Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G Claeys.
Branhamella catarrhalis can be distinguished from Neisseria spp. by the presence of butyrate esterase. This enzyme can be rapidly detected when 4-methylumbelliferyl butyrate is used as the substrate. All B. catarrhalis strains tested gave a positive fluorescence reaction within 5 min, while Neisseria spp. remained negative, even after 18 h of incubation.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Non-microbial inflammatory changes are more frequent in the oviducts of IUD users than in those of former users and never users. No correlation was found between the incidence of non-microbial tubal inflammation and the interval between IUD use and tubal sterilization, pelvic inflammation and surgery, and parity. Inflammatory response was more common among women using copper devices than among those wearing a non-copper IUD.
A case of actinomycotic ovarian abscess ruptured during early gestation and related to IUD use is reported. The patient was treated by antibiotic therapy and oophorectomy. Further evolution of the pregnancy was irrelevant.
A total of 38 strains of Corynebacterium Group D2 isolated from clinical specimens in Belgian laboratories were characterized by pronounced urease activity, inability to acidify sugars and to reduce nitrates and multiresistance to antibiotics. Two strains were involved in clinical diseases. The organisms were found to have a more opportunistic than pathogenic behaviour.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A slow-growing Corynebacterium was isolated in pure culture from pus of a Küntscher-nailed tibial fracture. The strain was identified as Johnson-Kay strain or corynebacterium JK (CJK). This bacterium has been discovered recently and recognized as the cause of serious infections, especially in immunocompromized patients, polytraumatized patients, and patients with cardiac valve replacement. Superficial wounds can be colonized and hemocultures contaminated with CJK. Nosocomial spreading can occur. This microorganism is usually highly resistant to antimicrobial agents and requires therapy with vancomycin. This case was different from classic infections with "CJK" in several aspects. The infection occurred in a patient without underlying disease and the strain was sensitive to the antibiotic. The patient responded well to cephazolin treatment. Being part of the normal skin flora, Corynebacteria are often discarded as contaminants. A critical review of all clinical and laboratory data is necessary for the recognition of the infections and is important especially when a resistant strain is encountered.
An outbreak of pseudobacteremia caused by Pseudomonas pickettii biovariant 1 is reported. The common source was the aqueous chlorhexidine solution prepared by the hospital pharmacy. The contamination problem caused by the antiseptic solution was eventually solved by a series of preventive measures.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Gardnerella vaginalis is usually associated with nonspecific bacterial vaginitis. This paper presents a CAPD patiënt with peritonitis due to G. vaginalis. The infection route remained speculative. Treatment with gentamicin was not successful while the clinical signs of peritonitis disappeared within 24 hours after starting cefazolin.
Two successive Acinetobacter outbreaks in a neonatal intensive care unit were studied with arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR), cell envelope protein electrophoresis (protein fingerprinting) and antibiotic susceptibility testing. AP-PCR fingerprinting and protein fingerprinting yielded identical clustering of the isolates studied. Susceptibility test results were useful for rapid recognition of the outbreaks, but clustering of several isolates was different from the clustering obtained with AP-PCR fingerprinting and protein fingerprinting. Typing results indicated that the two outbreaks, which occurred at a three-month interval, were each caused by a single strain, and that both strains differed from the strains prevailing in the hospital. The strain of one outbreak was identified as A. junii, a species commonly not involved in outbreaks. A. baumannii isolates collected from different departments of this hospital during a period of four years clustered into only five different types. Moreover, strains from different departments of a second hospital belonged to the type prevailing in the first hospital, although there were no apparent connections between the two institutions. This may indicate that only a limited number of strains of the A. calcoaceticus-baumannii complex are involved in nosocomial outbreaks.
The aim of the study was to evaluate cefepime, a "fourth generation" cephalosporin, for its in vitro activity in comparison with 5 other broad spectrum antibiotics against clinical isolates from ICU and haematology patients. The strains were isolated from blood (8%), lower respiratory tract (41%), upper respiratory tract (14%), urine (20%) and other sites (17%). They were divided into: 28 non-inducible Enterobacteriaceae, 35 inducible Enterobacteriaceae, 20 non-fermenters, 10 S. aureus and 10 Streptococcus spp. The MIC-values were determined by E-test. Overall, the rank order of susceptibility was cefepime (93%), imipenem (90%), piperacillin-tazobactam (81%), ciprofloxacin (79%), ceftriaxone (75%) and ceftazidime (74%). Only cefepime was able to inhibit all inducible Enterobacteriaceae. Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, cefepime had the same activity as ceftazidime. With the exception of ceftazidime (65%), all beta lactams demonstrated good activity against Gram positive cocci. The excellent activity against most Gram negative and Gram positive pathogens suggests that cefepime may be useful in the treatment of serious infections in the described patient population.
An open, comparative, randomized study was performed in two medical intensive care units to compare the efficacy of the combination of aztreonam and either cloxacillin or oxacillin [(cl)oxacillin] with that of the combination of tobramycin and a cephalosporin. Of the 92 patients who were included in the study, 76 were evaluable. All patients suffered from severe, mostly pulmonary, infections and received ventilatory support. The aztreonam combination yielded an 80% rate of clinical cure; mortality was 15%. Use of the aminoglycoside combination resulted in a 51% rate of clinical cure; mortality was 23%. The difference in cure rate between the two combinations was statistically significant. Adverse effects were negligible in patients who received the aztreonam combination, and superinfection was seen in only 2%. Of the patients who received the aminoglycoside combination, 20% developed a superinfection and 11% developed a new renal insufficiency. Therefore, the combination of aztreonam and (cl)oxacillin is a valuable alternative to the combination of an aminoglycoside and a cephalosporin.
Mutans streptococci (MS) and lactobacillus (LB) counts (CRT Bacteria chair-side test) were compared and correlated with the respective caries experience (DMF) of cystic fibrosis (CF) homozygotes (n = 20), CF heterozygotes (n = 20) and healthy controls (n = 20). Each group of subjects was divided into two equal age groups: group A <20 years and group B >20 years. No significant differences were found regarding DMF between the three groups. CF heterozygotes had a significantly higher DMF-S than CF homozygotes (p = 0.040). This was also found in age group B (p<0.02), where it also counted for DMF-T (p<0.01). When in age group B, CF heterozygotes and controls were combined as one group, it was found that they had a significantly higher DMF-T (p = 0.031) and DMF-S (p = 0.008) than CF homozygotes. No significant differences in LB counts between the three groups were observed. CF homozygotes and those in age group A had significantly (p = 0.018 and p = 0.015) more low MS counts. LB and MS counts were positive and significantly correlated with DMF-T/-S in CF homozygotes and in the combined group of CF heterozygotes with controls (p< or = 0.05 and < or = 0.001). No correlations between bacterial counts and DMF were observed in CF heterozygotes. It can be concluded that despite the fact that CF homozygotes behave as high caries risk individuals, they did not have significantly more dental decay. More research is required in order to explore salivary, dietary and medication influences.
This prospective study represents an attempt to find a link between subclinical intra-amniotic infection and preterm singleton labor in 27 asymptomatic patients with intact membranes. Liquor amnii was obtained by transabdominal amniocentesis and cultured for anaerobic and aerobic bacteria and mycoplasmas. None of these cultures was positive. The value of gas-liquid chromatographic determination of volatile and non-volatile acids in liquor amnii could not be determined because amniotic infections did not occur in the population under study.