Opportunistic Infections: Brain

According to lee et al [5] the effects of Rituximab in the autoimmune and the paraneoplastic LE were comparable. Rituximab targets B cells and T cells are spared, so innate immune system is still working and the rate of infection will be low.[18] Rituximab has advantage of safety in cases of disturbed immune system and simultaneous infections. [23] Given the substantial efficacy and safety, in the future Rituximab might be even considered as a first line therapy for Autoimmune encephalitis.[5] Further studies are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of Rituximab as a first-line

Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (CJD) is a rapidly progressive form of Dementia. Early diagnosis is important because the underlying cause of Dementia may be treatable. It appears randomly with no apparent reason, about 10% of those who are infected receive the disease through heredity. The use of a computerized axial tomography scan (CT) can help rule out other problems like stroke or brain tumor. The most effective is a Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), because it can reveal patterns of abnormal brain signals and characteristics of CJD. In rare cases a brain biopsy may need to be performed. A small piece of tissue is removed and it is examined by a Neuropathologist, usually an MRI is sufficient. When a symptom on set happens, individuals may develop confusion, depression, behavioral changes, impaired vision and impaired coordination. As the disease processes there may be a loss of memory, also infected individuals may develop neuromuscular abnormalities. In later stages of the disease, individuals may have further loss of physical, intellectual functions, a coma, and repeated infections of the respiratory tract. Some people have life threatening and life ending complications, that develop less than a year after being

ADEM is believed to be an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks its own brain tissue. Most of the time, it is believed to be triggered by a response to an infection, vaccination or other environmental stimulus. Furthermore, ADEM is sometimes referred as a post-infectious or post-immunization acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. ADEM is characterized by a brief yet widespread attack of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord that damages the protective covering of nerve fibers (myelin). This disorder can happen at any given age, however, it is more common in yonger children.It is also common for ADEM to happen in the winter and spring time and it is more common to happen to males than to females at a ratio of

Encephalitis is a neurological disorder that results in the inflammation of the brain and sometimes the meninges. It is usually due to a viral infection. Most often arboviruses cause encephalitis, by transference via mosquitos to humans and animals. When bitten by an infected mosquito the virus moves from the mosquito into the person’s blood, it then reaches the brain and spinal cord, it multiplies within the central nervous system thus inflaming and damaging nerve cells, this interferes with signals from the brain to the rest of the body. The herpes simplex virus type one can commonly cause encephalitis. HIV has also been noted as an increasing cause of encephalitis. Viral infections like: mumps, chicken pox and measles can also cause encephalitis, but rarely.

While not confirmed for every person, norovirus was confirmed to be the cause of the sickness in one of the cases, and the other cases being “probable.” The symptoms of norovirus include vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. It causes the most cases of food-borne outbreaks each year.

A 12-year-old girl presents as a transfer from an inpatient unit with a five day history of fever and rash. Initial symptoms included soreness under the left axilla associated with chills and low-grade temperatures of 100.5° F. Repeated visits to multiple physicians yielded a diagnosis of viral syndrome due to non-specific findings on examinations and a negative radiograph of the left shoulder and negative rapid flu test. The soreness progressively worsened with rapid development of a red, sunburn-like rash spreading from the axilla to the torso. Development of this rash coincided with abrupt onset of fever up to 103.5° F, headache, chills, and several episodes of vomiting the day of admission. She was admitted and started on piperacillin/tazobactam

with a headache, fever, and chills. What would feel like a basic flu, would evolve into an intense soreness.

bronchitis, and the list goes on and on. Even through adenoviruses causes illness they very rarely

Encephalitis literally means an inflammation of the brain, but it usually refers to brain inflammation caused by a virus. It may also be called “acute viral encephalitis or aseptic encephalitis';. Encephalitis is an infectious disease of the Central Nervous System characterized by pathologic changes in both the gray and white matter of the spinal cord and brain. It may be due to specific disease entity such as rabies or an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus), or it may occur as a sequela of influenza, measles, German measles, chicken pox, herpes virus infection, small pox, vaccinia, or other diseases. The specific viruses involved may vary. Exposure can also occur through insect bites, food or drink, or skin

In the study, there were 212 verified cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy had been identified globally and 22 percent of these people had died. In addition, researchers confirmed that 23 out of 58 of survivors developed severe disabilities. Also, a total of 99,571 of patients had been exposed to natalizumab. The possibility of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy raised with increasing extent of treatment, with the most increase in risk happening after 2 years of therapy between 25 to 48 months (Bloomgren. et at, 2012).

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that majorly affects the brainand the spinal cord (A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, 1). The disease affects the central nervous system and thus causes limitations of individuals to carry out various activities. In multiple sclerosis, the myelin sheath that covers nerve cell axon is destroyed causing inflammation (MediResource Inc., 1). Destructionof the membrane leads to slowed conveyance of signals from the spinal cord to the brain, which as a result leads to reduced response to different stimuli. Inflammation of the nerve occurs mostly when the immune cells from the body attack the nervous system. The inflammation is not only limited to the spinal cord, but sometimes extends to

disease and Alzheimer’s. Severe infection that has spread to the brain, epilepsy, stroke, and the late

Once infected with the fungus, it usually targets the lungs and central nervous system, but may also affect other parts of the body. The infection is called Cryptococcosis. The infection is not at all contagious; as a matter of fact one

Meningitis can be destructive without proper understanding of what it is caused by. There are three types of meningitis- bacterial, fungal, and viral. Contrasting factors tend to arise during a comparison of them. One of the most notable areas that viral, fungal and bacterial meningitis differ in are their treatment ability. However, they have the same general affects on the human body. In any case, there are tests that doctors can utilize in order to discover if the meningitis is bacterial, fungal, or viral.

Encephalitis is a condition caused by viruses which cause the brain to become inflamed. There are two types of encephalitis one is called primary because the viruses affect the brain itself. Secondary is the viruses travel from some other part of the body that has been affect to the brain. When the virus reaches the brain it begins to multiply causing inflammation. The brain’s white matter can be destroyed. This destruction causes cell death, hemorrhage and edema. The edema begins to compress the blood vessels this causes intracranial pressure (Mayo Clinic, 2011).