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Biomedical subjects

R K Porschen

Publications and source records attributed to R K Porschen.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

The prevalence of Lyme disease in a nonendemic area. A comparative serologic study in a south Florida eye clinic population.

Serologic tests for Lyme borreliosis and for syphilis were performed on 75 patients seen in a 1-week period at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. The incident of syphilis was 8% and of Lyme borreliosis 3% in this study in a nonendemic area. The most common cause for a high titer serologic response for Lyme borreliosis in this group was a prior Treponema pallidum infection. The importance of getting VDRL, FTA-ABS, Lyme IFA, and Lyme ELISA tests in all suspected cases was emphasized.

Adult

Isolation of Corynebacterium xerosis from clinical specimens: infection and colonization.

Eleven patients were colonized or infected with diphtheroids identified as Corynebacterium xerosis. All the patients were compromised hosts by nature of their underlying disease and/or therapy. Two patients developed bacteremia following colonization of the respiratory tract with C. xerosis. Other patients were colonized at various sites, which included the respiratory tract, abdominal and thoracic wounds, amputated limb, and arterial-venous shunt. Distinctive features for the identification of C. xerosis include negative reactions for hemolysis, urease, and motility, and positive reactions for catalase, glucose, sucrose and nitrate reduction. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed by the disk diffusion method. In many instances the organisms were resistant to the antimicrobial regimens received by the patients. This was most frequent for nafcillin, gentamicin, kanamycin, clindamycin, and chloramphenicol. On the other hand, the organisms were highly susceptible to penicillin, ampicillin, cephalothin and carbenicillin.

Aged

Misdiagnosed Salmonella septicemia and endarteritis due to a lactose-fermenting strain: bacteriologic and epidemiologic considerations.

In a case of septicemia and endarteritis the causative agent was initially misidentified. The Salmonella had atypical biochemical properties and was resistant to numerous antibiotics. Therapy with gentamicin and cephalothin failed to eliminate the organism. Identification of the organism as a lactose-fermenting Salmonella serotype typhimurium var. copenhagen was confirmed. The possible dissemination of the isolate from Brazil was analyzed by serologic studies of family members and friends.

Aneurysm, Infected

Anaerobic vibrio-like organisms cultured from blood: Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and Succinivibrio species.

Two unusual anaerobic vibrio-like organisms were recovered from blood cultures of two patients. One isolate was identified as Desulfovibrio desulfuricans. It appeared to be the cause of a 24-h episode of fever, chills, and profuse perspiration. This is apparently the first documented report of human infection due to this organism. The second isolate was a Succinivibrio species. It has rarely been described as a cause of bacteremia. The clinical significance of the organism remains unclear.

Aged

Experience with a microscopic screening program for sputum specimens.

Microscopic examination of almost 2,000 sputum specimens was performed over a 3 1/2-month period. The specimens were categorized into 6 groups based on numbers of leukocytes (PMN's) and squamous epithelial cells (SEC's) observed at low magnification (X 100). Bacteriologic evaluation of specimens consisted of identification and antimicrobial susceptibility tests of potential pathogens when growth was equal or predominant to the growth of oropharyngeal flora. Specimens containing greater than 25 PMN's and less than 25 SEC's had potential pathogens identified in 51% of the samples. Specimen containing greater than 25 SEC's and any number of PMN's showed a rate on only 19%. Specimens containing less than 25 PMN's and SEC's had a rate of 13%. Since initiating the screening program in which sputum specimens containing greater than 25 SEC's were unacceptable for culture, the per cent of acceptable specimens received by the laboratory nearly doubled.

Bacteria

Evaluation of simplified dichotomous schemata for the identification of anaerobic bacteria from clinical material.

Simplified dichotomous schemata are described for the identification of anaerobic bacteria commonly encountered in clinical material. The procedures used are combinations of routine biochemical tests and techniques that are used to uniformly characterize these organisms. Over 200 anaerobic organisms were used in a three-stage evaluation in which data were compared with those obtained by conventional methods. When there was inconsistency between the biochemical tests described in the presumptive identification schemes and gas-liquid chromatography, additional biochemical tests or reference procedures were used to confirm identification. Strains from the American Type Culture Collection and the Center for Disease Control, as well as recent clinical isolates, were included in this evaluation. The results show the simplified procedures to be useful for the identification of anaerobic isolates from clinical material.

Bacteria