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Biomedical subjects

J M Zenilman

Publications and source records attributed to J M Zenilman.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Cocaine hydrochloride and benzoylecgonine have no in vitro inhibitory effect against Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

We evaluated 72 clinical Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates for in vitro susceptibility to cocaine hydrochloride and its metabolite benzoylecgonine and to penicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, ceftriaxone, and ofloxacin. Although there was a wide range of susceptibilities to the antimicrobial agents, cocaine and its major metabolite, benzoylecgonine, had no demonstrable antigonococcal activity. Cocaine use is frequently associated with outbreaks of sexually transmitted disease. We hypothesized that the dramatically decreasing incidence of gonorrhea over the past 15 years may be in part due to pharmacological effects of cocaine. However, since cocaine and its metabolite have no in vitro antigonococcal activity, this hypothesis is unlikely.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

National surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project.

The Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project is a national sentinel surveillance system to estimate levels and monitor trends of antimicrobial resistance in prospectively collected isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Of 6204 isolates evaluated from 21 clinic sites between September 1987 and December 1988, 21% met at least one of the surveillance criteria for resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, cefoxitin, or spectinomycin; 2.2% were penicillinase-producing N gonorrhoeae; 1.0% had high-level plasmid-mediated tetracycline resistance; and 16.8% of the isolates without plasmid-mediated resistance had chromosomally mediated resistance (defined as a minimum inhibitory concentration greater than or equal to 2 micrograms/mL) to penicillin, tetracycline, or cefoxitin. Three isolates were resistant to spectinomycin. All isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone. Resistant isolates were identified from all participating centers. Patient demographic and behavioral characteristics were not predictive of infections caused by resistant organisms. These results demonstrate the wide distribution of antimicrobial-resistant N gonorrhoeae and support recent changes in Centers for Disease Control therapy recommendations for gonococcal infections that no longer recommend tetracycline and penicillin as first-line therapies.

Adolescent↗

In vitro studies simultaneously examining effect of oxacillin on uptake of radiolabeled streptomycin and on associated bacterial lethality in Staphylococcus aureus.

We studied the effects of various concentrations of oxacillin on streptomycin uptake and killing for several strains of Staphylococcus aureus. When streptomycin was present in concentrations below the MIC, addition of oxacillin at concentrations greater than or equal to the MIC was associated with both significantly increased aminoglycoside uptake and killing. In contrast, when streptomycin was present in concentrations above the MIC, no increase of streptomycin uptake was noted with the addition of oxacillin, and killing was no greater than what would have been expected with a simply additive effect. Similar studies in a strain of S. aureus selected for high-level streptomycin resistance also demonstrated increased streptomycin uptake in the presence of concentrations of oxacillin above the MIC; however, killing was no greater than that seen with oxacillin alone. These studies provide data which are potentially important in designing a rational approach to clinical use of combination antibiotic therapy.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug↗

Therapy for gonococcal infections: options in 1989.

The choice of therapy for Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections is complicated by antibiotic resistance and by the varying efficacy of some antibiotics at different anatomic sites of infection. Ceftriaxone (a single intramuscular dose of 250 mg) is a simple, effective, and generally well-tolerated choice for uncomplicated N. gonorrhoeae infection at all anatomic sites. Alternatives include single-dose oral regimens of ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and cefuroxime axetil as well as single-dose intramuscular regimens of spectinomycin, ceftizoxime, and cefotaxime. The addition of doxycycline (100 mg orally twice a day for 7 days) is recommended for presumptive treatment of chlamydial coinfection. Tetracyclines should not be used as sole therapy for gonococcal infection because of gonococcal resistance.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Pelvic inflammatory disease: review of treatment options.

Decisions regarding appropriate antibiotic therapy for treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) are complicated by an incomplete understanding of the syndrome. Further, the lack of data on laparoscopic diagnosis and cure of PID severely limits our ability to interpret data on therapy outcome. Validation studies of the treatment regimens recommended by the Centers for Disease Control in the 1985 treatment guidelines for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) suggest that both the cefoxitin/doxycycline and clindamycin/aminoglycoside combination regimens result in consistently high rates of clinical evidence of cure. The 1989 STD treatment guidelines were based on these studies and on available data regarding newer treatment regimens. Empiric, broad-spectrum therapy remains the treatment of choice. The two regimens recommended for inpatient therapy in 1989 are similar to those recommended in 1985. The recommendation for management of ambulatory patients has been substantially changed, however, because of increasing resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to penicillin.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Dade County, Florida: evidence of core-group transmitters and the impact of illicit antibiotics.

