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T Juncosa

Publications and source records attributed to T Juncosa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Characterisation of invasive pneumococcal isolates in Catalan children up to 5 years of age, 1989-2000.

Ninety-six Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated between January 1989 and December 2000 from usually sterile sites of children aged < 5 years of age were included in the study. Resistance to penicillin (38.6% intermediate, 10.4% high-level), cefotaxime (20.8%), tetracycline (41.7%), chloramphenicol (33.3%) and erythromycin (27.1%), as well as serogroup/type, were related to age and pathology. Strains from children aged < 2 years showed the highest penicillin resistance rate. Resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and erythromycin was the most common pattern (18.8% of strains). Most isolates (80.2%) belonged to serogroups/types included in the heptavalent conjugate vaccine.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2001

[Helicobacter pylori infections: antigen detection in stool samples].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate a new diagnostic test to detect Helicobacter pylori antigen in stool samples (HpSA), and compare the results with those obtained by standard techniques (rapid urease test,culture, histological examination of gastric biopsy specimens,13C-urea breath test and serology), in a paediatric population with gastrointestinal symptomatology. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty patients with dyspeptic symptoms (37 females and 23 males;mean age 10.9 years) attending the Gastroenterology Service were included in the study. Exclusion criterium was previous treatment with proton pump inhibitors, bismuth compounds or antibiotics. Rapid urease test, culture and histologic study of gastric biopsies,13C-urea breath test and serology, as well as HpSA, were performed to all patients. RESULTS: Forty seven patients were considered infected by H.pylori on the basis of bacterium isolation and 13C-urea breath test positivity. HpSAwas detected in 45 of the 47 H.pylori positive patients(95.7%). There were no HpSA false positive. CONCLUSION: Our results show that this new test is highly sensitive (95%) and specific(100%) for detection of H. pylori infection. It has some advantages over other non invasive techniques: it is easy to perform,requires no blood samples and its cost is lower than that of 13C-urea breath test.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Neisseria meningitidis: evolution of penicillin resistance and phenotype in a children's hospital in Barcelona, Spain.

UNLABELLED: Neisseria meningitidis is the most prevalent micro-organism involved in paediatric bacterial meningitis in the Barcelona area in children over 3 mo of age and it is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Spain. A total of 498 strains of N. meningitidis, obtained between the years 1986 and 1997 from children with sepsis and/or meningitis, were characterized according to their serogroup and penicillin resistance; their distribution in serotypes and subtypes was studied from 1990. A decreasing tendency in the number of annual isolates was observed in this period. Most isolates belonged to serogroups B (403 strains) and C (77 strains). Serogroup C accounted for 1.8% of the strains in 1986 and 57.1% in 1997. The most prevalent phenotype between 1990 and 1996 was B:4:P1.15. but C:2b:P1.2,5 was the most prevalent in 1997. Overall penicillin-resistance rates ranged from 9.1% in 1986 (when a non-susceptible strain was isolated for the first time in the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain) to 71.4% in 1997, and it was more common among strains belonging to serogroup C (52% of resistant strains) than to serogroup B (22.1 % of resistant strains). The penicillin-resistance level was low, MIC always < or = 0.5 microg/ml. The present increase in N. meningitidis group C isolates, mainly C:2b:P1.2,5, and the availability of preventive measures for this highly pathological and resistant phenotype, argues strongly for the establishment of an epidemiological monitoring system. Detection of penicillin resistance should be standardized worldwide in order to unify data from all laboratories. CONCLUSION: A shift between serogroups B and C is observed in Barcelona from 1986 to 1997, as well as a rapid distribution of decreased penicillin susceptibility.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Haemophilus influenzae type b invasive disease in Catalonia (1996)].

