A 7-Year Retrospective Review of Flexor Sheath Infections.

Flexor sheath infections require prompt diagnosis, and management with intravenous antibiotics and/or surgical washout followed by hand therapy. Complication rates as high as 38% have been reported. Our unit takes a relatively conservative approach to the management of flexor sheath infections and select patients are managed non-surgically via our outpatient antibiotic service where they are clinically reviewed and receive a once daily dose of intravenous antibiotics.

Iatrogenic Transection of an Arterial Cannula and the Successful Use of Ultrasound to Locate the Retained Intraarterial Fragment: A Case Report.

We report a rare case of iatrogenic arterial cannula transection during a dressing change and migration of the distal fragment within the radial artery. The retained intraarterial fragment was successfully located using ultrasound, enabling swift surgical removal. We discuss the risk factors associated with arterial cannula transection and the efficacy of imaging modalities in locating the intraarterial fragment.

Temporal and farm-management-associated variation in faecal-pat prevalence of Campylobacter fetus in sheep and cattle.

The faecal-pat prevalence (as estimated by culture) of Campylobacter fetus from cattle and sheep on 19 farms in rural Lancashire was investigated using standard Campylobacter culture techniques and PCR during a 2-year longitudinal study. C. fetus was isolated from 9·48% [95% confidence interval (CI) 8·48-10·48] of cattle faecal pats and 7·29% (95% CI 6·21-9·62) of sheep faecal pats.

Temporal and farm-management-associated variation in faecal pat prevalence of Arcobacter spp. in ruminants.

In a 2-year longitudinal study of adult animals on 15 dairy farms and four sheep farms in Lancashire, UK, Arcobacter spp. were isolated from all farms although not at every sampling occasion. Faecal samples were collected and cultured using standard techniques for isolation of campylobacters.

Exploring the diversity of Arcobacter butzleri from cattle in the UK using MLST and whole genome sequencing.

Arcobacter butzleri is considered to be an emerging human foodborne pathogen. The completion of an A. butzleri genome sequence along with microarray analysis of 13 isolates in 2007 revealed a surprising amount of diversity amongst A.