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Serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance patterns in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from hospitalized pediatric patients with respiratory infections in Shanghai, China.

BACKGROUND: Surveillance for pneumococcal respiratory illness was conducted in children hospitalized at Affiliated Pediatric Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai from August 2000 to August 2001. METHODS: Sputum cultures were obtained from pediatric patients admitted with pneumonia or respiratory distress by tracheal aspirate. Blood cultures were also performed on a subset of patients. All pneumococcal isolates were serotyped and tested for antibiotic susceptibility. In addition clinical information on the patients including prior antibiotic history was abstracted. Streptococcus pneumoniae tracheal isolations were attempted in a total of 1013 pediatric patients hospitalized during this period. Among these samples 112 specimens were S. pneumoniae-positive. These positive isolates underwent serotyping and antibiotic susceptibility testing. RESULTS: Five serotypes (19F, 23F, 6A, 14, 6B) of S. pneumonia accounted for 81% (91 of 112 cases). Other serotypes accounted only for 12% (13 of 112 cases), and 7% (8 of 112 cases) of isolates could not be typed by quelling test. Only one blood culture isolate was positive, probably reflecting the frequent use of antibiotic treatment before hospitalization. Fifty-one and 8.0% of isolates had intermediate and high level penicillin resistance, respectively. Fifty-eight percent were resistant to ampicillin, 6.6% to cefazolin, 25.0% to cefaclor, 6.6% to ceftriaxone, 85.7% to erythromycin, 66.7% to clindamycin and 28.2% to chloramphenicol. Among 66 isolates that were not susceptible to penicillin, serotype 19F was the most common, followed by 23F and 14. CONCLUSION: S. pneumoniae is a common cause of respiratory illness requiring hospitalization in young children in Shanghai, with antibiotic resistance increasingly common. Five serotypes account for most disease.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from skin infections in 1992 to antimicrobial agents.

We studied the efficacy of antimicrobial agents against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) isolated from skin infections in 1992. For S. aureus, we measured the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the following 10 drugs: methicillin (DMPPC), cefaclor (CCL), gentamicin (GM), erythromycin (EM), clindamycin (CLDM), minocycline (MINO), vancomycin (VAN), fusidic acid (FA), ofloxacin (OFLX) and nadifloxacin (NDFX); for S. pyogenes, we determined the MICs of the following 9 drugs: ampicillin (ABPC), amoxicillin (AMPC), cefpodoxime proxetil (CPDX-PR), erythromycin (EM), clindamycin (CLDM), minocycline (MINO), norfloxacin (NFLX), of loxacin (OFLX) and nadifloxacin (NDFX). These drugs are frequently used to treat skin infections, either systemically or topically. NDFX is a new synthetic fluoroquinolone, recently developed for use as a topical acne medication in Japan. It is used NDFX for acne, but not for skin infections. There were no strains of S. aureus resistant to NDFX, VAN or FA. The resistance (> or = 12.5 micrograms/ml) of S. aureus was highest to GM and lowest to OFLX. Four strains of methicillin-resistant (> or = 12.5 micrograms/ml) S. aureus (MRSA) were found. In contrast, no resistant strains of S. pyogenes were found except to MINO. Only two strains of S. pyogenes were susceptible to MINO. The sensitivity of S. pyogenes to ABPC, AMPC, CPDX-PR, EM and CLDM was very good. All the strains were susceptible at a MIC below > or = 0.05 microgram/ml. However, the S. pyogenes strains were not very sensitive to the new quinolones, especially NFLX. We concluded that penicillins, cephalosporins and macrolides are still effective against streptococcal infections.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Diagnosing immediate reactions to cephalosporins.

