL and the cases with SLE showed more severe cutaneous vasculitis than SLE patients who were negative for APL. There was no significant relationship between the positive rates of APL and that of ANCA. Eight APL positive cases complicated with thrombocytopenia and bleeding were treated with high dosage of immunoglobulin [400 mg/(kg.d), for 3 - 5 d] intravenously; the clinical conditions of these cases were ameliorated soon. While the 5 cases who had thrombotic vasculitis and thromboembolism were treated with anticoagulant and antithrombotic therapy with low molecular weight heparin [50 - 100 U/(kg.d)], which led to good clinical effects.

CONCLUSIONSThe clinical manifestations of children positive for APL were somehow different from those of adults. Positive APL itself may be nonspecific, it can occur from different causes of diseases. APL detection may be useful to suggest anticoagulant and/or antithrombosis therapy. Treatments for APS should be variable according to different causes and severity of diseases, in the cases of thrombocytopenia and bleeding, high dose intravenous immunoglobulin should be given as soon as possible, while in the cases of thrombotic vasculitis and thromboembolism, anticoagulant and antithrombotic therapy should be given soon.

Adult ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; blood ; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid ; blood ; immunology ; Anticoagulants ; therapeutic use ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome ; blood ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Child ; Fibrinolytic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Hemorrhage ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; therapeutic use ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; immunology ; Streptococcal Infections ; immunology ; Thrombocytopenia ; etiology ; therapy ; Thromboembolism ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Thrombosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Vasculitis ; drug therapy ; etiology

A small number of cases of bacterial endophthalmitis due to Streptococcus pyogenes, a Gram positive organism, have previously been reported. In this case, rapidly progressive Streptococcus pyogenes endophthalmitis was developed five years after cataract surgery which had been. The previous cataract surgery was combined with intraocular lens implantation by trans-scleral suspension technique. Treatment included enucleation and intravenous antibiotic injection. In this case of delayed Streptococcus pyogenes endophthalmitis after extracapsular cataract extraction. It seems probable that progressive erosion of the suture material resulted in exogenous endophthalmitis.
Aged ; Antibiotics, Combined/therapeutic use ; Case Report ; Cataract Extraction/*adverse effects ; Endophthalmitis/drug therapy/*microbiology ; Eye Infections, Bacterial/drug therapy/*etiology ; Female ; Human ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular/adverse effects ; Streptococcal Infections/drug therapy/*etiology ; Streptococcus pyogenes/*isolation & purification ; Treatment Outcome ; Vitreous Body/microbiology

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical characteristics, antibiotics sensitivity and outcome of group B streptococcus (GBS) meningitis in neonates in order to provide the guide for early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

METHODA retrospective review was performed and a total of 13 cases of neonatal purulent meningitis caused by GBS were identified in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 1, 2005 to May 31, 2013. The clinical characteristics, antibiotics sensitivity test results and outcome were analyzed.

RESULTFever, poor feeding, seizure and lethargy were common clinical signs of neonatal purulent meningitis caused by GBS. Three cases of early onset GBS meningitis received prepartum antibiotics. All 13 cases had abnormal C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and 11 cases had increased CRP within hours after admission. Of the 13 patients, 7 were cured, 4 discharged with improvement, 2 patients died during hospitalization after being given up because of serious complication. The average length of stay for recovered patients was (47 ± 21)d. Acute complications mainly included hyponatremia (5 cases), intracranial hemorrhage (3 cases) , ventriculomegaly (3 cases) , subdural collection (2 cases) , hydrocephalus (2 cases), septic shock (2 cases), cerebral hernia (1 case), encephalomalacia (1 case). One preterm patient with early onset GBS meningitis died 1 month after hospital discharge. Among 7 survivors with 10-24 months follow-up, 3 were early onset GBS meningitis, 2 with normal results of neurologic examination, 1 with delayed motor development, 4 were late onset GBS meningitis, 1 with normal results of neurologic examination, 3 were neurologically impaired with manifestations including delayed motor development (2 cases) and seizures (1 case). All the GBS strains were sensitive to penicillin and linezolid (13/13, 10/10), the susceptibility to levofloxacin, ampicillin and vancomycin were 11/12, 9/10, 8/13 respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe clinical manifestations of neonatal purulent meningitis caused by GBS are usually non-specific. It is associated with long hospitalization, neurological impairments and sequelae. Monitoring of serum CRP level is valuable for early diagnosis. Antepartum prophylaxis, early diagnosis and therapy are vital. Large dose penicillin is the priority choice to treat the neonatal purulent meningitis caused by GBS, linezolid should be used in intractable cases.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; C-Reactive Protein ; analysis ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Fever ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; etiology ; Infant, Newborn ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Penicillins ; therapeutic use ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious ; Retrospective Studies ; Streptococcal Infections ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Streptococcus agalactiae