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Invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in high-risk individuals with severe comorbidities, including asplenia, chronic alcoholism, and altered immune status. The risk of invasive pneumococcal disease has been significantly higher in transplant patients compared with the general population. Here, we report an unusual case of a disseminated pneumococcal infection with meningitis, endocarditis, spondylodiscitis, and muscle abscess in an asplenic patient on chronic immunosuppressive therapy for liver transplantation performed 17 years before.

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Cerebral mycotic aneurysms are one of the most serious complications of bacterial endocarditis but the mechanism underlying cerebral aneurysms is unclear. We reported the cytokine levels in a cerebral mycotic aneurysm in a child with Down's syndrome. The patient was a 12-year-old female. She was diagnosed as having Down's syndrome and congenital heart disease consisting of an endocardial cushion defect at birth. She underwent a radical operation at 9 years but mitral valve regurgitation remained. She was hospitalized with high fever, vomiting, loss of activity and gait disturbance. Neurological examination revealed facial palsy and hemiparesis on the left side. Cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-alpha, sTNFR1 and sE-selectin were elevated in blood, and IL-6, TNF-alpha and sTNFR1 in cerebrospinal fluid. T2-weighted MRI disclosed a low intensity area in the right Sylvian sulcus. MR angiography showed an aneurysm of the right middle cerebral artery. We think that cytokines and the formation abnormality of collagen fibers are related to the production of aneurysms.

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Bacterial meningitis usually presents with cerebrospinal pleocytosis with neutrophil predominance. Cases without pleocytosis are known from the literature. A case of group B streptococcal endocarditis with concomitant meningitis without cerebrospinal pleocytosis is described in a 40 year old woman. Finding the cerebrospinal fluid normocellular might mislead the physician and cause a delay in treatment.

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PURPOSE: The study of frequency, modalities and course of neurological complications of infective endocarditis (IE), as well as the current indication and value of supplementary examinations. METHODS: Sixty-three patients with IE, 39 with native valve and 24 with valvar prosthesis, were prospectively studied; the mean age was 42 years and 45 (71.4%) were males. Two groups were formed: A) 41 patients without neurological events and B) 22 patients who presented 28 neurological events before or during hospitalization: ischemic cerebrovascular accident 20, hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident 2, meningeal hemorrhage 2, meningitis 2, brain abscess 1 and seizure 1. All patients were submitted to neurological clinical examination; 57 computerized tomographies of the cranium, 28 arteriographies and 32 cerebrospinal fluid analysis were performed. RESULTS: The incidence of neurological events corresponded to 34.92% of IE patients, with a clear predominance (85.71%) of vascular as compared to infectious manifestations. Mortality was 2.32 times higher in group B patients (22.73% x 9.76%), albeit p = 0.256, and was not related to staphylococcal etiology. The neurological events were not related to sex, age and presence of valvar prosthesis. The presence of neurological complications was greater (p = 0.047) in patients with simultaneous infections in two valves (mitral and aortic) and also (p = 0.00884) in those with IE in prosthesis implanted for less than three months. All supplementary neurological examinations in group A were normal. CONCLUSION: 1) Occurrence of neurological events is a factor which influences the prognosis of IE; 2) supplementary neurological examinations did not reveal subclinical neurological complications; 3) neurological complications were significantly more frequent in patients with simultaneous mitral and aortic valve IE; 4) IE in prosthesis implanted for less than 3 months has a greater probability to develop a neurological picture as compared to IE in prosthesis implanted for more than 3 months.

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PURPOSE--The study of frequency, modalities and course of neurological complications of infective endocarditis (IE), as well as the current indication and value of supplementary examinations. METHODS--Sixty-three patients with IE, 39 with native valve and 24 with valvar prosthesis, were prospectively studied; the mean age was 42 years and 45 (71.4 per cent ) were males. Two groups were formed: A) 41 patients without neurological events and B) 22 patients who presented 28 neurological events before or during hospitalization: ischemic cerebrovascular accident 20, hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident 2, meningeal hemorrhage 2, meningitis 2, brain abscess 1 and seizure 1. All patients were submitted to neurological clinical examination; 57 computerized tomographies of the cranium, 28 arteriographies and 32 cerebrospinal fluid analysis were performed. RESULTS--The incidence of neurological events corresponded to 34.92 per cent of IE patients, with a clear predominance (85.71 per cent ) of vascular as compared to infectious manifestations. Mortality was 2.32 times higher in group B patients (22.73 per cent x 9.76 per cent ), albeit p = 0.256, and was not related to staphylococcal etiology. The neurological events were not related to sex, age and presence of valvar prosthesis. The presence of neurological complications was greater (p = 0.047) in patients with simultaneous infections in two valves (mitral and aortic) and also (p = 0.00884) in those with IE in prosthesis implanted for less than three months. All supplementary neurological examinations in group A were normal. CONCLUSION--1) Occurrence of neurological events is a factor which influences the prognosis of IE; 2) supplementary neurological examinations did not reveal subclinical neurological complications; 3) neurological complications were significantly more frequent in patients with simultaneous mitral and aortic valve IE; 4) IE in prosthesis implanted for less than 3 months has a greater probability to develop a neurological picture as compared to IE in prosthesis implanted for more than 3 months

