Herein, we report two rare cases of renal infection. The first case was renal subcapsular urine reflux in a 8-month-old girl with recurrent urinary tract infection and the second was subcapsular abscess in a 14-year-old girl with diabetes, who was successfully treated with percutaneous drainage. It has been suggested that renal subcapsular abscesses could be caused by the direct reflux of urine into the subcapsular space, rather than spread of infection from an existing parenchymal lesion, and that complete recovery can be achieved if percutaneous drainage is performed in a timely manner. We propose primary subcapsular reflux, in which urine directly refluxes upwards into the subcapsular space of the kidney, as one of the mechanisms for development of renal subcapsular abscesses.

PURPOSE: We aimed to determine characteristics of host, causative organisms, and antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria in pediatric patients with UTI living in metropolitan area of Korea. METHODS: Retrospective investigation was done for the causative organisms of UTI in 683 pediatric cases treated at Ajou University Hospital from 2012 to 2017. Patients were classified into Escherichia coli and non-E.coli group, where E.coli group was subdivided into ESBL(+) and ESBL(−) groups based on whether the bacteria could produce extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL). Antibiotic susceptibility of the causative organism was also determined. RESULTS: A total of 683 UTIs occurred in 550 patients, of which 463 (67.8%) were first-time infection and 87 (32.2%) were recurrent ones (2–7 recurrences, 2.52 average), and 64.9% were male and 35.1% were female. The most common causative organism was E.coli (77.2%) and ESBL(+) E.coli was found in 126 cases. The susceptibility of E.coli to 3rd or 4th generation cephalosporin was relatively higher than that to ampicillin or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. ESBL(+) E.coli showed higher resistance rate to 3rd or 4th generation cephalosporin than ESBL(−) E.coli . CONCLUSION: New treatment guideline should be considered due to the incidence of ESBL(+) E.coli increased up to one quarter of UTI cases.
Ampicillin ; Bacteria ; beta-Lactamases ; Child ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Urinary Tract

Pnuemocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is one of leading causes of acute respiratory failure in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and the mortality rate remains high in mechanically ventilated HIV patients with PJP. There are several reported cases who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment for respiratory failure associated with severe PJP in HIV-infected patients. We report a patient who was newly diagnosed with HIV and PJP whose condition worsened after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) initiation and progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring veno-venous ECMO. The patient recovered from PJP and is undergoing treatment with HAART. ECMO support can be an effective life-saving salvage therapy for acute respiratory failure refractory to mechanical ventilation following HAART in HIV-infected patients with severe PJP.
Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active* ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation* ; HIV ; Humans ; Mortality ; Pneumocystis jirovecii* ; Pneumocystis* ; Pneumonia* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Salvage Therapy

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe the results of a contact investigation on health care workers after exposure to a house officer with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). METHODS: Eighty nine out of 101 subjects who had close contact with the index patient agreed to be enrolled in the investigation. The first contact investigation was conducted approximately 30 days after the index patient's onset of symptoms, followed by the second investigation after 10 weeks. In both, clinical manifestations were studied, and chest X-ray and tuberculin skin test (TST)/QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-G) in dual screening strategy were conducted. RESULTS: The first TST resulted in positive in 34 subjects (38.2%). QFT-G was conducted on 16 subjects who tested positive in the first TST and aged under 36. Six of them (37.5%) were positive. The second TST was conducted on 41 subjects with negative results in the first TST. Seventeen (41.5%) were positive and among them, three (17.6%) showed positive QFT-G. None of the subjects were diagnosed with active TB. The probability of TB infection through contact with the index patient was 7.3% (3/41) in dual screening strategy while it was 41.5% (17/41) in TST strategy. CONCLUSIONS: This first hospital-setting contact investigation for tuberculosis in Korea revealed that latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) rates vary depending on different diagnostic strategies. This indicates the need for systematic guidelines for diagnosing LTBI in health care workers who have professional exposure to TB.
Delivery of Health Care* ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma Release Tests ; Korea ; Latent Tuberculosis ; Mass Screening ; Skin Tests ; Thorax ; Tuberculin ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Pnuemocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is one of leading causes of acute respiratory failure in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and the mortality rate remains high in mechanically ventilated HIV patients with PJP. There are several reported cases who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment for respiratory failure associated with severe PJP in HIV-infected patients. We report a patient who was newly diagnosed with HIV and PJP whose condition worsened after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) initiation and progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring veno-venous ECMO. The patient recovered from PJP and is undergoing treatment with HAART. ECMO support can be an effective life-saving salvage therapy for acute respiratory failure refractory to mechanical ventilation following HAART in HIV-infected patients with severe PJP.
Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; HIV ; Humans ; Mortality ; Pneumocystis jirovecii ; Pneumocystis ; Pneumonia ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Salvage Therapy

