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Derungs T, Leo F, Loddenkemper C, Schneider T. Treatment of disseminated nocardiosis: a host-pathogen approach with adjuvant interferon gamma. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2021; 21:e334-e340. [PMID: 34425068 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(20)30920-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Disseminated nocardiosis is a rare, life-threatening disease. Particularly at risk are immunocompromised patients, highlighting the crucial role of host factors. Conventional intensive antibiotic treatment has improved survival rates, but the overall prognosis of patients with disseminated nocardiosis remains unsatisfactory. In this Grand Round, we present a case of severe nocardiosis that did not respond to standard therapy. The patient's condition deteriorated when antibiotic therapy was given alone and improved substantially only after coadministration of interferon gamma. We review the literature relevant to adjuvant interferon gamma therapy of nocardiosis and discuss its potential harms and benefits. Overall, we consider such treatment as beneficial and low risk if the patient is followed-up closely. We conclude that clinicians should consider this regimen in refractory cases of severe Nocardia infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Derungs
- Department of Gastroenterology, Infectious Disease and Rheumatology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, German Heart Center Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Fabian Leo
- Department of Gastroenterology, Infectious Disease and Rheumatology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Evangelische Lungenklinik, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Schneider
- Department of Gastroenterology, Infectious Disease and Rheumatology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
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Wijburg MT, Warnke C, McGuigan C, Koralnik IJ, Barkhof F, Killestein J, Wattjes MP. Pharmacovigilance during treatment of multiple sclerosis: early recognition of CNS complications. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2021; 92:177-188. [PMID: 33229453 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2020-324534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
An increasing number of highly effective disease-modifying therapies for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have recently gained marketing approval. While the beneficial effects of these drugs in terms of clinical and imaging outcome measures is welcomed, these therapeutics are associated with substance-specific or group-specific adverse events that include severe and fatal complications. These adverse events comprise both infectious and non-infectious complications that can occur within, or outside of the central nervous system (CNS). Awareness and risk assessment strategies thus require interdisciplinary management, and robust clinical and paraclinical surveillance strategies. In this review, we discuss the current role of MRI in safety monitoring during pharmacovigilance of patients treated with (selective) immune suppressive therapies for MS. MRI, particularly brain MRI, has a pivotal role in the early diagnosis of CNS complications that potentially are severely debilitating and may even be lethal. Early recognition of such CNS complications may improve functional outcome and survival, and thus knowledge on MRI features of treatment-associated complications is of paramount importance to MS clinicians, but also of relevance to general neurologists and radiologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martijn T Wijburg
- Department of Neurology, MS Center Amsterdam, Neuroscience Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands .,Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, MS Center Amsterdam, Neuroscience Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Clemens Warnke
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Köln, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Christopher McGuigan
- Department of Neurology, St Vincent's University Hospital & University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Igor J Koralnik
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Division of Neuroinfectious Diseases, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, MS Center Amsterdam, Neuroscience Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Institutes of Neurology and Healthcare Engineering, UCL, London, UK
| | - Joep Killestein
- Department of Neurology, MS Center Amsterdam, Neuroscience Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mike P Wattjes
- Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, MS Center Amsterdam, Neuroscience Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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Yiğit D, Balta İ, Yiğit H, Ekşioğlu HM. Nocardiosis in a patient with pemphigus foliaceus treated with rituximab. Dermatol Ther 2020; 34:e14601. [PMID: 33247992 DOI: 10.1111/dth.14601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Rituximab is a chimeric human/murine monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody. This agent is an effective therapeutic option in severe types of pemphigus. However, rituximab may cause opportunistic infections if used in immunosuppressed patients. We reported a case of diffuse Nocardia infection following rituximab treatment in pemphigus foliaceus. Rheumatoid arthritis protocol applied in our patient. Rituximab was used at a dose of 1000 mg every 2 weeks. Because the disease was not adequately controlled, rituximab treatment was administered six times every 15 days. One week after the sixth dose of the rituximab, she presented lassitude and multiple palpable masses in soft tissue of the upper extremity. Thereafter, the aspirate culture of the abscess on the left shoulder was taken and confirmed to be disseminated nocardiosis. She was treated with linezolid and meropenem for 1 month; however, amikacin was added because the patient did not respond adequately to linezolid and meropenem therapy. The patient died of cardiac arrest because of her comorbidities. In this case, prolonged administration of rituximab therapy may have caused the development of nocardiosis. Therefore, all patients should have a sensible balance of risk and benefit, considering the use of rituximab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilek Yiğit
- Department of Dermatology, Ministry of Health, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - İlknur Balta
- Department of Dermatology, Ministry of Health, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Hasan Yiğit
- Department of Radiology, Ministry of Health, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Hatice Meral Ekşioğlu
- Department of Dermatology, Ministry of Health, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
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