Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “infectivity evaluation”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Aortoenteric fistula and perigraft infection: evaluation with CT.

A blinded retrospective study was performed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of computed tomography (CT) in detecting perigraft infection (PGI) and aortoenteric fistula (AEF), rare but devastating complications of aortic reconstructive surgery. Two observers independently reviewed CT scans in 55 cases including AEF (n = 23); PGI (n = 12); and normal, noninfected grafts (n = 20). Each scan was assessed for ectopic gas, focal bowel wall thickening, perigraft fluid, perigraft soft tissue, pseudoaneurysm formation, disruption of the aneurysmal wrap, and increased soft tissue between the graft and surrounding wrap. Comparison of CT findings with operative results revealed that each observer correctly identified as abnormal 33 of 35 cases of PGI either with or without AEF (sensitivity, 94%) and that results were falsely positive in three cases (specificity, 85%). CT findings ranged from large amounts of perigraft soft tissue and ectopic gas to subtle findings of minimal or no abnormalities; thus, strict criteria must be applied to the interpretation of CT scans after aortic surgery. Although CT is not 100% sensitive or specific, the authors conclude that it will continue to be valuable for diagnosing PGI and AEF.

Aged↗

Spinal infection: evaluation with MR imaging and intraoperative US.

Magnetic resonance (MR) images of the spine and/or intraoperative spinal ultrasound (US) in 24 patients with spinal infections were reviewed and correlated with clinical and pathologic data to determine their diagnostic value. In disk space infection with osteomyelitis and in retrospinal abscess, MR images showed characteristic findings, whereas in myelitis, MR images demonstrated nonspecific abnormalities. The appearance on MR images of epidural abscesses ranged from clearly identifiable extradural masses with high-intensity signal on spin-echo T2-weighted images to extensive inhomogeneous collections of mixed signal intensities, difficult to distinguish from adjacent meningitis. Myelography with high-resolution computed tomography (CT) and intraoperative spinal US was superior to MR imaging in demonstrating epidural abscesses when there was concomitant meningitis. With intraoperative spinal US, epidural abscesses could be located and their decompression monitored. MR imaging is recommended as the initial screening procedure in spinal infection; in those few patients with nondiagnostic MR images, myelography with high-resolution CT should be the supplementary study. If surgery is planned, intraoperative spinal US should be used.

Abscess↗

Chronic dermatophyte infection: evaluation of the Ig class-specific antibody response reactive with polysaccharide and peptide antigens derived from Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect serum antibodies within Ig classes IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgE against two partially purified Trichophyton mentagrophytes-derived antigens: polysaccharide (SAC) and peptide (PEP). Sera from 27 chronically infected adults, 16 normal noninfected adults, and 17 noninfected children were evaluated. All sera were reactive, indicating that circulating antibody reactive to PEP and SAC is a feature common to most people, regardless of age and the presence of active infection. The reactivity to SAC was much greater than to PEP. Inhibition assays revealed that components of PEP are found in SAC. Chronically infected adults showed slightly elevated IgG and IgA reactivity to both SAC and PEP compared with noninfected normal adults. This elevated reactivity correlated with the extent (% surface affected) of cutaneous infection. IgE antibody reactivity was detected only against SAC and was somewhat elevated in chronically infected adults. There was no association between antibody reactivity and immunoglobulin level or between the individual subject's level of antibody reactivity to PEP and SAC.

Adolescent↗

Outcome of prosthetic knee-associated infection: evaluation of 40 consecutive episodes at a single centre.

