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Background The diagnosis of neurosyphilis relies on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) abnormalities (pleocytosis, elevated protein) and CSF-Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test. In resource-limited settings, the CSF-VDRL test may not be widely available. Methods We optimized a commercial immunochromatographic strip test, the DPP Chembio syphilis assay, for performance with CSF and tested centrifuged CSF samples of 71 patients with syphilis (35 with neurosyphilis and 36 without neurosyphilis). A CSF dilution of 1:4 was chosen based on agreement with CSF pools with documented results from the CSF-VDRL test and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test on CSF. Using an electronic reader, we obtained unit values of treponemal and nontreponemal antibodies for all study samples and generated a receiver operating characteristic curve; using the Youden index, we established diagnostic cutoffs with optimal sensitivity and specificity. Results Diagnostic sensitivity of the nontreponemal test was 80% (95% confidence interval, 63%-92%) and specificity was 97% (95% confidence interval, 85%-100%) for neurosyphilis diagnosis using a reactive CSF-VDRL that improved after neurosyphilis therapy as a criterion standard. Conclusions In this small study, the DPP Chembio test showed promising results for neurosyphilis diagnosis. Further studies are needed to assess its performance in resource-limited settings.

ObjectiveLupus cerebritis is a rare but potentially fatal complication of SLE. Prompt diagnosis and rapid initiation of therapy can prove lifesaving.BackgroundWe present the case of a 31-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department with one week of fevers, headaches and confusion. Review of systems was notable for diffuse muscle and joint pains, weakness and a rash. SLE and Sjogren's were both diagnosed six months prior to admission and treatment included prednisone, methotrexate, and hydroxychloroquine. She self-discontinued therapy six weeks prior to seek natural remedies in her native Ecuador. Vitals on admission were 102.2 F, 111 beats/min, 96/67 mmHg, 16 breaths/min and 95% SO2 on 2 L/min via nasal cannula. Physical exam was notable for conjunctival injection, hypopyon (OD), and oral ulcers with visible bleeding. Pelvic exam showed shallow ulcerations of the vaginal mucosa. Neurological exam was significant for diffuse weakness. There were punched-out ulcers on the digits of both hands. Laboratory markers of lupus disease activity were markedly abnormal. An MRI of the brain showed numerous punctate foci of restricted diffusion in the supra and infratentorial brain parenchyma. Few of the lesions showed subtle rim-enhancement and microhemorrhagic foci. CSF analysis showed 220 WBC/mL (70% PMNs), glucose 13 mg/dL and protein 63.7 mg/dL. No CSF oligoclonal bands were detected. CSF/serum albumin index showed mild impairment of the blood brain barrier. Cultures of CSF, blood, urine and sputum showed no growth.Design/MethodsNA.ResultsThe patient improved significantly upon initiation of pulsed corticosteroids, plasma exchange, and cyclophosphamide. She was transitioned to steroid-sparing agents and is doing well.ConclusionsLupus cerebritis can be the dominant syndrome in a patient presenting with uncontrolled SLE. Imaging and CSF findings can be dramatic and evoke infectious syndromes. Once alternative diagnoses have been ruled out lupus cerebritis should be managed aggressively to ensure good outcomes.

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) dramatically changed the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, making it one of the most prominent medical breakthroughs of the past 3 decades. However, as the life span of persons living with HIV (PLWH) continues to approach that of the general population, the same cannot be said regarding their quality of life. PLWH are affected by comorbid conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and neurocognitive impairment at a higher rate and increased severity than their age-matched counterparts. PLWH also have higher levels of inflammation, the drivers of which are not entirely clear. As cART treatment is lifelong, we assessed here the effects of cART, independent of HIV, on primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). MDMs were unskewed or skewed to an alternative phenotype and treated with Atripla or Triumeq, two first-line cART treatments. We report that Triumeq skewed alternative MDMs toward an inflammatory nonsenescent phenotype. Both Atripla and Triumeq caused mitochondrial dysfunction, specifically efavirenz and abacavir. Additionally, transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) demonstrated that both Atripla and Triumeq caused differential regulation of genes involved in immune regulation and cell cycle and DNA repair. Collectively, our data demonstrate that cART, independent of HIV, alters the MDM phenotype. This suggests that cART may contribute to cell dysregulation in PLWH that subsequently results in increased susceptibility to comorbidities.

Neurosyphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum (T. pallidum). The organism gains entry into the central nervous system (CNS) early (primary syphilis or chancre phase) in the course of infection. While most patients are able to mount an immune response that effectively clears CNS invasion without long-term complications, a minority go on to develop asymptomatic or symptomatic neurosyphilis. Neurosyphilis has been divided into early and late stages. The early stages include asymptomatic meningitis, symptomatic meningitis, gumma, and meningovascular syphilis, while the late stages include dementia paralytica and tabes dorsalis. Ocular and otologic syphilis can occur at any time but often accompany the acute meningitis of early neurosyphilis. The diagnosis of symptomatic neurosyphilis requires meeting clinical, serologic, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) criteria, while the diagnosis of asymptomatic neurosyphilis relies on serologic and CSF criteria alone. In the last several decades, a persistent rise in syphilitic meningitis and other forms of early neurosyphilis have been seen in the human immunodeficiency virus-positive population, principally in men who have sex with men. This article reviews the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of neurosyphilis, and it addresses the controversy regarding the role of lumbar puncture early in the course of infection.

