Coagulase-negative staphylococcal bacteremia in newborns.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (C-NS) recently have been identified as common causes of septicemia in high-risk newborns. In this review of the incidence and clinical significance of C-NS blood culture isolates from infants with suspected septicemia in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU), 2.2 percent of blood cultures in an 18-month period yielded C-NS.

Serological analysis of five serotypes of Pasteurella multocida of rabbit origin by use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with lipopolysaccharide as antigen.

The serological relationships among five Pasteurella multocida strains, representing five somatic serotypes most commonly isolated from rabbits (serotypes 1, 3, 4, 12, and 15), were studied with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lipopolysaccharides from the five serotypes were used as antigens in the assay. Antisera against serotypes 1 and 15 reacted only with their homologous lipopolysaccharides.

Response of infants to Haemophilus influenzae type b polysaccharide and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccines in combination.

In a multicenter study, responses to a combined vaccine containing standard diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) and polyribosylribitol phosphate (PRP), the capsular polysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae type b, were evaluated in 107 infants who received single doses at two, four, and six months of age and compared with those in 61 infants given single doses of DTP alone on the same schedule. Reaction rates were comparable in the two treatment groups. At seven months of age 61% of the subjects given the combined DTP-PRP vaccine and 8% and of those given DTP alone showed an antibody response to PRP, as defined as a twofold increase in titer over the lowest previous level.

Comparison of tube dilution and microtitre methods for the detection of antibiotic tolerance in strains of Staphylococcus aureus.

Comparison of the MICs and MBCs of oxacillin for ten isolates of Staphylococcus aureus determined by tube dilution with those by microtitre dilution tests demonstrated that, whereas the MICs did not differ, the mean MBC by tube dilution was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) than that by microtitre after both 24 and 48 h of incubation. In addition, tolerance (MBC/MIC ratio greater than 32) was seen in four of ten strains with the tube dilution method but in only one strain with the microtitre technique after 24 h of incubation.

Inability of counterimmunoelectrophoresis to detect echovirus in cerebrospinal fluid.

Methods for rapid detection of viral antigens in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are needed to aid in the differentiation of viral from bacterial meningitis. The formation of precipitin bands in patients with suspect viral meningitis utilizing viral antisera in a counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) system has been described. To investigate further the possible value of CIE in the diagnosis of viral meningitis, the specificity of the CSF precipitin bands was studied.

[Allergic contact eczema to pyridine and hydrazine derivatives].

The case of a chemistry student with a severe bullous, eczematous allergic contact dermatitis and with a diagnosed sensitization towards pyridine and hydrazine derivatives is reported. The results of the group allergy testing are compared with those in the literature and the widespread occurrence of pyridine and hydrazine compounds is summarized in tables.

Opsonization of serum-sensitive and serum-resistant Escherichia coli by rough mutant (Re) antisera.

The antibody binding and susceptibility to opsonization of 11 SR and five SS Escherichia coli strains by pooled high-titered rabbit antisera against the core-defective Re chemotype mutant of Salmonella minnesota R595 were studied. Binding of antibody was assessed by an IFA method, and the phagocytic rate was quantitated by measurement of the oxygen consumption of PMNs during phagocytosis. A significant correlation was demonstrated between the property of serum sensitivity and both antibody binding (p less than 0.

Limited protective effect of rough mutant antisera in murine Escherichia coli bacteremia.

Previous studies in mice have demonstrated differing immunoprophylactic activity of antisera against rough mutants of Enterobacteriaceae in the prevention of lethal gram-negative bacteremia. In this study, in which CF1 mice were made bacteremic with a serum-resistant Escherichia coli 06:K2:H1, the composite survival was significantly (p less than 0.001) enhanced by i.

Meningococcal meningitis in familial deficiency of the fifth component of complement.

Absence of the fifth component of complement (C5) by immunochemical assay and marked deficiency by hemolytic assay (less than 0.1%) was found in a family in which the oldest male child had suffered severe and recurrent meningococcemia at age 15 years, two brothers developed meningococcal meningitis four years later (at ages 18 and 14 years), and a sister had the gonococcal arthritis-dermatitis syndrome. Although group-specific meningococcal antibody was present in the sera from all four siblings, serum bactericidal activity against Neisseria meningitidis could be demonstrated only in the presence of exogenous rabbit complement.

Does acrolein contribute to the cytotoxicity of cyclophosphamide?

To determine whether the release of acrolein from oxazaphosphorinane-cytostatics contributes to their cytotoxic action, the effect of 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide, 4-hydroperoxy-semi-cyclophosphamide, 4-hydroperoxy-dechloro-cyclophosphamide, and acrolein on murine L 1210 leukemia cells in vitro was compared by measuring the median survival time (MST) after transplantation of the tumor cells in DBA2/Han mice. We found that only 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide, which is able to release both acrolein and the alkylating metabolite phosphoramide-mustard, decreased the transplantability of L 1210 cells, while the structurally analogous 4-hydroperoxy-dechloro-cyclophosphamide and 4-hydroperoxy-semi-cyclophosphamide, which under physiological conditions only release acrolein but no alkylating split products showed no cytotoxicity. Acrolein itself showed only a marginal effect, when administered in concentrations equivalent to the release of acrolein from the oxazaphosphorinane-derivatives in test.