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Biomedical subjects

J C Lefevre

Publications and source records attributed to J C Lefevre.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Spondylodiscitis due to Aerococcus urinae: a first report.

Aerococcus urinae is an uncommon urinary tract pathogen which causes infections predominantly in elderly persons with local and general predisposing conditions. There are few case reports of severe infections caused by Aerococcus urinae among which only 14 cases of endocarditis caused by Aerococcus urinae have been reported. We report the first case of Aerococcus urinae spondylodiscitis. The patient responded to 4 weeks of amoxicillin and clindamycin, and to 5 months of amoxicillin alone.

Aged↗

Tetracycline-resistant Chlamydia trachomatis in Toulouse, France.

We report the first isolation of a tetracycline-resistant Chlamydia trachomatis strain in Toulouse, France. Culture of a post treatment endocervical specimen from a woman treated with tetracycline grew C. trachomatis. The patient was retreated with pristinamycin and cured. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of tetracycline for the patient isolate were > 64 micrograms/ml although 1% of the population of organisms showed resistance. Conversely for 34 C. trachomatis isolates recovered since 1988 from patients before treatment, in Toulouse, all the MICs of tetracycline were < or = 0.25 microgram/ml. If the isolation of tetracycline-resistant C. trachomatis was the result of persisting organisms, the management of chlamydial infections could be changed.

Chlamydia trachomatis↗

[Syphilitic labial leucokeratosis].

BACKGROUND: Several diagnoses, including syphilis, can be entertained in patients with leukokeratosis of the buccal mucosa. We report a case of labial leucokeratosis which revealed latent syphilis. CASE REPORT: A 36-year-old man with a past history of genital syphilis chancre which have been treated 12 years earlier, developed buccal leucokeratosis with no other clinical manifestation. Histology showed dermal infiltration containing plasma cells, polynuclears and lymphocytes. Blood tests were positive for syphilis. Complementary examinations were unable to detect another localization. Leucokeratosis regressed completely after one injection of Extencilline. There has been no recurrence at one year. DISCUSSION: The clinical and histological presentations of syphilis can mimic different skin diseases. Serodiagnosis alone is significant. Isolated buccal lesions are rarely described in syphilis suggesting serodiagnosis should always be ordered. Whatever the clinical stage of the diseases, serological surveillance after treatment for syphilis is essential.

Adult↗

[Comparative study of minimal inhibiting concentrations of doxycycline, ofloxacin and erythromycin against 18 recent isolates from Chlamydia trachomatis (1994-1995)].

In vitro activity of the 3 antimicrobial agents, against 18 recent isolates of Chlamydia trachomatis: 11 from urethral samples and 7 from endocervical samples, was tested by cell culture technique. HeLa 229 cells maintained in antibiotic-free MEM medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum and 2 mM glutamine were seeded into 96-well culture plates. After inoculation with 10(2) to 10(3) inclusion-forming units/ml of each strain of C. trachomatis, the culture medium was replaced by a maintenance medium containing 1 micrograms/ml of cycloheximide and serial two fold dilutions of the antibiotics. After 48 h incubation at 36 degrees C in 5% CO2 atmosphere, cells were fixed and inclusion bodies were stained using fluorescein-conjugated anti-Chlamydia monoclonal antibodies. MICs were defined as the lowest antibiotic concentrations required to inhibit the development of a single inclusion. MICs 90% (mg/l) were 0.054 for doxycyclin, 0.700 for ofloxacin and 0.150 for erythromycin. These results confirm the effective in vitro activity of the three antibiotics tested against C. trachomatis.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

DNA fingerprinting of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of genomic DNA was carried out on Streptococcus pneumoniae strains to determine its value in the epidemiological survey of pneumococcal infections. Twenty-one clinical strains were chosen to cover a broad range of diversity according to geographic location, penicillin susceptibility, serotype, and multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) pattern. The restriction endonucleases ApaI and SmaI were used to digest intact chromosomes, and the fragments were resolved by field inversion gel electrophoresis (FIGE). Each digest produced 10 to 19 fragments for comparison between strains. All the strains, including strains of the same serotype and strains with the same MLEE profile, had different FIGE patterns. In some cases, the restriction patterns differed by only a few fragment bands, and two isolates differed only in the location of a single DNA fragment. The polymorphism obtained with FIGE was greater than those obtained with serotyping and MLEE analysis. The stability of the FIGE profiles was established by testing of two independent clones derived from pneumococcus strain R36A. These results indicated that pulsed-field gel electrophoresis should be an effective tool for the typing of S. pneumoniae strains, capable of subdividing serotypes or MLEE types and of tracing the origin of pneumococcal strains.

DNA Fingerprinting↗

Evaluation of the Captia enzyme immunoassays for detection of immunoglobulins G and M to Treponema pallidum in syphilis.

