Bacterial Infections and Mycoses Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Novel Drugs And Combinations Against Extensively- And Pan-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Isolates, Keertana Jonnalagadda, Rachel Carr, Valerie Carabetta

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Acinetobacter baumannii, a Gram-negative, nosocomial, opportunistic pathogen is commonly infectious in immunocompromised patients. More specifically patients develop healthcare-associated infections (HAI) spanning beyond sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, and urinary tract infections. Due to its rapid ability to acquire antibiotic resistance, it has raised the necessity to discern a novel therapeutic treatment that can be effectively used against the multidrug resistant (MDR) A. baumannii. Cooper University Hospital (CUH) faced an increased case load of patients that were infected with MDR A. baumannii. The patient isolates obtained from CUH were highly resistant to the 22 standard-of-care antibiotics. With the recent introduction …

Clostridium Perfringens Sepsis From A Hepatic Abscess With Hemolysis And Renal Failure, Requiring Hemodialysis, Joel Collins Ii, Katelyn Courtney, James A. Espinosa, Alan Lucerna

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The prognosis of sepsis caused by Clostridium perfringens is extremely poor, with a mortality rate of 70%-100%. Management includes antibiotic regimens specific to toxin production as well as source control via surgical or interventional mechanisms. We report a case of a 64-year-old male who presented with right upper quadrant (RUQ) abdominal pain and was diagnosed with Clostridium perfringens bacteremia with associated acalculous cholecystitis, hepatic abscess, and acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis. It is felt that early hemodialysis was an associated factor in the patient's survival.

The Use Of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine To Treat Common Pediatric Conditions: A Literature Review, Sonya Priven, Emily Meale, Danielle Cooley

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Context: Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) are physicians who are trained in the practice of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). OMT is a form of manual manipulation that can be applied to the patient’s body to aid the body in its own healing properties. The overprescribing and overuse of medication is currently a problem, as it can result in adverse consequences such as antibiotic resistance. Exploring OMT as either an alternative or as a complementary therapy in the pediatric population is beneficial in potentially curbing antibiotic use and improving symptoms and disease-related processes.

Objective: To explore OMT as a therapy for …

Characterization Of Antibiotic Susceptibility Profiles Of Extensively- And Pan-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Clinical Isolates, Rachel Carr, Justin Halim, Rebecca Fliorent, Henry Fraimow, Dejan Nikolic, Valerie Carabetta

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen common in intensive care units (ICUs), particularly among immunocompromised individuals. Nosocomial A. baumannii infections have become increasingly problematic in recent years, as these bacteria rapidly acquire antibiotic resistance, leading to the emergence of multidrug, extensively drug and pan drug-resistant (MDR, XDR, and PDR, respectively) isolates. Recently, Cooper University Hospital (CUH) experienced a large increase in highly drug-resistant A. baumannii infections, which had a mortality rate of 60%. Oftentimes, physicians had to turn to combinations of drugs with no experimental verification or historically shelved antibiotics, such as the polymyxins, in a desperate attempt to save …

Case Report: Cavitary Pneumonia In A 28 Year Old Male, Dan Zaayenga, Katelyn Courtney

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Cavitary pneumonia can be caused by several different mechanisms. Such causes include suppurative necrosis (pyogenic lung abscess), caseous necrosis (tuberculosis), ischemic necrosis (pulmonary infarction) cystic dilatation of lung structures (ball value obstruction and Pneumocystis pneumonia) as well as malignant processes. Causes are subject to both environmental factors and host susceptibility. The most common cause of infectious process is tuberculosis with its propensity to cause extensive caseous necrosis. The potential for secondary infection after an individual develops a cavitary pneumonia is also great as it provides a shelter for various pathogens the flourish in an environment otherwise usually well-guarded by host …

An Unusual Ed Case: Spontaneous Necrotizing Fasciitis Presenting As Hypoxic Pneumonia, Chetna Thawani, Kishan Patel

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

We present a case of necrotizing fasciitis initially presenting as septic hypoxic pneumonia, and discuss imaging modalities and diagnostic evaluation. Necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI) is a rapidly progressive surgical emergency with a mortality rate of 30%. In approximately 80% of cases, it is introduced through a break in the skin. It can also occur after any invasive procedure or surgery. It is most commonly associated with skin flora including staph and strep, though polymicrobial infections are most common. It usually presents with signs of systemic infection, including fever, chills, sepsis, altered mental status - and signs of cutaneous involvement …

The Effects Of Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediator Lipoxin A4 On Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilms And Interactions With Monocytes, Julianne M. Thornton

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an opportunistic pathogen known as a major cause of hospital-acquired secondary infections, commonly causing chronic respiratory infections in immunocompromised individuals, especially those with cystic fibrosis, and often found in wound infections. P. aeruginosa uses the quorum sensing pathway to readily form protective biofilms, which reduce the efficacy of antibiotics and access by host immune cells to eradicate the pathogen. Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) are lipids endogenously produced by the host immune response to infection to aid in infection resolution. One SPM, Lipoxin A4 (LxA4), has been shown to be a robust quorum sensing inhibitor.

The …

Characterization Of Bacterial Pathogens Involved In Aerobic Vaginitis: Prevalence, Strain Characterization And Sequelae, Leslie A. Lafferty

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Aerobic vaginitis (AV) is a more recently defined infection that involves aerobic pathogenic bacteria that replace the normal flora of the vaginal tract. It is commonly mistaken for other vaginal infections, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV), because they share many common symptoms. AV leads to complications during pregnancy, such as premature delivery and amnion infection, and is diagnosed by indications that range from vaginal discharge to inflammation. Because this infection is difficult to diagnose differentially from other vaginal infections, it is important to determine what pathogens are involved in AV so that we may have the ability to detect them. …