In vitro activity of the combination of trovafloxacin and other antibiotics against enterococci.

The activities of trovafloxacin and ciprofloxacin against 38 strains of non-beta-lactamase-producing enterococci, resistant to ampicillin, 34 strains susceptible to ampicillin, and 3 vancomycin-resistant enterococci were studied. Trovafloxacin was more active than ciprofloxacin against all the enterococci studied. The ampicillin-resistant strains were more susceptible than the ampicillin-susceptible strains to both agents.

Ciprofloxacin-resistant Escherichia coli emerging in a rehabilitation medical center.

A retrospective review of laboratory records from 1988 to 1996 has shown an increased rate of ciprofloxacin-resistant (cip(r)) Escherichia coli in our rehabilitation center. Resistance increased from 0.6% in 1989 to 5.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization in patients with spinal cord injury.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization has been a problem in the Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center (RLAMC) since 1978. This study reviews the latest 2 years' use of a protocol to prevent the spread of MRSA while allowing spinal cord injured patients to continue to participate in the rehabilitation program. The protocol included management in a private room, bathing with hexachlorophene, monitoring positive sites and clearing patients after 3 weeks of negative cultures.

Prevalence of Corynebacteria in diabetic foot infections.

Objective: Microbiological flora of diabetic foot infections are usually polymicrobial and frequently include bacteria of the Corynebacterium sp. (diphtheroids). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of these bacteria in both deep and superficial cultures in diabetic patients with foot infections.