Biomedical subjects

C Wallrauch-Schwarz

Publications and source records attributed to C Wallrauch-Schwarz.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1994

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Europe.

In order to obtain pan-European data on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 43 laboratories from ten European countries each screened 200 consecutive Staphylococcus aureus isolates for methicillin resistance. Only one isolate per patient was permitted. All participants used a uniform oxacillin-supplemented screening plate. MRSA isolates were sent to Munich for reconfirmation and further susceptibility testing. Phage typing of the MRSA strains was performed in Denmark. Of the 7,333 Staphylococcus aureus strains screened, 936 (12.8%) were methicillin resistant. The proportion of MRSA in the various European countries ranged from < 1% in Scandinavia to > 30% in Spain, France and Italy. Rates of resistance to the non-glycopeptide antibiotics were lowest for rifampin and highest for ciprofloxacin. Sixty percent of the methicillin-resistant strains originated from patients in surgical and medical departments, with wounds being the most common isolation source. MRSA was found more frequently in intensive care patients. Only 13% of the strains were non-typable, and 76% of the isolates belonged to phage group III. For each area phage typing detected one or a few dominating (epidemic) types, but 46% of the strains did not belong to these types; the MRSA population is thus a mixture of epidemic and non-epidemic strains. MRSA seems to be a growing problem, especially in southern Europe, where incidence and rates of antibiotic resistance are alarmingly high.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed1994

[Comparative antibacterial activity of cefpodoxime against Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis].

The antimicrobial activity of cefpodoxime (Podomexef, CAS 80210-62-4) against 236 clinical isolates of H. influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus pneumoniae was investigated and compared with that of another 8 commonly used oral antibiotics. beta-Lactamase negative, beta-lactamase positive and multiresistant strains of H. influenzae were inhibited by cefpodoxime at a concentration of 0.13 mg/l. 10% of Moraxella catarrhalis isolates were moderately susceptible to cefpodoxime, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of cefpodoxime ranging between 0.13 and 2.0 mg/l. All isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus pneumoniae were susceptible to < or = 0.25 mg/l cefpodoxime. Cefpodoxime was clearly more active than the older oral cephalosporins against all species tested. The activity was comparable to that of cefixime against all species except Streptococcus pneumoniae, against which cefpodoxime was more active than cefixime.

Bacteria↗

PubMed1993

[Quantitative study of vaginal flora during the menstrual cycle].

The aerobic and facultatively anaerobic vaginal flora of 242 healthy women were examined during menstrual cycles. The most frequently isolated microorganisms at the first premenstrual examination were coagulase-negative staphylococci (61%), followed by enterococci (25%), Gardnerella vaginalis (19%), diphtheroids (12%), group B streptococci (6.8%), Escherichia coli (5.4%) and Candida spp. (4%). The isolation rate of all species, except Candida and Gardnerella vaginalis increased during menstruation. The lowest isolation rate for Staphylococcus aureus was 0.9% prior to menstruation and it increased to 7.6% during menstruation. This may be of relevance with regard to the toxic shock syndrome. Gardnerella vaginalis was isolated in 37% of women at least once during the study, suggesting, that this species belongs to the normal vaginal flora.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

[Evaluation of the serum bactericidal test].

The serum bactericidal test (SBT) is used to monitor antibiotic treatment during therapy. Compared to other methods of sensitivity testing, such as MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) determination, the SBT also takes into consideration the pharmacokinetic qualities of the drug tested. Serum bactericidal titers are measured during therapy of different infectious diseases to estimate therapeutic outcome. Until now serum bactericidal titers of 1:8 in non-granulocytopenic patients, and titers > or = 1:16 in granulocytopenic patients have been shown to correlate with a successful treatment outcome in patients with gram-negative sepsis. In patients with endocarditis a peak serum bactericidal titer of at least 1:32 should be achieved. Another way to apply the serum bactericidal test is to compare the activity of different antibiotics in volunteers. The present study as well as data from the literature indicate that ciprofloxacin has markedly higher serum bactericidal activity than ofloxacin. Of the so called "basic cephalosporins" cefotiam achieved the highest serum bactericidal activity against the Enterobacteriaceae tested. Since 3rd generation cephalosporins are in general highly active against gram-negative rods, we were interested in using the SBT to compare different dosage regimens. In several studies serum bactericidal titers of > or = 1:8 were achieved with the 1 g dosis of cefotaxime, cefmenoxime and especially ceftazidime against the gram-negative rods tested.

Agranulocytosis↗