Coryneform bacteria isolated from middle ear fluid.

Nineteen strains of facultatively anaerobic gram-positive rods isolated in pure culture from middle ear fluids were identified. All effusions were collected by tympanocentesis in children with acute otitis media. Identification of microorganisms to the genus level was done by studying the cell wall composition.

Taxonomic study of Corynebacterium Group ANF-1 strains: Proposal of Corynebacterium afermentans sp. nov. containing the subspecies C. afermentans subsp. afermentans subsp. nov. and C. afermentans subsp. lipophilum subsp. nov.

We have determined the cell wall composition, guanine-plus-cytosine (G+C) contents of the DNA, rRNA gene restriction patterns, and the levels of DNA-DNA relatedness of 11 strains identified biochemically as Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Corynebacterium group absolute nonfermenter 1 (Corynebacterium group ANF-1). For seven of these strains, growth is abundant on 5% sheep blood agar, which differentiates them from the four other strains, whose growth requires a lipid supplement such as Tween 80. Two of the lipid-requiring strains produced mucoid colonies on 1% Tween 80-supplemented sheep blood agar.

High-performance liquid chromatography of corynomycolic acids as a tool in identification of Corynebacterium species and related organisms.

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) study of 307 strains of Corynebacterium species and related taxa revealed that strains classified as "Corynebacterium aquaticum"; "Corynebacterium asperum"; and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) groups 1, 2, A-3, A-4, A-5, B-1, B-3, E, F-2, and I-2 as well as some unidentified coryneforms do not contain any corynomycolic acids; therefore, they should not be included in the genus Corynebacterium. Such an HPLC method of identification permitted the correct assignment to the genus Rhodococcus of two unpigmented strains of coryneform bacteria whose mycolic acid profiles were comparable to those of Rhodococcus equi. Bacteria belonging to CDC groups ANF-1, ANF-3, F-1, G-1, G-2, and I-1, as well as some other Corynebacterium sp.

Corynebacterium group D2 ("Corynebacterium urealyticum") constitutes a new genomic species.

Twenty-one Corynebacterium group D2 ("C. urealyticum") strains were found to constitute a tight DNA hybridization group distinct from named Corynebacterium species. The strains of Corynebacterium group D2 had cell wall component type IV, short chain mycolic acids and G+C content of DNA of 65-66 mol %.

[Current status of perioperative preventive use of antibiotics in colorectal surgery].

The rate of postoperative wound infections following colorectal surgery can be considerably reduced by rational perioperative short-time antibiotic prophylaxis. The anaerobic and aerobic microflora of the colon as well as the half-life of the medicaments used have to be taken into due consideration for good choice of antibiotics. Persistent orthograde intestinal flushing, using physiological electrolyte solution without any addition of antibiotics, on the eve of surgery as well as perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis "en flash", using slow-drop intravenous infusion of 1 g Ornidazole and 2 g Mezlocilline along with introduction of anaesthesia, made for a good approach to reducing wound infections following colorectal surgery to two per cent.

Determination of alpha-amanitin and beta-amanitin in human biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic assay of alpha-amanitin and beta-amanitin in human serum, urine, or stomach washings is described. Sample preparation involves a chemical step with deproteinization and organic solvent treatment, and a selective cleanup and concentration step on reversed-phase prepacked cartridges. Separations are performed on a reversed-phase analytical column under isocratic conditions with uv detection at 280 nm.

High-performance liquid chromatographic method for determination of ciprofloxacin in biological fluids.

A simple and precise high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure has been developed for the determination in biological fluids of ciprofloxacin, a new, with extended antibacterial spectrum, quinoline carboxylic acid. The work-up procedure involves a chemical extraction step followed by isocratic chromatography on a reversed-phase analytical column, with ultraviolet detection. The detection limit for blood levels is 10 ng/ml.

[HPLC study of the pharmacokinetics of mezlocillin administered by 30-minute infusion and comparison with the direct intravenous route].

Mezlocillin pharmacokinetics were investigated in eighteen patients from a surgical service after a 30 minutes infusion with the purpose, on one hand, to compare this way of administration with a bolus intravenous infusion, and on the other hand to confirm or invalidate capacity-limited dose-dependent pharmacokinetics. Dosages were 2 g (n = 8) and 5 g (n = 10). Mezlocillin levels were measured by high performance liquid chromatography.

C-reactive protein measurement: a reliable method of diagnosing and monitoring the infected newborn for the assessment of a mezlocillin therapeutic trial.

Clinical and bacteriological efficacy of mezlocillin was evaluated in 41 neonates (including 12 premature babies) with clinical and laboratory evidence of bacterial infection, as shown by elevated C-reactive protein serum concentrations. They received intravenous mezlocillin (80 to 100 mg/kg/dose) every 8 h for 10.4 days.

[Focus and value of the assay of 5 beta-lactams using high-performance liquid chromatography].

Severe infectious diseases treatment often needs a frequent antimicrobial agent blood levels control. These controls are still performed by microbiological assay procedure. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is now allowing a new kind of assay procedure and improves on speed, specificity and sensitivity.

[Exfoliatin in neonatal staphylococcal infections].

An outbreak of staphylococcal skin infection in neonates was investigated clinically, bacteriologically and epidemiologically with the following findings: (1) In 8 out of 13 cases, exfoliatin-producing staphylococci were present in the bullae, which is unusual with bullous lesions occurring at other ages; (2) exfoliatin producing staphylococci were present in all children with bullous lesions, as well as in carriers; (3) 39% of the phage II group staphylococci studied produced exfoliatin; (4) purulent lesions due to phage II staphylococci which did not produce exfoliatin were observed. The contaminating agent could be identified in most cases.

Penicillin-binding proteins and carboxypeptidase/transpeptidase activities in Proteus vulgaris P18 and its penicillin-induced stable L-forms.

The originally penicillin-induced, wall-less stable L-forms of Proteus vulgaris P18, isolated by Tulasne in 1949 and since then cultured in he absence of penicillin, have kept the ability to synthesize the seven penicillin-binding proteins and the various DD- and LD-peptidase activities found in the parental bacteria and known to be involved in wall peptidoglycan metabolism. The stable L-forms, however, secrete during growth both the highly penicillin-sensitive, DD-carboxy-peptidase-transpeptidase penicillin-binding protein PBP4 (which in normal bacteria is relatively loosely bound to the plasma membrane) and the penicillin-insensitive LD-carboxypeptidase (which in normal bacteria is located in the periplasmic region).

[Usefulness of micro-organism counts in positive haemocultures (author's transl)].

In patients with positive haemoculture counting the number of micro-organisms per ml of blood can be of interest for both diagnosis and prognosis. Contamination is practically excluded when values exceed 20 organisms/ml, and bacteraemia when they exceed 500 organisms/ml. Generally, the higher the count the greater the likelihood of septicaemia.

[Utility of serotyping in the study of Serratia marcescens infections in Strasbourg Hospitals (author's transl)].

A total of 1,499 Serratia marcescens strains were isolated in Strasbourg University Hospital within a period of three years. Serotyping could split this collection into 37 different serotypes. Two serotypes (014:H12 and 013:H17) were responsible for a persistent S.

[The importance of Lancefield Group B streptococci (S. agalactiae) in gynaecology and obstetrics (author's transl)].

A bacteriological study of 10,962 vaginal swabs has made it possible to work out the percentage of women who are carriers of Group B streptococci in their vaginas. The count varies between 9.43 and 17.