BACKGROUND: After penicillins, cephalosporins are the betalactams that most often induce IgE-mediated reactions. The development of diagnostic tests has been delayed, however, because the cephalosporin allergenic determinants have not been properly identified. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of skin tests, serum specific IgE assays, and challenges in diagnosing immediate reactions to cephalosporins and to clarify the pathogenic mechanism of such reactions. METHODS: We studied 76 adults with immediate reactions to cephalosporins, mainly ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, and ceftazidime. Skin tests and serum specific IgE assays were performed for culprit cephalosporins and cefaclor, as well as for penicillin, amoxicillin, and ampicillin. Some subjects with negative results underwent challenges and re-evaluations. Responses to cephalosporins other than the culprit ones were also studied. RESULTS: In the first allergologic work-up, an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity to penicillins and/or cephalosporins was diagnosed in 63 (82.9%) of the 76 patients on the basis of skin-test and/or specific IgE assay positivity. Of the 13 negative patients, eight accepted challenges and underwent re-evaluations. Considering both first- and second-evaluation results, the skin-test-positivity rate increased from 76.3% to 85.5% and that of sepharose-radioimmunoassay positivity from 67.1% to 74.3%. Overall, an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity was diagnosed in 70 patients (in seven after retesting). On the basis of skin-test and CAP-FEIA results, we classified our 76 patients into five groups: group A (three patients), positive only to penicillin reagents; B (17), positive to both cephalosporin and penicillin reagents; C (24), positive to more than one cephalosporin; D (21), positive only to the responsible cephalosporin; E (11) negative to skin tests and CAP-FEIA, including five sepharose-radioimmunoassay positive. CONCLUSIONS: Most immediate reactions to cephalosporins appear to be IgE-mediated. Cephalosporin skin testing and sepharose-radioimmunoassay are useful tools for evaluating these reactions. Cephalosporin IgE-mediated hypersensitivity may be a transient condition; therefore, allergologic exams should be repeated in patients with negative initial allergologic work-ups, including challenges.

Administration, Oral↗

Allergy to betalactam antibiotics in children: a prospective follow-up study in retreated children after negative responses in skin and challenge tests.

BACKGROUND: Up to 10% of the patients in whom suspected betalactam hypersensitivity (HS) has been excluded by skin and challenge tests report suspected allergic reactions during subsequent treatments with the same or very similar betalactams. It has been suggested that the reactions may result from a resensitization induced by the challenge performed at the time of the allergological work-up. However, most patients did not undergo a second allergological work-up, to determine if the reactions resulted from betalactam HS or not. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine if children diagnosed nonallergic to betalactams have tolerated subsequent treatments with the initially suspected and/or other betalactams, and, in case of a reaction, if the reaction resulted from betalactam HS. METHODS: We sent a questionnaire concerning the clinical history of their children to the parents of 256 children previously diagnosed nonallergic to betalactams. A second allergological work-up was performed in the children reporting suspected allergic reactions during subsequent treatments with the same and/or other betalactams. Skin tests were performed with the soluble form of the suspected (or very similar) betalactams and other betalactams from the same and other classes. Skin test responses were assessed at 15-20 min (immediate), 6-8 h (semi-late) and 48-72 h (late). Oral challenge (OC) was performed in children with negative skin tests, either at the hospital (immediate and accelerated reactions), or at home (delayed reactions). RESULTS: A response was obtained from 141 children (55.3%). Forty-eight (34%) of those children had not been treated with the betalactams for whom a diagnosis of allergy had been ruled out previously. Seven (7.5%) of the 93 children who had been treated again reported suspected allergic reactions. Skin tests and OC were performed in six of those children, and gave negative results in five children. In one child previously diagnosed nonallergic to amoxicillin associated with clavulanic acid, we diagnosed a delayed HS to clavulanic acid and a serum sickness-like disease to cefaclor. Thus, the frequency of reactions resulting from betalactam HS in children with negative skin and challenge tests is very low, and does not exceed 2.1% (2/93) if we consider that the child which refused a second allergological work-up is really allergic to betalactams. CONCLUSION: Our results in a very large number of children show that reactions presumed to result from betalactam HS are rare in children in whom the diagnosis of betalactam allergy has been ruled out previously. Moreover, they suggest that, as shown for the initial reactions, most of the reactions during subsequent treatments are rather a consequence of the infectious diseases for whom betalactams have been prescribed than a result of betalactam HS. Finally, they suggest that the risk of resensitization by OC is very low, and do not support the notion that skin testing should be repeated in children diagnosed nonallergic to betalactams.

Administration, Oral↗

Evaluation of the E test for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.

