To evaluate lymphopenia as a marker for coronavirus disease severity, we conducted a meta-analysis of 10 studies. Severe illness was associated with lower lymphocyte and higher leukocyte counts. Using these markers for early identification of patients with severe disease may help healthcare providers prioritize the need to obtain therapy.

Background & Aims Several recent studies have reported an abnormal liver chemistry profile among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), although its clinical significance remains unknown. Approach & Results This novel systematic review and meta‐analysis identified six studies of 586 patients delineating liver chemistries among patients with severe/critical illness versus mild cases of COVID‐19 infection. Patients with severe/critical illness with COVID‐19 infection have increased prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as compared to mild cases. A significant association between severe/critical COVID‐19 infections with elevations in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (pooled mean difference [MD], 11.70 U/L; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.97, 20.43; P = 0.009), elevated total bilirubin (pooled MD, 0.14 mg/dL; 95% CI, 0.06, 0.22; P = 0.0005), and decreased albumin (pooled MD, –0.68 g/L; 95% CI, –0.81, –0.55; P < 0.00001) was noted. There was also a trend toward elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels among these severe cases (pooled MD, 8.84 U/L; 95% CI, –2.28, 19.97; P = 0.12); however, this did not reach statistical significance. More severe/critically ill cases were associated with leukocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, elevated creatinine kinase, elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and elevated prothrombin time (PT). Conclusions Comorbidities, including CAD, cerebrovascular disease, and COPD, are more prevalent in hospitalized Chinese patients with severe/critical illness from COVID‐19, and these patients are more likely to manifest with abnormal liver chemistries. Further prospective studies are crucial to understand the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the hepatic manifestations of the novel COVID‐19 infection and its clinical significance.

Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium ulcerans infection) is a neglected tropical disease of skin and subcutaneous tissue that can result in long-term cosmetic and functional disability. It is a geographically restricted infection but transmission has been reported in endemic areas in more than 30 countries worldwide. The heaviest burden of disease lies in West and Sub-Saharan Africa where it affects children and adults in subsistence agricultural communities. Mycobacterium ulcerans infection is probably acquired via inoculation of the skin either directly from the environment or indirectly via insect bites. The environmental reservoir and exact route of transmission are not completely understood. It may be that the mode of acquisition varies in different parts of the world. Because of this uncertainty it has been nicknamed the 'mysterious disease'. The therapeutic approach has evolved in the past decade from aggressive surgical resection alone, to a greater focus on antibiotic therapy combined with adjunctive surgery.

BackgroundProstatic abscess is a rare complication of acute bacterial prostatitis and is most commonly caused by Enterobacteriaceae. We report on a case of prostatic abscess caused by Staphylococcus aureus and conduct a review of the literature.Case presentationWe present a case of S. aureus prostatic abscess that was successfully treated with a combination of antibiotic and surgical therapy. The isolate was non–multidrug-resistant, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and was genotyped as clonal complex 5, an emerging regional clone that is trimethoprim resistant and Panton-Valentine leukocidin positive. This current case report is the first to describe the use of clindamycin step-down therapy. A literature review identified a further 39 cases of S. aureus prostatic abscesses, of which 26 were methicillin resistant.Conclusions S. aureus is an uncommon cause of prostatic abscess. Optimal management includes both antibiotic therapy and surgical drainage. Our use of clindamycin as step-down therapy was guided by its excellent prostatic penetration.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-017-2605-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Plasmodium malariae is the only human malaria parasite species with a 72-hour intraerythrocytic cycle and the ability to persist in the host for life. We present a case of a P. malariae infection with clinical recrudescence after directly observed administration of artemether/lumefantrine. By using whole-genome sequencing, we show that the initial infection was polyclonal and the recrudescent isolate was a single clone present at low density in the initial infection. Haplotypic analysis of the clones in the initial infection revealed that they were all closely related and were presumably recombinant progeny originating from the same infective mosquito bite. We review possible explanations for the P. malariae treatment failure and conclude that a 3-day artemether/lumefantrine regimen is suboptimal for this species because of its long asexual life cycle.