As measles virus causes subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and measles inclusion body encephalitis due to its ability to establish human persistent infection, without symptoms for the time between the acute infection and the onset of clinical symptoms, it has been the paradigm for a long term persistent as opposed to chronic infection by an RNA virus. We have reviewed the mechanisms of persist...

The significance of quantitative urine cultures in patients at risk for hematogenous disseminated candidiasis is controversial. While various concentrations of Candida spp. in urine have been suggested as critical cutoff points in the diagnosis of renal candidiasis, other investigators consider quantitative cultures less critical in diagnosing upper tract infections. To determine the significan...

Subacute thyroiditis is generally felt to have a viral etiology, and the diagnosis is usually obvious when the patient presents with a diffusely enlarged and very tender thyroid gland associated with elevated free T4 levels, elevated sedimentation rate, low radioiodine uptake and/or nonvisualization on scan and often some systemic symptoms. Subacute thyroiditis can be unilateral or focal (1,2)....

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare progressive neurological disorder of early adolescence caused by persistent infection of the measles virus, which remains prevalent worldwide despite an effective vaccine. SSPE is a devastating disease with a characteristic clinical course in subcortical white matter; however, atypical presentations of brainstem involvement may be seen in rar...

Sweet described a dermatosis characterised by tender erythematous plaques and a dense dermal, perivascular infiltrate consisting predominantly of polymorphonuclear leucocytes often with nuclear dust.' Patients with Sweet's syndrome have leucocytosis of peripheral blood and usually a concurrent fever. Other systemic features include a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate, arthritis, myalgia, an...