BACKGROUND Chronic soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are associated with effects on systemic immune responses that could be caused by alterations in immune homeostasis. To investigate this, we measured the impact in children of STH infections on cytokine responses and gene expression in unstimulated blood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Sixty children were classified as having chroni...

BACKGROUND Chronic infections have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, yet from an epidemiological perspective, this concept remains controversial. METHODS AND RESULTS The Bruneck Study is a prospective population-based survey on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In 826 men and women 40 to 79 years old (1990 baseline), 5-year changes in carotid atherosclerosis were thor...

Background—Chronic infections have been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, yet from an epidemiological perspective, this concept remains controversial. Methods and Results—The Bruneck Study is a prospective population-based survey on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In 826 men and women 40 to 79 years old (1990 baseline), 5-year changes in carotid atherosclerosis were thorou...

Introduction Chlamydia pneumoniae was initially recognized as a cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis in both adults and children (1-7), hence the species name “pneumoniae.” Moreover, C. pneumoniae was noted in some individuals to cause a persistent respiratory tract infection following an acute infection (8), which is entirely consistent with the kn...

Common variable immune deficiency disease (CVID) is one of the most common primary immunodeficiency disorders. It causes reduction of immunoglobulin levels and specific antibodies production and enhancement of recurrent and chronic infections risk, especially respiratory infections and gastrointestinal tracts. Here, we report a case of CVID in a 3 years old male with recurrent hospitalizations ...

Infection is the likeliest single cause of delayed healing in healing of chronic open wounds by secondary intention. If neglected it can progress from contamination to colonization and local infection through to systemic infection, sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, and it can be life-threatening. Infection in chronic wounds is not as easy to define as in acute wounds, and is compl...

The prevalence of infections caused by methicillin-resistant organisms has increased, causing difficulty in the treatment of prosthetic joint infection. A multicenter study was performed to review 50 patients with deep infections with or without a resistant organism, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, at the site of total knee arthroplasty. A group of 13 patients with early de...

Chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF) and interstitial lung diseases (ILD), affect many individuals worldwide. Patients with these chronic lung diseases are susceptible to respiratory lung infections and some of these viral infections can contribute to disease pathogenesis. This review highlights the associations of lung infect...

This discussion focuses on the dynamic nature of three chronic congenital infections of man, namely those caused by cytomegaloviruses, rubella virus, and Toxoplasma gondii. The spectra of the fetal infection are described and the risks associated with the acute and chronic phases of the fetal infections are contrasted. Because of their frequency and subtlety, emphasis is placed on the late-appe...