Effect on diagnostic yield of repeated stool testing during outbreaks of Clostridium difficile-associated disease.

The effect on diagnostic yield of testing sequential stools was assessed during two hospital epidemics of Clostridium difficile. Using a rapid immunoassay, C. difficile-associated disease was diagnosed in 237 diarrhoeal patients, of whom 204 (86%) were diagnosed from the first faeces sample and 12 (5%) were diagnosed from follow-up samples obtained within 1 week.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Dutch soccer team.

An outbreak of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus occurred among members and close contacts of a soccer team. Typing of the isolates showed the outbreak was caused by the well-known European ST80-IV strain. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an outbreak of this strain among members of a sports team.

[Clostridium difficile ribotype 027, toxinotype III in The Netherlands].

Recently, two Dutch hospitals reported outbreaks of Clostridium difficile ribotype 027, toxinotype III. This strain, which was seen earlier in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, produces large amounts of toxins due to a defect in the toxin-regulating gene and causes severe diarrhoea. Antibiotic use, especially use of fluoroquinolones, is a risk factor.

Treatment of chronic suppurative otitis media with ofloxacin in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ear drops: a clinical/bacteriological study in a rural area of Malawi.

Chronic suppurative otitis media in young children is a major problem in Africa, with socio-economic consequences at a later age. Common treatment regimens with antibiotics are expensive and often not practically feasible. Therefore, a project was started to develop a low-cost and effective treatment in a rural area of Malawi by studying the clinical efficacy of an inexpensive application regimen of ofloxacin (0.