The E test was compared with an agar dilution method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans on Mueller-Hinton Haemophilus test medium. Eighty recent isolates of A. actinomycetemcomitans from 40 subjects and 3 reference strains were studied. Excellent agreement was obtained between the E test and the agar dilution test for benzylpenicillin (98.8%), ampicillin (97.5%), cefaclor (100%), cefuroxime (100%), tetracycline hydrochloride (100%) and ciprofloxacin (98.7%); 76.0% agreement was obtained for metronidazole and only 5.2% for cotrimoxazole. This study indicates that the E test is a reliable method to determine minimal inhibitory concentrations of antimicrobials against A. actinomycetemcomitans, except for metronidazole and cotrimoxazole.

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans↗

Molecular epidemiology of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in a university hospital, Ankara, Turkey.

Penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates (n = 76) from clinical samples of patients admitted to Hacettepe University Hospital between January 1997 and December 2001 were included in the study. MICs of penicillin G, erythromycin A, clindamycin, cefaclor, cefotaxime, vancomycin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and rifampicin were determined by agar dilution. The isolates were serogrouped on the basis of the Neufeld Quellung reaction and were typed by BOX-PCR. Genetic polymorphism of the penicillin resistance genes pbp2b and pbp2x was investigated by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Of the 76 isolates tested, 64 (84.2%) showed intermediate resistance to penicillin, while 12 (15.8%) were resistant to higher levels of penicillin (MIC > or = 2 mg/L). The resistance patterns of the isolates revealed six different resistance profiles. There were 22 different serotypes, with c. 55% of the isolates belonging to serotypes 23B, 19A, 19F, 14, 6 A and 9V. Five distinct patterns for pbp2b and 12 distinct patterns for pbp2x were obtained by RFLP analysis of penicillin-binding protein genes. The combination of these patterns allowed isolates to be classified into 22 fingerprint subgroups. BOX-PCR analysis showed that the isolates fell into 14 distinct BOX genotypes, with 33 subtypes. Serotype 9V isolates with pbp genotype 2-6 and BOX-PCR type 4, 4.1 or 4.2 were related to the pandemic clone Spain(9V)-3. No relatedness to other international clones was detected among the other study strains, but genetic relatedness was observed among some of the serotype 19A and 23B isolates. Overall, the results demonstrated that most of the penicillin-resistant pneumococcal isolates in Turkey, other than those belonging to serotypes 9V, 19A and 23B, were derived from several independent clones, possibly resulting from multiple importation of strains originating from outside the country. Differences in pbp patterns, serotypes and resistance profiles among isolates that showed similar BOX-PCR patterns supported the hypothesis that horizontal transfer of capsular genes, pbp genes and other genetic determinants between S. pneumoniae and viridans group streptococci may have occurred.

Aminoacyltransferases↗

A randomized, double-blind, multicentre controlled trial of ibuprofen versus acetaminophen and placebo for symptoms of acute otitis media in children.

Two hundred and nineteen children (boys: 56%, girls: 44%) were included in a randomized, double-blind, multicentre (4 centres) controlled trial designed to assess the efficacy and safety of ibuprofen (IBU) in the treatment of 1 to 6 year-old children with otoscopically proven acute otitis media (AOM), either unilateral or bilateral. They randomly received 10 mg/kg IBU (n = 71), or acetaminophen (PARA) (n = 73) or placebo (PLA) (n = 75), orally, tid, for 48 hours. All received oral cefaclor (Alfatil, Lilly, France) for seven days. They were evaluated before (D0) and at the end of treatment (D2). The main criterion of response was the aspect (landmarks and color) of the tympanic membrane assessed on a semi-quantitative scale from 0 to 6. Other criteria, assessed on semi-quantitative scales, included relief of pain (0 or 1), rectal temperature (0 to 2), and overall evaluation by parents of the improvement of quality of life on three items: appetite (0 to 2), sleep (0 to 2), and playing activity (0 to 2). The results at D2 were as follows: there was no significant difference between treatment groups as to the main criterion, but only a trend for IBU and PARA to do better than PLA but not for IBU to do better than PARA. From these data there is no argument to emphasize the utility of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in treating the inflammatory signs of the tympanic membrane in otitis. There was a statistically significant difference between treatment groups at D2 for pain, IBU being superior to PLA (P < 0.01): 7%, 10% and 25% of the children were still suffering at D2 in the IBU, PARA and PLA treatment groups, respectively. The difference between PARA and PLA for pain was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference between treatment groups for the other criteria. All treatments were well and equally tolerated. Although no significant difference was found between the treatment groups on the aspect of the tympanic membrane, the efficacy of IBU was evidenced on the relief of pain, the symptom that most disturbs the child.

