Streptococcus bovis is an uncommon cause of meningitis and subdural empyema. We report one case each of meningitis and subdural empyema in which S. bovis biotype II was isolated from both the spinal fluid and blood. In one case, the organisms were seen on a gram-stained preparation of cerebrospinal fluid. The first patient presented with gastrointestinal symptoms of unknown etiology, was immuno...

The optimal management of paediatric empyema thoracis remains controversial. The objective of the study was to analyse evolving experience in clinical presentation, management, outcome and factors contributing to adverse morbidity in thoracic empyema. Forty-seven patients presenting to a paediatric surgical centre were studied in three consecutive 6-y periods during 1980-97 to compare any chang...

Actinomyces meyeri is a rare pathogen and an infrequent cause of human actinomycosis. Less than ten cases were reported in the English-literature to date concerning A. meyeri empyema. We herein report a case to promote the awareness and adequate management of the disease. A 44-year-old immunocompetent male with known pulmonary disease was diagnosed with an A. meyeri empyema. He underwent chest ...

A cross-sectional study was conducted to predict the outcome in patients with subdural empyema, using initial and post-treatment CT scan brain parameters. Data collection was done on those children who were diagnosed to have subdural empyema by CT scan of the brain with contrast, who underwent burrhole evacuation, from February 2000 until April 2002. Numerous factors, such as coma or loss of un...

Subdural empyema is an unusual complication of meningococcal meningitis, and in acute cases can be rapidly fatal. We present a case of an 8 week old infant who presented with atypical Neisseria meningitis with bifrontal subdural empyema formation. Through the utilisation of modern polymerise chain reaction tests on cerebrospinal fluid samples, we were able to confirm the diagnosis and institute...

Elina Lahti Childhood community-acquired pneumonia Department of Pediatrics, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Turku University, Turku, Finland Background: Community-acquired pneumonia is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. New, rapid methods are needed to improve the microbiologic diagnosis of pneumonia in clinical practice. The increasing inciden...

INTRODUCTION Pleural empyema as a focal infection due to Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis is rare and most commonly described among immunosuppressed patients or patients who suffer from sickle cell anaemia and lung malignancies. CASE PRESENTATION Here, we present an 81-year-old immunocompetent Greek woman with bacteraemia and pleural empyema due to Salmonella Enteritidis without any ga...

Six cases of infections in children with Bacteroides corrodens are reported. In five the infection was mixed but in one fatal extradural and subdural empyema the organism was found in pure culture. The bacteriological findings are presented. It is suggested that Bacteroides corrodens may assume a pathogenic role and the rarity of its isolation may be due to delay in the appearance of the colony.

Device-related infections in recipients of left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) have been recognized as a major source of morbidity and mortality. They require a high level of diagnostic effort as part of the overall burden resulting from infectious complications in LVAD recipients. We present a multi-allergic patient who was treated for persistent sterile intrathoracic abscess formation and ...