Disseminated Staphylococcus aureus Infection in an Adolescent Patient Following a Traditional Phlebotomy Procedure

Al-Fashdu is a well-known Islamic medicine-based alternative treatment, and it has been widely practiced with the aim of treating certain health issues in various countries. Unfortunately, this therapy can lead to certain complications, including life-threatening infections. We report a case of a 12-year-old male patient who developed a disseminated Staphylococcus aureus infection following Al-Fashdu therapy. He was treated with surgical drainage and intravenous antibiotics. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a disseminated Staphylococcus aureus infection following Al-Fashdu therapy in an adolescent patient.

Ruptured Renal Abscess From Streptococcus agalactiae Invasion in a Postpartum Female

Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus or GBS)is an exceptionally rare causative organism of a ruptured renal abscess. We report a case of this normally commensal organism causing a large ruptured renal abscess in a 17-year-old postpartum female. Although S. agalactiae is known to cause postpartum neonatal morbidity and mortality, it has rarely caused invasive infections in the last 20 years in adults. While this diagnosis often presents with nonspecific findings that can easily be overlooked during the postpartum period, the patient responded well to the established treatment of broad-spectrum antibiotics and a percutaneous drain.

Thiazolidinediones and reduced risk of incident bacterial abscess in adults with type 2 diabetes: A population-based cohort study

AIM

Previous research has suggested that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) may play an important role in immunomodulation. We aimed to examine the association between thiazolidinediones, PPAR-γ agonists and incidence of bacterial abscess among patients with type 2 diabetes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective cohort study between 2000 and 2010 included 46 986 propensity (PS)-matched patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We compared the incidence of bacterial abscess, including liver and non-liver abscesses, between patients treated with metformin plus a thiazolidinedione (M + T, N = 7831) or metformin plus a sulfonylurea (M + S, N = 39 155). Data were retrieved from a population-based Taiwanese database. We applied Cox proportional hazard regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), comparing M + T and M + S after PS matching.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 4.5 years, the incidence rate of bacterial abscess was lower with M + T than with M + S treatment (1.89 vs 3.15 per 1000 person-years) in the PS-matched cohort. M + T was associated with a reduced risk of bacterial abscess (HRs after PS matching, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.42-0.80 for total bacterial abscess; 0.54; 95% CI, 0.28-1.07 for liver abscess; 0.59; 95% CI, 0.41-0.85 for non-liver abscess). Results did not change materially after accounting for unmeasured confounding factors using high-dimenional PS matching and differential censoring between regimen groups. Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, in combination with metformin, produced similar reductions in risk of all abscess outcomes.

CONCLUSION

We found that M + T may provide a protective benefit in reducing the incidence of bacterial abscesses. These findings merit further investigation.