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Skin and soft tissue fungal infections with Apophysomyces elegans, Fusarium solani, Cladophialophora bantiana have been reported in survivors from 2004 Indian ocean Tsunami. We report the first case of primary cutaneous cryptococcosis caused by Cryptococcus gattii VGII in a Tsunami survivor from Thailand.

It is well known that immunopathogenesis play an important role in the development of severe complications in DHF. Since 2006, the authors have experience in giving immunomodulators to save life of many severe complicated adult DHF patients. This experience stimulates our interest on the benefit of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in adult grade II DHF patients.To find out whether there are some benefits of giving adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in adult grade II DHF patients.Retrospective analysis during January 2008-February 2010.One hundred and forty nine adult grade II DHF patients were admitted at Vichaiyut Hospital. They were divided into 3 groups according to the different therapy designed by the responsible clinicians. Group 1 consisted of 59 cases who received full dose-short course of intravenous dexamethasone (4 milligram every 6 hours for 2-3 days). Group 2 consisted of 61 cases who received intermittent 4 milligrams intravenous dexamethasone only at febrile episode and group 3-29 cases did not received corticosteroid. All the patients were investigated similarly. Age, sex, symptoms and signs including daily hematologic studies (Hct, Wbc, differential count, platelet count) were recorded. Serum SGOT SGPT bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and albumin BUN, creatinine were performed on admission and repeated as indicated. The parameter to measure the benefit of adjunctive corticosteroid included 1) severity of thrombocytopenia, 2) liver impairment, 3) the days of illness as determined by fever and 4) the length of the hospital days.The clinical severity of all the three groups were quite similar. There was no benefit of using adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in term of changing the severity of thrombocytopenia and liver impairment. However, the days of illness and the length of hospital days were shorter at 4.6 days and 3.7 days respectively in the group who received full dose, continuous-short course of dexamethasone intravenously. This is statistically significant when compared to the other two groups who had the longer total days of fever at 5.8 days and 6.03 days and the longer length of hospital days at 5.19 days and 4.5 days respectively (p0.05).Adjunctive corticosteroid by given full dose, continuous short course in grade II adult DHF reduced the course of illness (days of fever) and the length of hospital days. These findings indicated the benefit of using adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in grade II adult DHF patients.

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) has reversible multifocal narrowing of the cerebral arteries. Respiratory alkalosis in high altitude studies cause impairment of the central nervous system, presumably by cerebral vasoconstriction. A 54 year-old woman presented with a 1-week of throbbing headache around her forehead while travelling in moderately high altitude, during a windy winter. Sudden severe headache had progressed and developed bilateral lower visual fields defect along with mild weakness of her right leg on the next day. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed acute ischemic process at both occipital, parasagittal left parietal and right frontal area. MR venography was negative but MR angiography showed multifocal narrowing of both anterior and posterior circulations. Lumbar puncture revealed the opening pressure of 240 mmH2O but normal CSF profiles. Blood tests, including complete blood count, protein C, protein S, antithrombin III, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, immunologic and antibody profiles were normal. Dexamethasone and low-molecular weight heparin were given because the intracranial vasculitis and cerebral venous thrombosis could not be ruled out. Visual fields and right leg problems had fully recovered on the second day and second week respectively. Prednisolone was discontinued at the fourth week. MR imaging and MR angiography were repeated in the sixteenth week and revealed old infarction at the left posterior parietal area but narrowing segment of arterial systems were no longer seen. There were a few previous reported cases of RCVS in Asian counties. The authors proposed that altitude changes from travelling to the moderately high altitude and cold windy winter weather were the predisposing factors for the attack of RCVS.

A 46 year old woman who presented with severe multiorgans involvement including liver brain, cardio-pulmonary failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, progressive cytopenia, DIC and hemophagocytic syndrome during the convalescent phase of Dengue type II has been successfully treated primarily with pulse methyl prednisolone and high dose intravenous immunoglobulin G. The authors believe that HPCS are not infrequently seen with high mortality and recommended early diagnosis and treatment with the regimen. This is the first complete report of hemophagocytic syndrome in adult dengue hemorrhagic fever in Thailand. The literature of HPCS in DHF was reviewed and discussed.

The clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 162 patients with eosinophilic myeloencephalitis, believed to be caused by invasion of the central nervous system by Gnathostoma spinigerum, are described. The case mortality rate was at least 12%, and probably higher. Single live young adult G. spinigerum were recovered from the brains of 2 patients at autopsy and from the eye lids of 2 other living patients. The disease caused by this parasite can be distinguished from that caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis by characteristic acute nerve root pain, signs of spinal cord and cerebral involvement, and the presence of bloody or xanthochromic cerebrospinal fluid. As judged by its prevalence and mortality, central nervous system disease caused by G. spinigerum is the most important parasitic disease of the central nervous system in Thailand. Since invasion of the nervous system by this parasite is a significant cause of intracranial hemorrhage in Thailand, it should be kept in mind by internists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and pathologists who care for patients residing in, or who have visited, areas where G. spinigerum occurs.

A 53 year old physically healthy man, unaware of any immunocompromised condition developed rapidly fatal myelomeningoencephalitis following a live-attenuated yellow fever vaccination. He was found to have asymptomatic HIV infection with high viral loads and low CD4 counts. This is the first reported case of such an incidence in the world literature. It is strongly suggested that in countries where HIV infection is endemic, an HIV blood test should be performed prior to the yellow fever vaccination and the vaccine should not be given to those immunocompromised persons.

Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with eosinophilic meningoencephalitis were analyzed for changes in the protein profile and for antibodies to an Angiostrongylus cantonensis extract to seek evidence for a local immune response in the central nervous system. The results showed increased serum IgG and increased CSF total protein, albumin, IgG, IgA, and IgM. Although the CSF immunoglobulin levels were much lower than the corresponding serum levels, antibody activity of both fluids to A. cantonensis extract were similar. These findings are compatible with the idea that CSF antibodies may be synthesized locally within the central nervous system in response to antigenic stimulation.

Six hundred and forty-six patients with an eosinophilic pleocytosis were studied in Thailand over a 3-year period ending in March 1968. It was possible to segregate the cases into two clinical entities, which were termed typical eosinophilic meningitis and eosinophilic myeloencephalitis respectively. The clinical and laboratory finding of 484 cases of typical eosinophilic meningitis are reported here. The latter entity was generally benign and self-limited with a case mortality ratio of less than 0.5%. Acute severe headache was the most significant symptom. Fever was uncommon and abnormal neurologic findings were absent in 58% of cases. Sixteen percent of patients had visual impairment and 12% had an abnormal fundus. Impairment of the sensorium of a slowly progressive type and weakness of the extremities without localization were noted in 5% and less than 1% of patients, respectively. These signs occurred only in severely ill patients. Involvement of the cranial nerves was found in 17% of patients. Paralysis of the external rectus muscle of the eye and facial paralysis were found in 3% and 4%, respectively. The cerebrospinal fluid was characteristically turbid with a leucocyte count of more than 500 cells per mm3 in 75% of cases. It appeared that specific treatment of the disease was not indicated and that steroids and antibiotics did not have a definite beneficial effect on the course of the illness.

2 immature adult male nematodes, identified as Gnathostoma spinigerum , were recovered, for the first time, from the brain at the post mortem examination of 2 patients who died of a newly recognized disease, cosinophilic myeloencephalitis. 54 similar cases were recorded in the 5 studied provinces of Thailand during the 2-year period, indicating the significance of this disease.