In 1985, 2,455 cases of infection due to penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae were reported from Dade County, Florida. These cases represent the largest concentration of PPNG infections reported to date in the United States. A zip code-based geographic analysis of morbidity caused by gonorrhea and PPNG identified a core area where the percentage of all gonorrhea cases due to PPNG was 31-36%. This percentage decreased in a radial pattern outward from the central core. A prospective study of patients presenting to the Dade County central clinic with gonorrhea found that men infected with PPNG were more likely to have medicated themselves with illicit antibiotics than were patients infected with penicillin-sensitive N. gonorrhoeae (odds ratio, 3.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.9-6.8). Of all self-medicated patients, 42% obtained antibiotics via illicit over-the-counter purchase at pharmacies in the hyperendemic area. In contrast to previous reports, PPNG infection was not associated with either narcotic- or prostitution-related activities. The results show that PPNG is endemic in Dade County and is arrayed in a core distribution. Antibiotic abuse may have played an important role in the Miami epidemic and in the establishment of PPNG as an endemic strain.

Adolescent↗

Penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Dade County, Florida: phenotypic characterization of isolates from 1983, 1984, and 1986.

Penicillinase-producing strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) have been endemic in Miami, Florida, since 1981. Strains of PPNG isolated in Miami during 1983 (60 isolates), 1984 (41 isolates), and 1986 (107 isolates) were characterized by plasmid content, auxotype/serovar (A/S) class, and susceptibility to antimicrobial agents. In 1986, 95 isolates (89%) possessed the 3.2-Megadalton (MDa) beta-lactamase plasmid; 36 (34%) of these isolates also possessed the 24.5-MDa conjugative plasmid. These results contrast with those from 1984, when 37 PPNG isolates (90%) possessed the 4.4-MDa plasmid, and most possessed the 24.5-MDa conjugative plasmid. This in turn was a reversal of the pattern seen in 1983, when only 42 (69%) possessed the 3.2-MDa plasmid, and the conjugative plasmid was rare. In 1983 and 1986, isolates possessing the 4.4-MDa plasmid were more resistant to penicillin than were isolates containing the 3.2-MDa plasmid. All isolates were susceptible to spectinomycin and ceftriaxone. In early 1986, two A/S classes accounted for 66% of all isolates. Pro/IA-1,2 and Pro/IB-2 accounted for 31 (29%) and 40 (37%), respectively, and were isolated during every week in early 1986. In contrast, isolates belonging to 14 and six A/S classes possessing the 3.2- and 4.4-MDa beta-lactamase plasmid, respectively, were isolated sporadically. The composition of the PPNG strain population in Miami is dynamic, a factor that may have important implications for the use of traditional disease intervention strategies.

Disease Outbreaks↗

Frequency in the United States of non-beta-lactamase-producing strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae possessing the 24.5-Mdal conjugative plasmid.

We characterized 475 non-beta-lactamase-producing gonococcal isolates from five U.S. cities by auxotype, serovar, and plasmid content to determine the frequency of isolates with the 24.5-Mdal gonococcal conjugative plasmid. A total of 150 (32%) of all isolates possessed the 24.5-Mdal plasmid; these isolates represented between 10% and 53% of isolates from each city. Isolates possessing the 24.5-Mdal plasmid belonged to 45 (56%) of 81 auxotype/serovar (A/S) classes, or between 24% and 70% of the A/S classes isolated in each city. Overall, a higher proportion of strains isolated in the southern cities possessed the 24.5-Mdal plasmid than did those from northeastern or northwestern cities. These strains appear to have spread independently of the spread of beta-lactamase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains. The prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae strains with the 24.5-Mdal conjugative plasmid has increased substantially and may have important implications for the epidemiology of gonorrhea caused by beta-lactamase-producing strains.

Conjugation, Genetic↗

Temporal trends in gonococcal antibiotic resistance in Baltimore.

