Interspecies recombination occurs frequently in quinolone resistance-determining regions of clinical isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes.

Fluoroquinolone resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes has been reported only anecdotally, but a recent Belgian surveillance study found a rate of nonsusceptibility of 5.4%. From an analysis of these isolates, we show that interspecies horizontal gene transfer within the parC quinolone resistance-determining region is a frequent phenomenon that might contribute to fluoroquinolone resistance.

Prevalence of first-step mutants among levofloxacin-susceptible invasive isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the United States.

By use of a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay, we screened 496 levofloxacin-susceptible invasive pneumococcal strains (MIC View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Apoptosis of peripheral blood neutrophils in COPD exacerbation does not correlate with serum cytokines.

The study investigated the relationship between apoptosis of peripheral blood neutrophils during exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the inflammatory response that characterises this condition. Twenty-six hospitalised patients with COPD exacerbation and 13 controls were included. Three sequential blood and sputum samples were obtained from patients at admission, after 3 days and at discharge.

SARS clinical features, United States, 2003.

We compared the clinical features of 8 U.S. case-patients with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) to 65 controls who tested negative for SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection.

Interspecies recombination in type II topoisomerase genes is not a major cause of fluoroquinolone resistance in invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in the United States.

Mutations in the topoisomerase type II enzymes account for fluoroquinolone resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae. These mutations can arise spontaneously or be transferred by intraspecies or interspecies recombination, primarily with viridans streptococci. We analyzed the nucleotide sequences of the quinolone resistance-determining regions of 49 invasive levofloxacin-resistant pneumococcal isolates and did not find any evidence for interspecies recombination.

Ertapenem pharmacokinetics and impact on intestinal microflora, in comparison to those of ceftriaxone, after multiple dosing in male and female volunteers.

The pharmacokinetics of ertapenem and ceftriaxone were investigated in an open, randomized, two-period crossover study after single- and multiple-dose administration in 10 healthy volunteers (five women and five men). Both antibiotics were administered intravenously once daily for 7 days at dosages of 1 g (ertapenem) and 2 g (ceftriaxone). The concentrations of the antibiotics in serum and urine were quantified by the agar well diffusion method bioassay and, in addition, for ertapenem only, by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Levofloxacin-resistant invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae in the United States: evidence for clonal spread and the impact of conjugate pneumococcal vaccine.

The emergence of fluoroquinolone resistance in sterile-site isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae is documented in this study characterizing all invasive levofloxacin-resistant (MIC, > or = 8 mg/liter) S. pneumoniae isolates (n = 50) obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Active Bacterial Core Surveillance from 1998 to 2002. Resistance among all isolates increased from 0.

Early bactericidal activity of moxifloxacin in treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis: a prospective, randomized study.

Moxifloxacin is the most active fluoroquinolone against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro. However, data about the efficacy in patients are not available. We enrolled 17 patients with tuberculosis in a prospective, randomized study.

Beau's lines in a patient treated with moxifloxacin for anaerobic pulmonary infection.

Onychotoxicity of fluoroquinolones is a rare event. Previously described cases of fluoroquinolone-related nail disorders were due to onychophototoxicity. This report presents a case of nail toxicity after treatment with moxifloxacin for anaerobic pulmonary infection, which has not been described previously.

Immune-mediated neuropathies: etiology and pathogenic relationship to aging processes.

Immune-mediated peripheral neuropathies are more frequent in aged populations. Equally, underlying diseases such as vasculitis and paraproteinemia are more prevalent in the elderly. Accumulating evidence is linking the aging process of the immune system, immunosenescence, to the susceptibility of older individuals for paraproteinemic, vasculitic and inflammatory demyelinating neuropathies.