Background Candida auris (C. auris) is a multidrug resistant Candida species, reported to cause persistent fungemia along with a multitude of invasive fungal infections. We report the first case of C. auris fungemia due to endocarditis. Methods 61 year old man with a history of diverticulitis that required sigmoid resection and was complicated by abdominal abscesses due to multi drug resistant organisms warranting heavy antibiosis. Prolonged hospitalisation for that surgery was followed by a stay at a long term acute care hospital. He was readmitted at an outside hospital with sepsis where blood cultures grew C.auris. Upon evaluation, was found to have aortic valve endocarditis. Per patient’s preference, surgery was initially deferred. Despite escalation of therapy with a combination of antifungals, he remained fungemic for five weeks with repeat blood cultures showing changing antifungal susceptibility patterns. Patient eventually underwent surgical intervention at our facility, with valve cultures being positive for C.auris. After the surgery he was treated with 6 weeks of intravenous combination antifungal therapy. Results C.auris’s pathogenicity stems from multiple mechanisms with multi drug resistance being most pertinent. What adds to the complexity of the management is the absence of C.auris specific minimum inhibitory concentration breakpoints. Therefore treatment is based on Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) proposed breakpoints that have been extrapolated from other Candida spp. It is further complicated by lack of C.auris specific data showing essential agreement among different commercially available antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST). Heteroresistance of the microbial population is an issue that must be considered in such protracted fungemia. Conclusion Invasive infections due to Candida auris presents as a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to clinicians. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Background Clinicians frequently assume that during arterial puncture for measuring arterial blood gases patients hyperventilate from pain and anxiety. This assumption leads clinicians to falsely interpret a PaCO 2 and pH near the upper limit of normal as a chronic respiratory acidosis corrected by an acute respiratory alkalosis. Objective Determine if participants hyperventilate during arterial puncture from pain and anxiety. Methods We recruited participants from a pulmonary function laboratory referred for arterial blood gas measurement. We excluded those with heart failure and included those with any respiratory condition (COPD, asthma, sleep apnea). We measured end tidal PCO 2 (P ET CO 2 ), respiratory rate, and heart rate 15 min before topical anesthesia, during anesthesia, during arterial puncture, and 15 min later. We assessed generalized anxiety before and measured pain during and after arterial puncture. Results 24 participants were recruited (age: 54 ± 12 years; men: 54%). PaCO 2 was 41 ± 5 mmHg. One had acute respiratory alkalosis. Respiratory rate increased from (19 ± 6 breaths per minute (bpm)) before to a maximum (21 ± 6 bpm) during arterial puncture ( p = 0.001). Heart rate was stable throughout. The lowest P ET CO 2 during the procedure (35 ± 5) was similar to P ET CO 2 before the procedure ( p = 0.1). The change in P ET CO 2 and respiratory rate did not correlate with pain, anxiety, or lung function. Conclusion Respiratory rate increased slightly during arterial puncture without any change in P ET CO 2 . Hence, acid–base status must be interpreted without the assumption of procedure induced hyperventilation.

A price increase of pyrimethamine tablets in the United States has made the life-saving drug difficult to acquire for hospitalized patients who need it most. We report the successful use of a pyrimethamine oral suspension compounded from an economical bulk powder in a patient with acute toxoplasmic encephalitis.

Background Two strains of influenza B virus, B/Yamagata and B/Victoria, co-circulate in the USA, typically appearing in late March. This year, influenza B virus (FluB) co-circulated consistently with influenza A virus (FluA). We hypothesized that this could be explained by an increased use of influenza trivalent vaccine, which lacks the B/Yamagata strain, over the quadrivalent vaccine. Methods We performed a retrospective, observational cohort study of patients with laboratory-diagnosed influenza from October 2016 through April 2017. Age, comorbidity categories, pregnancy status, symptoms, The presence of opacity on chest film, ICU admission, death, and receipt of oseltamivir were reviewed for 256 patients. A subset of FluB specimens were subtyped for lineage using RT–PCR. Results Influenza was detected in 495 (10.4%) of 4,754 samples collected, including 305 FluA and 190 FluB. The H3 strain represented 97% of FluA cases. FluB subtypes were: 70, B/Victoria; 21, B/Yamagata; and 41, not subtyped. Chart review was conducted for 124 randomly selected FluA and 132 sequential FluB patients. Median age of patients with FluA was 44 compared with 27 with FluB (P < 0.001). Forty-three (34.7%) FluA patients had heart disease compared with 21 (15.9%) FluB patients (P < 0.001). Otherwise, there were no differences in comorbidities, pregnancy status, clinical symptoms, or infectious complications between FluA vs. FluB patients. Ninety-three (75%) FluA patients and 78 (59.1%) FluB patients received oseltamivir. ICU admission occurred in 15 (12.1%) FluA and 9 (6.8%) FluB patients (OR 1.414; 95% CI 0.83-2.4). Seventy-seven (30%) patients received flu vaccine, 39 with FluA, and 38 with FluB; 97 (37.9%) were not vaccinated and 82 (32%) were missing data. Of those vaccinated, 6 patients received trivalent vaccine, and 71 received quadrivalent. Only 24 patients with B/Victoria and 7 patients with B/Yamagata were vaccinated. Conclusion The proportion of infected patients who had received vaccination was low, limiting our ability to detect the effect of the trivalent vaccine on the incidence of infection with B/Yamagata. In contrast to conventional thought, when compared with influenza B, influenza A (predominantly H3N2) did not appear to disproportionally affect those with most medical comorbidities, and was not disproportionately associated with our identified clinical complications. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.