Nucleic Acids Res, 1990 Jan 25, 18(2), 355 - 9 Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the Ecal DNA methyltransferase; Brenner V et al.; The gene coding for the GGTNACC specific Ecal DNA methyltransferase (M.Ecal) has been cloned in E . coli from Enterobacter cloacae and its nucleotide sequence has been determined . The ecalM gene codes for a protein of 452 amino acids (Mr: 51,111) . It was determined that M.Ecal is an adenine methyltransferase . M.Ecal shows limited amino acid sequence similarity to other adenine methyltransferases . A clone that expresses Ecal methyltransferase at high level was constructed. J Antibiot (Tokyo), 1990 Jan, 43(1), 100 - 6 Comparative chemotherapeutic activity of cefpirome and imipenem in experimental infections; Klesel N et al.; In systemic and local infections, the therapeutic efficacy of cefpirome was compared to that of imipenem and cefotaxime . Murine septicemia induced with methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains responded well to cefpirome and imipenem therapy, the ED50 values ranged from 0.8 to 28.40 mg/kg and 0.5 to 15.58 mg/kg, respectively . The carbapenem also displayed high efficacy against Enterococci and was more potent than cefpirome . Cefotaxime, however, exhibited lower activity or proved to be inactive against these strains . With ED50 values of 0.03 to 31.33 mg/kg, cefpirome was the most active of the three antibiotics in protecting mice challenged with Enterobacteriaceae . The corresponding ED50 values of imipenem and cefotaxime ranged from 0.72 to 70.95 mg/kg and 0.06 to 66.30 mg/kg, respectively . Despite distinctly lower in vitro activity against the infecting organism, cefpirome showed efficacy similar to imipenem in the treatment of subcutaneous S . aureus abscesses in mice . It was more effective than imipenem and cefotaxime against experimental Klebsiella pneumonia in mice and the Escherichia coli infected granuloma pouch in rats. Rev Infect Dis, 1990 Jan-Feb, 12 Suppl 2, S133 - 41 Structure-activity relationships in lipopolysaccharides of Bacteroides fragilis; Lindberg AA et al.; The endotoxic activity of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) extracted from the envelope of Bacteroides fragilis is low compared with that of LPS from Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and other Enterobacteriaceae . Thus, pyrogenicity, the ability to prepare for or provoke the local Shwartzman reaction, and the ability to induce the production of interleukin 1 are reduced by 100- to 1,000-fold . Structural analyses of characterized B . fragilis LPS have shown that its lipid A is composed of a beta 1,6-linked D-glucosamine disaccharide that has the following properties: (1) a phosphate group on C1 of the reducing amino sugar, (2) amide- and ester-linked 3-hydroxylated branched and nonbranched long-chain (C15-C17) fatty acids, (3) an average of five fatty acids per glucosamine disaccharide, and (4) the core and O-antigenic saccharide chain linked to C6 of the nonreducing glucosamine residue . Although structurally similar to lipid A of E . coli, the lipid A of B . fragilis differs by its lack of the phosphate group on C4 of the nonreducing amino sugar and by the presence of fewer and different fatty acids . These differences explain the low endotoxic activity of B . fragilis LPS . The core and O-antigenic chain are linked to lipid A via a phosphorylated 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate (KDO) residue . The saccharide chain is short and is composed of L-rhamnose, D-glucose, and D-galactose, with the O-antigenic specificity determined by a beta 1,6-linked D-galactose oligomer . This O-antigenic specificity was present in 14 of 17 strains of B . fragilis that were investigated. J Clin Microbiol, 1990 Jan, 28(1), 76 - 82 Three-year experience with sonicated vascular catheter cultures in a clinical microbiology laboratory; Sherertz RJ et al.; Using a quantitative sonication method, we cultured 1,681 consecutive vascular catheters submitted to a clinical microbiology laboratory in a 36-month period . A total of 46% of the cultures were positive; the most common organisms isolated were coagulase-negative staphylococci (36.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.9%), enterococci (10.0%), yeasts (9.2%), Staphylococcus aureus (5.8%), and Enterobacter species (4.4%) . The frequencies of positive blood cultures within 48 h prior to a positive catheter culture result were as follows: Candida albicans (68.4%), S . aureus (60%), Enterobacter cloacae (42.9%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (32.1%), P . aeruginosa (27.7%), and enterococci (23.3%) . The sonication method allowed quantification of the number of CFU removed from a catheter for between 10(2) and 10(7) CFU . For catheter cultures in which greater than or equal to 10(2) CFU grew, a linear regression equation could be calculated: (risk of positive blood culture for the same organism) = 14 {log10 (number of organisms removed from the catheter)} -21 (r = 0.93) . For catheter cultures in which less than 10(2) CFU grew, positive blood cultures for the same organism were strongly associated with a proven infection at a site distant from the catheter (P = 0.001) or probable contamination (S . epidermidis) . Our findings indicate that this technique has considerable potential for use in clinical microbiology laboratories to aid in the diagnosis of vascular catheter infections and for clinical investigations into the pathogenesis of these infections. J Bacteriol, 1990 Jan, 172(1), 469 - 72 Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the Enterobacter aerogenes signal peptidase II (lsp) gene; Isaki L et al.; In Escherichia coli, prolipoprotein signal peptidase is encoded by the lsp gene, which is organized into an operon consisting of ileS, lsp, and three open reading frames, designated genes x, orf-149, and orf-316 . The Enterobacter aerogenes lsp gene was cloned and expressed in E . coli . The nucleotide sequence of the Enterobacter aerogenes lsp gene and a part of its flanking sequences were determined . A high degree of homology was found between the E . coli ileS-lsp operon and the corresponding genes in Enterobacter aerogenes . Furthermore, the same five genes which constitute an operon in E . coli were found in Enterobacter aerogenes in the same order. Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd, 1990, 132(6), 325 - 9 {Rates of resistance of mastitis pathogens from cows in Switzerland}; Hartmann H; 1215 strains of bacteria isolated from cows suffering from acute or chronic clinic mastitis were tested in the antibiogram according to the Kirby-Bauer method . The germ spectrum included: 304 DNase-positive strains of Staphylococci 304 DNase-negative strains of Staphylococci 304 CAMP-negative strains of Streptococci 303 Strains of Enterobacteriaceae The antibiotics selected were Penicillin, Cloxacillin, Neomycin und Gentamicin, then the combinations Penicillin/Neomycin, Cloxacillin/Gentamicin and Nafcillin/Penicillin/Dihydrostreptomycin . Gentamicin showed excellent action against Staphylococci and Enterobacteriaceae . Further on, the present investigations show, that the combination Cloxacillin/Gentamicin is fully effective in the gram-positive spectrum (against Streptococci and Staphylococci), as in the gram-negative spectrum (against E . coli). Biol Met, 1990, 2(4), 197 - 202 Ferrioxamine transport mutants and the identification of the ferrioxamine receptor protein (FoxA) in Erwinia herbicola (Enterobacter agglomerans); Berner I et al.; Iron deprivation of Erwinia herbicola (Enterobacter agglomerans) induces the biosynthesis of six high-Mr outer-membrane proteins and large amounts of ferrioxamine E . Mutagenesis with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and selection with ferrimycin A yielded mutants of E . herbicola K4 (wild type), defective in the expression of a 76-kDa outer-membrane protein, as determined by SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis . While in bioassays wild-type cells showed growth promotion in the presence of ferrioxamines (B, D1, D2, E, G), enterobactin, citrate, ferrichrome and coprogen, these mutants failed to respond to ferrioxamines . Moreover, experiments with 55Fe-labelled siderophores confirmed that iron transport mediated by ferrioxamine E and B in the mutants was completely inhibited, whereas iron transport by other hydroxamate siderophores, such as ferrichrome and coprogen was unaffected . The results are evidence that the 76-kDa protein in the outer membrane represents the receptor protein (FoxA) for ferrioxamines in E . herbicola. Cancer Detect Prev, 1990, 14(3), 377 - 81 Bacterial and fungal infections in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; Rolston KV et al.; Over a 14-month period, 136 episodes of bacterial and 26 episodes of fungal infection were identified from the microbiology records of 444 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) . The respective rates for infection were 31 of 100 admissions (bacterial) and 5 of 100 admissions (fungal) . Contributory factors appeared to be therapy with antineoplastic agents, ganciclovir and zidovudine, resulting in neutropenia, corticosteroid therapy, and increased use of central venous catheters . Bacteria isolated most often were Staphylococcus spp., the Enterobacteriaceae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Aspergillus spp . and Candida spp . were the common fungal pathogens . However, several unusual fungal organisms seem to be emerging as important pathogens and can cause disseminated infection . Appropriate and prompt antimicrobial therapy resulted in the resolution of most bacterial infections . Disseminated fungal infections were difficult to treat and responded less often. Ter Arkh, 1990, 62(3), 15 - 8 {The etiology of acute pneumonia}; Vishniakova LA et al.; Based on the results of the authors' own investigations and the reported data it is shown that primary (extrahospital) acute pneumonia (AP) is of pneumococcal etiology in the overwhelming majority of patients . At the same time in 2/3 of cases, AP is associated with influenza and other acute respiratory virus infections . If primary AP runs an unfavourable course, a secondary infectious inflammatory process induced by different opportunistic bacteria may occur . The secondary (intrahospital) APs developing in the presence of marked disorders of the total and local defence are polyetiologic in nature . This is often caused by the association of a number of causative agents belonging to the families of different aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and by a change of etiological factors in the course of the disease . Gram-negative enterobacteria, Pseudomonas and nonsporulating obligate anaerobes are the main causative agents of secondary pneumonias as well as of infectious processes that complicate primary APs. Indian J Exp Biol, 1990 Jan, 28(1), 58 - 62 'DNA' as contaminants in antibiotics and its capacity to transform bacteria to drug resistance; Chakrabarty AN et al.; DNA/and deoxyribose sugars were detected in streptomycin (Sm), kanamycin, polymyxin, penicillin G, ampicillin, methicillin, cloxacillin and mitomycin C in small amounts/traces . Stained DNA could be feebly visualized directly in Sm run in agarose gel, which improved after its separation and concentration . These DNA materials were DNase sensitive, RNase and pronase resistant, and appeared to consist of fragments, c . less than or equal to 6 Mdal; this could repeatedly transform to SmR several recipient enterobacteria and vibrios; E . coli C600 and S . typhi 57, after such transformation revealed similar plasmid DNA bands that were absent in their wild-types . G + C mole% of plasmid and chromosomal DNA of recipient (57) along with that of Streptomyces griseus reference strain, suggested an extraneous origin for the plasmid DNA. Eur Urol, 1990, 17 Suppl 1, 30 - 3 Norfloxacin use in urinary tract infection by urologists and infectious disease specialists; Kunkel MJ et al.; One hundred thirty-one patients of urologists and infectious disease specialists were entered into an open trial of norfloxacin in the therapy of urinary tract infections (UTIs) . All patients were evaluable for tolerability and 98 were evaluable for efficacy . The patient population in this study was older (mean age 53 years) and had more underlying urogenital disorders (30%) or recent invasive urologic procedures (20%) than the typical patient population with UTIs . Over 50% of the patients had infections due to organisms other than Escherichia coli, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (14), Klebsiella pneumoniae (5), Enterobacter spp (3) and Group D streptococcus (6) . Clinical and bacteriologic cure rates were 90 and 91%, respectively . Side effects occurred in 5 patients and were generally mild. Z Versuchstierkd, 1990, 33(2), 91 - 6 Differences in the intestinal microflora of normal and dystrophic BIO 8262 Nij Syrian hamsters; Engelen DP et al.; The microflora of the gastro-intestinal tract of dystrophic BIO 8262 Nij Syrian hamsters and Kun:Sh Syrian hamsters as controls was investigated by means of culturing techniques and scanning electron microscopy . The oesophagus, forestomach, stomach, small intestine, coecum and faeces were assessed for the presence of Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococci, Lactobacilli, Streptococci, Clostridia, Bacteroides and yeasts . The normal hamsters showed low levels of yeasts in the oesophagus, forestomach and stomach; yeasts were not present in the other compartments . Relatively low levels of Staphylococci and Enterobacteriaceae were found in all gut segments; also Bacteroides was found in low levels in the upper part of the gut . The other groups of bacteria showed relatively high levels in all segments . In dystrophic BIO 8262 Nij hamsters no Enterobacteriaceae and yeasts have been detected in the gut . Scanning electron microscopy showed no difference in adhesion between both hamsters strains. