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Biomedical subjects

E L Westerman

Publications and source records attributed to E L Westerman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Genetic and antigenic diversity of Ehrlichia chaffeensis: comparative analysis of a novel human strain from Oklahoma and previously isolated strains.

A new Ehrlichia strain, designated as Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Sapulpa strain, was isolated from a patient from Oklahoma with severe ehrlichiosis. Isolation of the ehrlichial pathogen was achieved by inoculating patient blood onto HEL cells and DH82 cells. Antigenic properties of the new isolate were characterized with monoclonal antibodies, homologous patient serum, and polyclonal rabbit serum by Western immunoblotting. The results showed antigenic differences and protein size variation of Sapulpa strain compared with the other 2 strains of E. chaffeensis. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene showed 100% identity to that of E. chaffeensis, strain 91HE17. Polymerase chain reaction and sequencing of DNA homologous to the 120-kDa protein gene of E. chaffeensis, Arkansas strain, showed that this gene of Sapulpa strain was smaller than that of Arkansas strain and contained a repeat region with three tandem repeat units.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Office management of patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)--1990.

Human immunovirus (HIV) infections and related diseases continue to consume a major portion of health care resources nationwide and in the state of Oklahoma. There were 162 new cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) diagnosed in Oklahoma in 1989 and an additional 347 cases of other HIV infections were reported. It appears almost certain that few physicians in practice, if any, will escape seeing HIV-related illnesses. It is, therefore, important that all physicians have an adequate understanding of the basic management of these related illnesses. The reader is referred to our original article in the October 1988 issue of the Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which outlined the office management of HIV-positive patients. The current paper represents an update on this problem. Many of the original tenets and descriptions of management remain the same, and they will not be repeated.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Acute uvulitis associated with epiglottitis.

Acute infectious uvulitis is a rare condition. A case caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae occurred in a 56-year-old woman who also had coexisting epiglottitis. One other case of uvulitis reported in the literature has also been associated with acute epiglottitis. Because of potentially lethal complications, epiglottitis should be suspected in any patient who presents with acute painful swelling of the uvula.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Epiglottitis due to ampicillin-tolerant Haemophilus influenzae type b.

Tolerance to beta-lactam antibiotics has been described with staphylococci and enterococci, but this phenomenon and its clinical significance in Haemophilus influenzae has not been reported. We have reported a case of bacteremic epiglottitis due to an ampicillin-tolerant, beta-lactamase-negative strain of Haemophilus influenzae type b which was cured with ampicillin therapy alone. The organism was not tolerant to moxalactam, cefotaxime, or rifampin. Rifampin therapy eliminated pharyngeal carriage.

Ampicillin↗
PubMed1983

Tularemia pneumonia mimicking legionnaires' disease: isolation of organism on CYE agar and successful treatment with erythromycin.

A 46-year-old man showed a clinical response when treated with parenteral erythromycin for what was initially thought to be legionnaires' disease, but an organism isolated from his pleural fluid on CYE agar was subsequently identified as Francisella tularensis. Tularemia should be suspected in all cases of atypical pneumonia in the appropriate setting. Erythromycin may be effective empiric therapy in such cases. Because of the possibility of inadvertent isolation of Francisella tularensis on CYE agar, all cultures for suspected Legionella should be handled with extreme caution, preferably in a biological hood.

Charcoal↗
PubMed1982

Rocky Mountain spotless fever: a dilemma for the clinician.

Failure of the characteristic rash to develop during the course of illness in Rocky Mountain spotted fever may lead to the delay or failure of diagnosis and may result in fetal encephalopathic illness with disseminated vascular injury. Four patients are described herein in whom a rash failed to develop and the diagnosis was initially incorrect. Each patient was seen at least once before hospital admission by a physician and given ineffective antibiotic therapy, resulting in fatal complications. Besides the failure of the rash to develop, the lack of any specific diagnostic test that is useful during the acute illness represents a major difficulty for the physician in making the diagnosis before the patient's death. Any adult in an endemic geographic area who is initially seen with an undifferentiated acute febrile illness in which headache and myalgias are prominent should be considered for treatment with tetracycline unless otherwise contraindicated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Agranulocytosis during therapy with orally administered cloxacillin.

Agranulocytosis developed in a patient with staphylococcal osteomyelitis after 35 days of treatment with orally administered cloxacillin. The patient had fever, prostration, pharyngitis, and profound leukopenia, which subsequently abated upon withdrawal of the drug. Cloxacillin should be included in the growing list of drugs capable of producing leukopenia and agranulocytosis.

Administration, Oral↗