European Journal of Clinical Microbiology最新文献

A technique was developed for separating total serum pentitols into individual arabinitol, adonitol and xylitol and determining their relevance for the diagnosis of disseminated candidiasis. Pentitols were separated as trimethylsilyl derivatives on two 25 m long, bonded methyl silicone columns with a 0.32 mm i.d., and quantified by selected ion monitoring of their protonated molecular ions obtained in chemical ionization. The 173 samples studied were divided into culture-positive, culture-negative, and no-culture groups. Twelve percent of all samples were false positives by the total pentitols method due to increased adonitol and/or xylitol. The continued use of the total pentitols method is, nevertheless, recommended because of its convenience; however, samples with increased total pentitols (and normal creatinine) should be reanalyzed for individual pentitols. Increased arabinitol and normal creatinine are indicative of candidiasis even when blood cultures are negative.

Carbohydrate profiling by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for the identification and detection of bacteria. Its increasing applicability in the microbiology laboratory is illustrated by three examples. In the first, differentiation of legionellae by their sugar composition was determined with alditol acetate derivatization followed by selected- ion monitoring. In the second example, a carbohydrate pyrolysis product from Streptococcus agalactiae was used to differentiate group B streptococci from other Lancefield groups after direct sampling from culture plates. The third example employed the carbohydrates rhamnose and muramic acid as chemical markers for the direct detection of bacterial cell wall degradation products in mammalian tissues. The analysis of carbohydrate markers for bacteria by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has great potential for use in clinical identification of isolated bacteria as well as in the rapid diagnosis of bacterial infections without prior culture.

The Lior schemes were used for biotyping and serogrouping campylobacter strains isolated during a three year period in Bordeaux, France. Of the 226 strains tested, 176 were Campylobacter jejuni and 50 Campylobacter coli. Campylobacter jejuni biotype I was the most prevalent (48.2%). Biotypes III and IV of Campylobacter jejuni were rare (3.9% and 1.3% respectively). Serogroup 4 (17.7%) was the most common serogroup followed by serogroups 46 (11.0%), 29 (10.1%), 9 and 36 (7.9%). Eight serogroups constituted 73% of the strains. The distribution was similar from year to year and an association between a particular biotype and serogroup was not observed. During the study period four family outbreaks and seven recurrences of infection were observed.

In order to examine the in vivo activity of BMY-28100, serial quantitative nasal cultures were taken from 52 nasal carriers of Staphylococcus aureus following administration of the antimicrobial. Nasal carriage rates and mean log titers decreased significantly during (days 2-4 and 5-8) and following (days 1-2 and 6-7) treatment. No change in antibiotic sensitivities was noted in follow-up isolates, and the MIC90 remained at 2mcg/ml. BMY-28100 demonstrated good in vivo activity against Staphylococcus aureus.

A case of endomyometritis associated with Capnocytophaga ochracea bacteremia following premature delivery is described. The patient, a 30 year old woman without immunological incompetence or other predisposing disease, responded to peroral pivmecillinam. Capnocytophaga spp. should be considered a possible cause of post-partum endometritis.

Four coagglutination tests for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus were compared with the ordinary slide and tube coagulation tests using two groups of staphylococcal strains (one isolated in the authors' laboratory and the other identified by a reference laboratory). The correct identification rate in the two groups was respectively for slide test 96.9% and 92.7%, tube coagulation (citrate plasma) 99.0% and 94.8%, tube coagulation (EDTA plasma) 99.0% and 91.7%, API Staphase III 100% and 91.7%, Staph Rapid 97.9% and 91.3%, Staphyslide 99.0% and 94.6%, Staphaurex 96.9% and 92.7%. The sensitivity of Staph Rapid, Staphyslide and Staphaurex was slightly higher than that of the other tests. These three tests and the slide test were considerably more rapid as regards identification than the other tests.