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis, 1990 Jan-Feb, 13(1), 45 - 9 Comparative in vitro activity of cefoperazone and various combinations of cefoperazone/sulbactam; Knapp CC et al.; Cefoperazone with 2 and 4 micrograms/ml of sulbactam and in a 2:1 ratio was tested against 1258 clinical isolates of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as against Gram-negative bacilli that had stably derepressed Type I beta-lactamase or that were hyperproductive of non-Type I beta-lactamases . The 2:1 cefoperazone/sulbactam combination was the most potent combination tested . With this combination cefoperazone minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 27 of 40 (67%) of the clinical isolates of Pseudomonas species and 64 of 67 (95%) of clinical isolates of the Enterobacteriaceae were reduced from greater than or equal to 64 micrograms/ml by at least two-fold . In contrast, cefoperazone MICs of greater than or equal to 64 micrograms/ml remained unchanged for 26 (65%) and 24 (60%) of Pseudomonas species and 35 (52%) and 30 (45%) of the Enterobacteriaceae in the presence of 2 and 4 micrograms/ml of sulbactam, respectively . Cefoperazone/sulbactam in the 2:1 ratio was also the most active combination against the mutants derepressed for Type I beta-lactamase . Although the 2:1 combination of cefoperazone/sulbactam had the greatest potency in vitro, it remains to be seen whether this combination is predictive of clinical outcome from treatment of cefoperazone-resistant Gram-negative bacilli with cefoperazone/sulbactam. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis, 1990 Jan-Feb, 13(1), 3 - 8 A comparison of oxoid signal with nonradiometric BACTEC NR-660 for detection of bacteremia; Schwabe LD et al.; The Oxoid Signal (Oxoid U.S.A . Inc., Columbia, Maryland) system was compared with the nonradiometric BACTEC NR-660 (Johnston Laboratories, Towson, Maryland) system for detection of bacteria in 2714 blood cultures . The volume of blood collected into 20 ml blood-collection tubes containing sodium polyanetholsulfonate (SPS) (Becton Dickinson, Vacutainer Systems, Rutherford, New Jersey) ranged from 10 to 20 ml with an average of 15 ml . Subsequently, equal volumes of blood were inoculated into each system . A total of 250 organisms was isolated (9.6%), of which 149 (5.5%) were considered significant while 111 isolates from 98 cultures (3.6%) were contaminants . Of the significant isolates 32.9% were aerobic Gram-negative rods, 53.0% aerobic Gram-positive cocci, 5.4% anaerobes, 7.4% yeasts, and two isolates of Neisseria meningitidis . Ninety-five isolates were recovered in both systems, 29 by Bactec only and 25 by Signal only . Of the isolates recovered there were no significant differences in detection between the two systems with the exception of anaerobes (p less than 0.005) . The median detection times for many of the most commonly isolated organisms--Enterobacteriaceae, streptococci, and Staphylococcus aureus--were very similar in both systems, ranging from 14 to 21 hours . With the remaining organisms recovered, the median times in hours for BAC-TEC and Signal, respectively, were 31 and 47 for Staphylococcus epidermidis, 48 and 60 for Bacteroides, 39 and 168 for yeast, and 16.5 and 168 for N . meningitidis . Oxoid Signal compares favorably with the BACTEC system . Its main advantages are: (1) it requires no instrumentation; (2) it is characterized by ease of detection; and (3) it uses a single-bottle system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol, 1990 Jan, (1), 23 - 8 {An evaluation of the sensitivity to antiseptic preparations of clinical strains of microorganisms in the family Enterobacteriaceae}; Adarchenko AA et al.; Classical enterobacterial strains are sensitive to the working concentrations of pervomur, dioxydine, resorcinol, sodium sulfacyl, iodopyrone, chlorhexidine and boric acid, resistant to the action of cetyplyridinium chloride, rivanol, roccal and ethonium . In enterobacterial populations strains with acquired resistance to chloramine B, iodopyrone, chlorhexidine and resorcinol are present . Hospital strains of enterobacteria are characterized by higher, in comparison with extrahospital strains, resistance to ethonium, sodium sulfacyl, lodopyrone, chloramine B and resorcinol. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1990 Jan, 34(1), 78 - 81 Multiple-dose pharmacokinetics of ofloxacin in serum, saliva, and skin blister fluid of healthy volunteers; Warlich R et al.; The pharmacokinetics of ofloxacin were determined in six healthy volunteers after oral administration of 200 mg twice daily for 3.5 days . To study the pharmacokinetic behavior at the target site in bacterial infection of the skin, drug concentrations were determined in suction blister fluid (SBF) and cantharides blister fluid (CBF), as well as in serum and saliva . Ofloxacin was measured by a high-performance liquid chromatographic assay . Ofloxacin concentrations in saliva amounted to 61 +/- 3% of levels in serum . After the final dose, ofloxacin concentrations in blister fluid and serum declined in parallel . Terminal half-lives of ofloxacin in blister fluids (SBF, 7.0 h; CBF, 6.3 h) were in accordance with serum half-life (6.6 h) . Favorable penetration into the skin is suggested by high area under the concentration-time curve ratios for blister fluid and serum (CBF, 1.1; SBF, 1.3) . During repeated ofloxacin intake, drug levels in SBF and CBF at 12 h amounted to 0.94 and 1.10 micrograms/ml . Thus, ofloxacin levels in the skin are well above the MIC for 90% of strains tested for, e.g., Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and various members of the family Enterobacteriaceae . This should also hold true with respect to other tissues. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1990 Jan, 25(1), 49 - 55 Enhanced resistance to cefotaxime and imipenem associated with outer membrane protein alterations in Enterobacter aerogenes; Hopkins JM et al.; Mutants exhibiting enhanced resistance to cefotaxime and imipenem were selected by plating a strain of Enterobacter aerogenes, which already produced chromosomal beta-lactamase constitutively, on to varying concentrations of different beta-lactam antibiotics . Frequencies of mutation varied from 10(-5) to 10(-8), depending upon the particular antibiotic and concentration used for selection . Only minor variations in beta-lactamase specific activities were observed and these could not be directly correlated with changes in resistance when compared with the original strain . In the majority of mutants, the selection of an enhanced level of resistance to cefotaxime was associated with a significant increase in resistance to imipenem, but no increase in resistance to the non-beta-lactam antibiotics tested was observed . Examination of outer membrane protein profiles revealed a number of complex changes in the mutants when directly compared to the original strain . In one mutant imipenem/cefotaxime resistance was directly associated with almost total loss of a 42K protein which was non-covalently associated with peptidoglycan and therefore possibly a porin protein. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1990 Jan, 56(1), 301 - 3 New plate medium for facilitated differentiation of Salmonella spp . from Proteus spp . and other enteric bacteria; Rambach A; A new agar medium for the differentiation of Salmonella spp . from other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae is described . This medium exploits a novel phenotypic characteristic of Salmonella spp.: the formation of acid from propylene glycol . This characteristic may be used in combination with a chromogenic indicator of beta-galactosidase to differentiate Salmonella spp . from Proteus spp . and the other members of the Enterobacteriaceae . Desoxycholate may be included in the plate medium as an inhibitor of gram-positive organisms . Non-typhi Salmonella spp . yield distinct, bright red colonies on this medium, allowing facilitated identification and unambiguous differentiation from Proteus spp. Rev Infect Dis, 1990 Jan-Feb, 12(1), 128 - 35 Etiology and mortality of bacterial meningitis in northeastern Brazil; Bryan JP et al.; Little is known of the current incidence and mortality of meningitis in developing nations, especially in Latin America . We reviewed all cases of meningitis in an isolation-fever hospital in Salvador, Brazil, for the decade 1973-1982 . Of all admissions, 6,751 (27%) were for meningitis; 4,100 (61%) of these cases were of definite or probable bacterial etiology . Children younger than 15 years accounted for 79% of cases, and 45% of cases were in children under 2 years . The overall case fatality rate was 33%, with 50% of these deaths occurring within 48 hours of hospitalization . Neisseria meningitidis was the etiologic agent in 32% of the cases, with a case fatality rate of 14% . Epidemics caused by N . meningitidis group C, then group A, in 1974-1978 accounted for 60% of the cases . Streptococcus pneumoniae caused 17% of cases, with a case fatality rate of 59% . Haemophilus influenzae type b, the most common cause of nonepidemic meningitis, caused 23% of all cases, with a case fatality rate of 38% . Enterobacteriaceae were the etiology in only 3.6% of patients, but the case fatality rate was 86% . Cultures were negative in 18% of cases with purulent cerebrospinal fluid . A total of 84% of H . influenzae, 40% of S . pneumoniae, 78% of Enterobacteriaceae, and 15% of N . meningitidis cases occurred in children less than 2 years of age . Case fatality rates were highest in this group . Vaccines protective for this age group are urgently needed. Acta Med Austriaca, 1990, 17(4), 82 - 4 Bacteria causing respiratory infections in children and their sensitivity to antibiotics; Stancic MA; The author lists the most frequent bacterial agents isolated from the nose and pharynx samples of children that visited the Child Health Centre from 1983 to 1986 . The gram-positive bacteria found most often were: Staphylococcus aureus (44% in 1983, 40% in 1986) . Streptococcus pneumoniae (6% in 1983, 12% in 1986), and Streptococcus haemolyticus of group "A" (14% in 1983, 19% in 1986) . The isolated gram-negative bacteria were: E . coli (14%), Klebsiella enterobacter (8%), and Proteus species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2 to 4% {4, 6, 7, 16}) . According to the author's analyses Staphylococcus aureus is highly sensitive to cloxacilline (96%, no changes in the 4-year period), then to sulphametoxasol-trimetropin (95%), to lincomycine (85% no change), while to penicillin it is entirely resistant . Streptococcus pneumoniae proved sensitive to ampicillin, lincocine and erythromycin (96%), to cephalosporins (83%) and to sulphamides (85%) . Streptococcus haemolyticus from group "A" reacted to penicillin excellently . The greatest sensitivity to gram-negative bacteria E . coli related to aminoglycosides (97%), sulphonamides (96%), chloramphenicol (91%), and to cephalosporines (90%, in 1986 only 60%) . Klebsiella enterobacter reacted to aminoglycosides (97%), sulphonamides (92%) and chloramphenicol (83%) and Pseudomonas to aminoglycosides (95%), gentamycin (92%), while to cephalosporines and ampicillin preparations it proved totally resistant. J Int Med Res, 1990, 18 Suppl 4, 67D - 77D Differences between clavulanic acid and sulbactam in induction and inhibition of cephalosporinases in enterobacteria; Kazmierczak A et al.; The ability of clavulanic acid and sulbactam to induce and inhibit cephalosporinases was evaluated in 16 clinical isolates of enterobacteria . Using the quantitative induction assay, the checkerboard method and the disc approximation test, clavulanic acid was shown to act as inducer for all species, whereas sulbactam only induced strains of Providencia stuartii . Antagonism was achieved using a combination of clavulanic acid and cefotaxime but a combination of sulbactam and cefotaxime was either synergistic or indifferent . This variation in effect was probably due to the fact that sulbactam, but not clavulanic acid could inhibit cephalosporinases . The data revealed a significant difference between sulbactam and clavulanic acid, which may have relevance to their relative usefulness in combination with beta-lactam antibiotics for the treatment of infections due to enterobacteria that produce inducible cephalosporinase. J Int Med Res, 1990, 18 Suppl 4, 58D - 66D Induction of beta-lactamases: in vitro phenomena and clinical relevance; Wiedemann B et al.; An in vitro model was used to stimulate the plasma concentration-time curves for cefotaxime and cefoxitin as they would appear during treatment of patients with infections due to Enterobacter cloacae and Proteus vulgaris . The data showed that the induction of the chromosomally mediated beta-lactamase took place in both bacteria but that it had little or no effect on the bacterial kill . It is concluded that treatment failures in these settings were due to the selection of resistant mutants. Acta Microbiol Hung, 1990, 37(2), 155 - 8 Modulating the microbial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by oral administration of defined Escherichia coli strains . II . Influencing the biotope by means of geographically unrelated Escherichia coli strains; Blatz R et al.; An effective increase in the rate of colonization can be accomplished, in analogy with the pathogenetic mechanism of what is known as travelers' disease, through the administration of geographically unrelated strains . As compared to Escherichia coli strains isolated in the GDR, metabolic drift-optimized and Ethiopian strains showed an increase from 20 to 50% . It was not, however, possible to maintain a greater than or equal to 50% share in the population of Enterobacteriaceae over a period of more than up to three days . Immunologic mechanisms are considered to be responsible for this. Acta Microbiol Hung, 1990, 37(2), 145 - 53 Modulating the microbial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by oral administration of defined Escherichia coli strains . I . Influencing the biotope by means of metabolic drift mutants of Escherichia coli; Blatz R et al.; Through the selection of spontaneous metabolic drift mutants (selection marker RifR) of an Escherichia coli strain (O6:H2 SmR) of known settling capacity in conventional mice, it was attempted to obtain clones with positively optimized in vitro characteristics, which may exert a promotive influence upon the in vivo colonizing behaviour . Using 512 drift mutant strains (E . coli O6:H2 SmR RifR) we were able to establish positive optimizations, at an over-aleatory rate, for each of the in vitro characters tested (haemagglutination capacity of rabbit, guinea pig, and fowl erythrocytes; overgrowing power of mouse-adapted wild-type E . coli strains; formation of biomass with exclusive utilization of dextrose, lactose, fructose, adonitol, salicin, rhamnose, mannose; multiplying power; quantitative motility; and capacity to synthesize mucus) . A higher settling rate (larger number of animals in which the test strain shared greater than or equal to 50% of the Enterobacteriaceae population than that obtained with the initial strain) could be established for one out of the 62 clones tested in vivo (a rise from 20% to 55%) . The higher settling rate was associated with combinations of various functional parameters and not with an improvement of any of the individual functions . Despite the increase in settling rate relative to the number of experimental animals used in these studies, it was not generally possible to obtain a more than 3 days' dominance of the test strain within the lac+ Enterobacteriaceae . This is considered to be due primarily to the incipient synthesis of secretory IgA. Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 1990, 39(3), 211 - 6 Hospital and catchment area antibiotic utilization and bacterial sensitivity in primary infections following gastric surgery in Huddinge, Sweden; Sjostedt S et al.; The relationship between hospital and catchment area utilization of antimicrobial agents and the antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria isolated from primary infections has been studied after 750 gastric operations performed between 1972 and 1986 at the Huddinge University Hospital . Over 80% of the antibiotics were used in the catchment area . Penicillins (G and V) overall were the most commonly used drugs and comprised 37% of the total antibiotic consumption in 1977-1986 . Narrow-spectrum antibiotics dominated throughout the period under investigation . No change in the bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents was found over time . Many strains of Klebsiella/Enterobacter and E . coli resistant to ampicillin and tetracyclines were recovered throughout the period under investigation . No aerobic Gram-negative bacteria were resistant to gentamicin . All Bacteroides strains except two were sensitive to cefoxitin . Tetracyclines and ampicillin/amoxycillin were mainly used in the catchment area, and cefoxitin and aminoglycosides were almost exclusively used in the hospital . Antimicrobial agents primarily used for out-patients in the catchment area seemed to have more influence on the susceptibility of microorganisms isolated from post-operative infections than agents primarily used in the hospital. Scand J Infect Dis Suppl, 1990, 68, 50 - 5 Prospective randomized clinical trials of new quinolones versus beta-lactam antibiotics in lower respiratory tract infections; Lode H et al.; In four prospective randomized clinical trials between November 1983 and March 1988, we studied 270 patients with severe bacterial infections, mainly lower respiratory tract ones . We compared ciprofloxacin and imipenem/cilastatin in the first study, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin in the second study, ciprofloxacin and ticarcillin/clavulanic acid in the third study, and ofloxacin and cefpirome in the fourth study . A total of 90 pneumonias, 139 LRTIs, 22 septicaemias and 19 other bacterial infections were treated; the dominant pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa and enterobacteria . Clinical success rates were high; cure or improvement was registered in 89% of the patients on ciprofloxacin, 89% on ofloxacin and 85% on beta-lactams . Treatment failures occurred mainly in ICU patients with terminal underlying diseases . Bacteriologically, eradication rates were high for enterobacteria and Staphylococcus aureus, but a relatively high persistence rate was seen for P . aeruginosa due to increased resistance and/or specific type and location of the infections . The incidence of side-effects was relatively high (23%-29%) which was related to careful monitoring . Adverse effects were group-specific (CNS reactions with quinolones, diarrhoea with beta-lactam antibiotics). Scand J Infect Dis, 1990, 22(4), 381 - 91 A 10-year survey of clinically significant blood culture isolates and antibiotic susceptibilities from adult patients with hematological diseases at a major Swedish hospital; Fredlund H et al.; In patients treated with cytotoxic drugs granulocytopenia and septicemia are commonly seen . In this 10-year survey 324 blood culture isolates from 184 patients with hematological diseases and septicemia were studied . The distribution of microbiological diagnoses in patients with hematological diseases as well as acute leukemia 1980-1986 was significantly different (p less than 0.01) from an unselected blood culture material from the same period . The differences are mainly seen between Enterobacteriaceae other than Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococci . The microbiological spectrum for patients with hematological disease 1987-1989 was also significantly different (p less than 0.05) from the spectrum of the same group of patients 1980-1986 due to higher frequencies of coagulase-negative staphylococci and alpha-streptococci and lower frequency of E . coli in the latter period . 40% of the isolates were gram-positive cocci during the first period and increased to 50% during the second period . The susceptibility testing indicates that trimethoprim/sulfonamide is not as good a choice as ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin for oral antibiotic prophylaxis . For intravenous therapy imipenem/cilastatin or the combinations of an aminoglycoside/piperacillin or aminoglycoside/third generation cephalosporin have advantages over aminoglycoside/trimethoprim/sulfa in combination . However, addition of isoxazolylpenicillin or vancomycin now seems necessary to cover the increasing part of gram-positive bacteria causing septicemia in patients with hematological disease. Minerva Anestesiol, 1990 Jan-Feb, 56(1-2), 19 - 26 {Effectiveness of topical selective decontamination, without systemic antibiotic prophylaxis, in prevention of pulmonary infection in intensive care}; Nardi G et al.; Forty-seven patients admitted in our general ICU and treated with Selective Digestive Decontamination (SDD) without any systemic antibiotic prophylaxis, were prospectively studied and compared with an historical group of 50 non treated subjects . The 2 groups were no different as to underlying disease, age, sex and prognostic index (SAPS) . In the treated group was recorded an important and statistically significant reduction in the incidence of pneumonia and in the frequency of pulmonary infections caused by enterobacteriaceae and pseudomonceae . Gram-positive identification in tracheal aspirates was not significantly different in the two groups as well as the incidence of "early pneumonia" . In the treated group, a sharp decrease of the total amount of fever-days through ICU stay was observed . The antibiotic consumption resulted to be an overall 28.3% lower in the group treated with, SDD with particular regard to broad-spectrum ones. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol, 1990, 91(4), 394 - 7 Induction of interleukin-1-beta release from human monocytes by cotton bract tannin; Vuk-Pavlovic Z et al.; The human T lymphocyte proliferative response to cotton bract tannin was shown to be dependent upon the presence of monocytes . Since monocytes support the T cell mitogenic response by interleukin-1 (IL-1) production, it was anticipated that tannin has IL-1-inducing ability . To examine this possibility, human monocytes were cultured alone or with peripheral blood T lymphocytes, and stimulated with tannin . Control cultures included unstimulated cells, and cells challenged with other IL-1 inducers: concanavalin A (Con A) and lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli or Enterobacter agglomerans . IL-1 beta was measured in culture supernatants 24 h after initiation of the culture by the use of an ELISA or an RIA . The results showed that tannin stimulated monocytes to secrete IL-1 beta in a manner similar to Con A, i.e . substantially more cytokine was measured in the supernatants of monocyte-T-lymphocyte co-cultures than in the cultures of monocyte alone . Endotoxin from E . coli was less effective than the endotoxin from E . agglomerans in IL-1 induction . Contaminating endotoxin present in the tannin preparation accounted for the majority of IL-1 beta released from monocytes alone stimulated with tannin, but only 20% of the IL-1 beta released from tannin-stimulated monocyte-T-lymphocyte co-cultures . These results show that tannin itself has IL-1-inducing ability . The dose-response studies show that the extent of IL-1 beta release is dependent on tannin dose and that increased levels of monocyte-produced IL-1 beta precede the increase in T lymphocyte proliferation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Ann Biol Clin (Paris), 1990, 48(2), 111 - 5 {Comparison of two systems for identifying coliform enterobacteria newly described or rarely found in clinical practice}; Renaud F et al.; The API 20 EC and ATB 32 GN identification systems were compared for their ability to identify 231 coliform bacteria strains . Agreement with the identification given by conventional methods was achieved for 96.1 p . cent of strains by the API 20 EC gallery and for 95.9 p . cent by the ATB 32 GN system . Complementary tests were needed to identify 9.5 p . cent of strains using the API 20 EC system but 30.3 per cent using the ATB 32 GN system. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1990 Jan, 34(1), 40 - 3 Oral ciprofloxacin compared with parenteral antibiotics in the treatment of osteomyelitis; Gentry LO et al.; We undertook a prospective, randomized comparison of oral ciprofloxacin with standard parenteral therapies for the treatment of biopsy-proven osteomyelitis caused by susceptible organisms . Following surgical debridement, the ciprofloxacin patients received 750 mg twice a day, and the other patients received a broad-spectrum cephalosporin or a nafcillin-aminoglycoside combination intravenously (i.v.) . There were 31 evaluable patients in the ciprofloxacin group, treated an average of 56 days, and 28 in the i.v . group, treated an average of 47 days . Clinical success rates were 24 of 31 (77%) for the ciprofloxacin group and 22 of 28 (79%) for the i.v . group . Of the seven failures in the ciprofloxacin group, one was due to a persistent Klebsiella pneumoniae infection and six were due to relapse of the infection within 1 year of therapy . Of the six failures in the i.v . group, one was due to an Enterobacter aerogenes strain which emerged resistant and five were due to relapse . The most troublesome etiology was polymicrobial osteomyelitis involving Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in which five of six (83%) regimens failed . Adverse reactions occurred infrequently, i.e., in 1 of 31 (3%) of the ciprofloxacin patients and in 4 of 28 (14%) of the i.v . patients, yet all reactions responded to therapy and none required protocol deviation . Our data indicate that oral ciprofloxacin monotherapy is as safe and effective as conventional parenteral therapy in cases of osteomyelitis caused by susceptible organisms. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 1990 Jan, 34(1), 173 - 5 In vitro emergence of quinolone-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, and Serratia marcescens; Watanabe M et al.; Norfloxacin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant mutants of several Enterobacter cloacae and Serratia marcescens isolates occurred at frequencies of greater than or equal to 10(-7)/CFU, which were higher than those of Escherichia coli isolates, in accordance with the increasing emergence of less-susceptible or resistant strains in clinical isolates of E . cloacae and S . marcescens. Am J Surg Pathol, 1990, 14 Suppl 1, 64 - 78 Infection after liver transplantation; Markin RS et al.; Infections occurring in liver transplant recipients result in significant morbidity and mortality . Factors influencing the frequency of posttransplant infections include pretransplant nutritional status, latent viral infections, and the degree of immunosuppression used to modulate the immune response to the allograft . Infectious agents may be introduced into the patient via the allograft, through infusion of blood products, and through intravenous lines, catheters, and drains . Infections also develop as a result of reactivation of latent viruses or by overgrowth or invasion by endogenous organisms . The intensity of the immunosuppressive regimen directly affects the frequency of infection . Infection may be categorized as bacterial, viral, fungal, or protozoal . The most frequent organisms include bacterial--enterobacteriaceae; viral--cytomegalovirus; fungal--Candida species and Aspergillus species; and protozoal--Pneumocystis carinii . Diagnosing infection requires the use of many different methods in combination, including routine bacterial culture, viral culture, and fungal culture . Histologic and cytologic examination may lead to rapid identification of some organisms . Specialized collection procedures such as bronchoalveolar lavage provide rapid access to material for culture and cytologic examination . Serum serology in conjunction with histotopic or cytologic evaluation is useful in diagnosing some infections, such as Epstein-Barr virus . New technology such as polymerase chain reaction allows detection of all types of infection at or before the onset of clinical symptoms . Rapid and early diagnosis of infection in this patient population can reduce infection-related morbidity and mortality. Mol Microbiol, 1990 Jan, 4(1), 151 - 6 New perspectives in tetracycline resistance; Salyers AA et al.; Until recently, tetracycline efflux was thought to be the only mechanism of tetracycline resistance . As studies of tetracycline resistance have shifted to bacteria outside the Enterobacteriaceae, two other mechanisms of resistance