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PloS One 2023Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common infections in humans and animals, which is caused by an obligate intracellular opportunistic parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common infections in humans and animals, which is caused by an obligate intracellular opportunistic parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). Some data have shown that both Rhesus (Rh)-positive and Rh-negative individuals differ in response to biological factors, including Toxoplasma infection. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the scientific evidence regarding the possible association between the Rh blood group and Toxoplasma infection and to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii in the Rh blood group system.
METHODS
The research was conducted on PubMed, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases until January 2023. Twenty-one cross-sectional studies were included with a total of 10910 people. The data were synthesized using a random effect model with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
RESULTS
The overall prevalence of T. gondii was calculated at 32.34% (CI 95%: 28.23-36.45%) and 33.35% (CI 95%: 19.73-46.96%) in Rh-positive and Rh-negative blood groups. In addition, the pooled OR for the relationship between the Rh blood group and the seroprevalence of T. gondii was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.72-1.28).
CONCLUSIONS
This meta-analysis showed a high prevalence of Toxoplasma infection in both Rh-negative and positive blood groups. This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed that no significant association was found between toxoplasmosis and Rh factor. Because of the limited number of studies in this field, more research is recommended to determine the exact relationship between toxoplasmosis and the Rh factor.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Toxoplasma; Rh-Hr Blood-Group System; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Antibodies, Protozoan; Toxoplasmosis; Risk Factors
PubMed: 37406027
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287992 -
Burns : Journal of the International... Feb 2023Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection with a high mortality rate. Though typically associated with diabetes and other conditions that affect innate immune... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection with a high mortality rate. Though typically associated with diabetes and other conditions that affect innate immune function, infections can also be precipitated by conditions such as trauma and burns. Burn patients are particularly susceptible to fungal infections due to the immune dysfunction that often accompany their wounds. Indeed case series have described mucormycosis to occur in patients with burn injuries, however the factors contributing to mortality have not been well described. Thus, the purpose of our review was to identify factors contributing to morbidity and mortality in burn patients with Mucormycosis.
METHODS
A systematic review of the literature of mucormycosis infection in burn injury patients was performed on Pubmed and Google Scholar using the keywords: Mucor, Mucorales, Mucormycosis, Mucormycotina, Zygomycosis and burn or thermal injury. Clinical trials, observational studies, case reports, and case reviews were included if they provided information regarding mortality in adult and pediatric burn patients diagnosed with mucormycosis, review articles, non-English articles, and articles without patient information were excluded. No time limit was placed on our review. Individual patient data was stratified based on mortality. Statistical analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between patient risk factors and mortality, and the Oxford Level of Evidence was used to evaluate study quality.
RESULTS
46 articles were included in our final review, encompassing 114 patients. On average, survivors had a total body surface area (TBSA)% of 46 (SD 19.8) while non-survivors had a TBSA of 65% (SD 16.4), and this difference was significant (p < .001). Patients with disseminated mucormycosis experienced an 80% mortality rate compared to 36% mortality rate in patients with localized disease (p < .001). We found no statistically significant difference in mean age (p > .05), diabetes (p > .05), mean delay in diagnosis (p > .05), time to antifungal therapy (p > .05), or type of therapy used (p > .05) between survivors and non-survivors. Our review was limited by the lack of prospective, controlled trials; thus, our review primarily consists of case reports.
CONCLUSION
Disseminated infections and higher TBSA both increased the risk of mortality in burn patients with mucormycosis, while diabetes did not increase mortality risk. The severity of the initial injury and infection locations must be taken into consideration to inform patient prognosis.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Child; Burns; Mucormycosis; Risk Factors; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 35842270
DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2022.05.012 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2023Mucormycosis is a rare, opportunistic, and emerging fungal infection that can rapidly develop into a severe, highly fatal clinical picture. In most cases, it is caused... (Review)
Review
Mucormycosis is a rare, opportunistic, and emerging fungal infection that can rapidly develop into a severe, highly fatal clinical picture. In most cases, it is caused by fungi of the order Mucorales, which are usually avirulent but become pathogenic when the host's immune system is compromised. This systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. The databases searched included PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. We chose articles that analyzed the oral manifestations of patients with mucormycosis, were published between 2018 and 2023, and met our search terms. The risk of bias in the articles was assessed using the CARE guideline for case reports and STROBE for a cross-sectional study. After the selection process, 20 articles were included in this review, all containing information about the different oral manifestations presented by people with mucormycosis. The most common oral manifestations are mainly bone exposures and oral ulcers, halitosis, pus discharge, gingival thickening, and periodontitis. However, despite the importance of recognizing these oral manifestations in the early stages of mucormycotic infection, providing early treatment, and reducing the high mortality rate of the infection, more studies are needed.
