Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax. Anthrax is a zoonotic disease with three clinical forms. Clinical forms are skin, gastrointestinal and inhalational anthrax. Cutaneous anthrax is 95% of the cases. Cutaneous anthrax frequently defines itself. Clinical presentation of anthrax may be severe and complicated in some cases. There may seem complications like meningitis, septic sho...

The clinical presentation of infections by Neisseria meningitidis is highly diverse. Some patients with invasive meningococcal infections develop meningitis, while others present with sepsis or even septic shock. Three major host defence systems are activated after transepithelial passage and invasion of the bacteria into the bloodstream. These include the complement pathway, the inflammatory r...

We report a case of a 49-year-old male with a history of chronic alcoholism and evidence of a pancreatic pseudocyst on CT scanning. He presented with a 3-days history of fever, loss of appetite and upper abdominal pain. Blood cultures grew Klebsiella pneumoniae and he improved clinically with a seven-day course of intravenous co-amoxiclav and metronidazole. Two weeks later he was readmitted to ...

Aggregatibacter aphrophilus was previously known as Haemophilus aphrophilus and is a rare cause of disease in humans. A recent reclassification of these organisms has placed them in the new genus of Aggregatibacter species. The organism seems to be a normal component of oral flora and has been reported to cause endocarditis, sinusitis, pneumonia, empyema, soft tissue abscess, meningitis, verteb...

In a series of six cases of sex-linked agammaglobulinaemia neutropenia occurred as a presenting feature in four and during the presenting illness in the other two. The six patients all had low antibody titres and absent or low immunoglobulin concentrations with normal concentrations of T cells and absent B cells. The patients were all first seen with severe, acute infection, including septic ab...

Facet joints have been shown to be a source of chronic low back pain, and it is generally accepted in clinical practice that diagnostic and therapeutic facet joint injections are the most reliable technique for the treatment of facet joint pain, which is considered to be an easy and safe procedure. Serious complications and side effects are uncommon after facet joint injection. However, infecti...

Meningococcal disease is caused by invasive infection with the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. Humans are the only natural reservoir for N. meningitidis, 5–10 per cent of whom have naso-pharangeal colonisation of the bacteria at any given time. The bacteria are transmitted between people by secretions from the naso-pharynx. Disease occurs in rare instances when a virulent strain of the bacteri...

Developing treatment options have resulted in prolonged admission and increased bacterial and fungal nosocomial infections as well as improved survival in neonatal intensive care unit. Invasive fungal infections in newborns are associated with significant morbidity and mortality and can cause endorgan dissemination such as endocarditis, endophthalmitis, septic arthritis, obstructive nephropathy...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the usefulness of Gram staining and culture of skin lesions in patients with acute meningococcal infections. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Community hospital and intensive care unit of a teaching hospital. SUBJECTS 51 patients admitted from 1989 to 1993 with proved meningococcal infections and microbiological examination of specimens from skin lesions. INTER...

OBJECTIVE In bacterial meningitis, a decreased level of consciousness is predictive for unfavorable outcome, but the clinical features and outcome in patients presenting with a minimal score on the Glasgow Coma Scale are unknown. METHODS We assessed the incidence, clinical characteristics, and outcome of patients with bacterial meningitis presenting with a minimal score on the Glasgow Coma Sc...