We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
An Outbreak of Phialemonium Infective Endocarditis Linked to Intracavernous Penile Injections for the Treatment of Impotence.
- Authors
Strahilevitz, Jacob; Rahav, Galia; Schroers, Hans-Josef; Summerbell, Richard C.; Amitai, Ziva; Goldschmied-Reouven, Anna; Rubinstein, Ethan; Schwammenthal, Yvonne; Feinberg, Micha S.; Siegman-Igra, Yardena; Bash, Edna; Polacheck, Itzhack; Zelazny, Adrian; Howard, Susan J.; Cibotaro, Pnina; Shovman, Ora; Keller, Nathan
- Abstract
Background. In March 2002, a patient in Tel Aviv, Israel, died of endocarditis caused by Phialernonium curvaturn. As part of his therapy for erectile dysfunction, the patient had been trained to self-inject a compound of vaso active drugs provided by an impotence clinic into his penile corpus cavernosous. Methods. We identified the used prefilled syringes as the source of his infection. Similar cases were investigated as a putative outbreak of P. curvaturn invasive disease among customers of this impotence clinic. B curvaturn isolates, cultured from samples obtained from the patients and from prefilled syringes, were compared by DNA sequencing of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer. Results. We identified 2 additional customers at the impotence clinic who had P. curvaturn endocarditis. In addition, cultures of unused, prefilled syringes and bottles provided by the same clinic to 5 asymptomatic customers tested positive for pathogenic molds (B curvaturn in 4 cases and Paecilornyces lilacinus in 1). All P. curvaturn isolates were of a single genetic type that is known only from this outbreak but is closely related to 3 other P. curvaturn genotypes associated with pathogenicity in humans. Conclusions. P. curvaturn is an emerging pathogen that can be readily isolated from blood. We identified an outbreak of B curva turn endocarditis among men who had erectile dysfunction treated by intracavernous penile injections from contaminated prefilled syringes.
- Subjects
ENDOCARDITIS; NUCLEIC acids; GENETIC polymorphisms; DRUG administration; ENDOCARDIUM diseases; IMPOTENCE
- Publication
Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2005, Vol 40, Issue 6, p781
- ISSN
1058-4838
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1086/428045