Publications

microbial flora and antibiotic resistance in peritonsillar abscesses in upstate new york.	to identify the common bacteria in recent peritonsillar abscesses and the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and compare both between adults and children.	2015	26023143
management and outcomes in children with sinogenic intracranial abscesses.	to report our experience of sinogenic intracranial abscesses in the paediatric population and to guide medical and surgical management.	2015	25887135
prosthetic aortic valve: a bone in the system.	we report a case of a 73-year-old female patient admitted to the surgical department for a splenic abscess. she had a history of a mechanical aortic valve implanted two years earlier. during the diagnostic work-up, the patient underwent a transesophageal echocardiogram that revealed the presence of multiple paravalvular abscesses, establishing the diagnosis of prosthetic valve endocarditis. a few days later, the echocardiogram was repeated due to a new-onset systolic-diastolic murmur. a large ps ...	2015	25660459
parafalcine empyema, a tricky infectious cause of headache: a case report.	headache caused by subdural empyema is usually associated with fever and symptoms and/or clinical signs of meningeal irritation and increased intracranial pressure. we describe a patient with headache with absence of these signs or symptoms of meningeal irritation or intracranial pressure, who turned out to have a parafalcine subduralempyema. a 28-year-old man had headache for 2 weeks, which had started with visual symptoms with duration of 5 minutes. two days later, he developed fever. during t ...	2015	25618767
streptococcus milleri and recurrent intra-abdominal abscesses: a case report and literature review.	we report a case of recurrent intra-abdominal abscesses as a postoperative complication following diverticular perforation in which streptococcus milleri (sm) was isolated. sm is evaluated here as a potent pyogenic organism commonly associated with intra-abdominal abscess especially in the postoperative setting. with the commonly adopted conservative management, the challenges of recurrence and prolonged hospital stay experienced in the indexed case as well as many other previous reports are hig ...	2016	27313942
pyopneumothorax secondary to streptococcus milleri infection.	we report a case of a 46-year-old malay woman with underlying hypothyroidism post thyroidectomy who presented with worsening breathlessness, orthopnoea, productive cough and left-sided pleuritic chest pain of 3 days duration. chest x-ray on admission showed left-sided massive hydropneumothorax. pleural tapping revealed empyema. a chest tube was inserted immediately. the culture of pleural fluid grew streptococcus constellatus the patient was treated with antibiotics for a total of 6 weeks and un ...	2016	27881590
the sil locus in streptococcus anginosus group: interspecies competition and a hotspot of genetic diversity.	the streptococcus invasion locus (sil) was first described in streptococcus pyogenes and streptococcus pneumoniae, where it has been implicated in virulence. the two-component peptide signaling system consists of the sila response regulator and silb histidine kinase along with the silcr signaling peptide and sild/e export/processing proteins. the presence of an associated bacteriocin region suggests this system may play a role in competitive interactions with other microbes. comparative analysis ...	2016	28119678
cervical necrotizing fasciitis: descriptive, retrospective analysis of 59 cases treated at a single center.	to provide retrospective, descriptive information on patients with cervical necrotizing fasciitis treated at a single center during the years 1998-2014, and to evaluate the outcome of a newly introduced treatment strategy. retrospective analysis of clinical data obtained from medical records. mortality, pre-morbidity, severity of illness, primary site of infection, type of bacteria, time parameters. the observed 3-month mortality was 6/59 (10 %). the most common initial foci of the infection wer ...	2016	27287509
the streptococcus milleri group in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.	s. anginosus, constellatus and intermedius, also known as the streptococcus milleri group (smg) are three streptococcal species more frequently detected in cases of invasive disease, abscesses and empyema in particular. recent research suggests they play a role in exacerbations of cystic fibrosis (cf). owing to poor recovery on standard culture media and difficult differentiation from non-pathogenic streptococci, smg may be underdiagnosed in routine settings. we aimed to establish the incidence ...	2016	27132809
effects of gatifloxaine content in gatifloxacine-loaded plga and β-tricalcium phosphate composites on efficacy in treating osteomyelitis.	composites of gatifloxacin (gflx)-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (plga) and β-tricalcium phosphate (βtcp) containing 0, 1, and 10 wt % gflx (0, 1, and 10 wt % gflx composites), and gflx-loaded plga containing 1, 5, and 10 wt % gflx (1, 5, and 10wt % gflx-plga) as controls were fabricated and characterized in vitro and in vivo. on in vitro evaluation, the 10 wt % gflx composite released gflx over at least 28 days in hanks' balanced solution and exhibited clinically sufficient bactericidal ...	2016	25533357
in vitro volatile organic compound profiling using gc×gc-tofms to differentiate bacteria associated with lung infections: a proof-of-concept study.	chronic pulmonary infections are the principal cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals with cystic fibrosis (cf). due to the polymicrobial nature of these infections, the identification of the particular bacterial species responsible is an essential step in diagnosis and treatment. current diagnostic procedures are time-consuming, and can also be expensive, invasive and unpleasant in the absence of spontaneously expectorated sputum. the development of a rapid, non-invasive methodology ca ...	2016	27120170
