Word of the day: Rhombencephalitis

While reading about the ongoing listeriosis outbreak in Norway, I came across an interesting new word: Rhombencephalitis. Apparently, this is an inflammation of the rhombencephalon (or hindbrain)— the part of the brain that manages our heart rate, breathing, and so on. Needless to say, this is a very, very, very bad place to have an infection. For some informative reading, check out:

Popescu, G A, Saquepee, M, Poisson, D, Prazuck, T. Treatment difficulties of a listerial rhombencephalitis in an adult patient allergic to penicillins. J Clin Pathol 2004 57: 665-666 [journal][pubmed]

Nichter, C. A., Pavlakis, S. G., Shaikh, U., Cherian, K. A., Dobrosyzcki, J., Porricolo, M. E., Chatturvedi, I. Rhombencephalitis caused by West Nile fever virus. Neurology 2000 55: 153 [journal] [pubmed]