Acetaminophen↗

Kawasaki disease with facial nerve paralysis.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a multisystem disorder with varying clinical expression. We describe an instance of facial nerve paralysis in a patient with KD. A 5-month-old boy developed fever, irritability, and diarrhea, treated 8 days later with cefaclor and ibuprofen. Three days later a confluent, erythematous and papular rash appeared, his lips were reddened and swollen, and his white blood count and platelet count were 20,900/mm(3) and 558,000/mm(3), respectively. He was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of KD, and an echocardiogram showed a right coronary aneurysm. The patient then developed an acute, right-sided, facial nerve peripheral paralysis that resolved over the next 6 weeks. He was treated with intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) 2 g/kg and aspirin 100 mg/kg/day with improvement of signs and symptoms. This report documents facial nerve paralysis as an uncommon complication of KD and points out that it may be a marker of increased risk of cardiovascular disease in this disorder.

Coronary Aneurysm↗

beta-Lactamase production and in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of Porphyromonas gingivalis.

beta-Lactamase production by 98 Porphyromonas strains was investigated by the nitrocefin (chromogenic cephalosporin) test. Human isolates of P. gingivalis (91), P. endodontalis (2), and P. asaccharolytica (1) were tested, with four closely related Porphyromonas spp. of animal origin and four reference strains. The in vitro susceptibility of 64 P. gingivalis strains was investigated on Brucella blood agar by the E test. None of the human Porphyromonas isolates tested produced beta-lactamase, but one Porphyromonas strain of animal origin, most closely resembling P. endodontalis, produced beta-lactamase. P. gingivalis was susceptible to almost all of the drugs tested: benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, cefaclor, cefuroxime, erythromycin, clindamycin, tetracycline, doxycycline, metronidazole and ciprofloxacin; all strains were inhibited at 0.016 microgram/ml, 0.023 microgram/ml, 0.315 microgram/ml, 0.064 microgram/ml, 0.19 microgram/ml, 0.016 microgram/ml, 0.094 microgram/ml, 0.047 microgram/ml, 0.023 microgram/ml, and 0.75 microgram/ml of these drugs, respectively. Cotrimoxazole exhibited variable efficacy against P. gingivalis; the range of MICs was 0.1095-32.0 micrograms/ml. The results indicate that beta-lactamase production is currently not a problem amongst clinical isolates of P. gingivalis and strains are susceptible to most antimicrobial agents.

Animals↗

Norfloxacin: in vitro activity compared with that of seven other antibacterial agents against urinary tract pathogens.

The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of norfloxacin, nalidixic acid, ampicillin, amoxycillin/clavulanic acid (4:1), mecillinam, cefaclor , sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim (20:1) and netilmicin against 435 clinical isolates of bacterial urinary tract pathogens have been determined. An agar dilution method was employed. Norfloxacin was the most active agent in the study on a weight-for-weight basis. The drug was highly active against Enterobacteriaceae. Norfloxacin was more active than netilmicin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MICs less than or equal to 2 mg/l and less than or equal to 4 mg/l, respectively). Norfloxacin was also active against Gram-positive bacteria including enterococci and Staphylococcus saprophyticus (MICs less than or equal to 4 mg/l). Norfloxacin may well become a useful agent for the oral treatment of urinary tract infection, particularly as a drug for the treatment of infections caused by multiresistant organisms.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates in south Sweden including a 13-year follow-up study of some respiratory tract pathogens.

