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Biomedical subjects

Felix A Sarubbi

Publications and source records attributed to Felix A Sarubbi.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Corynebacterium striatum: an underappreciated community and nosocomial pathogen.

Corynebacterium striatum (CS) is an underappreciated human pathogen that has been associated with serious infections in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts. CS infections tend to be more frequent in males and major infection sites have included blood stream, lung, and central nervous system. Most are nosocomially acquired and there is a significant association with medical devices ranging from intravascular catheters to central nervous system drainage devices. Empiric therapy with vancomycin is advisable as susceptibility to other agents is variable. Treatment may also include removal of foreign material such as an intravascular catheter. The present review describes the wide spectrum of infections associated with CS and we add a unique case of CS pancreatic abscess where treatment included linezolid.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Unusual case of pyopneumothorax in Tennessee.

Rupture of a coccidioidal pulmonary cavity with subsequent pyopneumothorax is a rare clinical event, even in areas endemic for coccidioidomycosis. Our encounter with a patient diagnosed with this condition in northeast Tennessee serves notice to clinicians that coccidioidomycosis is indeed a traveling fungal disease, and practitioners must be alert to common and uncommon manifestations of infection associated with this fungus. A literature review pertaining to coccidioidal pyopneumothorax revealed that patients usually present with a recent onset of chest pain. Serologic testing and pleural fluid culture are highly useful, and management includes surgical intervention with or without antifungal therapy.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

A decline in mupirocin resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus accompanied administrative control of prescriptions.

Susceptibility to mupirocin was assessed in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates selected from eras corresponding to differences in usage rate and prescription policies at a Veterans Affairs medical center. The eras studied encompassed from the time of introduction of the drug to its widespread use, through recommended judicious use, and finally to subsequent stringent administrative control. Prescriptions declined from 3.0 to 0.1 per 1,000 patient days. Precipitous declines first in the numbers of isolates with high-level resistance (from 31% to 4%) and then in those with low-level resistance (from 26% to 10%) accompanied prescription control.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2003

Mupirocin-resistant, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: does mupirocin remain effective?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of mupirocin ointment in reducing nasal colonization with mupirocin-susceptible, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MS MRSA) as well as mupirocin-resistant MRSA (MR MRSA). DESIGN: Prospective evaluation in which patients colonized with MRSA were treated twice daily with 2% topical mupirocin ointment for 5 days. SETTING: James H. Quillen Veterans' Affairs Medical Center. PATIENTS: Forty hospitalized patients with two anterior nares cultures positive for MRSA within a 7-day period. METHODS: Treated patients had post-treatment cultures at day 3 and weeks 1, 2, and 4. Isolates underwent mupirocin-susceptibility testing and DNA typing. MRSA clearance and type turnover were assessed for isolates that were mupirocin-susceptible, low-level (LL) MR MRSA and high-level (HL) MR MRSA. RESULTS: Post-treatment nares cultures on day 3 were negative for 78.5%, 80%, and 27.7% of patients with MS MRSA, LL-MR MRSA, and HLMR MRSA, respectively. Sustained culture negativity at 1 to 4 weeks was more common in the MS MRSA group (91%) than in the LL-MR MRSA group (25%) or the HL-MR MRSA group (25%). Positive post-treatment cultures usually showed the same DNA pattern relative to baseline. Plasmid curing of 18 HL-MR MRSA resulted in 15 MS MRSA and 3 LL-MR MRSA. CONCLUSIONS: Mupirocin was effective in eradicating MS MRSA, but strains of MR MRSA often persisted after treatment. This appeared to reflect treatment failure rather than exogenous recolonization. MR MRSA is now more prevalent and it is appropriate to sample MRSA populations for mupirocin susceptibility prior to incorporating mupirocin into infection control programs.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed2003

Infectious causes of adrenal insufficiency.

More than 150 years ago, Thomas Addison first described the clinical features and pathogenesis of adrenal insufficiency. At that time, tuberculosis was the most common cause of this disease. The pathway to diagnosis and treatment of Addison's disease has been well described. However, determining the cause of the disorder remains a challenge. It is important to consider recently described infectious agents in the pathogenesis of Addison's disease. Mycobacterial, bacterial, viral, and fungal infections may lead to the development of adrenal insufficiency. Skin, pulmonary, and imaging findings can aid the clinician in making a prompt diagnosis of specific infections, which is crucial because early identification of infectious causes of Addison's disease may enable recovery of adrenal function. This review describes the clinical presentations of the multiple infectious causes of adrenal insufficiency.

Adrenal Insufficiency↗