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Actinomycosis of the kidney is rare and less than 50 cases have been reported in the English literature. Reported presentations are pyelonephritis, renal abscesses or pyonephrosis. To date, one case of actinomycosis associated necrotising papillitis has been reported. We describe the second case of such a rare association of actinomycosis with papillary necrosis., (2014 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

Renal papillary necrosis due to Candida albicans is a rare but treatable cause of acute renal failure. We report this case of a middle aged male with history of type 2 diabetes mellitus who presented with infected right lower extremity and right lower lobe pneumonitis with hypotension. Though, he improved initially, during his stay in the hospital, he developed acute renal failure. Blood culture grew Candida albicans and the renal biopsy revealed candidal renal papillary necrosis. He also had candidal retinitis on ophthalmoscopy examination. He was treated with parenteral fluconazole for two weeks followed by oral fluconazole for a total of 4 weeks. Following treatment, the patient improved symptomatically and his renal parameters returned to normal. This case illustrates the need to consider candidal papillary necrosis as a differential in an immunocompromised patient with acute renal failure. It is potentially reversible, nonetheless a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.

A 57-year-old woman, known to have diabetes mellitus, presented with a one-week history of fever, dysuria, and left flank pain. Computed tomography showed extensive left renal parenchymal destruction and a large gas collection. Urine culture revealed growth of Escherichia coli. The diagnosis of emphysematous pyelonephritis was confirmed at left nephrectomy. The clinical manifestations of emphysematous pyelonephritis, types of gas-forming renal infection, and their radiological findings are discussed.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and fluoroquinolones in the treatment of community-acquired acute pyelonephritis., Patients and Methods: We identified a population-based cohort of non-pregnant women aged 18-65 years, initially treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or a fluoroquinolone for community-acquired pyelonephritis in an ambulatory care setting. Subjects were identified from a healthcare claims database in Manitoba, Canada for the period 15 February 1996 to 31 March 1999. Subsequent treatment failure, as evidenced by the provision of additional treatment up to 42 days post-diagnosis, was compared between the two treatments., Results: A total of 1084 women met inclusion criteria: 653 (60.2%) treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 431 (39.8%) treated with a fluoroquinolone. Treatment outcomes were affected by subject age. At age 20, treatment with a fluoroquinolone resulted in a reduced probability of treatment failure compared with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (odds ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.33-0.97). At age 60, there was no difference in the probability of treatment failure (odds ratio, 1.61; 95% CI, 0.82-3.16). No other subject characteristics impacted comparative effectiveness; however, several characteristics increased the odds of treatment failure irrespective of the initial antibiotic. These included: recent urinary tract infection (odds ratio, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.14-3.57), recent antibiotic use (odds ratio, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.00-1.96;), and a treatment duration of less than 10 days (odds ratio, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.59-2.99)., Conclusion: Younger subjects ( approximately 20 years) treated with fluoroquinolones were less likely to experience treatment failure than those treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Treatment durations of less than 10 days resulted in a higher probability of treatment failure regardless of the initial antibiotic.

A 35-year-old woman, gravida 2, para 0, was seen at 20 weeks' gestation with complete T10 spinal cord transection at age 15 years, subsequent bilateral total leg amputation, urinary diversion, colostomy, and lumbar spine resection. Pregnancy complications included recurrent urinary tract infections, preterm contractions without cervical change, lumbosacral abscesses, and fetal malpresentation. Delivery was through cesarean section near term.

A total of 21 patients (20 women and one man) with emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN), treated in the Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital during the period from 1991 through 1999 were included in this study. All of the patients were diabetic. The most common symptoms or signs were fever/chills (80%) and costovertebral angle knocking pain (71%). Diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of gas in the parenchyma or paranephric space on plain X-ray of the abdomen or computed tomography. The left kidney (11 cases, 52%) was more frequently affected than the right one (nine cases, 43%), and both kidneys were involved in one case. Obstruction of the corresponding renoureteral unit was found in 19% of the patients, and renal or ureteral stone was found in 23% of the patients. One third of the patients had type I EPN, and two-thirds had type II EPN. Escherichia coli was the most commonly isolated organism, accounting for 61%, 76%, and 47% of isolates from blood, urine, and aspirated pus culture respectively. Prompt control of blood sugar was begun and intravenous antibiotics were given. Drainage was performed in 71% of the patients, and two persons required nephrectomy because of poor control of the infection or complications. Overall survival was 72%. Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a rare, life-threatening, suppurative infection of the renal parenchyma and perirenaL tissues. For successful management of EPN, appropriate medical treatment should be initiated, and immediate nephrectomy or drainage should not be delayed.

Seven hundred and twenty-seven renal transplant patients are reviewed with respect to the occurrence of urinary tract infection (UTI) after renal transplantation. UTI was defined as the detection of both bacteriuria (10(5) CFU/ml) and pyuria (10 leukocytes/hpf). UTI developed in 11 of the inpatients (20.8%) and in 30 (4.2%) of the outpatients during a one-year period. Among outpatients, 12 had symptomatic infections, comprising seven with acute pyelonephritis and five with acute cystitis. Asymptomatic UTI was detected in 18 patients. In addition, asymptomatic bacteriuria without pyuria was observed in ten (1.4%) patients. UTI was more common in patients with diabetes, and underlying urinary tract complications were present in some patients. Administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for about 4 months is suggested to reduce the frequency of UTI in the early period after renal transplantation.