PubMed: 37755045
DOI: 10.3390/jof9090935 -
Inflammatory Intestinal Diseases Jun 2020To report a case of a female patient with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and to systematically review the available cases of the association between HLH and... (Review)
Review
AIM
To report a case of a female patient with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and to systematically review the available cases of the association between HLH and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
METHODS
In accordance to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines, retrieval of studies was based on Medical Subject Headings and Health Sciences Descriptors, which were combined using Boolean operators. Searches were run on the electronic databases Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE (PubMed), Biblioteca Regional de Medicina, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Cochrane Library for Systematic Reviews and Opengrey.eu. Languages were restricted to English, Spanish and Portuguese. There was no date of publication restrictions. The reference lists of the studies retrieved were searched manually.
RESULTS
The search strategy retrieved 223 references. In the final analysis, 28 references were included, with the report of 35 cases. The most common clinical finding was fever, 57% of patients had a cytomegalovirus infection and 30 patients were on thiopurines previously to HLH diagnosis. Most patients were treated with steroids and antiviral therapy. All-cause mortality was 22%.
CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that there might be a connection of HLH to IBD, opportunistic viral infections and the use of thiopurines. Due to the severity of such disease, the clinical suspicion is paramount to early diagnosis and therapy.
PubMed: 32596254
DOI: 10.1159/000506514 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Nov 2021The significance of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients and the enigmatic pathogenicity of Blastocystis directed us to conduct the first global... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The significance of opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients and the enigmatic pathogenicity of Blastocystis directed us to conduct the first global systematic review and meta-analysis on Blastocystis prevalence, odds ratios (ORs), and subtypes distribution in various immunocompromised patients (HIV/AIDS, cancer and hemodialysis patients, as well as transplant recipients). The systematic searching procedure was done in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases for relevant published literature until November 11, 2020. Random-effects model was utilized to calculate the weighted estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). The computed pooled prevalence of Blastocystis inferred from 118 papers (128 datasets) on immunocompromised patients was 10.3% (95% CI: 8.7-12.2%), with 16.1% (95% CI: 11.3-22.2%), 12.5% (95% CI: 8.5-18%), 8.4% (95 % CI: 6.6-10.6%), and 6% (95% CI: 2.6-13.3%) for hemodialysis patients, cancer patients, HIV/AIDS patients, and transplant recipients, respectively. Based on 50 case-control studies (54 datasets), the highest ORs were associated with cancer [2.81 (95% CI: 1.24-6.38, P = 0.013)] and hemodialysis patients [2.78 (95% CI: 1.19-6.48, P = 0.018)]. The most frequent subtype being found in immunocompromised patients was ST3 [41.7% (95% CI: 31.4-52.7%)], followed by ST1 [31.7% (95% CI: 23.2-41.8%)] and ST2 [23.1% (95% CI: 14.8-34.1%)]. Also, the weighted frequency of Blastocystis in various subgroups (publication year, WHO regions, geographical distribution, continents, and country income) was analyzed separately. In total, the results of the present meta-analysis highlighted that one's immunodeficiency status is probably associated with an increased Blastocystis infection, underpinning strict preventive measures to be taken.
