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F del Castillo

Publications and source records attributed to F del Castillo.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Penicillin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in children with acute mastoiditis.

Resistance to erythromycin is usually associated with resistance to penicillin in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates. Over the last few years, however, an increase has been detected in the number of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates obtained from children with acute otitis media complicated by acute mastoiditis. These isolates are characterized by a penicillin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant antibiotic profile. This observation prompted a review of the microbiology database and analysis of all Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates with this peculiar antibiotic profile at a university hospital in Madrid, Spain.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

Influence of recent antibiotic therapy on antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae in children with acute otitis media in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of penicillin resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae strains in Spain (40 to 60% with MIC > or = 0.1 microg/ml), the data on acute otitis media (AOM) isolates are scarce. We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study to determine the rates of antimicrobial resistance of S. pneumoniae isolates from children with AOM in our country and to analyze the effect of previous antibiotic therapy on these rates. METHODS: Tympanocentesis was performed on 169 children diagnosed with AOM (age range, 1 month to 14 years). Two groups were considered: Group A, 113 patients with non-antibiotic-treated AOM, subdivided into Group A1 (collected from 1989 to 1992) and Group A2 (1992 to 1996); Group B, 56 patients from the period 1992 to 1996, with AOM clinical failure, defined as worsening or persistent symptoms after at least 2 days of appropriate antibiotic therapy. Amoxicillin-clavulanate was the most frequent antibiotic used (68%), followed by azithromycin (21%), cefaclor and cefixime (11%). RESULTS: A total of 63 S. pneumoniae isolates were recovered, 42 in Group A and 21 in Group B. Resistance to penicillin (MIC > or = 0.1 microg/ml) was found in 38% of strains in Group A (32% in A1 and 50% in A2), but in Group B the rate of resistance reached 90% (P = 0.0002). Erythromycin resistance was also increased from 35% (Group A2) to 62% (Group B), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance rose from 64% to 81%. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance to penicillin among S. pneumoniae AOM isolates is frequent and is increasing in Spain. After failure of standard antibiotic therapy, the rates of penicillin resistance reached 90% of the isolates.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

[Risk factors for toxoplasmosis in children].

BACKGROUND: The risk factors for human toxoplasmosis infection are numerous. The purpose of this work is to recognize these risk factors in childhood. METHODS: A total of 727 children was prospective studied ranged in age from 2 to 14 years. In all children Toxoplasma-specific antibodies was investigated and we make an epidemiological questionnaire about risk factors of toxoplasmosis: house, school, contact with cats and food. The prevalence of antibodies is analyzed and an univariate, and multivariate analysis is performed. RESULTS: The overall prevalence is 42.8%, 27.9% in 2-years-old children and 58.1% in 14-years-old children. The univariate analysis is statistically significant in females, ground-floor house without backyard, no urbanized house, domestic cat, cat in another home which is frequently visited, children under 4-years-old playing with cat, cat close to ground-floor house without backyard. In our study, ground-floor house without backyard equals to no urbanized house (OR: 49.5). This house showed a strong association with cat close to the house (OR: 6.9). The best model of logistical regression that adjusts with our data was domestic cat (OR: 1.6), cat in another home (OR: 1.5), female (OR: 1.7), no urbanized house (OR: 2.2) and children over 7-years-old (OR: 1.7). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the prevalence of Toxoplasma-specific antibodies is high. The risk factors that we found are associated with contact with cat, female and children over 7-years-old. The only house that showed significance was no urbanized house, associated with cat close to the house.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Tolerance of pyrazinamide in short course chemotherapy for pulmonary tuberculosis in children.

BACKGROUND: This prospective study was performed to evaluate the tolerance of pyrazinamide in short course chemotherapy in children. METHODS: A total of 114 children ages 6 months to 15 years (4.5 +/- 3.4 years) with diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis from 1985 to 1995 entered the trial. A 2-month regimen of isoniazid, rifampin and pyrazinamide, followed by rifampin and isoniazid for the remaining 4 months, was administered orally to all children. Clinical adverse effects specifically investigated were gastrointestinal disturbances, rash, signs of hepatotoxicity and arthralgias. Laboratory toxicity data (number of leukocytes, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and serum uric acid) were collected before treatment and 1, 3 and 5 months after the beginning of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Clinical adverse effects were mild in all cases. Three children (2.6%) had fever and 5 (4.4%) had gastrointestinal disturbances. Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase mean values showed no differences along time and no patients had clinical signs of hepatotoxicity. Only 11 children (19.6%) showed a slight increase in alanine aminotransferase (< 194 units/l). Serum uric acid increased in 92.2% of the children compared with pretreatment values. This increase remained within the normal range in all but 9.8% of patients. There was a significant increase in uric acid mean concentrations after 1 month of therapy (from 3.7 +/- 0.7 mg/dl to 5.7 +/- 1.6 mg/dl, P < 0.05), which fell again (4.0 +/- 1.1) 1 month after pyrazinamide was stopped. There were no signs of gout or arthralgias. In no case was the treatment interrupted. CONCLUSION: The addition of pyrazinamide in chemotherapy for pulmonary tuberculosis in children was found to be safe. The slight increase in uric acid concentration during its administration had no recognized adverse consequences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Cefpodoxime proxetil suspension compared with cefaclor suspension for treatment of acute otitis media in paediatric patients.

