The Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) is an acute immune mediated progressive polyneuropathy having monophasic illness leading to paralysis. clinical features are ascending symmetrical muscle weakness that may lead respiratory failure. Diagnosis based upon presentation and supported by a lumbar puncture with CSF analysis demonstrating albumin cytological dissociation electrophysiological studies. O...

The primary objectives of the lecture are: (1) Describe the frequency and impact of viral infections and acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) among hospitalized patients and in the community; (2) Describe the analysis of respiratory viruses using in-house and commercial molecular diagnostics; (3) Estimate the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in the last two winters to prevent symptomatic inf...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Influenza is an important cause of acute respiratory illness among military recruits, and pneumonia is the most frequent complication. This study was performed to categorize the clinical manifestations of influenza infections among military recruits. METHODS In this retrospective chart review, epidemiologic investigation of patients who met the definitions of acute resp...

OBJECTIVE Clinical case definitions used for influenza surveillance among hospitalized patients vary and need systematic evaluation. DESIGN, SETTING AND SAMPLE: During July 2009-August 2011, we collected clinical data and specimens (nasal and throat swabs) from rural patients hospitalized for acute medical illnesses. Specimens were tested by rRT-PCR for influenza viruses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE...

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a newly emerged disease that rapidly spread around the world. The disease originated in southern China and a novel coronavirus (SARS CoV) has been implicated as the causative organism. The path this virus took to set up human infection remains a mystery, though preliminary data point to origins in an animal reservoir. Nosocomial transmission of SARS C...

BACKGROUND In late March 2009, an outbreak of a respiratory illness later proved to be caused by novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus (S-OIV) was identified in Mexico. We describe the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of persons hospitalized for pneumonia at the national tertiary hospital for respiratory illnesses in Mexico City who had laboratory-confirmed S-OIV infection, also...

SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic of an acute respiratory illness known as COVID-19. Patients with solid organ transplants receiving chronic immunosuppressive therapy are at risk severe disease by opportunistic pathogens, including cytomegalovirus (CMV). We present the case renal transplant recipient presenting hypoxic failure because COVID-19, whose course was complicated ganciclovir-res...

Introduction The ICD-9 codes for acute respiratory illness (ARI) and pneumonia/influenza (P&I) are commonly used in ARI surveillance; however, few studies evaluate the accuracy of these codes or the importance of ICD-9 position. We reviewed ICD-9 codes reported among patients identified through severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) surveillance to compare medical record documentation with m...

Pulmonary complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), are well described in P. falciparum (PF) and to a lesser extent in other malaria species. In non-endemic areas, malaria diagnosis may be overlooked; if a thorough travel history is not obtained on all patients with acute febrile illness. Three patients with malaria associated respiratory distress were admitted to our...

Thirty-one infants admitted to hospital with acute bronchiolitis during an epidemic of respiratory syncytial virus were compared with a control group of 32 infants to establish whether the two groups differed in atopic background. Past history of respiratory illness, eczema, and present reactions to skin testing differed significantly between the two groups. Thus, infants with acute bronchiolit...