Gastrointestinal Tuberculosis (GITB) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are both chronic granulomatous diseases with a predilection to involve primarily the terminal ileum. GITB is often considered a disease of the developing world, while CD and inflammatory bowel disease are considered a disease of the developed world. But in recent times, the epidemiology of both diseases has changed. Differentiating GITB from CD is of immense clinical importance as the management of both diseases differs. While GITB needs anti-tubercular therapy (ATT), CD needs immunosuppressive therapy. Misdiagnosis or a delay in diagnosis can lead to catastrophic consequences. Most of the clinical features, endoscopic findings, and imaging features are not pathognomonic for either of these two conditions. The definitive diagnosis of GITB can be clinched only in a fraction of cases with microbiological positivity (acid-fast bacilli, mycobacterial culture, or PCR-based tests). In most cases, the diagnosis is often based on consistent clinical, endoscopic, imaging, and histological findings. Similarly, no single finding can conclusively diagnose CD. Multiparametric-based predictive models incorporating clinical, endoscopy findings, histology, radiology, and serology have been used to differentiate GITB from CD with varied results. However, it is limited by the lack of validation studies for most such models. Many patients, especially in TB endemic regions, are initiated on a trial of ATT to see for an objective response to therapy. Early mucosal response assessed at two months is an objective marker of response to ATT. Prolonged ATT in CD is recognized to have a fibrotic effect. Therefore, early discrimination may be vital in preventing the delay in the diagnosis of CD and avoiding a complicated course.

Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection which was earlier seen only in immunocompromised patients. With the recent covid pandemic, there had been a drastic surge in cases of mucormycosis worldwide and especially in India. Here, we present an unusual case of biopsy proven invasive mandibular mucormycosis in a patient with chronic kidney disease and a history of COVID-19 infection. The patient was given low-dose amphotericin B and underwent surgical debridement with a successful outcome.

No abstract

Infectious endocarditis is a rare but feared condition, most frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus. We describe the case of an 81-year-old male patient presenting with intermittent fever and dyspnea. Cardiac evaluation with transthoracic echocardiogram showed the presence of heart failure with suspicion of endocarditis. Consequently, a transesophageal echocardiogram demonstrated vegetation on the native mitral valve with an unaffected prosthetic aortic valve. Blood cultures were positive for S. aureus. Literature concerning endocarditis originating from a native valve in patients with a prosthetic valve is limited. We applied a new treatment scheme consisting of intravenous floxapen 12 g/24 h in a continuous infusion combined with intravenous rifampicin 2×300 mg daily for a duration of 6 weeks resulting in complete regression of the vegetation. In addition, we were successful in preventing disease propagation to the prosthetic valve. There is a need for more adequate research to prove the prophylactic benefit of this treatment.