Antiviral susceptibility testing with a cell line which expresses beta-galactosidase after infection with herpes simplex virus.

Despite increasing concern about drug-resistant herpes simplex virus (HSV), antiviral susceptibility testing is not routinely performed by most clinical virology laboratories. This omission is in large part because the most widely accepted method, the plaque reduction assay (PRA), is cumbersome to perform and results are rarely available in time to influence treatment. We report here the development of a sensitivity test for HSV which utilizes a cell line (VeroICP6LacZ#7) that expresses beta-galactosidase activity after infection with HSV such that infected cells can be detected by histochemical staining.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 meningitis in the absence of genital lesions: improved recognition with use of the polymerase chain reaction.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is known to cause aseptic meningitis, which can be recurrent. The diagnosis of HSV-2 infection is suggested when meningitis occurs simultaneously with genital lesions but may be obscure if genital lesions are not present or are not appreciated. Viral culture of the CSF is sometimes positive, but it may also be negative, especially in cases of recurrent disease.

Rapid development of resistance to clarithromycin following monotherapy for disseminated Mycobacterium chelonae infection in a heart transplant patient.

Mycobacterium chelonae (formerly known as M. chelonae subspecies chelonae) is a rapidly growing mycobacterium that can cause disseminated infections, especially in immunocompromised hosts. The bacterium is typically resistant to antimicrobial agents; less than 20% of M.

Resistance to penicillin and non-beta-lactam antibiotics of Streptococcus pneumoniae at a children's hospital.

During a 12-month period we tested all isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae recovered from patients at St. Louis Children's Hospital for resistance to penicillin and other antibiotics. Twenty-seven (20%) of 136 had relative penicillin resistance (minimum inhibitory concentration 0.

[Tuberculous meningitis in patients without HIV infection. Presentation of 21 cases].

Background: Tuberculous meningitis accounts for 5% to 12% of all extrapulmonary tuberculosis cases in western-hemisphere population non infected by HIV virus, and carries a high mortality rate.

Methods: We analyze retrospectively 21 patients with tuberculous meningitis in HIV negative patients seen from 1975 to 1989, with emphasis on clinical, laboratory and therapeutic features.

Results: In 48% of cases there were not typical meningeal signs, and 61% of patients showed neurological focal signs and/or seizures.

[Lupus induced by quinidine].

The case is described of a 34 year old female who suffered quinidine induced lupus, which appeared 14 months after the administration of the drug, and it was necessary to substitute it. This secondary effect o quinidine, which is rarely described, can go unnoticed if it is no kept in mind. The diagnostic criteria for drug induced lupus ar discussed and the clinical and analytical manifestations of 27 cases o quinidine induced lupus described in the literature are reviewed.