microbiology and choice of antimicrobial therapy for acute sinusitis complicated by subperiosteal abscess in children.	review past studies of the microbiology of subperiosteal abscesses (spoa) complicating sinusitis in children and their implications of the antimicrobials administered to treat the infection.	2016	27063747
microbiology of peritonsillar abscess in the south estonian population.	the first aim of this study was to compare the microbiota of different locations (pus, tonsillar fossa, blood) in peritonsillar abscess (pta) patients in order to optimize the sampling scheme. the second aim was to estimate the occurrence of tonsillitis episodes and macroscopic oropharyngeal signs characteristic of recurrent tonsillitis in pta patients.	2016	27113570
rare purulent cardiac tamponade caused by streptococcus constellatus in a young immunocompetent patient: case report and review of the literature.	background purulent pericardial tamponade is a very rare occurrence in the current era of widespread antibiotic use. it is even rarer when caused by streptococcus constellatus: a microorganism usually classified among the normal flora of the human body. it is occasionally diagnosed with certain predisposing factors. case report we present the third case of streptococcus constellatus cardiac tamponade reported in the current medical literature, occurring in a previously healthy young man who was ...	2016	27847383
multiple liver abscesses and bacteremia caused by streptococcus constellatus infection: a case report.	the streptococcus milleri group (smg) comprises commensal mucosal bacteria. pyogenic liver abscesses due to hematogenous smg infection are rare but can be observed even in healthy patients. in such cases, physicians should consider the existence of primary lesions that allow penetration of the smg.	2016	28096994
late aortic silver graft re-infection due to streptococcus milleri group (streptococcus anginosus). case report and literature review.		2017	27883162
[streptococcus milleri: an unusual cause of skull extensive osteomyelitis in an immunocompetent patient].	streptococcus milleri (streptococcus anginosus, intermedius and constellatus) are commensal organisms, which can become pathogenic and cause infection with frequent abscess formation, local or metastatic extension. osteomyelitis of the skull has been rarely reported in this type of infection.	2017	28236536
cavernous sinus thrombosis during pregnancy.	cavernous sinus thrombosis (cst) represents a rare but devastating disease process that may be associated with significant long-term patient morbidity or mortality. rapid diagnosis and aggressive medical and surgical management are imperative for patients with cst. we present the case of a 24-year-old pregnant woman with intraorbital abscess and cst secondary to streptococcus milleri. surgical intervention included orbital abscess drainage and dental extraction, medical therapy included intraven ...	2017	27146007
nas agar is more suitable than mckay agar for primary culture of streptococcus milleri group (smg) fastidious bacteria, s. intermedius in particular.	streptococcus milleri group (smg) is a group of three streptococcal species (s. anginosus, intermedius and constellatus) that act as opportunist pathogens, among others in cystic fibrosis. due to their fastidious character, they are both difficult to cultivate and to differentiate from less pathogenic streptococcal species, therefore being most probably underdiagnosed. semi-selective mckay agar and nas agar were developed to facilitate smg recovery from clinical samples; however, direct comparis ...	2017	27638003
in vitro/ in vivo evaluation of the efficacy of gatifloxacine-loaded plga and hydroxyapatite composite for treating osteomyelitis.	molten 10 wt% gatifloxacine (glfx-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (plga) was introduced into three-dimensionally interconnected pores and onto the surfaces of hydroxyapatite (ha) granules. the composite granules exhibited clinically sufficient bactericidal activities against streptococcus milleri and bacteroides fragilis from 3 h to 10 days. the composite granules were implanted in bone defects created by debridement of osteomyelitis lesions in rabbit mandibles. after 4-week implantation, infl ...	2017	28626206
infective endocarditis with left to right intracardiac fistula due to streptococcus anginosus - a rare complication caused by an even rarer bacterium.	although infective endocarditis (ie) has been described in reports dating from the renaissance, the diagnosis still challenges and the outcome often surprises. in the course of time, diagnostic criteria have been updated and validated to reduce misdiagnosis. some risk factors and epidemiology have shown dynamic changes since degenerative valvular disease became more predominant in developed countries, and the mean age of the affected population increased. despite streptococci have been being wel ...	2017	28584802
idiopathic pretracheal deep neck space infection with mediastinal extension: a series of 3 cases and review of the literature.	idiopathic pretracheal deep neck space infection is an extremely rare condition with potentially devastating complications. we present a series of 3 cases of pretracheal deep neck space infection that arose in the absence of trauma or a congenital lesion and that exhibited mediastinal spread. to the best of our knowledge, these cases represent the first reported series of this rare condition to be published in the english-language literature. all cultures grew streptococcus milleri, and all pati ...	2017	28636733
an update on bacterial brain abscess in immunocompetent patients.	a brain abscess is a focal infection of the brain that begins as a localized area of cerebritis. in immunocompetent patients, bacteria are responsible for >95% of brain abscesses, and enter the brain either through contiguous spread following otitis, sinusitis, neurosurgery, or cranial trauma, or through haematogenous dissemination.	2017	28501669