Giornale di batteriologia, virologia ed immunologia最新文献

A retrospective study on the microbiology of abdominal pus from acute appendicitis or peritonitis was carried out by the authors. A total of 45 specimens were examined, 38 of them (84.4%) where found to be positive, of which 29 (76.3%) were polymicrobial and 9 (23.7%) were monomicrobial. The most represented species were Escherichia coli (28.4%), Bacteroides fragilis (7.8%), Streptococcus milleri (7.8%), Bacteroides oralis (3.9%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.9%). The polymicrobial associations more represented include Bacteroidaceae, Enterobacteriaceae and streptococcus genus. The most active drugs in vitro were found to be Piperacillin and Chloramphenicol, Cephalosporin (cefotaxime, ceftriaxone and cefoxitin) showed a good capability of being active against isolated microorganisms although they were less effective when used against anaerobic microorganisms then aerobic ones. On the contrary, Rifampicin, Metronidazole and Clindamycin were found to be quite effective against the anaerobes.

Cellular oncogenes may acquire transforming properties and take part in induction or progression of tumors. In the present study we have examined the expression of c-met, c-ras and c-myc in some head and neck carcinomas. In 3 tumors we have found an elevated expression of the c-met oncoprotein, in 2 tumours of the c-myc one. These data suggest that oncogenes could participate in the development of some head and neck cancers.

A morphological and chemical transformation of the protozoon Leishmania results during the shift from sand fly vector to mammalian host. This is due to the increase in temperature from about 26 degrees to about 35 degrees C. We evaluated the modifications induced by 37 degrees C on stationary phase promastigotes of two different Leishmania species (L. major and L. infantum). L. infantum changed to amastigote-like forms in a greater and quicker way than L. major; this fact could relate with the more elevated spreading capacity of this species in the human body.

Different strains of E. coli, that were isolated during years 1986-1990 from 217 urine samples in patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria, cystitis, cysto-pyelitis and pyelonephritis, appeared to be more frequently haemolytic (34.5%) than strains of E. coli isolated from faecal samples in patients with acute enteropathy. It was confirmed that the haemolysin production occurs during log -phase of bacterial growth. The degree of haemolysis can vary widely according to the strain involved. Agglutination tests, using 53 O-antiserum, showed a great variety of serogroups. Some of them (04, 018, 022) are prevalent among the haemolytic strains isolated from urine; some others (055, 0111, 075) are prevalent among the anhaemolytic strains isolated from urine and faeces.

The AA. studied the immunologic profile of an oral vaccine to prevent the experimental infection in mice and its effect when it was administered with antibiotic. The mice were infected with Staphylococcus aureus and protected by the vaccine administration. Our results confirmed the higher survival in the group that used this combination. The observed mortality was lower in group of mice treated with vaccine and penicillin combination, than in the untreated group.