The hand hygiene behavior of 400 middle school students (grades 1-3) in Seoul and Gyeonggi-Do was studied to determine how stages of change were affected by food safety education, focusing on hand hygiene and general food safety. Subjects were 51.3% male and 44.3% of study subjects were first graders of middle school. Approximately 40% of subjects were at the stage of action, 42.7% were at the stage of contemplation, and 16.4% were at pre-contemplation. The most important factor that influenced proper hand washing was self efficacy (P < 0.001). Proper hand washing was also correlated significantly with positive belief (P < 0.01) and stages of change (P < 0.01). After food safety education by high-school mentors, middle-school students who were in the stages of pre-contemplation (11.1%) and contemplation (88.9%) showed significant progression toward the action stage (P < 0.001). Proper hand washing (P < 0.01) and food safety knowledge (P < 0.05) were also significantly increased after educational intervention.
Food Safety ; Hand ; Hand Disinfection ; Hand Hygiene ; Humans ; Male ; Mentors ; Self Efficacy

Dengue fever is transmitted principally by Aedes aegypti, which is not infested in Korea. Therefore, all Korean patients with dengue fever are imported cases from endemic areas such as Southeast Asia. Although disease manifestation and complication of dengue fever are various, ocular involvement is rare. We encountered a patient infected with dengue virus, imported from the Philippines. After defervescence from dengue fever, he complained of blurred vision. Blot hemorrhage with retinal infiltration in the macular area was observed in both eyes. Maculopathy by dengue fever was treated with systemic and intraocular glucocorticoid for two weeks; his ocular condition then showed improvement.
Aedes ; Asia, Southeastern ; Dengue ; Dengue Virus ; Eye ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Korea ; Philippines ; Retinaldehyde ; Vision, Ocular

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether culture using an automated blood culture system enhances the recovery of bacteria and fungi from body fluids other than blood when compared to conventional solid media culture methods. METHODS: A total of 734 specimens [ascites (n=457), bile (n=5), CAPD (n=28), CSF (n=32), joint fluids (n=165), pericardial fluid (n=17), and pleural fluid (n=30)] were included in the study. Half of the volume of each specimen was inoculated directly into automated blood culture bottles (bioMeriux, Marcy-I'Etoile, France). The remaining volume was inoculated onto conventional solid media (sheep blood agar, chocolate agar, and phenylethyl alcohol agar) after centrifuging at 3,000 rpm for 10 min. RESULTS: Clinically significant microorganisms were isolated from 62 specimens (8.5%) by automated blood culture and 61 specimens (8.3%) by the conventional solid media culture (kappa index: 0.81, 95% confidence interval: 0.75~0.89). Contamination was observed in 11 (1.8%) of the automated blood culture specimens and 3 (0.4%) of the solid media culture specimens. The mean turnaround times of the automated blood cultures and the conventional solid media cultures were 3.7 and 2.8 days, respectively (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Compared with conventional culture methods, no improvement in the recovery of clinically significant microorganisms was noted with the use of the automated blood culture system for the culture of body fluids other than blood.
Agar ; Bacteria ; Bile ; Body Fluids ; Cacao ; Fungi ; Joints ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Phenylethyl Alcohol

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The inhibitory effects of the combination of beta-lactam with ciprofloxacin or amikacin against clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa were evaluated. METHODS: This study examined ten isolates with variable levels of resistance to ceftazidime, cefepime, piperacillin/tazobactam, meropenem, ciprofloxacin, and amikacin. The efficacy of the combined antibiotics was studied using a checkerboard method or in vitro killing assay. RESULTS: The combination of ceftazidime, cefepime, aztreonam, piperacillin-tazobactam, or meropenem with amikacin showed synergistic effects for all of the strains regardless of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of amikacin, but combination with ciprofloxacin showed a synergistic effect for the isolate with a low MIC of ciprofloxacin by the checkerboard method. The isolates with a high MIC of ciprofloxacin showed an indifferent effect in combination with beta-lactam and ciprofloxacin. The in vitro killing assay showed that meropenem with ciprofloxacin acted synergistically for the isolates with a MIC of 16 microgram/mL of ciprofloxacin. However, amikacin showed synergistic effects with meropenem for the isolates with high-level resistance against amikacin, i.e., up to an MIC of 128 microgram/mL. Contrary to the checkerboard method results, no synergy was observed for the combination of ceftazidime/piperacillin-tazobactam and amikacin. CONCLUSIONS: Meropenem with amikacin can be the first choice for infections caused by multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa when the level of resistance is not known.
Amikacin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Aztreonam ; Ceftazidime ; Cephalosporins ; Ciprofloxacin ; Homicide ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Pseudomonas ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Thienamycins

Klebsiella pneumoniae causes pyogenic infections in various sites, with the risk of which increases in patients with diabetes mellitus. Recently, K. pneumoniae has emerged as a leading cause of pyogenic liver abscess. Primary liver abscess caused by K. pneumoniae in the absence of underlying hepatobiliary disease is commonly associated with metastatic infections such as endophthalmitis, meningitis, brain abscess and infection in other sites. We experienced a case of K. pneumoniae liver abscess associated with septic metastatic lesions including pyomyositis and infected aneurysm of aorta. Despite the aggressive management with antibiotics, surgical pus drainage and aortic bypass graft, patient died of ventilator associated pneumonia and multiorgan failure. Our experience suggests that clinicians should be alert to septic metastatic infections when they treat a patient with K. pneumoniae liver abscess.
Aneurysm, Infected ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Aorta ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Brain Abscess ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Drainage ; Endophthalmitis ; Humans ; Klebsiella ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Liver ; Liver Abscess ; Liver Abscess, Pyogenic ; Meningitis ; Pneumonia ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated ; Pyomyositis ; Suppuration ; Transplants