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Biomedical subjects

P Gardner

Publications and source records attributed to P Gardner.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Arbovirus isolations from, and serological studies on, wild and domestic vertebrates from Kano Plain, Kenya.

Arbovirus infection and presence of haemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies in small mammals, birds and livestock were examined over a period of five years on the Kano Plain in western Kenya. Eleven isolations were made from mammals and birds. The viruses were identified as Arumowot and Germiston while three different agents could not be shown to be related to 188 African arboviruses. Prevalence of antibodies against arboviruses suspected of occurring in the area was generally low.

Animal Population Groups↗

Arbovirus isolations from mosquitoes: Kano Plain, Kenya.

Arbovirus isolation attempts on 324,486 mosquitoes captured over a four-year period on the Kano Plain, Kenya, yielded 15 isolates including Pongola (six strains), Ilesha (three strains), Germiston (two strains), Sindbis (one strain), Barur (one strain) and two viruses which could not be characterized. Mansonia uniformis, Anopheles gambiae and Culex antennatus constituted 70% of the total collection and accounted for all of the isolates except one, which came from Anopheles funestus.

Animals↗

Fulminant puerperal sepsis associated with aplastic anemia: the case for prophylactic antibiotic therapy.

Fulminant puerperal sepsis due to Clostridium perfringens occurred in a primiparous 19-year-old woman who developed aplastic anemia during pregnancy. Although the risk of infectious complications among pregnant women with compromised host defenses has not been accurately determined, it appears to be increased, particularly in patients with granulocytopenia. It therefore seems reasonable to give antibiotic prophylaxis during the intrapartum period to immunosuppressed women who come to term. Consideration of the bacterial pathogens most likely to cause acute endometritis in the early puerperium has led us to recommend a short course (72 hours) of penicillin G, 4 million units q4h, and gentamicin, 1,5 mg/kg q8h, as an appropriate regimen for such patients.

Adult↗

Prosthetic valve endocarditis. The case for prompt valve replacement.

Treatment of patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis with existing guidelines has failed to reduce the over-all mortality rate to below 50 per cent. However, subgroups with high or lower risk of death can be delineated on the basis of risk factors such as early onset following surgery, high-risk causative organisms, cardiodynamic failure, and septic emboli. High-risk patients comprise more than 70 per cent of those with prosthetic valve endocarditis in recent series. Analysis of previously reported series indicates that the mortality rate for high-risk patients with late onset of prosthetic valve endocarditis treated by valve replacement was less than that of patients receiving only medical therapy. We have treated 6 consecutive patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis (3 early onset, 3 late onset) by valve replacement before completion of a course of antibiotics. All patients survived surgery but one patient died after 4 1/2 months of noninfectious causes. Prompt valve replacement is technically feasible and should become the standard therapy for patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis who do not fall into the lower risk group.

Adult↗

Infections of cerebrospinal fluid shunts: epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and therapy.

During a 10-year period shunt infections occurred in 27% of the 289 hydrocephalic patients who had cerebrospinal fluid shunts inserted at Children's Hospital Medical Center. The rate of infection did not vary with the type of shunt. Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus were responsible for one-half and one-quarter of the infections, respectively. Removal of the infected shunt in conjunction with administration of systemic antibiotics was effective therapy. Use of systemic antibiotics alone was generally ineffective and was associated with an increased mortality rate. Infection itself was a significant risk factor, raising the mortality rate from 17% to 40%. Clustering of infection within two months of surgery and similar rates of infection for ventriculo-atrial and ventriculo-peritoneal shunts indicate that the infecting organisms are usually introduced during the perioperative period. The possibility that prophylactic antibiotics or different shunt materials might reduce the infection rate requires further study.

Blood↗

Hemophilus influenzae b pericarditis in children.

Recent experience in the diagnosis and management of Hemophilus influenzae b pericarditis is described in five children. Anterior pericardectomy appears to be the preferred method of surgical drainage because it was associated with a shorter hospitalization than pericardiocentesis or closed or open pericardotomy and removed the risk of recurrent cardiac tamponade and constrictive pericarditis. Countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis of sera and pericardial fluid was used to rapidly identify the etiology of pericarditis in four of four patients tested. The observation that three children appeared to develop pericarditis in the absence of a contiguous infectious focus suggests that bacteremic seeding of the pericardium may be important in the pathogenesis of this disease.

Ampicillin↗

Hospital management of patients and personnel exposed to communicable diseases.

Patients and personnel who are exposed to certain communicable diseases in a hospital setting often require therapeutic or epidemic control measures which may differ from measures employed following community exposure. This paper offers guidelines for reducing the hospital spread of communicable diseases by preventive measures (admission screening procedures, immunizations for personnel), and post-exposure management of patients and personnel. It is intended as a companion to the "Hospital Isolation and Precaution Guidelines" for patients with clinically manifest infections which appeared previously.

Child↗

R-factor transfer in selenite and tetrathionate broths.

After overnight incubation of R(+)Escherichia coli with R(-)Salmonella typhimurium in selenite and tetrathionate with Brilliant Green (TBG) broths, R-factor transfer was demonstrated in 10 of 12 experiments. R-factor transfer in these enrichment broths occurred at a markedly reduced frequency in comparison to that in Trypticase soy broth, apparently due to an adverse effect either on the viability of the donor E. coli or the conjugation process itself. Transfer of R factors in commonly used enrichment broths may give rise to falsely resistant antibiotic patterns in Salmonella. However, the frequency of R-factor transfer is so low that it is unlikely to affect significantly the interpretation of R-factor studies.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