Involvement Of Reticuloendothelial System Research Articles

Hearing Loss in Congenital CMV Disease Post-Ganciclovir

Source: Lanzieri TM, Caviness AC, Blum P, et al. Progressive, long-term hearing loss in congenital CMV disease after ganciclovir therapy. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2021;piab095. doi:10.1093/jpids/piab095Investigators from the CDC, Atlanta, GA, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, conducted a study to assess long-term hearing outcomes in children with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, and the impact of ganciclovir therapy on hearing loss. For the study, they analyzed data from children born 1983–2005 who were enrolled in the Congenital CMV Longitudinal Study. All study participants had CMV infection detected in urine samples in the first 3 weeks of life and had microcephaly, chorioretinitis, neurologic abnormalities or evidence of reticuloendothelial system involvement (eg, petechiae/purpura). Study children had longitudinal assessments of hearing with auditory brainstem response testing and behavioral audiometry; those with hearing thresholds >20 dB were classified as having sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). SNHL was defined as congenital if diagnosed in the first month of life. Study children were placed into 3 groups: Group A included patients who had been enrolled in a clinical trial and received ganciclovir; group B included children with SNHL, microcephaly and/or chorioretinitis but who were untreated; and group C comprised those without any of these findings who also were not treated with ganciclovir. The primary study outcome was long-term assessment of hearing loss among children in these 3 groups.Data were analyzed on 76 children; 17 (22%) in group A, 27 (36%) in group B, and 32 (42%) in group C. Among the 17 children in group A, 16 had microcephaly, chorioretinitis, or congenital SNHL; median duration of ganciclovir treatment in these patients was 40 days. Overall, the most common findings in study patients when they were neonates were purpura/petechiae (82% of those in group A, 78% in group B, and 63% in group C); 71% and 70%, respectively, of those in groups A and B had microcephaly. Congenital SNHL was diagnosed in 65% of patients in group A and 56% for those in group B, although hearing was not assessed in the first month of life in all study participants. The median age at last hearing assessment was 13 years for children in groups A and C and 11 years for those in group B. At that time, 16 (94%) patients in group A, 24 (89%) children in group B, and 16 (50%) group C patients had SNHL. SNHL was categorized as severe (>70 dB) in 12 (71%), 16 (59%), and 7 (22%) children, respectively, in groups A, B, and C.The authors conclude that most children in this study with congenital CMV infection developed substantial SNHL with or without ganciclovir treatment.Dr Brady has disclosed no financial relationship relevant to this commentary. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device.The current investigators provide long-term hearing outcomes for infants born 1983–2005 who were enrolled in the Congenital CMV Longitudinal Study. Participants were selected based on having severe disease as newborns.1,2 Not surprisingly, most developed substantial SNHL. As previously discussed, symptomatic congenital CMV infection at birth is a risk factor for SNHL. (See AAP Grand Rounds. 2019;42[5]:57.)3 Many infants also had microcephaly and/or head CT scan findings suggesting tissue destruction or dysplastic growth, which also are associated with an increased risk of SNHL.4 The results of early clinical trials of intravenous ganciclovir1,2 had suggested short-term stabilization or improvement in hearing at 6 months but were not borne out by the current investigation.With the introduction of oral valganciclovir, a phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, conducted during 2008– 2011, evaluated 6 weeks versus 6 months of therapy with valganciclovir.5 There was modest improvement in hearing and developmental outcomes at 12 and 24 months. Based on this trial, the AAP currently recommends 6 months of oral valganciclovir for infants with moderately to severely symptomatic congenital CMV infection who can start treatment in the first month of life.6 The current authors state that their findings cannot be extrapolated to infants who receive current standard of care therapy. Infants receiving valganciclovir are being followed to determine their long-term hearing outcomes.Another area that is not addressed is the role of valganciclovir for infants with congenital CMV infection who have isolated SNHL. The 2017 consensus guidelines do not routinely recommend valganciclovir for these infants based on insufficient evidence. Pasternak et al reported that 12 months of antiviral therapy for infants with congenital CMV infection and isolated SNHL led to improved hearing, but their study did not include a control group.(See AAP Grand Rounds. 2018;40[5]:55.)8Infants with congenital CMV infection are at risk for SNHL despite receipt of antiviral therapy. These infants deserve close audiology follow-up.The apparent lack of major benefit of antiviral therapy in children with symptomatic congenital CMV infection underscores the need for prevention. Neither CMV-IGIV nor investigational vaccines have yet proven efficacious.6