The antibiotic susceptibility of consecutive isolates of the upper respiratory tract pathogens Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Branhamella catarrhalis, and Staphylococcus aureus, (100 strains of each species collected each year during March through April 1985, 1988 and 1992) to penicillin V, amoxycillin, cefaclor, cefuroxime, doxycycline, erythromycin, and cotrimoxazole was investigated by MIC determination on PDM and PDM II agar. The MICs of the upper respiratory isolates from 1992 supplemented with 100 isolates each of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus collected during 1992 were determined against the above antibiotics plus cefadroxil, cefpodoxime, roxithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and BAY Y 3118. Beta-lactamase production was found in 10% of H. influenzae and 80-90% of S. aureus and B. catarrhalis in 1992. Among H. influenzae isolates, non-beta-lactamase-induced resistance to all beta-lactam antibiotics was first detected in 1988 and amounted to 3% of isolates in 1992. Decreased susceptibility of S. preumoniae to penicillin (> or = 0.12 mg/l), co-trimoxazole > or = 32 mg/l, doxycycline (> or = 2 ml/l) and erythromycin (> or = 1 mg/l) was detected in 11%, 7%, and 8%, respectively, in 1992, which is significantly higher than in previous years at the same laboratory. Decreased susceptibility of S. pyogenes to doxycycline and erythromycin was detected in 11% and 9% in 1992. The two most recently developed antibiotics, cefpodoxime and BAY Y 3118, showed high antibacterial activity. The study emphasizes the need to screen for resistance mechanisms such as beta-lactamase production and lowered penicillin affinity.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Antibiotic prescribing for chronic skin wounds in primary care.

The aim of this study was to describe and quantify systemic antibiotic prescribing for patients with chronic skin wounds presenting at the primary care, nonspecialist setting. Data for 1 year were extracted from a general practice morbidity database comprising approximately 185,000 patients attending family medical practitioners in Wales. Patients with chronic wounds (PCW) were identified using Read Codes and compared with nonwound patients who were randomly selected after matching for age-band, sex, and general practice. PCW received a significantly greater number of antibiotic courses than nonwound patients (p<0.001). This increased level of prescribing was evident for flucloxacillin, co-amoxiclav, cefaclor, cefalexin, erythromycin, trimethoprim, metronidazole, and ciprofloxacin (p<0.01 for all). While PCW also had a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes (16.5% compared with 6.6%, p<0.001), and attended at general practice significantly more frequently than nonwound patients (median (interquartile range) of 25 (17-40) visits per year compared with 12 (4-20), p<0.001), importantly, exclusion of diabetic patients and analysis of the proportion of visits on which patients received antibiotics did not affect the significance of the difference in antibiotic consumption. These data show a strong association between occurrence of chronic wounds and prescribing of antibiotics in primary health care, and wide variation in the type and duration of antibiotic therapy for chronic wounds. Further work is now indicated to rationalize this prescribing and determine the role that this exposure to antibiotics plays in the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in this at-risk elderly population.

Adult↗

[Studies on respiratory infections in primary care clinic (IV). Antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria isolated from patients with respiratory infections visiting 21 private clinics in the Tohoku District of Japan].

We determined the MICs of ampicillin, methicillin, cefaclor, cefixime, cefteram, ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin against a total of 1,448 strains from 11 species: 464 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, 306 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, 114 strains of Streptococcus pyogenes, 37 strains of Branhamella catarrhalis, 329 strains of Haemophilus influenzae, 32 strains of Escherichia coli, 66 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, 26 strains of Enterobacter cloacae, 20 strains of Serratia marcescens, 12 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 42 strains of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, isolated from the throat swab and the sputum of 2,539 patients with respiratory infections who visited 21 private clinics in Tohoku district of Japan during the period from January to April in 1989. Ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin were more active against S. aureus, B. catarrhalis, P. aeruginosa and A. calcoaceticus than other antibiotics. Ampicillin and cefteram were more active against S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes than other antibiotics. New-quinolones and cephems of new-generation were active against H. influenzae, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, E. cloacae and S. marcescens. Of 30 strains of S. aureus which were resistant (MIC greater than or equal to 12.5 micrograms/ml) to ampicillin, only one strain was resistant (MIC greater than or equal to 12.5 micrograms/ml) to methicillin. Twenty strains (6.5%) of S. pneumoniae and 49 strains (14.9%) of H. influenzae were resistant (MIC greater than or equal to 1.56 micrograms/ml) to ampicillin. Of 101 strains of H. influenzae of which their beta-lactamase activity was determined by Nitrocephin-method, 27 (26.7%) were beta-lactamase-positive strains. The above results indicated that MRSA is only rarely found in primary care clinics but the incidence of ampicillin-resistant H. influenzae in primary care clinics is almost the same as that of the intensive care clinic, i.e. medical school-affiliated hospitals. Therefore caution should be exercised as regards antibiotic resistance of the causative organism even in primary care clinics.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗

