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Biomedical subjects

R Elcuaz

Publications and source records attributed to R Elcuaz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Outbreak of schistosomiasis in a group a travellers returning from Burkina Faso].

BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis in Spain is always an imported disease mainly presented in travellers from endemic areas with a history of having bathed in fresh water and in immigrants from these areas. A group of travellers presenting infection by schistosomes following an 8-day journey to Burkina Faso. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The travellers, residents of Gran Canaria (Spain), who had bathed in fresh water were studied by schistosomiasis serology and parasitologic examination in stools and urine. RESULTS: A total of 29 travellers were studied, 20 (69%) of whom were considered to be infected, on presenting positive serology and/or coproparasitologic examination. Fourteen of the infected patients presented clinical symptomatology compatible with the Katayama syndrome, while 6 were asymptomatic. The mean time to appearance of the symptoms was 27 days and these were most frequently fever, headache, neck pain, diarrhea and arthromyalgia together with eosinophilia achieving a mean value of 3,513 eosinophils/microliter. All the infected travellers presented positive serology and in 5 eggs of a Schistosoma mansoni were observed in stools. All the infected patients were treated with praziquantel. CONCLUSIONS: Limited exposure by bathing in fresh water in this group of travellers led to a high rate of infection. The diagnosis of schistosomiasis should be considered in any traveller from an endemic area with a history of having bathed in fresh water. In the case of an outbreak, investigation of all the travellers who had bathed is recommendable given that the infection may be asymptomatic.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Propionibacterium acnes infection in patients with CSF shunts].

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Propionibacterium acnes is a common inhabitant of human skin rarely associated with clinical disease. However it has been recognized as a cause of shunt and postneurosurgical infections. From January 1992 to June 1995, 5,947 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were cultured in our laboratory. We carried out a clinical-epidemiological study in patients where P. acnes was isolated from CSF. RESULTS: P, acnes was isolated from 11 CSF samples which corresponded to 7 episodes of shunt infection in 6 patients. Five were men; the mean age was 28.5 years. The mean time of onset of infection after the last shunt manipulation was 104 weeks. All of them presented symptomatology associated with infection. All episodes but one, where P. acnes was considered to be a contaminant, were treated with systemic and intraventricular antibiotic therapy and complete shunt removal. Four patients made an uneventful recovery and two patients died due to causes not directly related with the infection. CONCLUSIONS: P. acnes is frequently isolated in patients with shunt infections. Its isolation must be seriously considered not viewed as a contaminant without an exhaustive investigation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[Hemorrhagic colitis caused by verotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Presentation of 9 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of nine patients with enteritis caused by verocytotoxin-producing E. coli O157. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical data of patients was collected retrospectively, the isolated strains were tested for verotoxin production (VT) using Vero cell culture line, and presence of VT1 and VT2 gene sequences was detected using amplification techniques (PCR), biotype was also determined using twelve biochemical tests, and genomic macrorestriction profile (PFGE). RESULTS: The patients' age ranged from 11 months to 70 years. The mean duration of diarrhea was 4.7 days. All patients but one had abdominal cramps, seven of nine reported hemorrhagic stools and six had fever. Three patients were affected of haematologycal neoplasia and two of them developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome as a complication. All strains produced VT2 and two of them also produced VT1. Epidemiological link between patients has not been established. Three different biotypes had been distinguished between the nine isolated strains. All but two had different macrorestriction profiles. DISCUSSION: The results obtained showed that clinical manifestations are rather inespecific, including fever (6/9 patients) and there is high association of severe complications. The heterogeneity in PFGE results obtained confirms that the cases are not related.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Quantitative cultures of protected brush specimens and bronchoalveolar lavage in ventilated patients without suspected pneumonia.

Quantitative bacterial cultures of protected specimen brush (PSB) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens were used to assess the presence of distal bronchial microflora in mechanically ventilated patients who were not suspected of having pneumonia. A total of 54 specimens from 32 ICU patients were obtained. In 10 patients, only PSB specimens were recovered, whereas in 22 patients both PSB and BAL specimens were obtained. Cultures demonstrated no growth in 10 (45%) of the 22 samples recovered by BAL and in 21 (66%) of the 32 samples recovered by the PSB method. Twenty-three specimens yielded microorganisms, but in only six patients was a significant growth in PSB and/or BAL cultures (> or = 10(3) and > or = 10(5) cfu/ml, respectively) detected. Four of these patients developed pneumonia on subsequent follow-up. In mechanically ventilated patients, the diagnostic thresholds of bacterial growth in PSB and BAL cultures may be misleading. A significant relationship was found between the ability of PSB to recover microorganisms and the duration of mechanical ventilation (p < 0.05). These findings may be a limitation present in all patients receiving prolonged mechanical ventilation.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗
PubMed1994

[Comparative study of the serologic response of IgA and IgM type in the diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis].

BACKGROUND: IgM serologic response in the diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis presents interpretation problems. A comparative study with IgA detection of antibodies was performed. METHODS: A parallel serologic study was carried out with IgM and IgA enzymoimmunoassay enhancement techniques in the sera of patients suspected of having toxoplasmosis. RESULTS: Positive results for IgM and/or IgA were presented in 74 sera (47 patients): 86.3% for the former and 58.9% for the latter (p < 0.001). The group of IgA-/IgA+ sera presented a low mean of proportionality index (PI): 1.6 versus the IgM+ sera group in the context of IgG seroconversion with a PI of 3.4 (p < 0.001). Out of the 9 patients with demonstrated IgG, all were IgA+ and seven IgM+. CONCLUSIONS: The present data seem to support greater specificity of the determination of IgA antibodies than that of IgM in the diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis.

Acute Disease↗