Clinical significance of cerebrospinal fluid inhibitory titers of antibiotics, based on pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic parameters, in the treatment of bacterial meningitis.

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) inhibitory titer (CSF-IT) of an antibiotic, which can be used to estimate the duration of time above the agent's MIC in the CSF, was introduced as one of the indices to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotic selection in treating bacterial meningitis. The CSF-IT was determined via a microdilution method. A suspension of the causative organism was added to a tube containing twofold diluted CSF and double-concentrated Mueller-Hinton broth with supplement.

Development and evaluation of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for rapid and simple detection of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli.

We developed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the rapid and simple detection of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. The assay provides a specific LAMP product for each of these two species. The assay correctly identified 65 C.

Development of a multiplex PCR assay for identification of Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter fetus, Campylobacter hyointestinalis subsp. hyointestinalis, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter lari and Campylobacter upsaliensis.

A multiplex PCR assay has been developed for the identification of the six common Campylobacter taxa associated with human gastroenteritis and/or septicaemia, namely Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter fetus, Campylobacter hyointestinalis subsp. hyointestinalis, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter lari and Campylobacter upsaliensis. The assay was developed using a combination of newly designed and published primers.

In vitro activities of piperacillin against beta-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant Haemophilus influenzae.

The in vitro activities of piperacillin (PIP) against beta-lactamase-negative ampicillin (AMP)-resistant (BLNAR) Haemophilus influenzae were compared with those of cefotaxime (CTX) and ceftriaxone (CRO), and the potency of PIP as therapy for meningitis caused by BLNAR is also discussed. PIP showed good activity (MIC at which 90% of strains are inhibited, 0.25 micro g/ml) against 69 BLNAR strains, and its activity was comparable to that of CRO and superior to that of CTX.

Prevalence of cefotaxime resistance in group B streptococcus isolates from Osaka, Japan.

Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus; GBS) organisms are a major cause of severe infections, including bacteremia and meningitis in newborns. According to previous reports, GBS organisms are uniformly sensitive to penicillin G (PCG). The susceptibility of 117 strains isolated at Yodogawa Christian Hospital in Osaka, Japan, in 2001 was examined with the WalkAway system, using currently valid National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) interpretive criteria.