Sucrosomial Iron Absorption Involve M Cells Interaction

Introduction: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) represents a major public health problem. Oral administration has been recognized as the most convenient and safest route for iron treatment. However, most of the traditional iron supplements encounter several obstacles when orally administrated due to their poor solubility and bioavailability. The absorption of commonly used ferrous iron salts is low as the soluble form ferrous iron is easily oxidized to a poorly soluble one ferric iron and also because the absorption of ferrous iron is mediated by the divalent metal transporter 1. In order to overcome gastrointestinal barriers, there is a need for new absorption and protective enhancers acting as carriers and able to promote iron absorption. Microfold cells (M cells) of the Peyer's patches (PP) are found in the gut and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues. These cells are known for the transport of microbes and particles across the epithelial cell layer from the gut lumen to the lamina propria where interactions with immune cells take place. Previous studies demonstrate that M cells are a common pathway for oral nanoparticles absorption. However physicochemical properties of particles critically influence the efficacy of oral delivery to the lymphatic system. Recently, we have developed a new oral Iron formulation named Sucrosomial® Iron. This oral formulation is an innovative preparation of ferric pyrophosphate, covered by a phospholipids plus sucrester matrix, with high bioavailability, tolerability and gastro-resistance properties that shows an improvement in Hb levels similarly to intravenous iron and without any gastrointestinal side effects; thus, Sucrosomial®Iron can be used as an alternative to common iron salts to improve iron supplementation effectiveness.Aim: to investigate Sucrosomial® Iron absorption pathways using different experimental models.Methods: In order to study the absorption pathways of Sucrosomial® Iron, absorption and transport experiments were performed using in vitro CACO2/RajiB co-culture system and MatTek EpiIntestinalTM human 3D in vitro small intestinal tissue model with epithelialpolarity. Furthermore, the bioavailability of Sucrosomial® Iron was assessed, in terms of tissue distribution and iron metabolism markers expression, using in vivo and ex-vivo models.Results: in vitro transport study using MatTek EpiIntestinalTM model showed a fast increase in iron concentration in the basolateral compartment over time in tissues treated with Sucrosomial® Iron (2,7 ug ±1,7) compare to samples treated with Ferrous Sulfate (1,3 ug ±1,1) or Iron Bisglycinate (1,6 ug ±1,1), indicating an endocytosis mediated uptake confirmed by TEM analysis (Figure 1A-B). M cells involvement was evaluated using in vitro CACO2/RajiB co-culture system. After cells incubation, the iron content in apical media of cells (monocultures and co-cultures) treated with Sucrosomial® Iron was significantly lower compare to cells treated with other iron formulations (Figure 2A). Iron to protein ratio showed a significant iron increase in co-colture cells treated with Sucrosomial® Iron compared to other iron samples (Figure 2B). Sucrosomial® Iron, passed through M cells, was taken up by CD68+ macrophage cells as confirmed by ex-vivo experiments, in which fluorescein tagged Sucrosomial® Iron was added to an isolated rat intestine using Hussing chamber-like model, then analyzed by immunohistochemistry. To study the reticuloendothelial system involvement, tissue distribution and bioavailability of Sucrosomial® Iron were analyzed using anemic newborn piglets. Animals were treated with Sucrosomial® Iron or Iron dextran and piglets treated with Sucrosomial® Iron showed anincreased Hb concentration and a preferential iron accumulation in spleen (Figure 3A-B). Hepcidin and Ferroportin, but not Dmt1 gene expression were induced at duodenum level (Figure 3C).CONCLUSIONS: these results showed that Sucrosomial® Iron can be directly absorbed bypassing the conventional iron absorption pathway and that M cells, through the reticuloendothelial system, may contribute to its absorption and tissue distribution. [Display omitted] DisclosuresBrilli:Pharmanutra S.p.A.: Consultancy. Tarantino:Pharmanutra S.p.A.: Employment.

