Tetanus after envenomations caused by freshwater stingrays

Injuries caused by freshwater stingray are common in several regions of South America, although they are underreported. The riverside inhabitants are the main victims in the Amazonian and Midwest regions of South America. The fishermen are injured mainly in the new focus of colonization of the rivers by freshwater stingrays. With the increasing population in these regions, where freshwater stingrays are found, there has been a significant increase in injuries within the general population. The highest increase occurred among tourists from other regions, where these animals are not known, when visiting these areas. The envenomations from the stingray causes prolonged and intense pain, both local and regionally. Generally these are associated with other local inflammatory manifestations, such as swelling and erythema. The injury often progresses to necrosis and it is considered potentially tetanogenic. A secondary infection is also a frequent local complication and most frequently is caused by Aeromonas species, usually Aeromonas hydrophila. Herein we report the first 2 cases of tetanus after freshwater stingray injuries: a 51-year-old men who had tetanus and recovered without sequel and the second a 67-year-old men who had severe tetanus and a deep, necrotizing soft-tissue infection with sepsis, septic shock and evolution to death.

The effect of body temperature on leukocyte kinetics during cardiopulmonary bypass

Leukocyte kinetics were investigated in 22 patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass to determine the nature of the changes in the white blood cell count associated with this procedure. Both polymorphonuclear leukocytes and lymphocytes were taken up by the lung as pulmonary blood flow was lowered, but only polymorphonuclear leukocytes were taken up as blood flow was restored. The complement 3a level was increased approximately twice the control value within 2 minutes of going on bypass and remained elevated throughout the procedure. The peripheral white blood cell count doubled during the bypass procedure owing to a release of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and their precursors from the bone marrow. The increase in polymorphonuclear leukocytes was prevented by hyperthermia but reappeared quickly when the body temperature was restored to 36 degrees to 37 degrees C.