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to find out the incidence and characteristics of H. influenzae type b invasive disease (HibID) in Catalonia, Spain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An active surveillance of H. influenzae isolated from normally sterile sites was carried out during 1996. Microbiology laboratories of hospitals of Catalonia were periodically contacted by telephone. The serotype of all the strains was studied. RESULTS: The incidence of H. influenzae invasive disease (HIID) was 7.1 per 100,000 in children under 5 years and 1.0 per 100,000 in those over 5 years. The incidence of serotype b was 6.4 per 100,000 children under 5 years and 0.2 above this age. Only three strains belonged to types other than b (d, e and f). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of HIbID is uncommon in Catalonia, lower than that registered in the prevaccine era in other countries and regions of the same geographical area.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Evaluation of a simple rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood].

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) applied to the diagnosis Helicobacter pylori infection in the pediatric population, by means of a rapid and simple method of extraction and posterior detection by a colorimetric hybridation of amplified H. pylori DNA. METHODS: Fifty three gastric biopsies, obtained through upper gastrointestinal endoscopy from 53 patients with gastric pathology (45 recidivant abdominal pain and eight hematemesis), were processed from october 1995 to july 1996. Three non invasive tests were performed: detection of IgG by (Cobas) Core Anti-H. pylori EIA (Roche), breath test with 13C-urea and PCR of dental plaque, as well as four invasive ones: histologic study, culture into selective (Pylori Agar, bioMérieux) and non selective media (Columbia Agar with 5% sheep blood, bioMérieux), test of rapid urease and PCR of gastric biopsies. A 20% solution of Chelex 100 resin (DNA Extraction Reagen, Perkin Elmer) was used for DNA extraction, amplification was performed from gen ureA (Clayton, 1992) and amplified DNA was detected by colorimetric hybridation (PCR ELISA, Boehringer, Mannheim). Duration of the PCR process was: extraction 25 min, amplification two hours and detection three hours. RESULTS: Results of culture and PCR from gastric biopsies agreed in 84.3% of cases (27 positives, 16 negatives and two not determined). Two samples were positive by culture and negative by PCR, and were considered as PCR false negatives due to positivity of three or more other tests. Six samples were negative by culture and positive by PCR, being considered as culture false negatives due to positivity of three or more other tests. Sensitivity of PCR and culture was 94.2 and 82.8%. Specificity was 100% for both tests. None of the dental plaque samples was positive. CONCLUSIONS: When invasive techniques are to be done for microbiologic diagnose of H. pylori, PCR increases the confirmation rate of infection; the present procedure enables daily routine work due to its simplicity and its short turnaround time.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

[Recurrent infection by Streptococcus agalactiae].

BACKGROUND: To study the factors implicated in the infectious process (host, microorganism and antibiotic) of a newborn early sepsis by S. agalactiae that suffered a reactivation at day five from discharge. METHODS: Description of two episodes of newborn sepsis by S. agalactiae corresponding to the same patient and microbiologic study of the isolated strain: typing by "genomic macrorestriction" and antibiotic tolerance by "timed killing curves". RESULTS: It was demonstrated that both strains of S. agalactiae type la/c belonged to the same clone as well as the tolerance to ampicillin of the strain. DISCUSSION: This sort of infections processes in the newborn are very serious and there is possibility of relapse. Thus, it is important to study the ethiologic agent and its relationship with antibiotics, in order to stablish the best treatment regimes, avoiding the possibility of relapses as the case we have described.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Study of the viral etiology of lower respiratory tract infections in a neonatal unit].

OBJECTIVE: To study the possible viral etiology in 139 infants with lower respiratory tract infection who required hospitalization in the Infant Unit of our hospital, from October 1994 to June 1995. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 139 patients were admitted, aged from 13 days to 14 months, during this period. The etiological agent was detected by direct immunofluorescence from nasopharyngeal secretions. Monoclonal antibodies were used against Respiratory Syncitial Virus, Influenza A Virus, Influenza B Virus, Adenovirus and Parainfluenza 3 Virus. Antibody detection against these viruses by Complement Fixation Test was done on 29 of these patients, with paired sera (acute and convalescent phase). RESULTS: In 82 patients (59%) we found at least one viral agents from the nasopharyngeal specimens, but in 64 of these only one was detected, in the remaining 18, there were more than one. Significant levels of antibodies were detected in only six of the 29 patients tested. Serology was negative in the remaining 23 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Syncitial Respiratory Virus is the first virus responsible for the lower respiratory tract infection in this age group (49%). There was no correlation between serological diagnosis and antigen detection.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed1996

Urine sample used for congenital toxoplasmosis diagnosis by PCR.