Each month from August 1986 through July 1990, clinical and laboratory data were evaluated for the first 25 urethral isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from men attending a Baltimore sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic as part of an effort to understand factors that contribute to changes in gonococcal antimicrobial susceptibility. During the 48-month study period, 1193 gonococcal isolates were evaluated; the proportion of penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae (PPNG) isolates steadily increased, the prevalence of tetracycline-resistant N. gonorrhoeae (TRNG) remained relatively stable, and chromosomally mediated penicillin resistance increased steadily during the first 5 6-month intervals, then decreased, only to increase again during the final 2 6-month intervals. Changes in antibiotic treatment regimens for gonorrhea were associated with changes in the prevalence of chromosomally mediated penicillin resistance. In a supplementary study to characterize patterns of antibiotic use among men and women attending the STD clinics, 9% of patients reported antibiotic use in the 2 weeks prior to clinic visit. Antibiotics were taken prior to clinic attendance by 65% of patients reporting antibiotic use, because of concerns regarding possible STD or STD exposure. These patients were significantly less likely to be culture positive for N. gonorrhoeae when compared with patients who did not report antibiotic use. Temporal trends in N. gonorrhoeae antibiotic resistance appear to be influenced by many factors, including treatment regimens and self medication.

Adolescent↗

Alcohol and other substance use in STD clinic patients: relationships with STDs and prevalent HIV infection.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sexually transmitted diseases have been epidemiologically linked to a variety of high-risk behaviors, including substance abuse. However, the relationship between alcohol consumption and risk for specific STDs has not been explored previously. GOAL OF THIS STUDY: We hypothesized that alcohol use is a risk factor for STD acquisition. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of enrollment visits in a prospective cohort study evaluating behavioral and biological risk factors for STD in an inner-city STD clinic population. Subjects were administered a comprehensive behavioral and questionnaire which included a detailed sexual history and evaluation for substance use. Alcohol users were classified as "frequent drinkers" (> 2 times/week) and "infrequent" drinkers. Clinical exam included laboratory evaluation for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV). RESULTS: In 1990-1992, 1,145 patients were enrolled; 245 (21%) were "frequent" drinkers. "Frequent" drinkers were more likely in the past month to have had more than 2 sex partners (OR = 3.3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]2.4-4.7), and use cocaine or injecting drugs. Frequent drinkers were more likely to be diagnosed with HIV (OR = 2.5; 95% CI 1.6-4.0) and syphilis (OR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.1-2.8), but not with gonorrhea or chlamydia. Similar patterns were seen in cocaine and injecting drug users. In a multivariate analysis controlling for gender, syphilis, injecting drug, cocaine use, and sexual orientation, there was a borderline association between frequent alcohol use and HIV infection (OR = 1.63; 95% CI 0.95-2.8; P = .07). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol is frequently used in individuals at risk for STD, and is associated with other risk variables for HIV infection. Use of multiple drugs, including alcohol, is common. Nevertheless, these data suggest that alcohol use may have an independent behavioral effect that would increase the risk for HIV infection.

Adolescent↗

Condom use to prevent incident STDs: the validity of self-reported condom use.

BACKGROUND: Studies of sexual behavior and of interventions designed to reduce human immunodeficiency virus risk usually depend on self-report. Validation of self-reported condom use measures has not been previously reported in an urban population at high risk for sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed in subjects recruited from sexually transmitted disease clinics in Baltimore. At enrollment, a questionnaire was administered that assessed human immunodeficiency virus risk factors and sexually transmitted disease history, and used a retrospective calendar to assess sexual events and condom use over the previous 30 days. Clinical evaluation was performed for sexually transmitted diseases. At follow-up 3 months later, the same procedures were repeated. Incident sexually transmitted diseases at follow-up were defined as new culture or serologically documented diagnoses of gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, or trichomoniasis. RESULTS: In the 323 male and 275 female (total = 598) subjects who completed a follow-up visit, 21% reported using condoms for every act of sexual intercourse over the previous 30 days, 21% reported occasionally using condoms, and 59% reported not using condoms. At follow-up, 21% of subjects had new incident gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, or trichomoniasis. Fifteen percent of the men who were "always" condom users had incident sexually transmitted diseases compared with 15.3% of "never users;" 23.5% of women who were "always" users had incident sexually transmitted diseases compared with 26.8% of "never" users. CONCLUSIONS: In this high-risk population, self-reported condom use is not associated with lower sexually transmitted disease incidence. This finding suggests that self-reported condom use measures, even in a research setting, may be subject to substantial reporting bias.

Adult↗