Successful therapy based on the use of interferon-alpha has been reported in different types of severe chronic uveitis. The immunomodulatory effects of this drug, combined with its antiviral properties seem to contribute to its efficacy in the treatment of different forms of severe and refractory uveitis such as Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, Behçet-associated uveitis, or even human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) associated uveitis. At the same time, severe ocular complications have been reported in patients treated with interferon-alpha for chronic viral hepatitis C. Among these complications, six cases of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada-like disease have been described.We report a small case series of two patients with refractory Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, treated with interferon-alpha and discuss the potential benefits or detrimental role of interferon therapy in these patients.
A 62-year-old woman with splenic marginal zone lymphoma presented with fever, cough and bilateral pneumonia 11 days after chemotherapy. A bronchoalveolar lavage showed numerous leukocytes and Gramnegative bacilli that were identified as <i>Bordetella bronchiseptica</i> in culture. An antibiotherapy with minocycline and ciprofloxacin helped her to stop coughing. This unusual micro-organism, which has mainly an animal reservoir, is a rarely cause of human infection, almost always in immunocompromised patients. The main problems in <i>B. bronchiseptica</i> infection are the difficulties of identification of this micro-organism and the recurrence of infection, which are a challenge for microbiologists and practitionners
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