The appendectomy for gangrenous or perforated appendicitis is made more serious by a very high frequency of infection. The antibiotic prophylaxis should be able to reduce the frequency of such complications. We have considered retrospectively the patients who underwent appendectomy for gangrenous and perforated appendicitis in the period from June 1st, 1986 to May 31st 1990 in the Ivrea-Castellamonte hospital (Province of Turin), focusing our attention on certain microbiological and clinical variables in relation to the post-operative course. The average age of the 43 patients admitted to the study, 25 male adults and children and 18 female adults and children, was 27.4; the pediatric number totalled 22 subjects of which 14 male; the group of 21 adults included 11 males. 7 adults presented concomitant pathologies. The average stay in bed was 10.7 days (12.9 for the adults--8.6 for the children); 61.9% of the adults had a stay of more than 10 days, 72.7% of the children less than 10 days (P less than 0.05). The incidence of the infective complications in the whole group was 25.6% (33.3% of adults against 18.2% of children); infection of surgical wounds was observed in 18.6% of the cases (28.6% of the adults against 9% of children). The pre-operative antibiotic prophylaxis was activated in 22 patients (11 adults, 11 children) and the antimicrobic treatment was continued in the post-operative phase for an average of 7.3 days in the case of the adults and 5.9 days in the case of the children. Of the 21 patients not subjected to prophylaxis (10 adults, 11 children) all received post-operative antibiotic therapy (an average of 8 days for the adults, 7.8 days for the children). The incidence of septic complications in the group subjected to antibiotic prophylaxis was 18.2% as against 33.3% of the group not subjected; the incidence of infection of the wound being 13.6% against 23.8%. The per-operative cultures of pus coming from the peritoneum cavity were positive in 83.7% of the cases (53.5% mixed aerobe-anaerobe cultures). The microorganism most frequently isolated were: Escherichia coli (27.7%), Bacteroides fragilis (7.9%), other Bacteroides spp. (20.8%), among the positive gram aerobes the Streptococcus milleri (6.9%) prevails; the most common association is the between Bacteroides spp. and Enterobacteria (19 cases); in a good 17 cases the enterobacteriaceae is represented by the Escherichia coli; the Bacteroides, E. coli and Streptococcus association is, however, observed in 10 cases. Our study confirms the usefulness of the peri-operative antibiotic prophylaxis in the cases of a gangrenous or perforated appendicitis.

A 20-amino acid peptide corresponding to a common part of the 40 and 46 kD forms of human 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase was coupled to keyole lymphet haemocyanin (KLH) and used as immunogen in sheep. After a cycle of four immunizations, immunoglobulins able to recognize the 20-amino acid peptide as evaluated in ELISA assays were purified by an immunoadsorbent with the peptide immobilized on Sepharose CL-4B and used in Western blot employing a secondary anti-sheep antibodies and iodinated protein A as indicator system. Results obtained using extracts from human and mouse cells treated for 15 hr with IFN-alpha as antigen demonstrated that the anti-peptide antibodies recognize several forms of the 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase enzyme complex. These antibodies therefore represent a useful tool for monitoring the induction of the above enzymes.

From May 1988 to September 1990 the microbiology laboratory of the Ivrea-Castellamonte Hospital (Province of Turin) carried out 1464 coproparasitological investigations. 0.5% of the samples, coming from 5 patients, proved to be Strongyloides stercoralis positive. 4 cases were diagnosed in recovery conditions, and on these we carried out a retrospective study (taking into consideration some epidemiological and clinical aspects). The average age of these patients, three men and one woman, was 70.5; all native of the Canavese and resident in agricultural zones; two farmers still working, a worker and a retired worker. All of them presented one or more associated pathologies and/or a tendency to parasitosis. The clinical picture was characterized by abdominal pain, present in three cases, while diarrhoea was observed in only one case; a slight temperature in two, a high temperature in one; nettle-rash manifestations in one case and breathing symptomatology in two. In two cases there appeared abdominal relaxation (meteorism) and in one of these there was a serious paralytic ileus. Eosinophilia was present in all the patients, even if at different levels (from 5.9% to 20%). The treatment was carried out with different drugs: mebendazole in two cases, thiabendazole in one and "pyrvinium pamoate" in another. Our conclusion is that there exist in the Canavese the climatic, environmental and social-economical conditions which can favour Strongyloidiasis.

Data on all blood cultures from patients admitted to the Ivrea-Castellamonte Hospital (Turin, Italy) from June 1986 to September 1989 were collected and processed in a retrospective study of the quantity of cultures prepared in the hospital as a whole and per department, the percentage of culture positivity and the incidence of bacteremias. The results were: 1) mean incidence of cultures: 12.37 per 1000 patients, increasing through the period; almost 2/3 of the cultures were requested by the three medical division; 2) positivity 21.2%; 3) incidence of bacteremias: 3 per 1000 patients. These findings are critically compared with others obtained both in Italy and abroad (United States, United Kingdom, South Africa), and it is suggested that the increased request for cultures observed should lead to an increase in the number of bacteremias diagnosed.