have been discovered . The first is ribosomal protection, a type of resistance which is found in mycoplasmas, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and may be the most common type of tetracycline resistance in nature . The second is tetracycline modification, which has been found only in two strains of an obligate anaerobe (Bacteroides) . Recent studies have also turned up such anomalies as a tetracycline efflux pump which does not confer resistance to tetracycline and a gene near the replication origin of a tetracycline-sensitive Bacillus strain which confers resistance when it is amplified. J Appl Bacteriol, 1990 Jan, 68(1), 43 - 7 Association of bacteria with the fungal fermentation of soybean tempe; Mulyowidarso RK et al.; Bacteria grew to viable populations of 10(8)-10(9) cfu/g during the fermentation of soybeans into tempe with the fungus, Rhizopus oligosporus . Bacillus pumilus and B . brevis were the predominant bacterial species, reaching populations of approximately 10(8) cfu/g during the 48 h fermentation . Species of Streptococcus faecium, Lactobacillus casei, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae also contributed to the fermentation and achieved populations of 10(6)-10(7) cfu/g. Chemotherapy, 1990, 36(2), 141 - 6 In vitro activity of sulbactam/ampicillin against ampicillin-resistant, beta-lactamase-producing bacteria isolated in Italian hospitals; Varaldo PE et al.; A multicenter study aimed at assessing the in vitro activity of sulbactam/ampicillin against a wide range of bacterial pathogens was performed using 2,209 clinical strains, all recently collected from inpatients in seven Italian centers and preliminarily screened as being ampicillin-resistant and beta-lactamase producers . In comparative disk diffusion trials using 8 large-spectrum antimicrobials, the percentage of resistance to sulbactam/ampicillin in staphylococci was similar to the percentage of resistance to netilmicin and lower than to the other antibiotics; with gram-negative bacteria, only netilmicin, ofloxacin, and, less consistently, cefotetan showed lower incidences of resistance . The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ampicillin alone and sulbactam/ampicillin together were determined using the agar dilution method . The Enterobacteriaceae strains which shifted to ampicillin susceptibility in the presence of sulbactam averaged 68%, but values significantly above or below average were observed in some genera of this family . The percentage of strains which the presence of sulbactam rendered ampicillin-susceptible in vitro reached 97% in Haemophilus strains and 100% in branhamellae and gonococci . High percentages were also recorded in staphylococci, with a peak of 100% in oxacillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus strains . In general, center-to-center differences were relatively limited. J Int Med Res, 1990, 18 Suppl 4, 6D - 26D Resistance to aminoglycosides: the situation in the Federal Republic of Germany; Naber KG et al.; The susceptibility of important pathogens to aminoglycosides was analysed using data from five studies encompassing different patient groups . Enterobacteria were generally sensitive to all modern aminoglycosides without marked differences . The frequency of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other non-fermenters to gentamicin was 5-15% and to amikacin was 0-3%, and similar values applied for staphylococci . A higher rate of resistance was observed in pathogens isolated from urological patients: for non-fermenters resistance to gentamicin, tobramycin and netilmicin was 24-28%, whereas resistance to amikacin was 12%; and for staphylococci resistance was 33% for gentamicin, 48% for tobramycin and 9% for netilmicin . It is concluded that resistance to aminoglycosides is not an important problem in the Federal Republic of Germany, probably because aminoglycosides are used in combination with beta-lactam antibiotics, except in the case of urinary tract infections . Aminoglycosides are still important antibiotics, thus their rational use and constant surveillance are necessary to preserve their efficacy. Chemotherapy, 1990, 36(4), 268 - 76 In vitro antibacterial activity of DR-3355, the S-(-)-isomer of ofloxacin; Fujimoto T et al.; DR-3355, the S-(-)-isomer of ofloxacin, possessed generally twice higher activity than ofloxacin, and its action was bactericidal . The difference in antibacterial activity of these compounds was attributable to their inhibitory activity against DNA gyrase . DR-3355 was characterized by its higher potency against gram-positive cocci and obligate anaerobes than ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin . DR-3355 was somewhat less potent than ciprofloxacin against Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but was active against organisms resistant to cefteram, ceftazidime, and amikacin . The activity of DR-3355 was decreased by gyrA mutation, like that of the other quinolones, although it did not alter significantly by deficiency of outer membrane protein F or lipopolysaccharide . Moderately norfloxacin-resistant isolates of Staphylococcus aureus remained susceptible to DR-3355, but not to ciprofloxacin. Rev Ig Bacteriol Virusol Parazitol Epidemiol Pneumoftiziol Bacteriol Virusol Parazitol Epidemiol, 1990 Jan-Mar, 35(1), 71 - 6 {Aerobic conditions and the dynamics of the methyl red reaction in Klebsielleae}; Marica D et al.; The development of the methyl red reaction (MR) in Klebsielleae, analyzed during a 4-day thermostatting, showed important pH-variations . Two steps are distinguished during the reaction dynamics: the former of acidification, common to all Enterobacteriaceae and the latter of alkaline reversion, specific to Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Serratia and other MR germs . The processes determining the alkaline reversion are conditioned by the presence of large amounts of air/oxygen (aerobic processes) . In this situation, the lack of oxygen and maintenance of a relative degree of anaerobiosis block realkalinization (media covered with paraffin oil) whereas the large aeration stimulates it (optimum ratio between the large contact surface and a small volume of medium) . Alkaline reversion cannot be explained by the more or less intense process of glucose fermentation but by degradations of nitrogenized substances with formation of amines, ammonia, and other basic compounds . That is why the analysis of the reaction mechanism of methyl red has to consider the characteristics of the catabolism of the nitrogenized substances and the intense realkalinization capacity of the culture medium proper to Klebsielleae but poorly expressed and non efficient in Enterobacteriaceae. Eur Urol, 1990, 17 Suppl 1, 40 - 5 Chemoprophylaxis of gram-negative infections in neutropenic patients; Klastersky J; Gram-negative infections in neutropenic patients originate frequently from the gut flora . Attempts to decrease the incidence of these infections have utilized several regimens for gastrointestinal decontamination, of which some have proven to be clinically useful . Orally administered nonabsorbable antibiotics (aminoglycosides, polymyxins) can decrease the incidence of gram-negative sepsis during neutropenia, but, with the possible exception of netilmicin, tolerance to these agents is generally poor, and compliance is low . Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole has been used widely for the prophylaxis of infections in neutropenic patients . Clinical results with this agent have been conflicting, as its efficacy is clearly related to epidemiological patterns of resistance of the pathogens in the population under study . More recently, the quinolones, which are well tolerated by patients and are presently active on most strains of Enterobacteriaceae, have been associated with a virtual eradication of gram-negative infections in neutropenic patients . These results have been paralleled by an increase in the frequency of gram-positive infections, which, fortunately, cause an incidence of mortality that is much lower than that seen in gram-negative sepsis . The fact that the quinolones are absorbed systemically might help to explain their efficacy in chemoprophylaxis during neutropenia . This paper discusses the chemoprophylaxis of gram-negative infection during neutropenia in the light of theoretical concepts such as 'colonization resistance', 'selective decontamination', and 'bacterial translocation'. Chemotherapy, 1990, 36(3), 200 - 8 Interaction of beta-lactamase inhibitors with various beta-lactamases; Cullmann W; The interaction of the beta-lactamase inhibitors clavulanic acid, sulbactam and tazobactam with various plasmid and chromosomally mediated beta-lactamases from clinical isolates was studied . In each case inhibition of enzyme activity was observed to be progressive, i.e . the balance of the equilibrium between active and inactivated enzyme required 5 min . As expected, the clavam compound exhibited high affinity to all penicillinases including the enzyme from Staphylococcus aureus, but the affinity was poor to cephalosporinases . The affinity of tazobactam-a new penam sulfone-was 20- to 100-fold higher than that of sulbactam; its KI values ranged from 1.1 x 10(-9) to 5.0 x 10(-8) mol/l for class III and V enzymes (Richmond's and Sykes' classification) and from 4.1 x 10(-6) to 3.5 x 10(-5) mol/l for class I enzymes . Moreover, the affinity of tazobactam to the Enterobacter cloacae 2240 enzyme did not decrease at lowered pH values, but increased at alkaline pH values probably due to its binding to SH groups in the active centre of the enzyme. Am J Med, 1990 Jan, 88(1), 36 - 42 Ofloxacin versus vancomycin/polymyxin for prevention of infections in granulocytopenic patients; Winston DJ et al.; INTRODUCTION: The efficacy and safety of oral ofloxacin were compared with those of vancomycin/polymyxin for prophylaxis of bacterial infections in granulocytopenic patients undergoing chemotherapy for hematologic malignancy . PATIENTS AND METHODS: Antimicrobial prophylaxis was begun at the time of initiation of chemotherapy . Thirty patients received ofloxacin tablets (300 mg orally every 12 hours) plus a nystatin suspension . Thirty-two patients received vancomycin capsules (500 mg orally every eight hours) and polymyxin capsules (100 mg orally every eight hours) plus a nystatin suspension . RESULTS: In the group of patients receiving ofloxacin, there were a lower number of acquired gram-negative bacillary organisms per patient (0.13 versus 1.37, p less than 0.00005), fewer patients with documented infection (11 of 30 versus 21 of 32, p = 0.04), and fewer cases of gram-negative septicemia (zero of 30 versus five of 32, p = 0.05) . Ofloxacin was also better tolerated (24 of 30 versus 10 of 32 patients highly compliant, p = 0.01) and associated with fewer gastrointestinal side effects (one of 30 versus nine of 32 patients with gastrointestinal side effects, p = 0.01) than vancomycin/polymyxin . However, except for a reduction of Staphylococcus aureus colonization and infection by ofloxacin, neither ofloxacin nor vancomycin/polymyxin was effective in eliminating colonization or infection with viridans group streptococci, coagulase-negative staphylococci, or other gram-positive organisms . Only three isolates of ofloxacin-resistant gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas putida, and Enterobacter aerogenes) were isolated from surveillance cultures, but none caused infection . CONCLUSION: These results suggest that oral ofloxacin is a more tolerable and efficacious alternative to vancomycin/polymyxin for prevention of serious gram-negative bacillary infections in granulocytopenic patients . More effective prophylaxis of gram-positive infections, however, is still needed. J Bacteriol, 1990 Jan, 172(1), 389 - 96 The rpoN gene product of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is required for expression of diverse genes, including the flagellin gene; Totten PA et al.; The product of the rpoN gene is an alternative sigma factor of RNA polymerase which is required for transcription of a number of genes in members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, including those that specify enzymes of nitrogen assimilation, amino acid uptake, and degradation of a variety of organic molecules . We have previously shown that transcription of the pilin gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa also requires RpoN (K . S . Ishimoto and S . Lory, Proc . Natl . Acad . Sci . USA 86:1954-1957, 1989) and have undertaken a more extensive survey of genes under RpoN control . Strains of P . aeruginosa that carry an insertionally inactivated rpoN gene were constructed and shown to be nonmotile because of the inability of these mutants to synthesize flagellin . The mutation in rpoN had no effect on expression of extracellular polypeptides, outer membrane proteins, and the alginate capsule . However, the rpoN mutants were glutamine auxotrophs and were defective in glutamine synthetase, indicating defects in nitrogen assimilation . In addition, the P . aeruginosa rpoN mutants were defective in urease activity . These findings indicate that the sigma factor encoded by the rpoN gene is used by P . aeruginosa for transcription of a diverse set of genes that specify biosynthetic enzymes, degradative enzymes, and surface components . These rpoN-controlled genes include pili and flagella which are required for full virulence of the organism. Public Health Rev, 1990-91, 18(3), 261 - 6 Developing epidemiological markers for Shigella sonnei: a proposed phage-typing scheme; Sechter I et al.; BACKGROUND: Shigella sonnei isolates are homogeneous when examined by serological methods . Since this micro-organism is one of the common isolates in outbreaks of shigellosis, a strong necessity was felt to find a sub-division of it, useful in epidemiological studies . METHODS: 103 phages previously found to be active on various groups of Enterobacteriaceae were tested on 129 strains of S . sonnei . Among 47 phages active on S . sonnei, eight were selected as giving the best differentiation between the isolates and clear-cut reactions . RESULTS: Twelve main phage-types were identified . Among the strains of phage-type 1, some showed full sensitivity to all the eight phages; others showed minor differences in the sensitivity to one or some of them . The significance of these minor phage-types has to be further analyzed . CONCLUSIONS: A tentative phage-typing scheme appropriate for S . sonnei has been proposed . This method provides a potentially useful tool for epidemiological study of this organism . Further validation of the scheme using local isolates is necessary. G Batteriol Virol Immunol, 1990 Jan-Dec, 83(1-12), 70 - 83 {Community- and hospital-acquired bacteremia: a retrospective study in a regional hospital . III . Microbiological aspects}; Pistono PG et al.; A retrospective study was made of all blood cultures performed over a 40-month period at the Ivrea-Castellamonte Hospital (Turin, Italy) . A total of 4386 vials from 619 patients were examined . There were 619 positive vials (14.1%) from 131 patients (21.2%) corresponding to 145 bacteremia episodes, including 129 monomicrobial (89%) and 16 polymicrobial (11%) . Ten patients (1.6%) had more than one episode . There were 73 polluted vials (1.7%) . A total of 165 microorganism were isolated: Gram-positive (52.7%) and Gram-negative (46%) bacteria, and mycetes (1.2%), anaerobic flora (9.7%) . The predominant families were: Enterobacteriaceae (29.5%), Micrococcaceae (27.3%), Pseudomonadaceae (4.8%), Bacteroidaceae (4.8%) and Streptococcus "Genus" (18.8%) . The species frequencies were: Escherichia coli (20%), Staphylococcus aureus (15.8%), Enterococcus (8.5%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (7.