Topics: Blastocystis; Blastocystis Infections; Feces; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Prevalence
PubMed: 34528202
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16187-1 -
Journal of Infection in Developing... Jun 2023Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) causes various diseases in different age groups. Neurological manifestations of HIV are common and add to morbidity and... (Review)
Review
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) causes various diseases in different age groups. Neurological manifestations of HIV are common and add to morbidity and mortality. It was previously thought that the central nervous system (CNS) was involved only in the advanced stages of the disease. However, recent evidence supports pathological involvement of the CNS from initial viral entry. Some of the CNS manifestations in children share similarities to neurologic disorders of HIV-infected adult patients, while others are unique to the pediatric population. Many HIV-related neurologic complications seen in adults are rarely encountered in children with AIDS and vice versa. However, with recent advances in the treatment, more HIV-infected children are surviving into adulthood. A systematic review of the available literature was performed to study the manifestations, causes, outcomes, and treatment of primary neurologic disorders in children with HIV. Online databases (Ovid Medline, Embase and PubMed), websites from the World Health Organization, commercial search engines, including Google, and chapters on HIV in standard textbooks of pediatrics and medicine were reviewed. HIV-associated neurological syndromes can be classified into four types: primary HIV neurological diseases, treatment-related neurological diseases, adverse neurological effects of antiretroviral therapy and secondary/opportunistic neurological illness. These conditions are not mutually exclusive and may co-exist in a given patient. This narrative review will focus mainly on the primary neurological manifestations of HIV in children.
Topics: Child; Humans; HIV Infections; HIV-1; Nervous System Diseases
PubMed: 37406063
DOI: 10.3855/jidc.17645 -
Porto Biomedical Journal 2021Enterococci are opportunistic pathogens and are one of the most important bacteria in hospital-acquired infections. Their resistance to antibiotics such as vancomycin... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Enterococci are opportunistic pathogens and are one of the most important bacteria in hospital-acquired infections. Their resistance to antibiotics such as vancomycin has led to life-threatening and difficult-to-treat nosocomial infections. The true prevalence in clinical settings in Nigeria is not well known due to the lack of a comprehensive antibiotic surveillance system. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in clinical infections in Nigeria.
METHODS
Databases (PubMed, , and Google scholar) were searched following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statements for articles reporting VRE prevalence, and were published before August 5, 2020. Data from the studies were extracted and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA 3.0), respectively. The pooled prevalence of VRE was estimated with the random-effects model and the 95% confidence interval (CI). The heterogeneity level was assessed using Cochran Q and tests.
RESULTS
A total of 35 articles were scanned for eligibility, among which 7 were included in the study after fulfilling the eligibility criteria. The studies analyzed a total of 832 enterococci isolates and 90 VRE strains. The prevalence of and in this study are 361 (59.3%) and 248 (40.7%), respectively, among which 41 (63.1%) of the and 24 (36.9%) of the were vancomycin resistant. The pooled prevalence of VRE was estimated at (95% CI; 10.0-53.9%; = 93.50%; < .001). The highest prevalence of VRE was reported from western Nigeria, 14.6% (95% CI; = 97.27; < .001).
CONCLUSION
The prevalence of VRE in Nigeria according to the reports from this study is relatively high. The report of this study should help policymakers to put in place measures that will help curb the spread of VRE and associated resistant genes to other important clinical pathogens like .
PubMed: 33884321
DOI: 10.1097/j.pbj.0000000000000125 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2022Anti-interferon-γ autoantibody (AIGA) positivity is an emerging immunodeficiency syndrome closely associated with intracellular infection in individuals without human...
BACKGROUND
Anti-interferon-γ autoantibody (AIGA) positivity is an emerging immunodeficiency syndrome closely associated with intracellular infection in individuals without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, the information on epidemiology, pathogen spectrum, and immunotherapy among these patients lack a systematic description of large data.
METHODS
This systematic literature review and multicenter retrospective study aimed to describe the pathogen spectrum and review treatment strategies among patients with AIGA positivity.
RESULTS
We included 810 HIV-negative patients with AIGA positivity infected with one or more intracellular pathogens. Excluding four teenagers, all the patients were adults. The most common pathogen was nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) (676/810, 83.5%). A total of 765 NTM isolates were identified in 676 patients with NTM, including 342 (44.7%) rapid-grower mycobacteria, 273 (35.7%) slow-grower mycobacteria, and 150 (19.6%) unidentified NTM subtype. Even with long-term and intensive antimicrobial treatments, 42.6% of patients with AIGA positivity had recurrence and/or persistent infection. Sixty-seven patients underwent immunoregulatory or immunosuppressive therapy, and most (60) achieved remission. The most common treatment strategy was rituximab (27/67, 40.3%) and cyclophosphamide (22/67, 32.8%), followed by cyclophosphamide combined with glucocorticoids (8/67, 11.9%).