A multicentre open-label, randomised trial was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of cefpodoxime proxetil bd and cefaclor tds in the treatment of acute otitis media in children. A total of 167 children aged from 1 month to 11 years were enrolled in five centres: 78 treated with cefpodoxime and 83 treated with cefaclor, were evaluated in the ITT analysis. After tympanocentesis and culture of middle ear fluid, a pathogen was isolated from 85 (53%) of the 161 evaluable patients for the ITT analysis. The organisms isolated were as follows: Streptococcus pneumoniae: (n = 33, 37.5%); Haemophilus influenzae: (n = 22, 25%); Staphylococcus aureus: (n = 15, 17.1%); Streptococcus pyogenes: (n = 8, 9.1%); Moraxella catarrhalis: (n = 2, 2.3%); others (n = 6, 6.8%). Success (defined as a satisfactory clinical outcome, either cure or improvement) was achieved at the end of treatment, in 93.6% of ther patients in the cefpodoxime group and 91.6% of the patients in the cefaclor group (P> 0.05). Clinical recurrence was identified at the follow-up visit (30 days after inclusion), in 6.4% of the cefpodoxime-treated patients and 7.2% of the cefaclor-treated patients (P> 0.05). The drugs were well tolerated by 78/79 (99%) of patients in the cefpodoxime-treated group and 80/85 (94%) in the cefaclor-treated group. The incidence of adverse effects was higher in the cefaclor group than in the cefpodoxime group, but this was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). IN conclusion, cefpodaxime proxetil administered bd is as effective as cefaclor administered tds in the treatment of acute otitis media in children. The less frequent dosing schedule of cefpodoxime (bd) compared with cefaclor (tds) appears to be more convenient for the treatment of the infections in children.

Acute Disease↗
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↗
PubMed1994

[Bacteriologic study of 80 cases of acute otitis media in children].

BACKGROUND: Etiology of acute otitis media (AOM) in children is almost unknown in our country. We report 80 cases in order to study the most common pathogens. METHODS: Eighty healthy children diagnosed of acute otitis media were studied between June 1989 and March 1992. Tympanocentesis was performed on each patient with an Abbocath-20G needle connected to a sterile syringe. RESULTS: Some pathogens was isolated in 58 patients (72.5%) and in 22 (27.5%) the culture was sterile or with usual flora of the external canal. S. pneumoniae was recovered in 26 cases (32.5%); H. influenzae in 23 cases (28.7%); S. pyogenes 4 cases (5%); E. coli 4; P. aeruginosa 3 (3.7%); S. aureus 2 (2.5%); anaerobes 2 cases. M. catarrhalis was not found in any cases. In 6 children there was mixed flore. CONCLUSIONS: In 80 children with AOM some pathogens was isolated in 58 cases (72.5%). The most common agents were S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1988

[Infectious mononucleosis in children].

50 cases of infectious mononucleosis by Epstein-Barr virus were studied in patients over and under 4 years age. Clinical evolution did not show any statistical differences between both age groups, except for splenomegalia which was more common in children under 4. Serology was divided into 3 groups: children under 4 year, between 4 and 5 and those over 5 years of age. First group exhibited a positive Davinsonh test in 15.3% of cases; second group in 33.3% and third in 80%. IgG antibodies against virus capsid were positive in 86% of cases with an equal distribution according to age groups. IgM antibodies were positive in 66%, not exhibiting any disparity in age groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Some comments on the variance of heterozygosity in finite populations.

A new and more accurate formula for the variance of heterozygosity under genetic drift has been obtained. The variance can be partitioned into two components; the first comes from the dispersion of the allelic frequencies among populations, and the second from the dispersion of the actual heterozygosity, h, around their expected values, 2pq. A certain generation exists where the variance reaches a maximum; thus, the genetic drift can be split into two phases by this single maximum.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed1986

[Abdominal tuberculosis in children. A review apropos of 13 cases].

Thirteen cases of abdominal tuberculosis are presented; some of them in active or symptomatic stage and others in latent or abdominal calcification form. Many of these patients were diagnosed through the finding of a source of infected cattle after diagnosis of one of symptomatic patients. Pathogenesis, clinical findings and diagnostic difficulty are commented, as well a sanitary importance of the problem, since M. bovis is still a currently found organism in daily practice.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Isolation of unselected mutants of alkaline phosphatase in Escherichia coli through nitrosoguanidine comutation and comparison with natural variants.

We have devised a general procedure to isolate enzymatic variants without selecting or screening for related phenotypic peculiarities of the organism. A high mutation rate at phoA, the structural gene for alkaline phosphatase, is found among N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-induced proC revertants of Escherichia coli. About 1.6% of such revertants lack alkaline phosphatase, and many others exhibit altered enzyme parameters. Three mutants studied in detail had full enzyme activity but differed from the wild type in electrophoretic mobility, thermostability, and, in one case, optimum pH for enzyme activity. Four other phosphatase variants were discovered in a survey of 50 natural E. coli isolates; their electrophoretic mobility and thermostability were different from those of the wild type. Natural and induced enzyme variants are similar enough to suggest the absence of strong selective pressures in natural populations.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