Two new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), one for the measurement of immunoglobulin G (IgG) (Captia Syphilis-G) and one for the measurement of IgM (Captia Syphilis-M), were evaluated for detecting antibodies to Treponema pallidum. Serum samples from 169 patients, 96 with various stages of untreated syphilis, 63 with treated syphilis, and 10 who were noninfected, were investigated. All sera were also examined by traditional treponemal and cardiolipin tests and by the fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) test for 19S(IgM). The overall sensitivity of Captia Syphilis-G was 98.3%. The IgG ELISA was very sensitive (100%) in all stages of untreated syphilis, except in primary syphilis (82%). In all diagnostic groups of syphilis, the reactivity of Captia Syphilis-M was similar to that of the 19S(IgM) FTA-ABS test, except in reinfections, in which the IgM capture ELISA was less sensitive. False-positive IgM capture ELISA results were not found in the 10 neonates born to mothers adequately treated for syphilis. However, of six serum samples containing rheumatoid factor, two were reactive in the Captia Syphilis-M test but not in the 19S(IgM) FTA-ABS test. This indicated that the specificity of the IgM capture ELISA was not absolute. All serum samples from treated patients were reactive in the IgG ELISA, but only 15 samples were reactive in the IgM capture ELISA, which appeared to be as effective as the 19S(IgM) FTA-ABS test in monitoring the effect of treatment. Simultaneous measurement of IgG and IgM antibodies for T. pallidum by the Captia immunoassays appears to be an efficient and simple method for confirming the diagnosis of syphilis as well as for indicating whether active disease is present.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

[In vitro activity of 5 new quinolones against Gardnerella vaginalis].

The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of five new quinolones were determined by agar dilution, for 50 clinical isolates of Gardnerella vaginalis. They are compared with those of metronidazole, ampicillin, erythromycin and tetracycline which are widely used for the treatment of lower genital tract infections in women. The MICs of rosoxacin and pefloxacin are high, but those of ofloxacin (MIC 50, 2 mg/l), fleroxacin (MIC 50, 2 mg/l) and ciprofloxacin (MIC 50, 1 mg/l) are lower. They can explain the effectiveness observed with this latter antibiotic in vivo, and allow their clinical experiment.

Ampicillin↗

[Surveillance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains isolated in Toulouse. In vitro antibiotic sensitivity and plasmid content].

The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of twelve antibiotics was determined by the method of dilution in agar for 50 non penicillinase-producing and 15 penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG) strains. The commonly used antibiotics are active in vitro against all the strains. For the non PPNG stains, no difference was observed between the MICs with a previous investigation, in 1980. New quinolones are highly active against all the strains tested but two, with decreased sensitivity. Since 1980, 16 PPNG strains were isolated (2.2%) and analysed for plasmid content. Asian type plasmid (7.4 kb) was present in 9 strains and african type (5.3 kb) in 7 strains. The conjugative plasmid (39 kb) was present in 5 strains and the cryptic plasmid (4.4 kb) in all the strains.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Localized conversion in Streptococcus pneumoniae recombination: heteroduplex preference.

In pneumococcal transformation the frequency of recombinants between point mutations is generally proportional to distance. We have recently described an aberrant marker in the amiA locus that appeared to enhance recombination frequency when crossed with any other allele of this gene. The hyperrecombination that we have observed in two-point crosses could be explained by two hypotheses: the aberrant marker induces frequent crossovers in its vicinity or the mutant is converted to wild type. In this report we present evidence showing that, in suitable three-point crosses, this hyperrecombination does not modify the recombination frequency between outside markers, suggesting that a conversion occurs at the site of this mutation. To estimate the length over which this event occurs, we isolated very closely linked markers and used them in two-point crosses. It appears that the conversion system removes only a few base pairs (from three to 27) around the aberrant marker. This conversion process is quite different from the mismatch-repair system controlled by hex genes in pneumococcus, which involves several thousand base pairs. Moreover, we have constructed artificial heteroduplexes using separated DNA strands. It appears that only one of the two heteroduplexes is specifically converted. The conversion system acts upon 5'..ATTAAT..3'/3'.. TAAGTA..5'. A possible role of the palindrome resulting from the mutation is discussed.

Base Sequence↗

[Sensitivity of Gardnerella vaginalis to antibiotics. Study of 40 strains isolated at the Purpan University Hospital Center of Toulouse].

40 strains of Gardnerella vaginalis were tested for their in vitro susceptibility to 10 antibiotics, by an agar dilution method. All strains were inhibited by 0,5 microgram or less of penicillin and ampicillin. Erythromycin was the most active of the antibiotics tested; for all strains the minimal inhibitory concentrations were less than or equal to 0.06 microgram/ml. All strains were inhibited by 8 micrograms of streptomycin per ml and 4 micrograms of chloramphenicol per ml. 50% of the strains were inhibited by less of 2 micrograms of tetracyclin and all strains tested exhibited MIC greater than or equal to 64 micrograms when tested against colistin, nalidixic acid and sulfafurazole. At least, 85% of strains were inhibited by 2 to 16 micrograms of metronidazole.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

[Limitations of passive treponema haemagglutination test (TPHA) in the detection of early syphilis (author's transl)].

The sera from 80 patients with clinical signs of primary syphilis were subjected to fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-abs), TPHA test and cardiolipin reactions (Kline, VDRL, Kolmer). The superiority of the FTA-abs test in screening for early primary syphilis was confirmed, but the TPHA test was less sensitive: the sera of 14 patients were reactive in the FTA-abs test and cardiolipins reactions but not in the TPHA test. The TPHA test alone cannot be relied upon to detect early syphilis; when the FTA-abs test is not performed, it must always be combined with one of the cardiolipin reactions.

Cardiolipins↗

[Anesthesia problems in children with cleft lip, maxilla and palate].

The technical and physiopathological problems associated with labiomaxillopalatine schisis in children are discussed. Personal experience, involving the choice of a type of anaesthesia based on the use of an analgesic (pentazocine), and the exclusion of halogenated anaesthetics in most cases, is reported. Stress is laid on the simplicity of the technique. Coupled with careful intraoperative monitoring, it has enabled this type of surgery to be handled both serenely and successfully.

Age Factors↗