[A case report of spotted fever group rickettsiosis first encountered in Shimane Prefecture, Japan].

Rickettsial infections of a spotted fever group have recently been experience in Japan. Although there have been 50 cases reported by this time, they were exclusively distributed in the areas along the Pacific coast. We report in this paper the first case of spotted fever group rickettsiosis in Shimane prefecture, an area faced to the Japan Sea. A 57 year-old man with high fever, general fatigue and rash was admitted to the hospital of Shimane Medical University at the end of September 1987, who had been treated with cefaclor for a few days without effect before his visit to the University Hospital. Physical examination revealed erythematous eruption, eschar on the left side of the abdomen, and generalized lymphadenopathy. Hepatosplenomegaly was not detected. Laboratory studies showed normal leukocyte counts with relative lymphopenia, high ESR and increased CRP. Transaminase levels were slightly elevated. Paul-Bunnel and Weil-Felix tests resulted in negative. Specific immunofluorescence tests demonstrated that IgG and IgM antibodies of acute-phase serum to Rickettsia japonica, a spotted fever group rickettsia isolated from patients in Japan, were not detected, while both IgG and IgM antibody titers of convalescent-phase serum increased to 1:320. Convalescent-phase serum reacted at significantly lower titers with R.typhi as well as other pathogenic spotted fever group rickettsiae. The patient was treated with ofloxacin for six days and then with combination of ofloxacin and minocycline. It should be noted that clinical symptoms such as high fever and general fatigue disappeared during a single therapy with ofloxacin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

[Antimicrobial susceptibilities of Haemophilus influenzae isolated from the nasopharynx of children].

Changes in susceptibilities to oral antimicrobials were investigated in 189 children, in whom Haemophilus influenzae was detected by nasopharyngeal culture, among the children who were diagnosed as having acute otitis media or chronic sinusitis with acute exacerbation in the Department of Otolaryngology in 1986, 1988 and 1991. The minimum 50% inhibitory concentration (MIC50) and minimum 90% inhibitory concentration (MIC90) of ampicillin (ABPC), cefaclor (CCL) and erythromycin (EM) in the subjects examined in 1986 were almost the same as the levels in those examined in 1991. The MIC50 level of minocycline (MINO) in the subjects examined in 1991 was lower by 2 test tubes than that determined in 1986, showing improvement in susceptibilities. The prevalence of resistance to antimicrobials was compared between 1986 and 1991. The prevalence to ABPC tended to decrease very slightly, while the prevalence to CCL tended to increase very slightly. The prevalence of EM tended to increase slightly. Many CCL-resistant strains detected in 1991 showed resistance to ABPC and EM, but showed favorable susceptibilities to cefixime and norfloxacin. Future trends of CCL-resistant strains should be carefully observed. There was no marked change in the prevalence of resistance to ABPC or CCL. ABPC and CCL were considered to be the first choice drugs, even at present, for pediatric patients with acute otitis media due to infection with H. influenzae and in those with acute exacerbation of chronic sinusitis due to the infection.

Adolescent↗

[The taxonomic distribution, characteristic and susceptibility against antimicrobial agents of methicillin-resistant staphylococci isolated from blood].

