A diphtheria toxin producing strain of "C. ulcerans" was isolated from the throat of a 9-year-old boy who was previously immunized against diphtheria. This is the first reported case of human infection due to this organism in Denmark.
A case of cutaneous alternariosis is reported in the wife of a 73-year-old farmer. The diagnosis was verified culturally and histologically. The skin lesions were localized to legs, arms and face and were characterized by alternating spontaneous healing and formation of new lesions possibly due to autoinoculation from the lesions or re-exposure to the environment. The patient had a decreased resistance to infections owing to cancer - for which she had received X-ray treatment, chemotherapy and cortisone. This is the first reported Danish case.
The aim of the present investigation was to illustrate the antibacterial effect of various phenothiazine and thioxanthene derivatives on mycobacteria in vitro. It was demonstrated that clopenthixol is about twice as potent as chlorpromazine (CPZ) and levomepromazine-maleate is about half as potent as CPZ, measured by the inhibitory effect on the growth of the mycobacterial strains. Measured in the same way the stereoisomeric compounds of flupenthixol are shown to be more potent than the stereo-isomeric compounds of clopenthixol and chlorprothixen. The two last-named compounds are equal in potency. The stereo-isomeric analogs of the thioxanthene derivatives are equal in antibacterial potency against the slow-growing mycobacteria. The mycobacterial strains investigated show no difference in sensitivity between the cis (Z)--and and trans (E)--compounds of the thioxanthenes. It seems particularly promising that also the more resistant mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis, e.g. M. avium and M. intracellulare, are sensitive in the concentration range investigated. Considered as a whole, these results might be a stimulus to investigate the antimicrobial effect of the thioxanthenes in vivo.
A total of 8 penicillin-susceptible and 55 penicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Micrococcaceae were investigated for their beta-lactamase production by one quantitative and three qualitative methods. Seven of the 8 penicillin-susceptible strains had no beta-lactamase production; one had a very low production. Among the 55 penicillin-resistant strains, 54 produced beta-lactamase (mean 63 units/mg bacteria). Methicillin/gentamicin-resistant strains produced less enzyme than strains susceptible to these antibiotics. The percentage extracellularity (mean 18%) was lower than in Staphylococcus aureus, whereas the induction ratio (mean 56) was higher. No significant difference between the different species could be observed, but 70% of the strains were Staphylococcus epidermidis. Among the 55 beta-lactamase producing strains, the microbiological clover-leaf method detected 51, the iodometric method 40 and the chromogenic cephalosporin method 38. None of the three qualitative methods gave any false positive reactions.
The high density lipoprotein (HDL) fraction involved in the precipitation with Staphylococcus capitis can be quantitated by single radial diffusion in agar containing an extract of the bacteria. Both whole serum and purified HDL produce a precipitation ring with bacterial extract. When dilutions of serum are tested, the squared radius of the precipitation ring plotted against serum concentration gives a linear relationship. Cumulative density flotation of HDL, followed by quantitative analysis of precipitating activity and apo A, indicates that the precipitating activity is present in the less dense fraction of serum HDL (i.e. HDL2). This suggestion is supported by the finding that the precipitating activity correlates positively with HDL2 (but not with HDL3) in human sera. Precipitating activity was higher in sera from women than from men, in accordance with the sex difference in serum HDL. The results raise the question whether precipitation with an extract of S. capitis might serve as a simple, direct method to assess serum HDL2 levels.
On a solid agar medium the growth-inhibitory effect of 9 Lactobacillus strains cultured from vaginal content was tested on bacteria cultured from vaginal content of women with bacterial vaginosis: Mobiluncus, Gardnerella vaginalis, Bacteroides and anaerobic cocci. Inhibition zones were observed in the growth of all of the strains isolated from women with bacterial vaginosis around all lactobacilli. The inhibitory effect of the lactobacilli was further tested on various anaerobic and facultatively anaerobic species, both type strains and fresh extragenitally cultured strains. Four Bacteroides fragilis strains as well as 2 out of 4 Staphylococcus aureus strains were clearly inhibited by the lactobacilli. The inhibition zones were generally wider at pH 5.5 than at 6.0. For all inhibited strains, (the S. aureus excepted) a low pH on the agar around the lactobacilli correlated to wider growth-inhibition zones.