Purulent pericarditis secondary to community-acquired, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in previously healthy children. A sign of the times?

Rationale: Purulent pericarditis secondary to community-acquired, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is a potentially lethal infection that has yet to be described in the pediatric population. Only four cases of purulent pericarditis secondary to CA-MRSA have been described in the English literature, all of whom were adults.

Objectives: We report on the first two pediatric cases of purulent pericarditis secondary to CA-MRSA to increase awareness of this potentially fatal condition.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns and antimicrobial susceptibility phenotypes for coagulase-positive staphylococcal isolates from pustules and carriage sites in dogs with superficial bacterial folliculitis.

Objective: To determine whether coagulase-positive staphylococcal isolates that are genotypically the same strain obtained from pustules and carriage sites of individual dogs with superficial bacterial folliculitis have the same antimicrobial susceptibility phenotype.

Animals: 40 dogs with superficial bacterial folliculitis.

Procedures: Samples were obtained from 3 pustules and 3 carriage sites (ie, anus, nonlesional axillary skin, and nasal mucosa) for bacterial culture, morphologic identification, Gram staining, catalase and coagulase testing, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, speciation, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

Genotypic relatedness of staphylococcal strains isolated from pustules and carriage sites in dogs with superficial bacterial folliculitis.

Objective: To determine whether staphylococcal isolates cultured from pustules and carriage sites in dogs with superficial bacterial folliculitis were genotypically the same strain by use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

Animals: 40 dogs with superficial bacterial folliculitis.

Procedures: Samples were obtained from 3 pustules and 3 carriage sites (anus, axillary skin, and nasal mucosa).

Outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157 infections at multiple county agricultural fairs: a hazard of mixing cattle, concession stands and children.

Escherichia coli O157 infections cause an estimated 60 deaths and 73 000 illnesses annually in the United States. A marked summer peak in incidence is largely unexplained. We investigated an outbreak of E.

An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157 infection following exposure to a contaminated building.

Context: Infection with Escherichia coli O157 causes an estimated 70 000 diarrheal illnesses per year in the United States and can result in hemolytic-uremic syndrome and death. Environmental contamination with E coli O157 may be a public health problem.

Objectives: To determine risk factors for E coli O157 infection during an outbreak investigation at a county fair and to evaluate environmental contamination as a possible cause of the outbreak.