Incidence rate of community-acquired pneumonia in adults: a population-based prospective active surveillance study in three cities in South America.

Objective: To determine the incidence rate and mortality of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults in three cities in Latin America during a 3-year period.

Design: Prospective population-based surveillance study.

Setting: Healthcare facilities (outpatient centres and hospitals) in the cities of General Roca (Argentina), Rivera (Uruguay) and Concepción (Paraguay).

Long term mortality in burned children.

Studies about risk factors for mortality in burn children are scarce and are even less in the follow up of this population across time. Usually, after complete event attendance, children are not follow-up as risk patients, burn injury affects all facets of life. Integration of professionals from different disciplines has enabled burn centers to develop collaborative methods of assessing the quality of care delivered to patients with burns.

Immunogenicity and safety of a quadrivalent meningococcal polysaccharide CRM conjugate vaccine in infants and toddlers.

Objectives: This phase III study assessed the safety and immunogenicity of MenACWY-CRM, a quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine, administered with routine vaccines starting at 2 months of age.

Methods: Healthy infants received MenACWY-CRM in a two- or three-dose primary infant series plus a single toddler dose. In addition, a two-dose toddler catch-up series was evaluated.

Risk factors for mortality in burn children.

Unlabelled: Studies about risk factors for mortality in burn children are scarce. We conducted this study to evaluate the risk factors for mortality in pediatric burn patients. We included 110 patients.

Infections in burned children: epidemiological analysis and risk factors.

Introduction: Burns are the third cause of accidental deaths among children. Approximately 50-60% of these deaths are the result of an infection.

Objective: To determine infection related risk factors in burned children.

Systematic review: which topical agent is more efficacious in the prevention of infections in burn patients?

Topical agents are widely used in the care of burn patients; however the efficacy to prevent local infections and/or sepsis has not been clearly established in studies with a high level of evidence. This systematic review was conducted to assess the comparative efficacy among different topical agents. Material and Methods.

Immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability of two trivalent subunit inactivated influenza vaccines: a phase III, observer-blind, randomized, controlled multicenter study.

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability of two influenza subunit vaccines, a primarily European-marketed trivalent vaccine (Agrippal®, Novartis Vaccines), and a predominantly U.S.-marketed control trivalent vaccine (Fluvirin®, Novartis Vaccines), in subjects aged 3-64 y.

Safety of a second dose of varicella vaccine administered at 4 to 6 years of age in healthy children in Argentina.

Varicela Biken [Live varicella Biken vaccine (strain Oka)] is an effective and safe vaccine for the prevention of varicella infection. Although the recommended schedule in all age groups (children, adolescents and adults) is a single dose, physicians in some countries follow the 2007 recommendation of the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) which recommends "implementation of a routine 2-dose varicella vaccination program for children, with the first dose administered at age 12--15 months and the second dose at age 4--6 years." ( 1) Therefore, cases can arise when two doses of Varicela Biken are given even though the ACIP guidelines are a response to the US epidemiological situation and for US licensed products based on the Oka/Merck and the Oka-RIT strains (Varicela Biken is not registered in US).

Acceptance of Intanza® 9 μg intradermal influenza vaccine in routine clinical practice in Australia and Argentina.

Introduction: Intanza® 9 μg (Sanofi Pasteur SA, Lyon, France), a split virion trivalent influenza vaccine delivered by intradermal injection with a microinjection system, became available as a vaccination for adults aged 18 to 59 years old, as of the 2010 southern hemisphere influenza season.

Methods: This study was designed to assess the acceptability of intradermal vaccination with Intanza 9 μg in routine clinical practice by adult vaccinees and their prescribers. Prescribers and healthy adults 18 to 59 years old in Australia and Argentina who had elected to be vaccinated with Intanza 9 μg during the 2010 southern hemisphere influenza season were recruited to complete surveys about their opinions of influenza vaccination and acceptance of the intradermal vaccination.

[Efficacy of five disinfectants to reduce bacterial load in the household].

The proper use of products containing sodium hypochlorite,ammonium salts and triclosan has proved to be effective in the elimination of infectious agents in the household environment. Our objective was to evaluate the immediate, one-week and one-month efficacy of controlled use of five products containing these components, compared to other commonly used products. Within a six month period, thirty two middle-class homes from Buenos Aires City and suburbs were included in this open-label, randomized, parallel-group intervention study.

Indications of a new antibiotic in clinical practice: results of the tigecycline initial use registry.

Tigecycline is the first of a new class of antibiotics named glycylcyclines and it was approved for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections and complicated skin and skin structure infections. Notwithstanding this, tigecycline's pharmacological and microbiological profile which includes multidrug-resistant pathogens encourages physicians' use of the drug in other infections. We analyzed, during the first months after its launch, the tigecycline prescriptions for 113 patients in 12 institutions.

[Clinical and epidemiological aspects of herpes zoster].