The authors report four cases of emphysematous pyelonephritis. All patients (3 females and 1 male) were diabetic. The clinical symptoms and signs were non-specific. The diagnosis was suggested in every case on conventional x-rays and was confirmed by computed tomography, which provides a detailed assessment of the lesions by demonstrating diffusion of gas in or beyond the renal compartment (2 cases). Urine cultures isolated an E. coli in one case and Klebsiella pneumoniae in 2 cases. In the fourth patient, Candida albicans was present in the urine at pathological levels, as confirmed by the presence of spores on histological examination of the nephrectomy specimen. The only effective treatment remains nephrectomy which was performed primarily in 2 cases or secondarily, after drainage, in the other 2 cases. The prognosis remains severe, with a high mortality; 2 of our patients died in a context of severe septic shock with end-stage renal failure.

We examined the frequency of bacterial strains expressing cell surface hydrophobicity, P-fimbriae, mannose-resistant haemagglutination (MRHA), type I fimbriae, production of aerobactin, haemolysin synthesis (Hly), production of cytotoxic necrotising factor (CNF) and HeLa cell adherence in 126 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from children (n = 65) and women (n = 61) with acute non-obstructive pyelonephritis. Previous investigations have shown that pyelonephritogenic strains of E. coli more often express hydrophobic properties, P-fimbriae, MRHA, aerobactin-mediated iron uptake, Hly and CNF production than strains isolated from the faecal flora of healthy persons. The objective of the present study was to examine phenotypic differences between strains of E. coli obtained from children with their first episode of acute pyelonephritis and strains from women with non-obstructive acute pyelonephritis. Of the pyelonephritogenic strains of E. coli isolated from children, 98% expressed cell surface hydrophobic properties compared to 82% isolated from adults (P = 0.004). Strains from children and adults had the same ability to assimilate iron and equally often expressed P-fimbriae, MRHA and type I fimbriae. Strains from children with acute pyelonephritis more significantly expressed Hly (72%) and CNF (58%) than did pyelonephritogenic strains from adults (49 and 37% respectively, P = 0.013 and P = 0.028 respectively). The frequency of HeLa cell adherence was similar and low in both groups. The phenotype aerobactin+ Hly+ and Hly+CNF+ was found significantly more often in pyelonephritogenic strains from children than in strains from adults (P = 0.006 and P = 0.028 respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An AIDS case, with a Candida urinary infection causing papillary necrosis and accompanied by occurrence of fungal lumps is reported. The paper remarks on the incidence and peculiarities of urinary affectation in these patients, emphasizing the usefulness of percutaneous nephrostomy as a diagnostic, and above all as a therapeutic procedure, in cases of expanded urinary tract.

Ureaplasma urealyticum cultures from 124 patients with urinary tract disease were serotyped by indirect immunofluorescence, using antisera to serotypes I to VIII. A similar range of serotypes was recovered from first-voided, midstream, and bladder-aspiration (SPA) urine, upper urinary tract samples, and vaginal swabs. Serotype VI was predominant (44/124) among the samples, whereas serotypes V (1/124 samples) and VII (0/124 samples) were uncommon. Twenty of 124 cultures contained more than one serotype, and three cultures were untypeable. Serotypes cultured from bladder urine were also present in vaginal and urethral samples, although these samples often carried additional serotypes. Consecutive SPA samples from the same patient invariably contained the same serotype, whereas some consecutive midstream urine samples showed a loss or gain of serotypes with time. One patient carried the same serotype in SPA urine over a period of 13 months. The pattern of serotypes recovered from the urinary tract was similar irrespective of the sampling site, the site of infection, the clinical diagnosis and renal function of the patient, and the presence or absence of other microorganisms. Colonization above the urethra and association with urinary tract disease appeared to be serotype independent.

The effect of bacterial infection on excised renal papillae as a model for papillary necrosis and subsequent calcification was investigated. Sterile rat renal papillae were placed in 25 ml aliquots of filter sterilized human urine and then inoculated with one ml suspensions of sterilized human urine and then inoculated with one ml suspensions of sterile saline as a control, or 1 x 108/ml Escherichia coli or proteus mirabilis. After incubation at 37 degrees C for periods of 8 hr, 24 hr, 48 hr, 72 hr, 1 wk, 2 wk and 3 wk, urinary pH was measured, bacterial culture performed and the renal papillae were recovered and examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrophotometry (EDS). In the case of Proteus mirabilis, the sequence of events noted included bacterial-papillary interactions consisting of cell desquamation and strand formation, despite infrequent bacterial attachment. After 10 hr, a rapid, urease induced pH rise resulted in calcium salt deposition on the papillae surface. Organism death was apparent after 72 hr. Escherichia coli infected papillae demonstrated similar cell surface changes after a 8 hr as seen in P. mirabilis; however, frequent evidence of bacterial attachment and penetration was apparent. Bacterial attachment was a prominent feature throughout the incubation period with E. coli. After one week, rare areas of degenerating cells and bacteria with increased calcium levels as compared to surrounding areas were noted by EDS analysis. Urinary pH was stable throughout the incubation period. This study suggests varied roles for the organisms most associated with infection induced papillary necrosis (E coli) and papillary necrosis with subsequent stone formation (P. mirabilis). A role for bacterial calcification in the absence of bacterial urease activity by E. coli is also suggested.