The diagnosis of toxoplasmosis in congenitally infected infants can be difficult; serology is unreliable, and diagnosis must be based on the combination of symptomatology and direct demonstration of the parasite. Four infants suspected of having Toxoplasma gondii infection were studied by serological analysis, tissue culture, and PCR determination. T. gondii was isolated from the urine of one patient. The parasite was detected by PCR in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of three infants and in the urine in all patients. Because nested PCR proved to be a sensitive, relatively rapid, and specific method and because it can be applied to a variety of different clinical samples, PCR can be a valuable technique for the identification of T. gondii infections in children. The present study indicates that PCR examination of urine, a fluid never before used for diagnosis in this age group, may be valuable in diagnosing cases of congenital toxoplasmosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

[Microbiological study of the respiratory tract in children with cystic fibrosis].

PURPOSE: Pulmonary infections is a main cause of morbimortality in patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. The objective of this study was to know the flora implicated in respiratory pathology of all mucoviscidotic children attending Hospital Sant Joan de Déu of Barcelona. METHODS: Quantitative cultures from respiratory samples (most of them: sputum) of 26 patients were performed from January 91 to June 93. There were 13 girls and 13 boys, aged 1 to 13 years (mean: 7 years). RESULTS: 282 microorganisms were isolated from 203 positive samples. Cultures of 88.4% of patients yielded in some moment Haemophilus influenzae, 82.6% of them Haemophilus parainfluenzae, 65.3% Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 50% Streptococcus pneumoniae, 38.4% Staphylococcus aureus. The most prevalent microorganism was P. aeruginosa (66%) followed by H. influenzae (29%) and S. aureus (26.6%). 59% of P. aeruginosa strains showed a mucoid phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Haemophilus sp. causes short term infections that affect children of all ages, whereas infections due to P. aeruginosa persist in spite of correct antimicrobial therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

[Evaluation of the E test method in the antimicrobial sensitivity of Neisseria meningitidis to penicillin].

BACKGROUND: The E test (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden) is a rather new method for performing antimicrobial susceptibility test--their results are generated directly as MICs. Due to its simplicity, is available in nearly all laboratories. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of the E test for susceptibility studies of Neisseria meningitidis to penicilline. METHODS: The MICs of penicilline of 55 strains of Neisseria meningitidis, studied by E test and by microdilution method, were compared to those obtained by agar dilution using both Mueller-Hinton (MH) and Mueller-Hinton with a 5% of sheep blood (MH+S) as test culture bases. RESULTS: The concordance rate (+/- 1 log2 of dilutions) was 100% in all cases, except for the E test on MH+S which yielded a 98.2% value. The Pearson's correlation coefficients were 0.95 and 0.84 for the E test and 0.88 and 0.85 for microdilution, using MH and MH+S. Roughly 70% of strains were considered susceptible to penicillin using MH for the in vitro tests, whereas only 40% of them were so considered using MH+S. CONCLUSIONS: The E test can be considered a good alternative to agar dilution method when testing susceptibility of N. meningitidis to penicilline, and MH is the best culture base for these assays.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1992

[Osteoarticular infections in children].

We presented a retrospective review of osteoarticular infections diagnosed at Sant Joan de Deu Hospital from Barcelona, in the last 10 years (1981-1990). A total of 127 arthritis and 113 osteomyelitis were recorded in children aged from a few days to 15 years. This represents a 3.5% of all infectious diseases patients during the study period. The most common microorganism was S. aureus (52.3%) followed by Brucella (8.2%) and Salmonella as well as Streptococcus agalactiae (7.3% each). The most common involved joint were hip and knee in arthritis cases, but long bones (tibia and humerus) in osteomyelitis cases.

Adolescent↗