CONCLUSIONS
Intracellular pathogen was the most common infection in patients with AIGA positivity. The predominant infection phenotypes were NTM, varicella-zoster virus, , and spp., with or without other opportunistic infections. AIGA immunotherapy, including rituximab or cyclophosphamide, has yielded good preliminary results in some cases.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Adolescent; Retrospective Studies; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous; Autoantibodies; Rituximab; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria; Immunotherapy; Cyclophosphamide; HIV Infections; Multicenter Studies as Topic
PubMed: 36569827
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1051673 -
Journal of Clinical Immunology Oct 2023Anti-interferon gamma antibody (AIGA) is a rare cause of adult onset immunodeficiency, leading to severe disseminated opportunistic infections with varying outcomes. We...
PURPOSE
Anti-interferon gamma antibody (AIGA) is a rare cause of adult onset immunodeficiency, leading to severe disseminated opportunistic infections with varying outcomes. We aimed to summarize the disease characteristics and to explore factors associated with disease outcome.
METHODS
A systematic literature review of AIGA associated disease was conducted. Serum-positive cases with detailed clinical presentations, treatment protocols, and outcomes were included. The patients were categorized into controlled and uncontrolled groups based on their documented clinical outcome. Factors associated with disease outcome were analyzed with logistic regression models.
RESULTS
A total of 195 AIGA patients were retrospectively analyzed, with 119(61.0%) having controlled disease and 76 (39.0%) having uncontrolled disease. The median time to diagnosis and disease course were 12 months and 28 months, respectively. A total of 358 pathogens have been reported with nontubercular mycobacterium (NTM) and Talaromyces marneffei as the most common pathogens. The recurrence rate was as high as 56.0%. The effective rates of antibiotics alone, antibiotics with rituximab, and antibiotics with cyclophosphamide were 40.5%, 73.5%, and 75%, respectively. In the multivariate logistic analysis, skin involvement, NTM infection, and recurrent infections remained significantly associated with disease control, with ORs of 3.25 (95% CI 1.187 ~ 8.909, P value = 0.022), 4.74 (95% CI 1.300 ~ 17.30, P value = 0.018), and 0.22 (95% CI 0.086 ~ 0.551, P value = 0.001), respectively. The patients with disease control had significant AIGA titer reduction.
CONCLUSIONS
AIGA could cause severe opportunistic infections with unsatisfactory control, particularly in patients with recurrent infections. Efforts should be made to closely monitor the disease and regulate the immune system.
Topics: Humans; Adult; Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous; Retrospective Studies; Reinfection; Autoantibodies; Interferon-gamma; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Opportunistic Infections; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 37365453
DOI: 10.1007/s10875-023-01537-0 -
New Microbes and New Infections Jan 2021Members of the genus are filamentous, Gram-positive, aerobic bacteria and exist ubiquitously in most environments. In 2001, the species was first isolated, and it... (Review)
Review
Members of the genus are filamentous, Gram-positive, aerobic bacteria and exist ubiquitously in most environments. In 2001, the species was first isolated, and it predominantly causes pulmonary infections in immunocompromised hosts. We present the first report of a soft-tissue abscess caused by in a 59-year-old woman being treated for chronic cutaneous graft-versus-host disease. After failing to improve with empirical treatment, two incision and drainage procedures were required. She subsequently completed a 1-year course of oral antibiotic therapy consisting of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole then azithromycin. No relapse occurred over the next 5 years of follow up. To better characterize infections, we performed a systematic literature review and summarized all previously reported cases. Overall, the rising prevalence of immunocompromising conditions warrants increased vigilance for infections caused by atypical or opportunistic pathogens.
PubMed: 33456780
DOI: 10.1016/j.nmni.2020.100833