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Biomedical subjects

K K Christensen

Publications and source records attributed to K K Christensen.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Upper respiratory tract spread of group B streptococci type I b in a kindergarten.

In a kindergarten with 42 children and 17 female staff members, an epidemic of group B streptococcal carriage in the upper respiratory tract occurred. In the middle of February 1978, 6 children and 5 adults carried type I b streptococci in the throat while only 2 of these 11 were carriers 2 weeks later. Only one other streptococcus, belonging to type II, was found in the throat specimens. Five strains other than type I b were found in the urogenital tract of the staff. Three type I b throat carriers were also urogenital carriers of this type. The spread of type I b streptococci could have resulted from co-spreading with other upper respiratory tract pathogens found, including group A streptococci of type 12. Haemophilus influenzae, Branhamella catarrhalis and pneumococci. Estimation of antibodies with radiolabelled protein A indicated an immune response to type I b, but not to types I a, II or III group B streptococci in the staff compared with healthy blood donors.

Adolescent

Typing of group B streptococci from the throat and urogenital tract of females.

Group B streptococci were isolated from the urogenital tract of 54 of 168 patients (32%) examined at a gynecological outpatient department. 11 (7%) of the patients were group B throat carriers. In contrast to the frequency of type III group B steptococci in the urogenital tract (41% of group B streptococcal carriers) only 1 of 11 strains isolated from the throat belonged to type III. Apart from 1 patient who carried type III streptococci in the urogenital tract, all patients who were both throat and urogenital tract carriers harboured the same type in both sites. Significantly more patients who were only throat carriers of group B streptococci or harboured another type in the throat than in the urogenital tract, harboured lactose-fermenting group B streptococci as compared to patients who were only carriers of group B streptococci in the urogenital tract. These results pointed out the possible existence of "throat-preferring" and "urogenital-preferring" group B streptococci.

Adolescent

Rectal colonization with group B streptococci: relation to urogenital carriage.

Urethral, cervical and rectal specimens were taken from 92 females and urethral and rectal swabs from 46 males attending a venereological outpatient department. The frequencies of group B streptococci were, in the women: urethra 24%, cervix 14% and rectum 17%; in the males: urethra 22% and rectum 7%. These findings, supported by the results of serotyping, clearly demonstrate that the human urethra is an important site of colonization and do not support the idea that the gastrointestinal canal is the primary site of acquisition.

Adolescent

Quantitation of serum antibodies to surface antigens of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with radiolabeled protein A of Staphylococcus aureus.

Antibodies in human sera against surface antigens of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were detected with use of 125I-labeled protein A from Staphylococcus aureus. Serum was allowed to react with a suspension of whole gonococci, and the antibodies attached to the bacteria were quantitated with protein A, which reacts with the Fc fragment of IgG. Tests with five human sera with a gonococcoal complement-fixation titer of greater than or equal to 1:30 revealed no difference between use of freshly isolated gonococci and use of strains subcultured daily on artificial medium for 10 years. Antibodies cross-reacting with N. gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis were found in human sera. The results of the test with labeled protein A varied with the serum titer of complement-fixing antibody to N. gonorrhoeae. Acute and convalescent sera from six of seven patients, including one with disseminated gonococcal infection, showed significantly larger differences in antibodies to N. gonorrhoeae than did sera of women without evidence of genital infection. Complement-fixation titers changed significantly in only three of the six patients.

Adolescent

A study of complications in preterm deliveries after prolonged premature rupture of the membranes.

The risk of infection for mother and baby after spontaneous rupture of the membranes was evaluated in a prospective study of 24 patients with ruptured membranes before the 36th week of pregnancy. The mean length of pregnancy after rupture was 10 days and 2 hours. Only patients harboring Group B streptococci or E. coli in the urogenital tract were treated with antibiotics (during delivery). With the exception of 1 woman, all patients harbored one or more pathogens in the urogenital tract. Four mothers were infected but all recovered. One of 26 infants died from infection. The study did not confirm any association between prolonged rupture of the membranes and the frequency of idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome, nor did it contradict attempts to actively prolong pregnancy after rupture of the membranes.

Bacterial Infections