Few studies have compared the long-term success of different surgical strategies in prosthetic knee-associated infection. Accordingly, a retrospective cohort study was performed of 40 episodes in 35 consecutive patients undergoing revision surgery for prosthetic knee-associated infection at a single centre between 1988 and 2003. The median patient age was 70 (44-90) years; the median follow-up period was 28 (2-193) months; 45% of infections were early, 23% were delayed, and 32% were late; and 55% of infections were caused by staphylococci. The probability of survival without prosthesis failure was 92.4% (95% CI, 84.1-100) after 1 year, and 88.7% (95% CI, 78-99.4) after 2 years. Recurrence-free survival was observed in 20 (95%) of 21 patients treated with debridement and retention, in both patients with one-stage exchange, and in 11 (85%) of 13 patients with two-stage exchange. Patients with delayed infection had a worse outcome than those with early or late infection (67% vs. 97%; p < 0.03). Patients with at least partially adequate antimicrobial therapy had a higher success rate than those with inadequate treatment (94% vs. 60%; p 0.069). The outcome was similar for patients with a duration of therapy of 3 to < 6 months, and those with a duration of therapy of > or = 6 months (91% vs. 87% success). Different surgical procedures had similar success rates, provided that the type of infection, the pathogen, the stability of the implant and the local skin and soft-tissue condition were considered. Adherence to an algorithm defining a rational surgical and antibiotic treatment strategy contributed to a favourable outcome.

Adult↗

Screening guidelines for Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Evaluating physician awareness, agreement, and use.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether physicians were aware of, agreed with, and followed the "1989 Canadian Guidelines for Screening for Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection "as they applied to screening asymptomatic women. DESIGN: A survey consisting of direct questions and case scenarios was scored according to the responses given in the guidelines. SETTING: Six hospital family practice teaching units in downtown Toronto. PARTICIPANTS: Of 153 staff physicians and residents surveyed (all staff and residents registered with the Department of Family and Community Medicine of the University of Toronto for the 1990-1991 academic year), a volunteer sample of 118 responded to a questionnaire through the mail. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reported awareness, agreement, and use of C trachomatis guidelines for screening asymptomatic women were analyzed using frequency distributions and cross-tabulations. RESULTS: Most (69%) respondents were unaware of the guidelines. Of those who were aware, 46% agreed with the guidelines and 39% claimed to follow the guidelines. Staff physicians appeared to be more aware of guidelines than family medicine residents (P = 0.0175, psi 2 = 11.98); P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. There was no statistically significant association between total scores and physicians' reported awareness of guidelines (P = 0.2287, psi 2 = 4.321). CONCLUSIONS: Most physicians in the sample were unaware of the guidelines. Of physicians who reported awareness of the guidelines, less than half agreed with or routinely followed them. Better methods of influencing physician behaviour must be developed before more guidelines are designed and distributed.

Adult↗

Cellular immune responses in Helicobacter heilmannii infection: evaluation of the role of the host and the bacterium.

We evaluated some aspects of the immune response to Helicobacter heilmannii in two mouse strains. Gastritis that was more severe in infected C57BL/6 mice. A proliferative response to H. pylori antigens was observed in splenocytes from H. heilmannii-positive and -negative mice, similar in the positive- and negative-BALB/c mice, but lower in the positive- than in the negative-C57BL/6 animals. A decrease in B cells and an increase in CD4+ cells after stimulation with type I H. pylori antigen and an increase in CD8+ cells after stimulation with type I and II antigens was observed in infected C57BL/6 mice. Conversely, the percentage of CD4+, CD8+, and B cells was similar in positive- and negative-BALB/c mice. These results demonstrated that the immune response is similar in H. heilmannii and H. pylori infection and strengthened the importance of host and bacterial virulence markers in the immune response to gastric Helicobacter infections.

Animals↗

[Chemoprophylaxis of ophthalmia neonatorum through vertical infection. Evaluation of Crede's method using norfloxacin and gentamicin].

Crede's method was evaluated using norfloxacin (NFLX) and gentamicin (GM) to show the clinical significance of chemoprophylaxis against ophthalmia neonatorum occurring through vertical infections. The obtained results are summarized as follows. 1. NFLX and GM were separately instilled using Crede's original method in 171 cases selected from all cases of delivery encountered in this hospital during a period of 5 months in 1991. The two groups had similar backgrounds. 2. NFLX and GM were effective in 70 of 71 cases and in 96 of 100 cases, respectively. No side effects were found in either groups. 3. From 4 of 5 ineffective cases were isolated staphylococci, which were sensitive to NFLX and GM.

