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- Almroth, Gabriel, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Acute glomerulonephritis associated with streptococcus pyogenes with concomitant spread of streptococcus constellatus in four rural families
- 2005
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Ingår i: Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences. - 0300-9734 .- 2000-1967. ; 110:3, s. 217-231
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We studied history, renal histopathology and microbiology of an epidemic of acute glomerulonephritis associated with throat infections and uncommon culture results in four neighbour families. A 40-year-old man (index patient) was referred to a university hospital for dialysis and kidney biopsy due to a suspected acute glomerulonephritis. An acute tonsillitis had preceded the condition. Penicillin treatment had been started four days before the discovery of renal failure. Throat swabs were positive for β-hemolytic streptococci, group C (GCS). GCS were also found in throat cultures from his wife and two of their children. The bacteria were typed as Streptococcus constellatus. A third child had S. constellatus expressing Lancefield antigen group G. A neighbour and two of his children fell ill the following week with renal involvement. Throat swabs from both these children were positive for S. constellatus. His third child had erythema multiforme and S. constellatus in the throat while a fourth child had β-hemolytic streptococci group A, Streptococcus pyogenes. Kidney biopsies on the index patient and his neighbour showed an acute diffuse prolipherative glomerulonephritis compatible with acute post-streptococcal nephritis and microbiological analysis of renal tissue revealed in both cases S. pyogenes and S. constellatus. The families had had much contact and had consumed unpasteurized milk from our index patient's farm. In four of seven persons in two additional neighbouring families S. constellatus was found in throat swabs during the same month while two persons carried Streptococcus anginosus expressing the Lancefield C antigen. In conclusion spread of S. constellatus coincided with the occurrence of four cases of acute glomerulonephritis. The two biopsied patients had both S. pyogenes and S. constellatus present in renal tissue. The epidemic either suggested that the outbreak of glomerulonephritis was due to S. pyogenes but coincided with the transmission and colonization of S. constellatus or that the S. constellatus strains were highly pathogenic or nephritogenic and that this organism can be transmitted in such cases.
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| 4. |
- Almroth, Gabriel, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Detection and prevention of hepatitis C in dialysis patients and renal transplant recipients : A long-term follow up (1989–January 1997)
- 2002
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Ingår i: Journal of Internal Medicine. - : Wiley. - 0954-6820 .- 1365-2796. ; 251:2, s. 119-128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Hepatitis C is frequent problem in dialysis wards.Design. A long time (1989–97) follow up of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a Swedish nephrology unit was performed with anti-HCV screening, confirmatory antibody tests, viral RNA detection and molecular characterization. Case histories were reviewed with focus, onset of infection, liver morbidity and mortality.Results. In October 1991, 10% (19 of 184) of the patients in the unit (haemodialysis-, peritoneal dialysis and transplanted patients) were verified or suspected HCV carriers, whilst the number at the end of 1996 was 8% (13 of 157). Most patients were infected before 1991 but only in one case from a known HCV-infected blood donor. No new HCV infections associated with haemodialysis occurred during the study period. A total of 13 of 24 viremic patients had HCV genotype 2b, a pattern suggesting nosocomial transmission. This was further supported by phylogenetic analysis of HCV viral isolates in seven. HCV viremia was also common in patients with an incomplete anti-HCV antibody pattern as 8 of the 12 indeterminant sera were HCV-RNA positive.Conclusions. Awareness, prevention, identification of infected patients and donor testing limited transmission. Indeterminant recombinant immunoblot assays (RIBA)-results should be regarded with caution as a result of the relative immunodeficiency in uremic patients. Our data indicate nosocomial transmission in several patients.
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- Almroth, Gabriel, 1953-
(författare)
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Immunoglobulins, immunoglobulin subclass-distributions and serologic markers in some renal and systemic disorders
- 2000
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this study we evaluated pathogenetic factors and possible mediators of renal and systemic disorders where immunologic mechanisms might be of importance.An abberant immunoglobulin and IgG-subclass distribution was detected in 103 patients with primary and secondary glomerulonephritis as well as in 38 patients with the systemic disease primary Sjögren 's syndrome or purpura hypergammaglobulinemica (elevated IgG1 and low IgG2 ).The drug hydralazine, an anti-hypertensive, was considered to cause renal disease on an immunologic base in 17 patients, with autoantibody production (mainly ANA and antibodies to myeloperoxidase).Dialysis-patients showed adequate antibody responses to vaccination against pneumococci but low responses against hepatitis B, while the IgG-subclass response of the hepatitis B antibody (anti-HBs) was low, but not shown to be significantly different from that of healthy adults.A therapeutical removal of igG-antibodies with immunoadsorption or plasmapheresis was considered to have a possible adjuvant effect to medical immunosuppressive treatment alone in 44 patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis.Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is common in dialysis patients and renal transplant recipients. In 20 anti-HCV positive sera from 1988-91 recombinant immunoblott assay (RIBA) was positive in 8 cases and indeterminate in 7, while HCV RNA was present in 13/20 tested sera. In October 1991 17% of our hemodialysis patients were verified or suspected carriers while 11% were verified or suspected carriers in January 1997. Genotype 2b was found in 13/24 tested cases and in 7 amplifiable 2b sequences a strong phylogenetic relationship occurred. In 8 out of 12 RIBA-3 indeterminate sera HCV-RNA was still positive. Awareness and preventive measures limited transmission between patients.Indeterminate RlBA-results should, also with modem assays, be regarded with caution due to the relative immunodeficiency of uremic patients.In conclusion renal and systemic diseases may affect the serum immunoglobulins and immunoglobulin G-subclasses, while a study of the specific antibody subclass distributions (anti-HBs) showed no difference in renal (dialysis) patients and healthy adults. Medication (hydralazine) and infection may be triggering factors of various forms of glomerulonephritis. Uremia affects the antibody responses to hepatitis C in dialysis patients. The extent of renal disease as well as the possibility of therapeutic removal of antibodies is also important for the immunologic responses of such disorders.
