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Biomedical subjects

M A Athar

Publications and source records attributed to M A Athar.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Hyalohyphomycosis caused by Paecilomyces variotii in an obstetrical patient.

A case of hyalohyphomycosis, caused by Paecilomyces variotii, has been described in a 31-year-old female, who had undergone a cesarean section in her 39th week of pregnancy for a trial of labour. Five days following delivery, she complained of sharp, cramp-like pains, localized to the incisional site. She became febrile (38.2 degrees C). An ultrasound examination revealed a complex mass and fluid within the pelvis and upper abdomen. The fluid was drained by a needle aspiration and the patient was administered a regimen of antibacterial drugs. Microscopic examination did not reveal any bacteria in a gram stained preparation and cultures were negative as well. However, the fluid demonstrated a few segments of septate, hyaline hyphae, with cultures yielding a pure growth of P. variotii. An exoantigen procedure, currently under development, was helpful in confirming the identity of the patient's fungus. The patient's condition improved following needle aspiration and her recovery was uneventful. It is reiterated that certain infections, attributed to low-grade opportunistic pathogens, such as P. variotii, may be cured by proper surgical drainage.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Malassezia furfur fungemia: a case report.

A laboratory-confirmed case of Malassezia furfur fungemia in a 71-year-old chronic total parenteral nutrition patient is described. The patient had extensive bowel necrosis secondary to vascular necrosis, and the infection appeared to be related to the use of Hickman catheter. A brief review of the literature about catheter-related malassezia sepsis, as well as salient aspects of laboratory diagnosis and identification of the fungus, are presented.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Atypical legionellosis: isolation of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 from a patient with aspiration pneumonia.

It has been suspected that the number of Legionella pneumophila infections is substantially higher than commonly reported, due to subclinical infections. We report a patient where the diagnosis of a legionella infection was made only because of a large-scale surveillance programme for legionellosis. The case demonstrates the possibility of legionellas being involved in lung disease though not necessarily causing overt legionellosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Legionella pneumophila grows adherent to surfaces in vitro and in situ.

Legionella pneumophila continues to play a role in both community- and nosocomially-acquired pneumonia. We investigated the ability of L pneumophila to adhere to various types of materials such as those found in the hospital air-cooling and portable water distribution systems. Through the use of a unique sampling apparatus, we were able to regularly acquire planktonic and sessile samples and determine the numbers of bacteria present in both populations, in vitro and in situ. Portions of these apparatuses could be aseptically removed for examination by scanning electron microscopy, or for the determination of the number of viable adherent L pneumophila. The number of bacteria present in each sample was determined by direct plate count, with presumptive L pneumophila colonies being positively identified by direct fluorescent antibody staining techniques. The results demonstrated that not only are legionellae capable of colonizing various metallic and nonmetallic surfaces but that they are preferentially found on surfaces. Surface-adherent bacteria may play a profound role as a reservoir of these potential pathogens in aquatic environments. Furthermore, these results suggest that any comprehensive legionella monitoring program must include not only water samples but also an examination of the adherent populations.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1989

Risk factors for Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection in an urban community.

Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 have been attributed to meat or meat products, particularly ground meat, and to unpasteurized dairy products. However, the risk factors for sporadic cases have not been clearly delineated. Study data were collected by using a self-administered dietary and historical questionnaire on all patients whose history included bloody diarrhea and who attended one of the participating emergency departments. Designation as "case" or "control" occurred after stool culture results were known, eliminating the possibility for recall bias common to this type of study. Cases (E. coli O157:H7-positive) were further matched with one diarrheal and one healthy community control, and more detailed information on food preparation practices and other data were then taken. Of 266 presentations of bloody diarrhea, 103 (38.7%) were due to E. coli O157:H7. Unmatched analyses with bloody diarrheal controls revealed a seemingly lower risk for E. coli O157:H7 infection in fast food restaurant patrons. No increased risk could be detected for ground meat consumption despite adequate study power, although an association between ingestion of undercooked meat and infection (odds ratio = 3.5, P less than .05) was found when community controls were used. Proper food cooking (and handling) rather than the avoidance of particular food products is the preventive measure of choice.

Alberta↗
PubMed1980

Evaluation of antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacterial mixtures using agar dilution technique.

Antimicrobial susceptibilities of artificially created bacterial mixtures were investigated using an agar dilution technique with a standardized inoculum. Three types of combinations, ie, mixtures containing a susceptible and a resistant organism, and those containing two susceptible or two resistant organisms were tested. Organisms used in the study were previously isolated from a variety of clinical specimens. Both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms were included in the evaluation. Of the 42 combinations containing a susceptible and a resistant organism, 30 (73.8 percent) appeared as resistant, and 12 (26.2 percent) as susceptible. Of the 50 susceptible-susceptible combinations, 8 (16 percent) appeared as resistant and 42 (84 percent) as susceptible. However, in the case of 17 resistant-resistant combinations, 16 (94.2 percent) appeared as resistant and only 1 (5.8 percent) as susceptible. "Direct" or "primary" antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the clinical specimens, which are likely to contain a variety of microorganisms, can be unreliable and should not be used as a guide to antimicrobial therapy.

Agar↗