Adult↗

Bacteriology of wound infection: evaluation by surface swab and quantitative full thickness wound biopsy culture.

A total of 171 cases of wounds of various aetiology were examined and screened bacteriologically for evidence of infection by surface swab culture and quantitative full thickness wound biopsy culture techniques. Staphylococcus pyogenes was the most frequently isolated (39.9%) single organism. Other organisms being Escherichia coli (26.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.4%), klebsiella species (5.8%), Streptococcus pyogenes (4.9%), proteus species (4.8%) and coliform organism (3.1%). Collectively the Gram-negative organisms were the majority among the isolated organisms. As indicator of wound infection, surface swab culture was found to be reliable in 72% cases when correlated with wound biopsy culture. The latter technique was found to be more consistently valuable (in 95% cases) both for regular assessment of the wounds as well as to judge the response to treatment.

Bacterial Infections↗

[Chemoprophylaxis of ophthalmia neonatorum through vertical infection. Evaluation of Crede's method using ofloxacin and gentamicin].

Crede's method was evaluated using of ofloxacin (OFLX) and gentamicin (GM) to show the clinical significance of chemoprophylaxis against ophthalmia neonatorum occurring through vertical infection. The obtained results are summarized as follows. 1. OFLX and GM were separately instilled using Crede's original method to 260 cases selected from all the cases of delivery encountered in this hospital during a period of 6 months from 1987 to 1988. Both groups had similar backgrounds. 2. OFLX and GM were effective in 123 of 129 cases and in 116 of 131 cases, respectively. No side effects were found. 3. OFLX to which recent isolates of Staphylococci and Escherichia coli from obstetric clinics were sensitive was more effective for the prevention than GM to which many isolates were tolerant. These findings indirectly proved the clinical significance of Crede's method. 4. Cases showing ineffectiveness of the prophylaxis may have been due to nosocomial infections.

Drug Resistance, Microbial↗

Single-dose cefaclor therapy of urinary tract infection. Evaluation of antibody-coated bacteria test and C-reactive protein assay as predictors of cure.

The efficacy of single-dose (cefaclor, 2 g orally) and multidose (cefaclor, 250 mg orally three times a day for 10 days) antibiotic regimens in the therapy of acute uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI) in nonpregnant women were compared. The patient's clinical status and results of urine cultures were compared in retrospect with the results of the antibody-coated bacteria (ACB) test and C-reactive protein (CRP) test in order to determine if either test would predict the patient's response. Overall, 10 of 30 patients (33 percent) and 18 of 22 patients (81 percent) given single doses and multidoses, respectively, had negative urine cultures four weeks after completion of therapy. A negative urine culture at four weeks correlated with a negative ACB test utilizing the less inclusive criteria for negativity (less than 5 bacteria with fluorescence in 5 minutes of search) but not with a negative ACB test utilizing the more inclusive criteria (less than 10 percent bacteria with fluorescence) or with a negative CRP test. The cure rate in the ACB-negative single-dose group (7 of 9 patients) utilizing the less inclusive criteria for negativity was similar to the cure rate in the ACB-negative multidose group (8 of 10 patients). This study suggests that the ACB test, if properly standardized, might permit identification of a population of patients with UTI who would respond to single-dose cefaclor therapy.

Adult↗

[Immunologic function in children with recurrent respiratory infections evaluated in a state of well-being].

The purpose of the study is to analise the immunological function of children suffering from RRI long after the last episode in order to evaluate whether the immunological abnormalities reported by several authors have to be considered implicated in the pathogenesis or the mere consequence of recurrent infections. 65 children who had been suffering from RRI in the previous winter (s) have been studied during the wellbeing condition of the following summer season. A defective T cell function was no longer found; the study of humoral immunity showed low values of IgA even though no child had an IgA selective deficiency (IgA below 5 mg% ml). These data suggest that T cell defective function has to be considered mainly secondary to infections. It is conceivable that in these children the recovery of T cell function is impaired by viral infections and is somewhat slower. On the other hand low values of IgA have been detected in a higher percentage with respect to the general population and could be considered typically associated with the RRI syndrome in children.

Child↗