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.8%), Proteus mirabilis (4.2%), Brucella spp . (2.4%), Bacteroides fragilis, Streptococcus bovis e Propionibacterium acnes (1.8%) . These findings are compared with those published in the Italian and international literature . Stress is laid on periodical review of the isolations from samples of this kind as a useful aid towards the diagnosis and treatment of hospital infections, and in their monitoring and epidemiological evaluation. G Batteriol Virol Immunol, 1990 Jan-Dec, 83(1-12), 27 - 41 {Gangrenous and perforating appendicitis in a provincial hospital: a 48-month retrospective study . Clinical and microbiological aspects, course and postoperative morbidity}; Ronchetto F et al.; The appendectomy for gangrenous or perforated appendicitis is made more serious by a very high frequency of infection . The antibiotic prophylaxis should be able to reduce the frequency of such complications . We have considered retrospectively the patients who underwent appendectomy for gangrenous and perforated appendicitis in the period from June 1st, 1986 to May 31st 1990 in the Ivrea-Castellamonte hospital (Province of Turin), focusing our attention on certain microbiological and clinical variables in relation to the post-operative course . The average age of the 43 patients admitted to the study, 25 male adults and children and 18 female adults and children, was 27.4; the pediatric number totalled 22 subjects of which 14 male; the group of 21 adults included 11 males . 7 adults presented concomitant pathologies . The average stay in bed was 10.7 days (12.9 for the adults--8.6 for the children); 61.9% of the adults had a stay of more than 10 days, 72.7% of the children less than 10 days (P less than 0.05) . The incidence of the infective complications in the whole group was 25.6% (33.3% of adults against 18.2% of children); infection of surgical wounds was observed in 18.6% of the cases (28.6% of the adults against 9% of children) . The pre-operative antibiotic prophylaxis was activated in 22 patients (11 adults, 11 children) and the antimicrobic treatment was continued in the post-operative phase for an average of 7.3 days in the case of the adults and 5.9 days in the case of the children . Of the 21 patients not subjected to prophylaxis (10 adults, 11 children) all received post-operative antibiotic therapy (an average of 8 days for the adults, 7.8 days for the children) . The incidence of septic complications in the group subjected to antibiotic prophylaxis was 18.2% as against 33.3% of the group not subjected; the incidence of infection of the wound being 13.6% against 23.8% . The per-operative cultures of pus coming from the peritoneum cavity were positive in 83.7% of the cases (53.5% mixed aerobe-anaerobe cultures) . The microorganism most frequently isolated were: Escherichia coli (27.7%), Bacteroides fragilis (7.9%), other Bacteroides spp . (20.8%), among the positive gram aerobes the Streptococcus milleri (6.9%) prevails; the most common association is the between Bacteroides spp . and Enterobacteria (19 cases); in a good 17 cases the enterobacteriaceae is represented by the Escherichia coli; the Bacteroides, E . coli and Streptococcus association is, however, observed in 10 cases . Our study confirms the usefulness of the peri-operative antibiotic prophylaxis in the cases of a gangrenous or perforated appendicitis. Dakar Med, 1990, 35(1), 1 - 9 {Urinary infections in gyneco-obstetrical practice at DAKAR U.H.C.}; Diadhiou F et al.; This prospective study seeks to define the epidemiological, clinical and biological boundaries of the danger of urinary infection in women, with a view to facilitating therapy where bacteriological competition is absent . 238 samples taken over a 4 month period revealed 57 bacteriologically positive, i.e . 24% . Urinary infection is particularly associated with women in their 30s, poor, and from a low socio-economic class, with little urinary history . Risk increases for pregnant women during the second quarter . Typical, classical symptoms, each for what it is worth, are to be found in over 75% of the positive samples . The most common germs are enterobacteria particularly sensitive to quinolones, aminosides and 3rd generation cephalosporines. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz), 1990, 38(5-6), 353 - 7 Studies on nonspecific protection induced with OMP of Shigella flexneri and other genera of Enterobacteriaceae; Czarny A et al.; Outer membrane proteins (OMP) isolated from Shigella flexneri, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris and Salmonella typhimurium were tested for their protective activity . Each OMP preparate given to mice intraperitoneally in a single injection (5 micrograms/per mouse) protected the animals not only in homologous but also in varying intensity in heterologous systems . Evidence was obtained that this nonspecific protection is cell mediated. Drugs Exp Clin Res, 1990, 16(12), 629 - 33 Antibacterial activity of combined cefotaxime and desacetyl-cefotaxime against aerobic and anaerobic gram-negative bacilli; Marone P et al.; Synergy between cefotaxime and desacetyl-cefotaxime was evaluated against 12 strains (9 Enterobacteriaceae and 3 Bacteroides fragilis) by the chequerboard technique . A 1:1 combination of cefotaxime and desacetyl-cefotaxime was synergistic against two-thirds of the 12 strains tested . The in vitro activity of the combination was compared with that of four other beta-lactam antibiotics against 96 recent clinical isolates: 78 Enterobacteriaceae, 8 Haemophilus influenzae, 10 B . fragilis . The MICs of the combination for Gram-negative bacilli were similar to those of ceftazidime . Cefotaxime/desacetyl-cefotaxime was more active than cefotetan, cefonicid and piperacillin against Enterobacteriaceae and H . influenzae. Scand J Infect Dis Suppl, 1990, 74, 118 - 23 Pharmacodynamics of beta-lactam antibiotics on gram-negative bacteria: initial killing, morphology and postantibiotic effect; Hanberger H et al.; The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacodynamics of beta-lactam antibiotics on Gram-negative bacteria by studying the in vitro postantibiotic effect (PAE), initial killing and morphology . The PAE of aztreonam, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, imipenem, mecillinam and piperacillin on Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens was studied by use of bioluminescence assay of bacterial ATP . The strains were exposed for 2 h to the beta-lactam antibiotics which were then eliminated by 10(-4) dilution . With E . coli, spheroplasts were seen during incubation with cefotaxime, ceftazidime, imipenem and mecillinam and a long (greater than 1 h) PAE was noted . In contrast, aztreonam and piperacillin produced a short (less than or equal to 1 h) PAE . This was seen concomitantly with the production of filaments and weak initial killing. Microbios, 1990, 63(254), 17 - 20 Influence of the addition of mineral salts on the inhibitory activity of strains of the Arthrinium genus; Larrondo JV et al.; The influence which the addition of certain mineral salts has on the inhibiting activity of strains belonging to the Arthrinium genus was studied . The salts employed were AgNO3, FeCl2, MnCl2 and CuSO4, in concentrations of 10, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg/l, in the presence of Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger . For B . subtilis and S . aureus greater inhibition was observed after the addition of FeCl2 (200 mg/l) and MnCl2 (10 mg/l) . E . coli showed a greater sensibility in the presence of AgNO3 (200 mg/l) and CuSO4 (150 mg/l) . Inhibition before Enterobacter cloacae and Serratia marcescens was not increased by the addition of any of the salts . The addition of MnCl2 at 10 mg/l concentration to the basal medium showed a considerable increase of inhibitory activity over Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans . Activity for Aspergillus niger decreased when any of the salts were added to the medium. Int J Food Microbiol, 1990 Jan, 10(1), 23 - 31 Irradiation of pre-packaged sliced cooked meat products with low and normal sodium content; Stekelenburg FK; Irradiation experiments were carried out with pre-packaged sliced cooked meat products with different initial counts of Enterobacteriaceae and mesophilic aerobic bacteria . In low-sodium meat products Enterobacteriaceae could effectively be inactivated in refrigerated or frozen products by irradiation with a dose of 1 or 2 kGy respectively, provided the number of these bacteria was below 10(3) to 10(4) per g . The low-sodium meat products involved endured above treatment without being seriously affected as to sensory qualities . Shelf-life of salted cooked meat products could be prolonged by irradiating the frozen product . Irradiation with a dose of 2 kGy enabled uncooled storage of the product for a restricted period (5-7 days) . Best results were obtained for meat products with a salt content in the brine phase of greater than 4.0% (w/w) and having a good hygienic quality, i.e . an initial bacterial count below 10(4)/g . Packaging in a gas atmosphere (CO2) slightly enhanced protection as compared to vacuum packaging . Off-flavours as a result of irradiation of salted cooked meat products varied from slight to strong and depended on the type of product. J Appl Bacteriol, 1990 Jan, 68(1), 93 - 9 Development of an expert system for bacterial identification: study of a prototype for identifying beta-galactosidase positive enterobacteria; Gavini F et al.; A prototype of an expert system for the identification of beta-galactosidase positive Enterobacteriaceae has been developed, for use with the API 20 EC kit . The system is implemented in Prolog on an IBM PC AT with 640 K of central memory and 20 megabytes of secondary memory . Its objectives are to highlight errors that can occur when the kit is in use . It can indicate the presence of new groups or species and give advice or suggest additional tests for the differentiation of the new species from those included in the kit. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1990 Jan, 56(1), 54 - 64 New screening test to determine the acceptability of 0.45-micron membrane filters for analysis of water; Brenner KP et al.; During routine membrane filter (MF) quality control testing, irregularities such as partial or complete inhibition of microbial growth at grid lines, abnormal spreading of colonies, growth in or along the grid lines, nonwetting areas, poor colony sheen and metallic sheen on the MF surface with mEndo agar, brittleness, decreased recovery, and severe wrinkling were observed with several lots of filters . To study these effects and to develop a more sensitive screening test for MF quality, we compared five different MFs with various types and degrees of defects by using five stock coliform cultures and five different media . Results showed that the Enterobacter aerogenes-tryptic soy agar test system detected more MF defects than any other combination did and was superior to the Escherichia coli-mFC agar American Society for Testing and Materials method for grid line inhibition . Filtered natural samples grown on the same media showed the same effects as were observed with the pure cultures . Poor colony sheen and sheen on the MF surface were best detected with Enterobacter aerogenes on mEndo agar . The use of tryptic soy agar and mEndo agar with this organism permitted the maximum detection of MF irregularities . Of the 142 MF lots tested by this method, 30% were acceptable, 10% were marginally acceptable, and 61% were unacceptable . This method provides a valuable screening test for determining the acceptability of 0.45-microm-pore-size MFs used for coliform and heterotroph analysis and may also be useful in conjunction with other methods. J Bacteriol, 1990 Jan, 172(1), 252 - 9 Chorismic acid, a key metabolite in modification of tRNA; Hagervall TG et al.; Chorismic acid is the common precursor for the biosynthesis of the three aromatic amino acids as well as for four vitamins . Mutants of Escherichia coli defective in any of the genes involved in the synthesis of chorismic acid are also unable to synthesize uridine 5-oxyacetic acid (cmo5U) and its methyl ester (mcmo5U) . Both modified nucleosides are normally present in the wobble position of some tRNA species . Mutants defective in any of the specific pathways leading to phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, folate, enterochelin, ubiquinone, and menaquinone have normal levels of cmo5U and mcmo5U in their tRNA . The presence of shikimic acid in the growth medium restores the ability of an aroD mutant to synthesize cmo5U, while O-succinylbenzoate, which