The species, mecA gene, beta-lactamase activity, the ability of slime formation and drug susceptibilities of 386 strains of staphylococci which were isolated from blood in our laboratory were studied. The coagulase typing of each strains identified as S. aureus was also determined. These 386 strains consisted of various species, e.g., S. aureus, S. epidermidis, S. capitis, S. caprae, S. hominis, S. simulans, S. haemolyticus, and S. lugdunensis. mecA (methicillin-resistant gene) was detected in 84 (67.7%) of 124 S. aureus and 195 (75.3%) of 259 CNS, but there was no statistical difference. However mecA positive rate was higher in S. epidermidis and S. caprae, lower in S. hominis compared with S. aureus, S. lugdunensis having mecA has not been reported, but one of two our S. lugdunensis strains had mecA. The positive rate (77.4%: 65/84) of beta-lactamase of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was lower than that (95.5%: 187/195) of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCNS). Concerning the ability of slime formation, CNS had higher positive rate, especially in case of MRCNS (46.2%: 84/182) than S. aureus. On the other hand, MRCNS showed a tendency to be less resistant to some antimicrobials than MRSA. Especially against cephalothin (CET), the resistant rate of MRSA and MRCNS were 86.9% and 5.6%, respectively. Among the main species of MRCNS, S. capitis and S. caprae were more resistant than S. epidermidis and S. simulans to cefaclor (CCL), cefmetazole (CMZ), flomoxef (FMOX) and fosfomycin (FOM). Hereafter, one should be careful about infectious disease caused by CNS especially in immuno-compromised host, because many species of CNS have higher positive rate of beta-lactamase and slime formation than S. aureus beside mecA.

Aminoglycosides↗

[A case of Lyme borreliosis which was suspected to be caused by Borrelia japonica infection in Shizuoka, Japan].

We report a case of Lyme borreliosis (Lyme disease) found in Shizuoka City, Japan which was suspected to be caused by Borrelia japonica infection. A 8-year-old female was bitten on her head by a tick at a camping ground, near Tamagawa, Shizuoka. The tick was removed by the patient and was discarded before species identification. After one week, lymph node swelling with tenderness developed on her left neck. She consulted a local pediatrician and was suspected to have upper respiratory infection. As oral antibiotic, cefaclor was not effective, the patient was referred to us. The patient's serum showed positive reaction with Lyme Borreliosis ELISA kit (Dakopatts, Denmark) using Borrelia burgdorferi flagellum as antigen. The serum also gave positive results with home-made ELISA to B. japonica strain IKA2, which was isolated from I. ovatus, but not with other borrelial strain isolated in the United States, Europe, and from I. persulcatus and wild rodent in Japan. In western blotting, the serum reacted with flagellin and outer surface protein A (OspA) of B. japonica. We diagnosed her as Lyme disease and got a successful result with oral penicillin, sultamicillin. From a result of our field tick survey, we have not collected I. persulcatus around the area where the patient had a tick bite. These findings indicated that Lyme disease was caused by B. japonica infection with I. ovatus bite.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

[Effect of macrolide antibiotics on airway goblet hypersecretion in guinea pigs].

Although macrolide antibiotics have now been widely used in the treatment of chronic airway infections including diffuse panbronchiolitis and chronic bronchitis, the mechanism of the efficacy remains uncertain. Because the increased mucus glycoprotein secretion from airway goblet cells may play a significant role in the development of such diseases, to determine the effects of macrolides on airway goblet cell secretion, we studied guinea pig airways by a semiquantitative morphometric method. The goblet cell secretion was assessed in histological sections of the trachea and main bronchi stained with Alcian blue and PAS by determining mucus score, which is inversely related to the magnitude of mucus discharge. Intravenous IL-8 decreased mucus score in a dose-dependent manner and increased the number of neutrophils present in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Oral administration of clarithromycin at a daily dose of 1-10 mg/day for 2 weeks dose-dependently inhibited IL-8 (5 mg/ kg)-induced decrease in mucus score, with the maximal inhibition being 54 +/- 11% (p < 0.001) in the trachea and 48 +/- 8% (p < 0.01) in the main bronchi. This effect was accompanied by the inhibition of neutrophil accumulation into bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Erythromycin produced similar inhibitory effects on IL-8-induced goblet cell secretion and neutrophil accumulation, whereas amoxicillin and cefaclor had no effect. These results suggest that macrolides protect against goblet cell hypersecretion probably through an inhibition of recruitment of neutrophils into the airway mucosa.

Animals↗