Assessment of Talaromyces Marneffei Infection of the Intestine in Three Patients and a Systematic Review of Case Reports.

BackgroundHematogenous dissemination of Talaromyces marneffei can result in multiorgan involvement (skin, lung, and reticuloendothelial system involvement); however, few studies have reported intestinal T marneffei infections. We investigated clinical features, management, and patient outcomes concerning Talaromyces-related intestinal infections.MethodsPatients with Talaromycosis between August 2012 and April 2019 at The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, China, were retrospectively analyzed. Patients presenting with intestinal Talaromycosis and endoscopy-confirmed diagnoses were investigated. We also undertook a systematic review of the relevant English and Chinese literature.ResultsOf 175 patients diagnosed with Talaromycosis, 33 presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, and 31 underwent stool cultures, 1 of which tested positive. Three patients had gastrointestinal symptoms and negative stool cultures, and endoscopic tissue biopsy confirmed a pathological diagnosis. A systematic review of 14 reports on human Talaromycosis identified an additional 16 patients. Fever, weight loss, and anemia were the most common symptoms, along with abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody stools. Abdominal computed tomography showed intestinal wall edema and thickening and/or abdominal lymphadenopathy. Endoscopy showed erosion, hyperemia, edema, and multiple intestinal mucosal ulcers. Of the 19 patients, 16 received antifungal therapy, 14 of whom recovered and 2 died. Three patients received no therapy and died.ConclusionsGastrointestinal disseminated Talaromycosis is not rare and can affect the stomach, duodenum, and colon, and may involve the entire digestive tract. Colon is the most common site. Endoscopy is needed for patients presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms in T marneffei-infected endemic areas. Systemic application of effective antifungal therapy can improve the prognosis.

Incidence, Clinical Features, and Outcomes of Langerhans Cell Sarcoma in the United States

BackgroundLimited knowledge exists on the incidence, treatment patterns, and long-term outcomes of Langerhans cell sarcoma (LCS) in the United States. Patients and MethodsWe performed a retrospective study of LCS patients diagnosed between 2001 and 2014 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) and National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) databases. Incidence was calculated from SEER, and treatment patterns and outcomes were calculated from NCDB. ResultsA total of 25 and 52 cases of LCS were reported to SEER and NCDB, respectively. The overall incidence of the disease was 0.2 per 10,000,000 and did not differ by race (P = .56) or sex (P = .33). The median age at diagnosis was 62 (range, 19-90) years. Of the 52 patients from NCDB, 20 (39%) received chemotherapy as first-line therapy, 24 (46%) received surgery, and 15 (29%) received radiotherapy. The 1-year overall survival (OS) rate was 62%, and the median OS was 19 months. After censoring the patients with bone marrow and reticuloendothelial system involvement, no significant difference in OS was noted between the patients who were managed with or without surgery (P = .75). Postsurgical radiation or chemotherapy were not associated with improvement in median OS (P = .25). Patients who were managed with radiotherapy had a better OS compared to those who received no radiotherapy (P = .03). ConclusionThis dual-national registry study shows that LCS is extremely rare and has a poor prognosis. Radiotherapy may offer a survival advantage to patients with locoregional disease without bone marrow and reticuloendothelial system involvement.

Incidence, Clinical Features, and Outcomes of Langerhans Cell Sarcoma in the United States