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- Almroth, Gabriel, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Perspectives on hepatitis B infections and the efficacy of vaccination (hepatitis B and pneumococci) in dialysis patients.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Upsala journal of medical sciences. - : Uppsala Medical Society. - 0300-9734 .- 2000-1967. ; 108:1, s. 61-74
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hepatitis B is a well known problem in dialysis units. We therefore examined the historical frequency of hepatitis B carriers in our unit, our vaccination program to hepatitis B virus (HBV), the response to hepatitis B vaccine, the IgG subclass response of anti-HBs and the response and IgG subclass response to pneumococcal vaccination (another vaccine) in dialysis patients. From 1970 and onwards 23 HBV carriers were found, but no new cases of hepatitis B occurred during the study period, i.e. from 1980 and onwards. Only one of the carriers was alive by the end of 2001. In four patients liver disease (in one of them liver cirrhosis) may have been a concomitant cause of death. The antibody response to hepatitis B vaccine was significantly lower in patients than in staff. In four patients a fourth injection was cancelled due to transplantation and bad health, while such data were lacking in 8 cases. In anti-HBs positive patients and controls a significant difference in the response of healthy adults was observed in anti-HBs IgG1 (p < 0.001) vs all other IgG subclasses. Dialysis patients had low levels, or negative findings, in all cases, with IgG1 as the highest proportion found (3/11 patients). An antibody response to pneumococcal vaccination was registered in 25 out of 29 dialysis patients (in all 86%). The IgG-subclass vaccination response to pneumococci in 28 dialysis patients was mainly IgG2 and IgG1 but also occurred in IgG3 and IgG4. Prevaccination antibody levels of the controls were higher in IgG1 and IgG2 (p < 0.01) (n = 21) than in dialysis patients (n = 28). Hepatitis B is nowadays a rare, but still dangerous disease in nephrology units. Dialysis patients have a reduced response to hepatitis B vaccine and vaccination schedules should be started early as some patients otherwise may not receive a fourth injection. The adequate antibody response to pneumococcal vaccination mainly due to IgG2 and IgG1 antibodies indicates that the antigen involved is important in vaccination responses in dialysis patients.
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- Stegmayr, B. G., et al.
(författare)
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Plasma exchange or immunoadsorption in patients with rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis : A Swedish multi-center study
- 1999
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Ingår i: International Journal of Artificial Organs. - : SAGE Publications. - 0391-3988 .- 1724-6040. ; 22:2, s. 81-87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A therapeutic removal of antibodies may be achieved by immunoadsorption (IA) or by plasma exchange (PE). The aim of this prospective randomised study was to compare the efficacy of these different techniques with regard to treatment of patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPG) having at least 50% crescents. Forty-four patients with a RPG were included for treatment either by IA or PE (with albumin as substitution for removed plasma). All patients were additionally treated with immunosuppression. A median of 6 sessions of PEs were performed in 23 patients compared with 6 IAs in 21 patients. Goodpasture's syndrome (GP) was present in 6 patients (PE 3, IA 3). All of them started and ended in dialysis, two died. Among the remaining 38 patients (26 men, 12 women) 87% had antibodies to ANCA. Creatinine clearance for PE versus IA were at a median at start 17.1 and 19.8 ml/min, and at 6 months 49 and 49 ml/min, respectively. At 6 months 7 of 10 patients did not need dialysis (remaining: IA 0/5 and PE 2/5, n.s.). The extent of improvement did not differ between the groups. Three patients died during the observation period of 6 months (IA 2; PE 1, on HD). Although no difference was found between the IA or the PE group this study shows that the protocol used was associated with an improved renal function in most patients (except for Goodpasture's syndrome) whereas 70% of them could leave the dialysis program.
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