Workload and stress in consultant medical microbiologists and virologists: a questionnaire survey.

Aims: To document demography, changing workload patterns, job satisfaction, morale, and prevalence of stress and psychological morbidity among UK consultant medical microbiologists and virologists.

Method: A questionnaire survey of all identified UK practising consultant medical microbiologists and virologists (n= 464).

Results: Among 367 respondents (79%), there were 33 virologists and at least 89 single handed consultants.

Analysis of Escherichia coli strains causing bacteriuria during pregnancy: selection for strains that do not express type 1 fimbriae.

Escherichia coli isolates from patients with bacteriuria of pregnancy were compared by PCR with isolates from patients with community-acquired cystitis for the presence of established virulence determinants. The strains from patients with bacteriuria of pregnancy were less likely to carry genes for P-family, S-family, and F1C adhesins, cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1, and aerobactin, but virtually all of the strains carried the genes for type 1 fimbriae. Standard mannose-sensitive agglutination of yeast cells showed that only 15 of 42 bacteriuria strains (36%) expressed type 1 fimbriae compared with 32 of 42 strains from community-acquired symptomatic infections (76%) (P < 0.