Background: Langerhans cell sarcoma (LCS) is a rare malignant neoplasm of Langerhans cells characterized by multi-organ involvement and an aggressive clinical course.Given the rarity of the disease, the true epidemiological data on LCS are lacking, and most of our knowledge is obtained from institutional case series. In this study, we utilized two national databases- the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program database (https://seer.cancer.gov/) and National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) to study the incidence, clinical presentation, and outcomes of LCS.Methods: We calculated LCS incidence (cases/10, 000, 000 individuals) from SEER database using SEER*Stat (v 8.3.4; https://seer.cancer.gov/seerstat/) statistical software. SEER is a population-based registry program of the United States National Cancer Institute that covers approximately 28% of the population. We identified LCS cases that were confirmed histologically using International Classification of Diseases for Oncology edition 3 (ICD-0-3) histology code 9756/3 from SEER 18 (2000-2014) registry. As the disease was mandatory reportable only after 2001, we included cases that were diagnosed after 2001 in the analysis. Demographic patterns, clinical presentation, and overall survival (OS) were calculated utilizing the patient level data from the NCDB Participant User File. NCDB is a joint program by the American College of Surgeons and American Cancer Society that represents approximately 70% of newly diagnosed cancer cases in the nation. All patients aged > 18 years with a diagnosis LCS (ICD-0-3 Code 9756/3) from 2004 to 2015 were included. To ensure accuracy of follow-up, we excluded the patients that were not treated at the same facility of diagnosis from survival analysis.Results: A total of 25 cases of LCS were reported to SEER between 2000 and 2014. The overall incidence of the disease was 0.2 per 10,000,000 [95% CI:0.1-0.3] and was similar among males and females (p=0.33). The incidence of the disease did not differ significantly among different races (whites, blacks and other races) (p=0.56).Between 2004 and 2015, 52 patients with newly diagnosed LCS were identified from NCDB and 60% were males. The median age of diagnosis was 62 (range, 19-90 years). The most common sites of the presentation were connective tissue (29%; n=15), reticuloendothelial system (RES) and hematopoietic system (25%; n=13), skin (19%, n=10), gastrointestinal (10%, n=5), bones and joints (8%, n=4), brain (2%, n=1) and breast (2%, n=1). Site specific details were missing in 27% (n=14) of cases. Out of the 52 patients, twenty patients (39%) received chemotherapy as first-line therapy, while 24 (46%) received surgery and 15 (29%) received radiation therapy.After a median follow up of 18 (range, 1-144) months, 27 patients (52%) had died. The one- year survival rate was 62%, and the median OS was 19 months (Fig. 1A). We also calculated the 1-year disease-specific survival and OS using SEER database, and was 74% and 63%, respectively. After censoring the patients with hematopoietic and RES involvement, the patients who were managed with radiation therapy (median dose 3960 cGy, range 750-6400) had a better OS as compared to those who received no radiation therapy (p=0.03, Fig. 1B). On the contrary, after excluding the patients with hematopoietic and RES as primary site, no significant difference in OS was noted between the patients who were managed with and without surgery (17 vs 21 months; p = 0.75; Fig. 1C). In addition, post-surgical radiation or chemotherapy had no significant benefit in median OS (p=0.25). Among patients with hematopoietic and RES involvement, there was no association between OS and receipt of chemotherapy (p = 0.16; Fig. 1D); however, the number of patients who received chemotherapy was small (n=6).Conclusion: This dual-national registry study shows that LCS is extremely rare, and has a poor prognosis. Although the data regarding optimal management of LCS are limited, our study demonstrates that radiation therapy may offer survival advantage in patients without hematopoietic and RES involvement. [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Chronic Viral Hepatitis-Induced Liver Cirrhosis in a Patient with Brucellosis

Brucellosis is an endemic infectious disease in our country. Clinical signs and symptoms are spread over a wide spectrum; musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal system, cardiovascular system and the genitourinary system can be affected. Elevation of transaminases is a common finding in brucellosis due to involvement of reticuloendothelial system including the liver and spleen. In the patient presented here, hepatic cirrhosis was found due to chronic hepatitis B and delta hepatitis infection in the investigations made for not to overlook viral causes that might cause transaminase elevation and it was emphasized that these possible conditions shouldn’t be overlooked in our region where brucellosis and hepatitis B are common. Key words: Brucellosis, hepatitis B, elevated transaminase

Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: A Survey of 852 Cases of Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Background: Data regarding the prevalence of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) patients and possible associated factors are limited to a few case reports. The objectives of this study were to assess CSU in a large cSLE population, in order to evaluate the demographic data, clinical manifestations, disease activity/damage, laboratory abnormalities and treatment. Methods: A retrospective multicenter cohort study (Brazilian cSLE group) was performed in 10 Pediatric Rheumatology services and included 852 cSLE patients. CSU was diagnosed according to the guidelines of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network, the European Dermatology Forum and the World Allergy Organization. Patients with CSU (evaluated at urticaria diagnosis) and patients without CSU (evaluated at the last visit) were assessed for lupus clinical/laboratory features and treatment. Results: CSU was observed in 10/852 cSLE patients (1.17%). The median of cSLE duration at urticaria diagnosis was 0 (-3 to 5) years. Comparison of cSLE patients with and without CSU revealed a greater frequency of constitutional symptoms (40 vs. 8%, p = 0.006), reticuloendothelial system involvement (30 vs. 3%, p = 0.003), mucocutaneous (90 vs. 28%, p < 0.0001) and musculoskeletal manifestations (50 vs. 6%, p < 0.0001) and methylprednisolone pulse therapy use (60 vs. 9%, p < 0.0001) in the former group. The frequency of immunosuppressive treatment was lower in patients with CSU (p = 0.018). The median SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (12 vs. 2, p < 0.0001) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (40 vs. 19 mm/1st hour, p = 0.024), was higher in patients with CSU. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study with evidence that CSU may be linked to cSLE. We also demonstrated that this particular skin manifestation occurs predominantly at disease onset and is associated with lupus moderate/high disease activity without major organ involvement.

Diffuse reticuloendothelial system involvement in type IV glycogen storage disease with a novel GBE1 mutation: a case report and review

Glycogen storage disease type IV is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of glycogen metabolism caused by mutations in the GBE1 gene that encodes the 1,4-alpha-glucan-branching enzyme 1. Its clinical presentation is variable, with the most common form presenting in early childhood with primary hepatic involvement. Histologic manifestations in glycogen storage disease type IV typically consist of intracytoplasmic non-membrane-bound inclusions containing abnormally branched glycogen (polyglucosan bodies) within hepatocytes and myocytes. We report a female infant with classic hepatic form of glycogen storage disease type IV who demonstrated diffuse reticuloendothelial system involvement with the spleen, bone marrow, and lymph nodes infiltrated by foamy histiocytes with intracytoplasmic polyglucosan deposits. Sequence analysis of the GBE1 gene revealed compound heterozygosity for a previously described frameshift mutation (c.1239delT) and a novel missense mutation (c.1279G>A) that is predicted to alter a conserved glycine residue. GBE enzyme analysis revealed no detectable activity. A review of the literature for glycogen storage disease type IV patients with characterized molecular defects and deficient enzyme activity reveals most GBE1 mutations to be missense mutations clustering in the catalytic enzyme domain. Individuals with the classic hepatic form of glycogen storage disease type IV tend to be compound heterozygotes for null and missense mutations. Although the extensive reticuloendothelial system involvement that was observed in our patient is not typical of glycogen storage disease type IV, it may be associated with severe enzymatic deficiency and a poor outcome.

Bone Marrow Involvement in a Patient with Paracoccidioidomycosis: A Rare Presentation of Juvenile Form

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis rarely shows bone marrow involvement and its response to treatment with itraconazole in children needs further assessment. We describe here a child with a juvenile disseminated form of paracoccidioidomycosis, which showed reticuloendothelial system involvement and the presence of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in the bone marrow. The patient showed an effective and rapid response to itraconazole therapy.

Mortimer′s Malady revisited: A case of polymorphic cutaneous and systemic sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disorder with prominent cutaneous component. Skin lesions are of diverse morphology, of which few are specific for the disease. We describe a 30-year-old woman with polymorphic skin lesions including papules, plaques, and nodules, as well as uncommon variants like eyelid papules, palmar and digital nodules, tattoo sarcoid, as well as scar sarcoid. The patient also had stage II pulmonary sarcoidosis, and articular as well as reticulo-endothelial system involvement manifested by enlarged mediastinal and abdominal lymph nodes and hepatosplenomegaly. The presentation of polymorphic skin lesions with involvement of multiple extra-cutaneous systems is uncommon in a single patient.

Life-threatening hemorrhage following subcutaneous heparin therapy

Prophylactic administration of unfractionated heparin is a common practice in a perioperative period. Heparin monitoring with subcutaneous dosing is not recommended; however it becomes important in selected patients. We report a case of massive hemorrhage with subcutaneous heparin administration in an HIV-positive male patient with cachexia and mild liver dysfunction. Prolonged activated plasma thromboplastin time and thrombin time, but normal reptilase time well as response to protamine sulfate point towards the heparin effect. Inhibitor screen was negative and factor VIII activity was normal. All these rule out the possibility of acquired factor VIII inhibitor or any other inhibitor and confirm that this bleeding was due to heparin overdose. We believe that delayed clearance of UH secondary to possible involvement of reticuloendothelial system might have been be responsible for heparin overdose even though inadvertent administration of large dose of heparin intravenously can not be completely ruled out. Administration of unfractionated heparin to a patient with cachexia and abnormal liver function warrants close attention to heparin monitoring or switch to low molecular weight heparin since its mechanism of elimination differs.