Purpose - The study of frequency, modalities and course of neurological complications of infective endocartitis (IE), as well as the current indication and value of suplementary examinations. Methods - Sixty-three patients with IE, 39 with native valve and 24 with valvar prosthesis, were prospectively studied; the mean age was 42 years and 45 (71,4%) were males. Two groups were formed: A) 41 patients without neurological events and B) 22 patients who presented 28 neurological events before or during hospitalization: ischemic cerebrovascular accident 20, hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident 2, meningeal hemorrhage 2, meningitis 2, brain abscess 1 and seizure 1. All patients were submitted to neurological clinical examination; 57 computerized tomographies of the cranium, 28 arteriographies and 32 cerebrospinal fluid analysis were performed. Results - The incidence of neurological events corresponded to 34.92% of IE patients, with a clear predominance (85.71%) of vascular as compared to infectious manifestations. Mortality was 2.32 times higher in group B patients (22.73% x 9.76%), albeit p=0.256, and was not related to staphilococcal etiology. The neurological events were not related to sex, age and presence of valvar prosthesis. The presence of neurological complications was greater (p=0.047) in patients with simultaneous infections in two valves (mitral and aortic) and also (p=0.00884) in those with IE in prosthesis implanted for less than three months. All supplementary neurological examinations in group A were normal. Conclusion - 1) Occurrence of neurological events is a factor which influences the prognosis of IE; 2) supplementary neurological examinations did not reveal subclinical neurological complications; 3) neurological complications were signifcantly more frequent in patients with simultaneous mitral and aortic valve IE; 4) IE in prosthesis implanted for less than 3 months has a greater probability to develop a neurological picture as compared to IE in prosthesis implanted for more than 3 months

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Neurologic complications continue to occur in approximately 30 per cent of all patients with infective endocarditis and represent a major factor associated with an increased mortality rate in that disease. Of these complications, cerebral embolism is the most common and the most important, occurring in as many as 30 per cent of all patients, most of whom ultimately die. Emboli that are infected also account for all the other complications (mycotic aneurysm, meningitis or meningoencephalitis, brain abscess) that may develop. Emboli are more common in patients with mitral valve infection and in those infected with more virulent organisms. Mycotic aneurysms (often preceded by an embolic event) occur more frequently and earlier in the course of acute endocarditis, rather than later, which is more common in the course of subacute disease. The management of a cerebral mycotic aneurysm depends on the presence or absence of hemorrhage, its anatomic location and the clinical course. Healing can occur during the course of effective antimicrobial therapy and thus will preclude the need for automatic surgery in all angiographically demonstrated aneurysms. The indication for surgical intervention must be evaluated on an individual basis. Meningitis is usually purulent when associated with virulent organisms, but the CSF may present an aseptic formula when associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage or multiple microscopic embolic lesions, infected or otherwise. Macroscopic brain abscesses are rare, but multiple microscopic abscesses are not uncommon in patients with acute endocarditis due to virulent organisms. Seizures are not uncommon in patients with infective endocarditis. Focal seizures are more commonly associated with acute emboli, whereas generalized seizures are more commonly associated with systemic metabolic factors. Penicillin neurotoxicity should be considered in seizure patients with compromised renal function who are receiving high doses of penicillin. The CSF tends to reflect the nature of the infecting organism rather than the nature of the neurologic complication, except when hemorrhage is present. Endocarditis due to virulent organisms, such as Staphylococcus aureus, is usually associated with a purulent CSF formula, whereas non-virulent organisms, such as "viridans" streptococci, usually have aseptic or normal CSF formulas.

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(1) Neurologic complications remain a significant problem in bacterial endocarditis. Of 218 patients with endocarditis, 84 (39%) had a neurologic complication and 58% of these 84 patients died. In contrast, the mortality rate was only 20% among those endocarditis patients without neurologic complications. (2) Of the neurologic complications, cerebral embolism is the most frequent and important. An embolic stroke occurred in 37 (17%) of our patients, with 30 of these patients dying. Emboli are important not only in terms of the direct morbidity and mortality they cause via cerebral infarction, but also because of their role in the causation of mycotic aneurysms, brain abscesses, and abnormal CSF formulae. (3) Cerebral emboli are particularly common in patients with mitral valve infection, and in patients with infection due to virulent organisms, particularly S. aureus and enteric gram-negative bacilli. (4) Mycotic aneurysms occur more frequently in the course of acute endocarditis rather than late in the course of subacute disease. Management of angiographically demonstrated mycotic aneurysms is dependent upon the presence or absence of hemorrhage, the anatomic location of the aneurysm, and the clinical course of the patient. Healing of mycotic aneurysms can occur during the course of effective antimicrobial therapy, thus obviating the need for neurosurgical intervention in all such patients. (5) Macroscopic brain abscess is a rare complication of bacterial endocarditis. Miliary microscopic abscesses are more common than larger abscesses, particularly in patients with acute disease and miliary infection in other organs of the body. (6) Focal seizures occur most commonly in endocarditis patients with acute embolic disease; generalized seizures are of diverse etiologies, with metabolic factors being most important. Penicillin neurotoxicity should be considered in patients with impaired renal function who are receiving high dose penicillin. (7) With the exception of hemorrhagic complications, lumbar puncture results tend to reflect the nature of the infecting organism rather than the nature of the neurologic complication. Endocarditis due to virulent organisms such as S. aureus is usually associated with a purulent CSF formula while nonvirulent organisms, such as viridans streptococci, susually have aseptic or normal CSF formulae.

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