In-vitro activity of spiramycin and metronidazole alone or in combination against clinical isolates from odontogenic abscesses.

One hundred and forty-eight isolates of bacteria from 20 intraoral odontogenic abscesses were tested for their susceptibility to spiramycin and metronidazole alone or in combination. All isolates, except Rothia spp. (one), Enterococcus avium (three), Haemophilus parainfluenzae (one) and Staphylococcus aureus (one) were sensitive to spiramycin and/or metronidazole.

Efficacy of topical povidone-iodine during the first week after ophthalmic surgery.

Purpose: In the first postoperative day, povidone-iodine ophthalmic solution prevents an increase in conjunctival bacterial colony-forming units and decreases the species compared with antibiotic. We sought to determine whether these beneficial effects of povidone-iodine could be sustained during the first postoperative week.

Methods: In 42 eyes of 35 consecutive patients, one or two drops of either a broad-spectrum antibiotic (polymyxin B sulfate-neomycin sulfate-gramicidin) or povidone-iodine 1.

Single-tube, nested, reverse transcriptase PCR for detection of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Several problems remain before molecular biology-based techniques, such as PCR, are widely accepted for the detection of infectious agents. Among the most formidable of these problems are the inability of the tests to distinguish between viable and nonviable organisms. We approached this problem by using the fact that bacterial mRNA has an extremely short half-life, averaging only a few minutes.

The effect of povidone-iodine solution applied at the conclusion of ophthalmic surgery.

Purpose: Povidone-iodine 5% solution decreases the incidence of postoperative endophthalmitis when used on the eye for preoperative preparation. We sought to determine whether it also minimized conjunctival bacterial flora immediately after surgery by preventing bacteria present on the surface of the eye from entering surgical wounds.

Methods: In 42 eyes of 40 patients, at the conclusion of surgery, on an alternating basis, each patient received either a drop of a broad-spectrum antibiotic solution (polymyxin B sulfate-neomycin sulfate-gramicidin) or a 5% povidone-iodine solution in the operated-on eye.

Povidone-iodine for ophthalmia neonatorum prophylaxis.

Purpose: The agents currently used to prevent ophthalmia neonatorum are less than optimal, with reports indicating evidence of bacterial resistance, ineffectiveness, and toxicity. Povidone-iodine ophthalmic solution, which has been shown to be effective in the preoperative preparation of the eye, generates no resistance, is an effective antimicrobial agent, and has low toxicity. We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of povidone-iodine for ophthalmia neonatorum prophylaxis.