Cerebrospinal fluid eosinophilia associated with intraventricular shunts

Eosinophilic meningitis following suboccipital craniotomy without bovine dural graft: illustrative case

BACKGROUND

Eosinophilic meningitis is a rare known complication after brain surgery associated with duraplasty using artificial bovine graft. However, eosinophilic meningitis after craniotomy without bovine dural graft has not been reported.

OBSERVATIONS

A 48-year-old female presented with lateral medullary infarction caused by a vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm incorporating the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA). The authors performed occipital artery–PICA anastomosis and repaired the dura by primary suture without bovine graft. Thereafter, endovascular internal trapping using coils was conducted. Severe headache developed at postoperative day 17, and the patient was diagnosed with eosinophilic meningitis. After administration of a high-dose corticosteroid for 2 weeks, her symptoms and laboratory findings were improved.

LESSONS

Postoperative eosinophilic meningitis is rarely related to craniotomy without using bovine graft. Neurosurgeons should consider the possibility of eosinophilic meningitis after craniotomy without a xenogeneic dural material.

Diagnostic importance of eosinophilic meningitis in HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients

The presence of eosinophils in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) should always be considered abnormal. This study aimed to evaluate the causes of eosinophils in the CSF of patients who are HIV positive and HIV negative. This is the first study of eosinophils in the CSF of patients who are HIV-positive. This was a retrospective study of CSF reports from 1996 to 2005, patients were selected based on the presence of eosinophils in the CSF. We analyzed 20,008 CSF reports; eosinophils were present in 5%. The median and interquartile range (IQR) of eosinophils was 2% (1%, 4%). Eosinophilic meningitis (CSF eosinophils ≥ 10%) was present in 12% of the samples. The main etiologies were infectious diseases as follows: neurocysticercosis, Cryptococcus sp. meningitis, and acute bacterial meningitis. In HIV-positive cases, all causes were by infectious disease, the main pathogen being Cryptococcus sp. The probability of neurocysticercosis in a patient from an endemic region who is HIV-negative and has CSF eosinophils more than 10% was five times higher compared to a person without eosinophilic meningitis. There was a weak positive correlation between CSF eosinophils and increased serum eosinophils. Among the HIV-negative cases, the most frequent non-infectious causes were cerebrovascular syndromes, of these hemorrhage (91.5%). In the HIV-positive group, there were no cases of non-infectious cerebral disease. CSF eosinophils are suggestive of disease. The causes must be investigated, considering the most prevalent infectious diseases in the region.

Eosinophilic meningitis caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis: an emergent disease in Brazil

Eosinophilic meningitis (EoM) is an acute disease that affects the central nervous system. It is primarily caused by infection with the nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis. This infection was previously restricted to certain Asian countries and the Pacific Islands, but it was first reported in Brazil in 2007. Since then, intermediate and definitive hosts infected with A. cantonensis have been identified within the urban areas of many states in Brazil, including those in the northern, northeastern, southeastern and southern regions. The goals of this review are to draw the attention of the medical community and health centres to the emergence of EoM in Brazil, to compile information about several aspects of the human infection and mode of transmission and to provide a short protocol of procedures for the diagnosis of this disease.

Propionibacterium acnes: an underestimated pathogen in implant-associated infections

The role of Propionibacterium acnes in acne and in a wide range of inflammatory diseases is well established. However, P. acnes is also responsible for infections involving implants. Prolonged aerobic and anaerobic agar cultures for 14 days and broth cultures increase the detection rate. In this paper, we review the pathogenic role of P. acnes in implant-associated infections such as prosthetic joints, cardiac devices, breast implants, intraocular lenses, neurosurgical devices, and spine implants. The management of severe infections caused by P. acnes involves a combination of antimicrobial and surgical treatment (often removal of the device). Intravenous penicillin G and ceftriaxone are the first choice for serious infections, with vancomycin and daptomycin as alternatives, and amoxicillin, rifampicin, clindamycin, tetracycline, and levofloxacin for oral treatment. Sonication of explanted prosthetic material improves the diagnosis of implant-associated infections. Molecular methods may further increase the sensitivity of P. acnes detection. Coating of implants with antimicrobial substances could avoid or limit colonization of the surface and thereby reduce the risk of biofilm formation during severe infections. Our understanding of the role of P. acnes in human diseases will likely continue to increase as new associations and pathogenic mechanisms are discovered.