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a public health problem worldwide. Although, there is paucity of data of this disease from South American countries. The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical and epidemiological aspects of HZ in a population of patients from South America.

[Betalactam antibiotics combined with bectalactamases inhibitors. Amoxicillin-sulbactam].

Betalactamases production is one of the main bacterial resistance mechanisms to betalactam antibiotics. The use of bectalactamases inhibitors combined with betalactam antibiotics allows the inactivation of certain betalactamases produced by Gram positive, Gram negative and anaerobic organisms, and even by mycobacteria. Betalactamases inhibitors are an improved therapeutic alternative compared with the other betalactam since, in most cases, they cover a wider antimicrobial spectrum than their analogues.

[Cytomegalovirus infection with hepatic involvement in immunocompetent adults].

We retrospectively evaluated 73 immunocompetent adult patients assisted at our Infectious Diseases Clinic between March 1999 and March 2004 who presented fever and asthenia, mild to moderate increase of transaminases and serological findings compatible with recent cytomegalovirus infection. We excluded patients with a history of transfusions, drug abuse, immunodeficiencies, preexistent hepatic impairment or serological findings compatible with acute hepatitis A, B and C (HAV, HBV, HCV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The laboratory diagnosis of recent cytomegalovirus infection was made by especific IgM detection (ELISA) or a significant increase of specific IgG.

Amoxicillin-sulbactam versus amoxicillin-clavulanic acid for the treatment of non-recurrent-acute otitis media in Argentinean children.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) and Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) are the leading bacterial cause of acute otitis media (AOM), having the nasopharynx (NP) as their reservoir. In October 2001 we began a prospective, multicenter, randomized, evaluator blind study, comparing the efficacy of amoxicillin-sulbactam (Ax/S) and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (Ax/C) for the treatment of non-recurrent AOM (nr-AOM). Both antimicrobial susceptibility (AS) to Ax/S and Ax/C from Sp and Hi carried by study children (aged 6-48 months with nr-AOM) and, clinical outcome after treatment with high dose of either Ax/C (7:1) or Ax/S (4:1) (amoxicillin dose: 80 mg/(kg day), b.

A multicenter comparative study of cefepime versus broad-spectrum antibacterial therapy in moderate and severe bacterial infections.

The safety and efficacy of cefepime empiric monotherapy compared with standard broad-spectrum combination therapy for hospitalized adult patients with moderate to severe community-acquired bacterial infections were evaluated. In an open-label, multicenter study, 317 patients with an Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score ranging from >5 to =19 were enrolled with documented pneumonia (n=196), urinary tract infection (n=65), intra-abdominal infection (n=38), or sepsis (n=18). Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive cefepime 1 to 2 g IV twice daily or three times a day or IV ampicillin, cephalothin, or ceftriaxone +/-aminoglycoside therapy for 3 to 21 days.

[Role of teicoplanin in the ambulatory treatment of infections in children due to gram-positive microorganisms].

Infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Teicoplanin is a glycopeptide antibiotic with similar spectrum to vancomycin. Easy administration and dosage encourage its use in children, particularly due to its long half-life which allows single daily dose regimens.

[Teicoplanin in the treatment of bone and joint infections due to methicillin resistant staphylococci. Experience in adult patients].

We retrospectively evaluated 89 episodes of bone and joint infections due to methicillin-resistant staphylococci: 56 chronic osteomyelitis (CO), 10 septic arthritis (SA) and 23 infections associated to arthroplasties (IAA). We analyzed the efficacy of Teicoplanin (T) in three times a week or daily administration schemes and adequate surgery (AS). Also, we determined cost savings derived from outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT).

[Teicoplanin in the prophylaxis of surgical infections and bacterial endocarditis].

Antibiotic prophylaxis has become a standard of care in all surgical categories, since its impact in reducing the incidence of post-operative infections has now been well established. Antibiotic prophylaxis should target expected pathogens. Glycopeptide-based regimens have been considered a choice for surgical procedures, since Gram-positive bacteria are the pathogens most commonly isolated from wound infections.

[New therapeutic strategies with teicoplanin].

Teicoplanin is a glycopeptide antibiotic with similar spectrum to vancomycin. However, unlike this drug, teicoplanin can be administered by i.v.

[Guidelines for the management of bone and joint infections due to methicillin resistant staphylococci].

Bone and joint infections are a group of complicated diseases with high morbidity. Emerging resistant microorganisms and the use of prosthetic devices have increased the difficulty in the medical treatment of patients. The purpose of these guidelines is to offer information on the management of bone and joint infections (post-invasive septic arthritis, chronic osteomyelitis and infected arthroplasty) produced by methicillin resistant staphylococci.

[Detection of acute infection due to legionella pneumophila in patient with community acquired pneumonia in Buenos Aires city].

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is caused by different microorganisms, their frequency varying in each community. Legionella pneumophila has been reported as etiologic agent of CAP. The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of acute infection due to Legionella pneumophila in a group of adult patients in Buenos Aires city.