• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.387-395
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• 2022

Purpose: Toxins produced by Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) can cause enteritis and diarrhea. Although the number of pediatric CDI cases is increasing, the clinical management of pediatric CDI, including patient characteristics and prognosis, remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the background and clinical course of patients with CDI and evaluate the reliability of diagnostic tests in a tertiary pediatric hospital in Japan. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of children diagnosed with CDI between 2011 and 2021 at the Saitama Children's Medical Center in Saitama, Japan. Results: During the study period, 1,252 C. difficile antigen/toxin tests were performed, and 37 patients were diagnosed with CDI. The main underlying diseases among the patients were hematological and malignant disorders and gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (59.4%). Two patients (5.4%) had an unremarkable medical history. Among the 37 patients, 27 (73.0%) were immunocompromised, 25 (67.6%) had a history of antibiotic use within the past two months, and 6 (16.2%) were negative on the initial test but were positive on the second test. Finally, 28 patients (75.7%) required primary antibiotic therapy only, and two patients with IBD required additional antibiotic therapy as secondary treatment. Conclusion: The number of pediatric patients with CDI is increasing. Both a comprehensive interview, including underlying diseases and history of antibiotic use, and an understanding of the features of clinical examinations should be emphasized to appropriately diagnose and treat CDI.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 1999

Cryptosporidiosis is an intestinal disease caused by the protozoan Cryptosporidium parvum. The most common manifestation in human is enteric symptoms, which in immunocompetent hosts are self-limiting but can be life threatening in immunocompromised hosts, characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, severe weight loss. It's prevalence rate in immunocompetent host is variable by geographic locations (3~11%) but up to 15~40% in AIDS patients. Now it is considered as one of the important enteropathogens causing diarrhea not only in immunocompromised but also in immunocompetent hosts, especially in children. We experienced two cases of cryptosporidiosis in a 15 year old boy who was admitted due to diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever and in a 8 year old boy who was admitted due to watery diarrhea and vomiting. These are the first clinical cases of cryptosporidiosis confirmed by electron microscopy of the colonic mucosa among immunocompetent children in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.187-192
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• 2007

REOviruses (Respiratory Enteric Orphan viruses) are ubiquitous, non-enveloped viruses containing 10 segments of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) as their genome. They are common isolates of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract of humans but are not associated with severe disease and are therefore considered relatively benign. An intriguing characteristic of reovirus is its innate oncolytic potential, which is linked to the transformed state of the cell. When immortalized cells are transfected in vitro with activated oncogenes such as Ras, Sos, v-erbB, or c-myc, they became susceptible to reovirus infection and subsequent cellular lysis, indicating that oncogene signaling pathways are exploited by reovirus. This observation has led to the use of the virus in clinical trials as an anti-cancer agent against oncogenic tumors. In addition to the exploitation of oncogene signaling, reovirus may further utilize host immune responses to enhance its antitumor activity in vivo due to its innate interferon induction ability. Reovirus is, however, not entirely benign to immunocompromised animal models. Reovirus causes so-called "black feet syndrome" in immunodeficient mice and can also harm neonatal animals. Because cancer patients often undergo immunosuppression due to heavy chemo/radiation-treatments or advanced tumor progression, this pathogenic response may be a hurdle in virus-based anticancer therapies. However, a genetically attenuated reovirus variant derived from persistent reovirus infection of cells in vitro is able to exert potent anti-tumor activity with significantly reduced viral pathogenesis in immunocompromised animals. Importantly, in this instance the attenuated, reovirus maintains its oncolytic potential while significantly reducing viral pathogenesis in vivo.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.15-22
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• 2024