Intravascular lymphoma in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report

Intravascular lymphoma IVL is a rare and aggressive disorder characterized by proliferation of large lymphoid cells (most commonly B-cells) within the lumen of small vessels of nearly every organ. Obliteration of vessels leads to the different clinical signs, being cutaneous lesions and neurological signs the most frequent presentations, whereas lymph node and reticuloendothelial system involvement is typically absent. No association with SLE has been described up to the present. We report a case of IVL in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) involving skin, central nervous system (CNS) and bone marrow.

Evaluation of hepatic function with 99mTc-galactosylated serum albumin scintigraphy in patients with malaria: Comparison with 99mTc-colloid scintigraphy and liver ultrasonography

Malarial parasites injected by the mosquito rapidly target hepatocytes, and hepatomegaly is commonly observed during the progress of the disease in malaria patients. To evaluate the degree of hepatic damage and functional status of hepatocytes in malaria patients, we performed liver scintigraphy using (99m)Tc-galactosylated serum albumin (GSA) prospectively and the findings were compared with those of (99m)Tc-colloid scintigraphy, ultrasonography and clinical results in the same subject. Eight malaria patients (all male, mean age 22 years) confirmed to be infected with Plasmodium vivax underwent (99m)Tc-GSA liver scintigraphy, followed by liver ultrasonography and (99m)Tc-colloid scintigraphy using phytate within 3 days. For hepatocyte scintigraphy, anterior images of cardiac blood-pool and liver were continuously acquired for 30 min after injection of 185 MBq (99m)Tc-GSA (3 mg). In addition to visual interpretation of the images, quantitative measurement of hepatic function was performed with several functional parameters, such as hepatic uptake index (LHL15), blood clearance index (HH15) and modified receptor index (LHL/HH) calculated from the radioactivity of the liver and heart. (99m)Tc-colloid images were assessed and graded visually. Severity of hepatic dysfunction or reticuloendothelial system activation was classified as normal, mild, moderate and severe on GSA or colloid images. Hepatomegaly was observed in five and splenomegaly in seven of the eight patients. Serum levels of transaminase and alkaline phosphatase were mildly elevated in two. Visual assessment of GSA scintigraphy revealed normal findings in all subjects, except for mild increases in size. The mean values of LHL15, HH15 and LHL/HH were 0.928+/-0.014, 0.537+/-0.031 and 1.732+/-0.106, respectively. They were graded as normal in five, and near-normal to mild dysfunction in three subjects. In contrast, (99m)Tc-colloid scintigraphy revealed abnormal findings in all of the subjects, and graded as moderate in three or severe reticuloendothelial system activation in five subjects. Liver ultrasonographic findings were normal for all subjects except mild hepatomegaly. Malaria-induced injury of the hepatocyte is likely to be minimal whereas hepatomegaly is commonly seen during disease process. This suggests that hepatic damage in malarial infection is mainly due to involvement of the reticuloendothelial system. (99m)Tc-GSA scintigraphy can be used in differentiating hepatocellular damage from reticuloendothelial system involvement in patients with infectious disease showing hepatomegaly.

Eperythrozoon coccoides. I. Effect on the interferon response in mice.

Eperythrozoon coccoides is a common blood parasite of rodents and the etiological agent of a chronic infection present in many mouse colonies. After primary infection, mice develop a parasitemia and anemia followed by a chronic, latent infection. During the acute phase of infection, mice manifest a striking suppression of interferon production in response to induction with Newcastle disease virus, Chikungunya virus, and poly I:C. These data suggest that the reticuloendothelial system involvement with this agent is associated with impairment of the interferon response. The enhanced susceptibility of E. coccoides-infected animals to certain viral infections may be related to this suppression of interferon production.