Koji Takaki

Chronic Prototheca Meningitis

A case of chronic meningitis caused by the achloric alga Prototheca wickerhamii is described, which has persisted for more than 6 years despite treatment with various antifungal agents. For the last year no treatment has been given, but the patient has no complaints.

Detection of Candida antigen and antibody in serum from patients with invasive candidiasis

Abstract Objective: To compare the sensitivity and specificity of three different assays for diagnosis of invasive candidiasis. Methods: A passive hemagglutination assay (PHA), counter-immunoelectrophoresis assay (CIE), and Cand-tec were used to test sera from 125 patients with hematologic malignancies and 65 other hospitalized patients. The former group included 15 patients with invasive candidiasis, 38 patients with Candida colonization, and 72 patients without candidiasis. Results: Sensitivity/specificity of PHA, CIE, and Cand-tec were 87%/85%, 67%/98%, and 33%/97%, respectively. The measurement of antibody in paired sera, by PHA, was sensitive and specific; however, increased antibody titers usually occurred late in the disease. Conclusions: The combination of PHA and CIE, with a sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 98%, appeared to be the best assays for detection of invasive candidiasis in this cohort. The Cand-tec assay for Candida antigen had poor sensitivity for diagnosis of infection.

A Comparative Study of Ofloxacin Twice and Three Times Daily in the Treatment of Respiratory Tract Infections

~-Streptococci 2 4 Staphylococcus 6 2 aureus Haemophilus 2 5 influenzae Pseudomonas 2 3 aeruginosa Other 4 5 Normal flora 12 11 a Mean ± standard deviation. Abbreviations: BID = twice daily; TID = three times daily. In Japan, ofloxacin 100 to 200mg three times daily is the usual dosage regimen in the treatment of RTIs, while in Europe 200mg twice daily is the usual regimen, based on its elimination half-life of about 4 hours. We performed a study comparing ofloxacin 200mg twice daily (BID group) vs 200mg three times daily (TID group), in the treatment of RTIs.

A case of tuberculous pyothorax after an interval of four years of finishing with the first treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis

We reported a case of tuberculous pyothorax which developed at four years after finishing with the first treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. A 50-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with right chest pain. Tuberculous pyothorax was diagnosed by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR method) of pleural effusion and of histological findings of the pleural section. She was cured by operation, pleural drainage and anti-tuberculous drugs. The bone scincigram of 99mTc revealed accumulation in the right 9th rib, tuberculous empyema might have been a secondary development from osteomyelitis.

Ofloxacin in the treatment of infection caused by Salmonella paratyphi A

We reported a case of salmonellosis treated with ofloxacin (OFLX) which showed excellent clinical and bacteriological effect in a 22 year-old Japanese male with Salmonellosis paratyphi A. He had stayed in India from Sept. 6, 1990 to Oct. 13, 1990. On Oct. 25, 1990, he complained of a high fever and headache. On Oct. 29, he was admitted to our hospital and was diagnosed as Salmonellosis paratyphi A by the blood culture. He was treated with 2.0 g/day of chloramphenicol (CP) for 7 days, but the clinical efficacy was not sufficient. Therefore, we added 900 mg/day of OFLX for 10 days. He was treated successfully with them, the temperature became on the 2nd day. No side effect and no changes of laboratory data were observed and no recurrence was observed clinically and bacteriologically for three months after his discharge.