Purpose: In general, cross-infection caused by bacteria occurs more in hospitals than in local communities. In most cases, infectious diseases spread through contact transmission (direct contact, indirect contact). This study tries to examine which places are most likely to detect infections bacteria and what materials should be used to effectively suppress the spread of infectious bacteria. Methods: Domestic and international literature have been reviewed to determine which bacteria are common and spread in which places. At the same time, antibacterial experiments for several finishing materials are performed to determine the survival period of bacteria for each material. The experiment is conducted mainly on antibiotic-resistant bacteria (MRSA, CRE, etc.) that have a high mortality rate and are very contagious. Results: MRSA has a high incidence in many hospital departments with surgery or immunocompromised patients, such as the elderly, organ transplant patients, and hemodialysis patients. There are experimental results that MRSA dies early in ceramics or silk wallpaper. CRE has a high incidence in hospital departments where there are many patients who are prone to bacteria entering the body directly, such as ventilator patients or critically ill patients with surgical wounds. There are experimental results that CRE dies early in silk wallpaper. In addition, bacteria die on the surface for a variety of reasons. Most MRSA and CRE develop in patients with impaired immunity or surgery, and rapidly die in copper or materials with antibacterial properties. Implications: If finishing materials surface with the ability to kill specific bacteria is used in the place where a large number of specific bacteria are detected, the spread of infectious diseases can be effectively controlled.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1727-1735
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• 2017

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections cause epidemic or sporadic acute hepatitis, which are mostly self-limiting. However, viral infection in immunocompromised patients and pregnant women may result in serious consequences, such as chronic hepatitis and liver damage, mortality of the latter of which reaches up to 20-30%. Type I interferon (IFN)-induced antiviral immunity is known to be the first-line defense against virus infection. Upon HEV infection in the cell, the virus genome is recognized by pathogen recognition receptors, leading to rapid activation of intracellular signaling cascades. Expression of type I IFN triggers induction of a barrage of IFN-stimulated genes, helping the cells cope with viral infection. Interestingly, some of the HEV-encoded genes seem to be involved in disrupting signaling cascades for antiviral immune responses, and thus crippling cytokine/chemokine production. Antagonistic mechanisms of type I IFN responses by HEV have only recently begun to emerge, and in this review, we summarize known HEV evasion strategies and compare them with those of other hepatitis viruses.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.128-131
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• 2019

Acute supraglottitis is characterized by an inflammation and edema of the supraglottic region and a potential life-threatening condition because of its risk for sudden upper airway compromise. Prompt diagnosis, administration of broad spectrum antibiotics, and airway management is pivotal for reducing serious complications. In the immunocompromised host, microorganisms are more likely to elicit mucosal inflammations, thus clinicians should pay attention to those patients for prompt removal of the causes of immune disruption. Here we report a case of acute adult supraglottitis with neutropenia caused by anti-thyroid drug with a review of the related literatures.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.153-155
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• 2004

Primary infection of the larynx with aspergillus spp. with immunocompetent patient is extremely rare, few cases have been reported in the literature. It is more commonly seen as a part of a wider infection involving the respiratory system in immunocompromised patients. We present one case of primary laryngeal aspergillosis without any other airway tract extension and without any generalized immune deficit in a 69 year-old woman with history of hoarseness. Direct laryngoscopy and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of aspergillosis.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.174-182
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• 1997

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia mainly occurs in immunocompromised patients and it is also known of major cause of death in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After consolidation chemotherapy, acute lymphoblastic leukemia children is developed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia frequently no an opportunistic infection but there were no controlled studies which have been performed to evaluate the usefulness of corticosteroid in Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We experienced a case of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in acute lymphoblastic leukemia with febrile neutropenic 6 years old girl. She was treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and prednisone. We report this case with brief review of related literature.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.137-142
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• 2016

Severe cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection involving multiorgan is very rare except in very low-birth weight infants, or in immunocompromised pediatric patients. We report an unusual case of severe CMV infection involving multiple organs including the central nervous system, liver, lung, and gastrointestinal tract in a late-preterm infant at 2 months of age.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 2011

Non-tuberculous mycobacterium has a wide-spread occurrence in nature, and skin, soft tissue, bone, lung and disseminated infection can be involved. Non-tuberculous mycobacterium infection occurs both in immunocompetent patients without underlying diseases and in immunocompromised hosts. Non-tuberculous mycobactrial osteomyelitis is a rare cause of granulomatous osteomyelitis, and has been previously reported in the sternum, spine, humerus, femur, tibia or metatarsal. Mycobacterium abscessus osteomyelitis is a very rare infection in the foot and only 1 case has been reported. Authors report a case of Mycobacterium abscessus osteomyelitis involving the tarsal and metatarsal bones in a non-immunocompromized middle aged women.