is an early intermediate in the synthesis of menaquinone, does not . Thus, chorismic acid is a key metabolite in the synthesis of these two modified nucleosides in tRNA . The absence of chorismic acid blocks the formation of cmo5U and mcmo5U at the first step, which might be the formation of 5-hydroxyuridine . This results in an unmodified U in the wobble position of tRNA(1Val) and in most of the tRNAs normally containing cmo5U and mcmo5U . Since cmo5U and mcmo5U are synthesized under anaerobic conditions, the formation of these nucleosides does not require molecular oxygen . One of the carbon atoms of the side chain, --O--CH2--COOH, originates from the methyl group of methionine . The other carbon atom does not originate directly from the C-1 pool, from the carboxyl group methionine, or from bicarbonate . This metabolic link between intermediary metabolism and translation also exists for another member of the family Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella typhimurium, as well as for the distantly related gram-positive organism Bacillus subtilis. An Med Interna, 1990 Jan, 7(1), 28 - 33 {Sepsis at an internal medicine department}; Gomez Gomez J et al.; 185 cases of bacteremia admitted at the internal medicine department of "C.S . Virgen de la Arrixaga" in Murcia from 1977 to 1986, were studied retrospectively . The common infection was significantly associated to Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus A group and Neisseria meningitidis and the nosocomial infection was associated to Klebsiella Pneumoniae, Serratia Marcescens y Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterobacter . We did not find significant differences between the common and nosocomial infection caused by E . Coli and Proteus mirabilis . These factors were associated to an increase of mortality: age greater than 40 years, nosocomial infection, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, other associated rapidly lethal diseases, acute clinical state at the beginning of bacteremia, shock and non-correct antibiotic therapy. Autoimmunity, 1990, 7(4), 305 - 15 Antibody activity against lipopolysaccharides, lipid A and proteins from Enterobacteriaceae in patients with chronic inflammatory liver diseases; Stemerowicz R et al.; These studies are concerned with detection of circulating antibodies against various defined enterobacterial antigens in patients with chronic inflammatory liver diseases such as chronic hepatitis type B (n = 46), chronic active hepatitis (CAH) of autoimmune type (n = 10), alcoholic cirrhosis (n = 24) and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) (n = 24) as well as in healthy individuals (n = 39) . Anti-LPS and anti-lipid A were determined by hemolytic and hemagglutination assay . Immunoblot technique was used to investigate the antibody activity against plasmid encoded proteins from Yersinia enterocolitica . Persistent titers of anti-LPS up to serum dilution 1:32.768 were found with hemolytic and hemagglutination assay in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis or PBC and in healthy control . In contrast nearly 50% of patients with chronic hepatitis B had no hemolytic antibodies against the two LPS E . coli serotypes at the time of liver biopsy . Anti-lipid A was detectable in 58% of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis but in low titers in less than 10% in the other groups (p less than 0.001) . Alcoholic cirrhosis was also associated with a high frequency of IgG and IgA antibodies against plasmid encoded proteins from Yersinia enterocolitica . The data indicate that the O-polysaccharides as strong antigens are physiologically exposed to the immune system while lipid A and enterobacterial proteins are solely immunogenic under abnormal conditions. Acta Microbiol Hung, 1990, 37(3), 263 - 7 Modulating the microbial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by oral administration of defined Escherichia coli strains . III . Lipopolysaccharide-specific IgA in the intestine after oral administration of Escherichia coli; Schroder R et al.; The assumption that local immunologic mechanisms are responsible for findings on the specific microbial colonization of the gastrointestinal tract of mice, is confirmed by results described in the present communication . Quantitative examination of intestinal lavage fluids after oral administration of germs by ELISA showed that (i) there is a critical dose above which a significant increase of IgA synthesis is observable; (ii) low antibody levels could be detected already in the untreated control group . It may be assumed that--regardless of the biological characteristics of the administered strain, namely, substrate and receptor competition--the stimulability of local immunity provides against permanent monocolonization with displacement of the autochthonous Enterobacteriaceae in adult and immunocompetent hosts. Drugs Exp Clin Res, 1990, 16(10), 515 - 25 In vitro activity of oral cephalosporin BAY v 3522 compared with other oral cephalosporins; Locher R et al.; Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the oral cephalosporin BAY v 3522, and of cephprozyl, cefaclor, cefixime, cefuroxime, cefetamet, cefpodoxime and cefotaxime were determined against Gram-positive and Gram-negative clinical isolates with the NCCLS agar dilution procedures . BAY was the most active drug against Gram-positive organisms . MICs ranged from 0.01 mg/l against group A streptococci to 16 mg/l against S . faecium . Although mean MICs of BAY against methicillin-resistant S . aureus and S . epidermidis were between 0.9-1.8 mg/l, respectively, such strains showed typical heteroresistance in population studies . In addition, the biochemical correlate of methicillin-resistance, the PBP-2', showed similar low affinity to BAY as methicillin . beta-lactamase-producing H . influenzae and B . catarrhalis were inhibited by 2-8 and 0.25-2 mg/l, respectively, whereas non-producers were inhibited by 0.25-2 and 0.12-1 mg/l of the drug . The activity of BAY against enterobacteriaceae was rather low . Ampicillin-susceptible E . coli strains were inhibited by 2-8 and resistant strains by 8-32 mg/l . The mean MIC against cephalothin-susceptible K . pneumoniae strains was 2.8, and that against resistant strains 27.4 mg/l . MICs against beta-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae determined in broth dilution were 4-8 times higher than those determined in agar dilution . Bactericidal activity was measured in killing-curve experiments at 4 times the MIC . BAY killed equally well as standard control drugs. Scand J Infect Dis Suppl, 1990, 74, 270 - 3 Pharmacodynamics of cefepime; Kovarik J et al.; The microbiological activity of cefepime was assessed in vitro against 232 clinical isolates coupled with a pharmacokinetic evaluation at steady state in six patients receiving 1 g every 12 h . MIC90s were less than or equal to 0.25 mg/l for Enterobacteriaceae and streptococci . 1 mg/l for Staphylococcus aureus and 8 mg/l for Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Mean serum concentrations in patients were 62.5 +/- 2.7 mg/l (end infusion) and 1.1 +/- 0.8 mg/l (at 12 h) with an elimination half-life 2.72 +/- 0.59 h . These data together with those published for currently marketed cephalosporins were integrated to generate an Intensity Index incorporating both the magnitude and duration that drug concentrations exceed the MIC during steady-state dosing . Cefepime demonstrated comparable or superior indices to cefazolin against Gram-positive microorganisms and to cefuroxime and ceftazidime against Gram-negatives . Serum bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity from the kinetic samples corresponded with the duration that serum cefepime concentrations exceeded the MIC and MBC, respectively, for selected strains . This pharmacodynamic evaluation suggests that cefepime 1 g every 12 h potentially provides inhibitory serum concentrations for the majority of common Enterobacteriaceae, streptococci and S . aureus over the dosing interval but that higher doses or more frequent administration may be necessary for some pseudomonal infections. Agressologie, 1990, 31(8 Spec No), 557 - 9 Oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal carriage in the critically ill; Van Saene HK et al.; Enterobacterial and pseudomonal carriage in the oropharynx, stomach and gut is uncommon in healthy individuals (apart from E . coli in the gut) . Underlying intrinsic disease is the main cause of oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal carriage of 'abnormal' flora . Interventions including intubation, catheterisation and drugs impairing peristalsis may promote this abnormal carriage in the critically ill . The oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal carrier state is the first stage in the development of nosocomial infections . Procedures aimed at the prevention of hospital infections via the abolition of the abnormal carrier state are termed selective decontamination techniques. Med Dosw Mikrobiol, 1990, 42(1-2), 35 - 43 {Quantitative evaluation of growth-promoting properties of selected culture media used for isolation of Salmonella and Shigella strains}; Kaluzewski S et al.; Growth promoting properties and selectivity of 11 commercially produced media recommended for Salmonella and Shigella isolation were evaluated . The following media were tested: EMB (Eosin methylene blue agar), Endo, Ploskiriew, MacConkey, DC (Deoxycholate citrate agar), SS (Salmonella-Shigella agar), BS (Bismuth sulfite agar) and Mueller-Hinton as a medium with no selective properties . The media were produced in Czechoslovakia, East Germany, West Germany, Poland, and Soviet Union . Quantitative studies were performed on 71 strains representing 8 genera of Enterobacteriaceae family; both reference and wild newly + isolated from clinical material strains were included . It was found that none of DC and BS media provided suitable growth conditions for Shigella strains and in particular for S . dysenteriae, S . boydii, and S . flexneri . It was also found that the same medium (name and content) but derived from different producer can vary significantly in respect to growth promotion and selectivity especially for Shigella strains . All media with selective, differentiating properties for Salmonella and Shigella isolation should not be used without previous quantitative control test for their selective and growth promoting properties checked by user . The need for such a control performed both on reference and freshly isolated strains was shown in this study . In the set of control strains all species of Shigella should be represented. Ann Rech Vet, 1990, 21 Suppl 1, 137S - 144S Pharmacokinetic and residue studies of quinolone compounds and olaquindox in poultry; Anadon A et al.; Nalidixic acid and similar antimicrobial agents have been available for more than 20 years, mainly for treating infections caused by Gram-negative enterobacteria . Recently, several chemically related drugs, including oxolinic acid, pipemidic acid, piromidic acid and flumequine, have been developed . They are either naphthyridine-carboxylic acid or quinoline-carboxylic acid derivatives and, with nalidixic acid, are so-called quinolones . A major advance in antimicrobial chemotherapy was the synthesis of newer quinolones containing at least 1 fluorine atom and a piperazinyl group . These new fluoroquinolones have an extended antimicrobial spectrum compared to the first quinolone generation, and are highly active against most Gram-negative pathogens including the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The pharmacokinetic properties and residue levels of these quinolones and fluoroquinolones for which clinical experience or experimental information exists in poultry are reviewed here . On the other hand, administration of the quinoxaline-di-N-oxide, olaquindox, for medical purposes raises questions concerning the pharmacokinetic disposition of the drug and the risk of its residues in poultry . This paper presents information about the pharmacokinetic profile of olaquindox and the presence of its residues in chickens. Infection, 1990, 18 Suppl 3, S132 - 9 {Cefixime in urinary tract infections . (Specific studies and literature review)}; Naber KG; Cefixime, a new oral cephalosporin, is more active against enterobacteriaceae than the conventional oral cephalosporins . About 20% of the drug is excreted by the kidneys as active drug . Therefore, the treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI) by cefixime may be a good alternative . In two smaller uncontrolled and four larger, controlled (amoxicillin, co-trimoxazole) "western" studies as well as in eight Japanese studies the good efficacy of cefixime in uncomplicated UTI could be demonstrated . Because of its antibacterial spectrum in this kind of infection the therapy with cefixime can be initiated already prior to sensitivity testing . Concerning the treatment of acute pyelonephritis only few cases are reported . Good results, except in the case of Proteus mirabilis infection, could be achieved . In the treatment of complicated UTI our own controlled (norfloxacin) and 13 uncontrolled Japanese studies showed cefixime to be an effective antibiotic if infections are caused by sensitive strains . Since in complicated UTI also gram-positive and nonfermenting pathogens resistant to cefixime can be found, treatment should not be initiated without sensitivity testing . Concerning treatment of UTI in children only few, but promising, results are reported . The tolerance of cefixime was similar to that of the comparative drugs . The once daily dose (400 mg), however, showed a higher incidence of gastrointestinal adverse effects than a twice daily dose (200 mg) . Therefore, the daily dose should be administered in two divided doses . In summary, cefixime proved to be a good alternative in the treatment of UTI. Drugs Exp Clin Res, 1990, 16(4), 175 - 9 In vitro activity of cefixime: correlation index between MIC and disc diffusion test; Foca A et al.; In this study the in vitro antibacterial effects of cefixime are presented . Its activity was studied by evaluation of MICs, MBCs and the disc diffusion susceptibility method on Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae . Moreover, the coefficient of correlation between MIC values and the disc diffusion susceptibility test was evaluated . The results support the wide antimicrobial activity of cefixime, which appears to be particularly effective against enterobacteria. Pediatriia, 1990, (11), 40 - 3 {Clinico-etiological characteristics of intestinal diseases in young children}; Luvsandagva E et al.; Intestinal disorders in infants are determined in 96.9% of cases by the opportunistic flora with the predominance of Pr . mirabilis (25.5%), E . coli (19.1%), Enterobacter aerogenes (12.6%) and with the less frequent occurrence of Klebsiella (4.1%) and pathogenic staphylococci (5.8%) . As a result of the unbased use of antibiotics, the majority of children demonstrate dysbacteriosis and the growth of the number of resistant hospital strains . It is suggested that in children with ARVI, the drugs containing lactic acid bacteria and lactose should be used on a wider basis to prevent dysbacteriosis and reduction of resistant strains. Scand J Infect Dis, 1990, 22(4), 477 - 84 Female urinary tract infection in primary health care: bacteriological and clinical characteristics; Osterberg E et al.; Female patients with symptoms of urinary tract infection (n = 1136) were studied in primary health care with respect to (a) clinical symptoms as predictors of bacteriuria; (b) relation between aetiological agent and clinical picture, especially for P-fimbriated Escherichia coli; and (c) clinical findings in cases with 10(2)- less than 10(5) CFU/ml of E . coli . Prevalence of bacteriuria (greater than or equal to 10(5) CFU/ml) was 61% . Concurrence of urgency/frequency and dysuria, short duration of symptoms and hematuria increased the probability of bacteriuria and were also significantly more frequent among cases with low counts of E . coli (10(2) less than 10(5) CFU/ml in pure culture or mixed flora) than among cases with sterile urine, indicating an aetiological role of E . coli in many of those cases . Infections with P-fimbriated E . coli were as benign as the P-fimbriae-negative . The rate of P-fimbriation was 29% in specimens containing greater than or equal to 10(5) CFU/ml of E . coli, 30% among specimens with less than 10(5) CFU/ml in pure culture and 10% in specimens containing less than 10(5) CFU/ml of E . coli in mixed culture . Patients infected with Klebsiella, Enterobacter or Proteus did not show a higher rate of previous urinary tract disease or anomalies. Lab Delo, 1990, (8), 70 - 2 {The identification of lactose-negative enterobacteria}; Luzina EV et al.; Study of the morphologic and enzymatic characteristics of 10 strains of lactose-negative enterobacteria, sent to the L . A . Tarasevich State Institute for Control and Standardization as B . paracoli in order to determine their taxonomic status in accordance with the 1974 and 1984 Bergey classifications has referred 9 of these strains to Hafnia alvei. Lab Delo, 1990, (8), 63 - 5 {The determination of neuraminidases in vibrios of the 01 and non-01 groups}; Riabukhina OIu et al.; Vibrio cholerae 01 and non 01 neuraminidase may be rapidly detected with the use of a synthetic 4-methylumbelliferyl-neuraminic acid substrate . Other vibrios and Enterobacteriaceae show no neuraminidase activity against this substrate . The method may be used with microorganism cultures grown in solid and liquid nutrient media . The time of analysis is 15-20 min. Lab Delo, 1990, (10), 66 - 8 {A diagnostic serum with antibodies to virulent Yersinia}; Smirnov IV et al.; A diagnostic agglutinating adsorbed rabbit serum with antibodies to Yersinia strains containing virulence plasmid with molecular mass of 40-50 mD was prepared . Trials of this serum in agglutination test on the glass with 69 Yersinia strains (Y . enterocolitica, Y . frederiksenii, Y . intermedia, Y . kristensenii, Y . pseudotuberculosis) and with 42 other Enterobacteriaceae strains have confirmed the specificity and sufficiently high activity of the agent in respect of virulent Yersinia strains . Experiments have demonstrated the possibility of using this serum in tests for the detection of yersiniasis agents and for rapid assessment of individual Yersinia clones in respect of the presence of plasmid with a molecular mass of 40-50 mD. Ann Trop Paediatr, 1990, 10(2), 203 - 10 Endemic bacterial meningitis in Sudanese children: aetiology, clinical findings, treatment and short-term outcome; Salih MA et al.; During the period April 1985 to November 1986 (18 months), 196 children (of age greater than 1 month) admitted to the Children's Emergency Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan, with clinical suspicion of meningitis/meningoencephalitis were followed up prospectively . Bacterial meningitis was diagnosed by culture, direct microscopy and/or antigen-detecting assays (co-agglutination and enzyme immunoassay) in 44 infants (25 Haemophilus influenzae type b, 8 Neisseria meningitidis, 7 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 3 enterobacteria and one mixed infection), aseptic meningitis in 52, cerebral malaria in 4 and febrile convulsions in 96 . The majority of cases of bacterial meningitis were boys and 57% of those in whom H . influenzae was the commonest isolate were less than 1 year old . The presenting signs and symptoms are described as well as the transient and permanent short-term sequelae . The total mortality from bacterial meningitis was 19%, permanent neurological sequelae were seen in 26% of survivors . Prospective follow-up, including audiometry, of 35 children 1-2 months after discharge showed that 11% had hemiplegia and 20% had hearing impairment . The potential impact of vaccination against invasive H . influenzae infections is discussed. Lab Delo, 1990, (6), 66 - 8 {Determination of the enterotoxigenicity of conditionally pathogenic microorganisms using the method of suppressing the dehydrogenase activity of the UV mutant Staphylococcus aureus 209 P}; Kalinina TE et al.; The S . aureus 209P UF mutant dehydrogenase activity suppression method was used for detection of enterotoxin of Enterobacteriaceae opportunistic bacteria . Comparison of V . cholerae non 01, E coli and K . pneumonia toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains, neutralization test with antitoxic anticholera serum, comparative study of toxigenicities in paw edema test (according to Yu . P . Vartanyan) have shown that Escherichia and Klebsiella toxigenic strains can suppress S . aureus 209P UF mutant dehydrogenase activity, which fact permits the employment of this method for the detection of opportunistic bacteria enterotoxigenicity. Lab Delo, 1990, (6), 64 - 6 {A comparative study of two commercial systems for the enzymatic identification of enterobacteriaceae}; Sokolova KIa et al.; Two commercial test systems: Entero-Test manufactured in Czechoslovakia and made in the USSR are compared . Species identification of 33 newly isolated strains of gram-negative bacteria isolated from the wounds of subjects injured in the earthquake in Armenia was carried out . The advantages and shortcomings of the examined systems are analyzed . Species identification of Enterobacteriaceae by the two systems coincided in 97.2% of the examined cultures. J Immunoassay, 1990, 11(2), 235 - 50 Monoclonal antibodies against two discrete determinants on Vi capsular polysaccharide; Qadri A et al.; Vi is a linear homopolymer of 1,4 N-acetyl galactosaminuronic acid . It is present in S . typhi and some other members of Enterobacteriaceae . Vi antigen of S . typhi has been associated with the virulence of the organism and a vaccine based upon this antigen has been found to confer immunity against typhoid . In this paper, we report production and characterization of four hybrid cell clones secreting monoclonal antibodies against Vi capsular polysaccharide . Binding analysis using different derivatives of Vi showed that three monoclonal antibodies reacted with the antigenic determinant constituted by O-acetyl group and one recognised the epitope constituted by N-acetyl and carboxyl groups together . All the antibodies bound to Vi positive strains of S . typhi and did not show any significant reactivity with Vi negative strains of S . typhi, S . paratyphi A, S . paratyphi B and E . coli . Besides their utility in studying the sub-specificity of antibodies produced after vaccination with Vi, these antibodies would be helpful in the diagnosis of typhoid fever. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr, 1990, 3(4), 361 - 5 Effect of oral dextran sulfate on the mouse intestinal tract; Wells CL et al.; Oral dextran sulfate is associated with adverse intestinal effects, including severe diarrhea, in some AIDS patients . We therefore investigated the intestinal flora and the intestinal histology of mice given drinking water supplemented with 8 mg/ml of dextran sulfate . There were no noticeable alterations in the major groups of intestinal bacteria in mice given oral dextran sulfate for 7 days . Likewise, there was no abnormal pathology in the ilea or colons of mice treated for 7 days with oral dextran sulfate . However, after 21 and 38 days, there was a noticeable overgrowth of facultative gram-negative bacilli in the colonic and cecal flora of dextran sulfate-treated mice . This overgrowth appeared to be due to bacterial species in the family Enterobacteriaceae, primarily Escherichia coli . Bacterial overgrowth was accompanied by mild histological alterations in the intestinal mucosa, i.e., blunting of ileal villi and colonic crypts, with mild epithelial cell dysplasia . Thus, oral dextran sulfate was associated with quantitative changes in the mouse intestinal flora, as well as histological changes in the intestinal mucosa. Appl Environ Microbiol, 1990 Jan, 56(1), 187 - 94 Genetic structure of natural populations of the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Rhizobium meliloti; Eardly BD et al.; The genetic structure of populations of the symbiotic nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium Rhizobium meliloti was examined by analysis of electrophoretically demonstrable allelic variation in 14 metabolic, presumably chromosomal, enzyme genes . A total of 232 strains were examined, most of which were isolated from southwest Asia, where there is an unsurpassed number of indigenous host species for R . meliloti . The collection consisted of 115 isolates recovered from annual species of Medicago in Syria, Turkey, and Jordan; 85 isolates cultured from two perennial species of Medicago (M . sativa {alfalfa} and M . falcata) in northern Pakistan and Nepal; and 32 isolates collected at various localities in North and South America, Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, largely from M . sativa . Fifty distinctive multilocus genotypes (electrophoretic types {ETs}) were identified, and cluster analysis revealed two primary phylogenetic divisions separated at a genetic distance of 0.83 . By the criterion of genetic differentiation conventionally applied in defining species limits among members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and certain other bacteria, the two primary divisions of R . meliloti represent distinct evolutionary species . Division A included 35 ETs represented by 209 strains from the eastern Mediterranean basin, northern Pakistan, Nepal, and various other localities worldwide . This division contained the nine commercial alfalfa inoculant strains examined . Division B included 15 ETs represented by 23 isolates, 21 of which were isolated from annual medic species growing in previously uninoculated soils in the eastern Mediterranean basin . The two remaining strains in division B, both representing the same ET, were isolated in the United States and Australia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Infect Immun, 1990 Jan, 58(1), 21 - 5 Receptors for human plasminogen on gram-negative bacteria; Ullberg M et al.; A total of 188 strains representing 11 species of gram-negative bacteria were examined for the ability to interact with human plasminogen . Highly purified human plasminogen was labeled with 125I, and its uptake by different bacterial strains was measured . All 14 strains of Haemophilus influenzae and all 13 strains of Branhamella catarrhalis tested were positive with respect to plasminogen uptake . Also, eight species belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae were tested, and of those, Proteus mirabilis demonstrated the most substantial uptake, with 28 of 39 strains taking up more than 10% of the plasminogen . Ten strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were also tested, of which seven showed uptake values higher than 10% . With H . influenzae and B . catarrhalis strains, Scatchard analysis indicated a two-phase receptor interaction, one more-avid receptor with a Kd of 6 to 8 nM and 2,000 to 2,500 sites per bacterium and a second receptor with a Kd of 50 to 80 nM and 9,000 sites per bacterium . With Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, a single receptor interaction was detected with a Kd of 60 nM and the number of sites was estimated as 8,000 per bacterium . Scatchard analysis with strains of P . mirabilis indicated binding of a less-specific nature . However, plasminogen uptake by this species could be reduced by 50% by the addition of 2 mM unlabeled plasminogen . This estimate of Kd, as well as uptake studies with plasminogen fragments, suggests different properties of this receptor . With all receptor types, the addition of plasmin-aprotinin complex inhibited plasminogen uptake, which demonstrates that both forms of the molecule react with the same receptors . Plasminogen uptake could be eliminated by the addition of lysine or epsilon-aminocaproic acid, which suggests that the lysine-binding sites of the plasminogen molecule are involved in the receptor-ligand interaction. Am J Med, 1989 Dec 29, 87(6C), 2S - 9S Chemical evolution of the fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agents; Neu HC; In the past decade, significant progress has been made in understanding structure-function relationships of the new quinolones, which have a N-1-substituted, 1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-pyridine-3-carboxylic acid moiety as the basic nucleus . Modification of the groups affixed to positions C-6, C-7, and C-8 has made a major change in the antimicrobial activity, pharmacokinetic, and metabolic properties of the quinolones as have changes in the moieties affixed to the N-1 nitrogen . The new quinolones have a carboxyl group at position 3 and a keto group at C-4 . The presence of a fluorine atom at C-6 enhances the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) gyrase inhibitory activity as well as the ability of the compounds to inhibit staphylococci . Position C-7 has been one of the most modified sites . Addition of a piperazinyl group markedly increased gram-positive activity, primarily antistaphylococcal activity; lowered the minimal inhibitory concentrations against Enterobacteriaceae, Haemophilus spp., and Neisseria spp.; and added activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared with nalidixic acid . Methyl derivatives of the piperazine group or of the pyrroles have longer half-lives than do unsubstituted moieties . At the N-1 position, a cyclopropyl group appears to be most potent with respect to minimal inhibitory concentrations against Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas . Ofloxacin is unique in that it has an oxygen substituted at C-8 with the substituent part of the ring system formed by fusion to the N-1 position . This has produced excellent in vitro activity against gram-positive species comparable with that of ciprofloxacin, excellent activity against the Enterobacteriaceae, and antipseudomonal activity superior to agents with an ethyl substitution at position N-1 . The oxazine ring of ofloxacin provides excellent oral absorption with virtually 95 percent bioavailability; this modification also has prevented metabolism and has provided a long half-life of seven to eight hours. Gene, 1989 Dec 28, 85(2), 283 - 91 Nucleotide sequence of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene of Streptomyces acrimycini; Murray IA et al.; The nucleotide sequence of a gene (cat) encoding chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) in Streptomyces acrimycini was determined . The predicted amino acid sequence demonstrates extensive homology with those of CATs isolated from Gram-negative Enterobacteria, notably with the type III variant encoded by the IncK plasmid R387 . Transcript mapping indicates a single cat mRNA with a 5' end coinciding with the AUG codon used for translational initiation in vivo . We also determined the extent of a spontaneous deletion in the 5'-noncoding DNA, which occurs when the gene is cloned in the BamHI site of pBR322 in a specific orientation and which results in constitutive cat expression in Escherichia coli from the tet promoter. Lancet, 1989 Dec 16, 2(8677), 1419 - 22 Relation between Escherichia coli R(rough)-forms in gut, lipid A in liver, and primary biliary cirrhosis; Hopf U et al.; Since antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA) specific to primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) recognise enterobacterial proteins and can be induced by R(rough)-mutants of enterobacteriaceae a study was done to find out the prevalence of enterobacterial R-forms in stool samples of patients with chronic inflammatory liver diseases . Liver biopsy specimens were also examined for lipid A, a common antigenic component of the cell wall in gram-negative bacteria . In all stool samples from the 21 patients with PBC Escherichia coli R-forms constituted up to half of the total amount of E coli . In contrast E coli R-forms were detectable in the stools of only 1 healthy control (n = 20), and in 25% of patients with other cholestatic diseases (n = 10), chronic hepatitis type B (n = 15), type non-A, non-B hepatitis (n = 15), or chronic pancreatitis and fat malabsorption (n = 8) . An immunoblot technique showed that E coli R-forms isolated from patients' stools contained PBC-specific AMA-reactive proteins with molecular weights of 70-80 kD and 50 kD . Deposits of lipid A, located primarily in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes, were found in 11 patients with PBC but not in the liver of patients with chronic viral hepatitis . Circulating antibodies against lipid A were found rarely and in low titres . The data support the hypothesis that intestinal enterobacterial R-forms are aetiologically important in PBC and that antigens released from the bacterial cell wall contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. Zentralbl Hyg Umweltmed, 1989 Dec, 189(3), 225 - 34 {A combined chromogenic-fluorogenic medium for the simultaneous detection of coliform groups and E . coli in water}; Manafi M et al.; A comparison was made with different chromogenic and fluorogenic substrates, 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucuronide (MUG), 4-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucuronide (PNPG), 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (MUGA), 2-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (ONPG), 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (X-GAL), for the rapid and simultaneous enumeration of total coliforms and E . coli in water samples, based on 2 commercially available culture-media . The combination of the chromogenic compound X-GAL (for detecting coliforms) and of the fluorogenic compound MUG (for detecting E . coli) incorporated either into ECD agar or into lauryl sulfate broth proved to be most useful . The optimum concentration of the X-GAL/MUG supplement was (50 micrograms/ml/70 micrograms/ml) for the solid medium (EMX agar) and (60 micrograms/ml/70 micrograms/ml) for the fluid medium (LMX broth) . As a result of the examination of 244 Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated from water samples and clinical material, it was shown that the use of EMX agar (LMX broth) had several advantages over conventional methods . A routine method for the analysis of water samples was proposed involving the EMX agar and the LMX broth. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1989 Dec, 24(6), 897 - 903 Reaction products of chloramphenicol acetyltransferases from enterobacteria and Haemophilus influenzae; Powell M et al.; The reaction products of Types I, II and III chloramphenicol acetyltransferases (CATs) from reference strains of Escherichia coli and Type II CATs from clinical isolates of Haemophilus influenzae were examined by HPLC . Types I and III CATs produced 1, 3 diacetylchloramphenicol at pH 6.8 and 7.8 whereas Type II enzymes failed to produce this diester at either pH . All the CATs produced monoacetylchloramphenicol at both pH values . Neither mono- nor di-acetylchloramphenicol was stable . Breakdown of enzymically-produced mono- and di-esters proceeded more rapidly at pH 7.8 than at pH 6.8 . Similar breakdown behaviour was observed with synthetically manufactured 1, 3 diacetylchloramphenicol. Pathol Biol (Paris), 1989 Dec, 37(10), 1095 - 7 {A fosfomycin-gentamicin combination in the treatment of experimental endocarditis caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae producing type TEM-3 beta-lactamase}; Caron F et al.; The authors studied the activity of fosfomycin (FOS) and/or gentamicin (GEN) against a Klebsiella pneumoniae strain resistant to all beta-lactams--except cephamycins and imipenem--by production of a plasmid mediated extended broad-spectrum beta-lactamase-TEM-3, to all aminoglycosides--except gentamicin--by production of a plasmid mediated 6' aminoglycoside acetyltransferase IV, to sulfonamides and to tetracyclines . In vitro, the combination FOS (MIC = MBC = 32 mg/l) + GEN (MIC = MBC = 2) appeared indifferent (FIC = 0.75; FBC = 1) . In vivo, on experimental endocarditis in rabbits, FOS alone was ineffective, GEN alone was active but only at high dose regimen, FOS - GEN combination was active as compared with controls . Fosfomycin - gentamicin combination may be an alternative in the therapy of severe infections due to multiresistant Enterobacteriacae. J Bacteriol, 1989 Dec, 171(12), 6446 - 54 Evolution of a tRNA operon in gamma purple bacteria; Giroux S et al.; Genomic DNA from eubacteria belonging to the gamma-3 subdivision of purple bacteria, as classified by Woese (C.R . Woese, Microbiol . Rev . 51:221-271, 1987), were probed with the argT operon of Escherichia coli encoding 5'-tRNA(Arg)-tRNA(His)-tRNA(Leu)-tRNA(Pro)-3' . The homologous operon from Vibrio harveyi was isolated and sequenced . Comparison of the five available sequences of this tRNA cluster from members of the families Enterobacteriaceae, Aeromonadaceae, and Vibrionaceae led to the conclusion that variations in different versions of this operon arose not only by point mutations but also by duplication and addition-deletion of entire tRNA genes . This data base permitted the formulation of a proposal dealing with the evolutionary history of this operon and suggested that DNA regions containing tRNA genes are active centers (hot spots) of recombination . Finally, since the operon from V . harveyi was not highly repetitive and did not contain tRNA pseudogenes, as in the Photobacterium phosphoreum operon, hybridization of genomic DNAs from different photobacterial strains with probes specific for the repeated pseudogene element was performed . We conclude that the phylogenetic distribution of the repetitive DNA is restricted to strains of P . phosphoreum. Eur Heart J, 1989 Dec, 10 Suppl H, 22 - 7 Prophylaxis of respiratory tract infection in patients on artificial respiration; Haverkorn MJ; In a pilot study, a prophylactic regimen including ciprofloxacin and amphotericin B was applied in 102 consecutive patients on artificial respiration for greater than or equal to 5 days to prevent respiratory tract infection with aerobic Gram-negative bacilli . Ciprofloxacin was given twice a day, as 500 mg through a gastric tube or 200 mg intravenously, and both applications led to negative cultures for aerobic Gram-negative bacilli from faeces and throat, except for a few periods of carriage lasting only a few days . No patient acquired respiratory tract infection with one of the Enterobacteriaceae or Pseudomonadaceae after 4 days of artificial respiration . In contrast to other prophylactic regimens in intensive care patients, this regimen is relatively simple and effective . These preliminary data suggest that this regimen should be studied further with special emphasis on the induction of resistance in Intensive Care Units using prospective, double-blind study designs. Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex, 1989 Dec, 46(12), 767 - 70 {Impact of infections on mortality in children with cancer}; Pacheco-Rios A et al.; A study of the role infections play in the death of 29 children with cancer was conducted from 1983 to 1988 . An infection was the main cause of death in twelve patients and was associated with hemorrhage in nine . Five of the patients were free of infection at the time of their death . The most frequently found etiological agents found in hemocultures taken while still alive were: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus viridans, Salmonella enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter sp and Candida spp . A retrospective study on the role of infections in the death of children with cancer was conducted . The clinical and autopsy records of 29 children who died between 1983 and 1988 were reviewed . Infection was the main cause of death in twelve patients and was associated with hemorrhage in nine . Five of the patients were free of infection at the time of death . The most frequent etiologic agents found in blood cultures taken while still alive were: Staphylococcus epidermidis. Arch Fr Pediatr, 1989 Dec, 46(10), 717 - 21 {Nosocomial infection at a neonatal care unit}; Lenoir S et al.; The incidence of nosocomial infections in a neonatal intensive care unit was evaluated to be 11.5% over a 2 year-survey period (1984-1985) in 451 artificially ventilated newborns . Staphylococcus, Enterobacter and Pseudomonas were the most frequently identified germs . Low birth weight, gestational age, mode of delivery and type of the initial pathology were not found to be responsible for the superinfection . The duration of hospitalization was 3 times longer and the cost per infant largely increased in cases with infection . Antibiotic treatment at admittance seemed to delay the onset of nosocomial infection by 8 to 12 days in this population. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1989 Dec, 24(6), 973 - 82 Trimethoprim resistance in gram-negative bacteria isolated in South Africa; Wylie BA et al.; Resistance to trimethoprim was surveyed in 2914 Gram-negative bacteria isolated in three hospitals in South Africa . Bacteria were collected from November 1986 to January 1987 and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of trimethoprim for each isolate was determined . The overall resistance rate (MIC greater than 8 mg/l) was 56.2%, and high-level resistance (MIC greater than 1024 mg/l) occurred in 24.0% of the total . The frequency of resistance in isolates of Enterobacteriaceae was 48.5% (MIC greater than 8 mg/l) . Of the organisms isolated from urine specimens, 49.1% were resistant to trimethoprim, 71.8% of these being highly resistant . Investigation of 36 isolates for the presence of the type I and/or type II dihydrofolate reductase genes showed that eight isolates reacted with the type I probe but none with the type II probe. J Antimicrob Chemother, 1989 Dec, 24(6), 841 - 9 A comparison of aztreonam and imipenem induction of class I beta-lactamase in Enterobacter cloacae ATCC 13047; Gatus BJ et al.; Aztreonam and imipenem were shown to induce Class I beta-lactamase in Enterobacter cloacae ATCC 13047 to a similar extent . Quantitatively, however, aztreonam was far less efficient as an inducer than imipenem . Optimum induction by aztreonam required a concentration of 200 mg/l, which was 800-fold greater than the concentration of 0.25 mg/l of imipenem which resulted in the optimum induction . The differences in the concentrations of aztreonam and imipenem that gave optimum induction were related to the inherent antibacterial activities of the antibiotics when these were determined under the conditions of broth culture . The beta-lactamase activity of sonicated cell samples following induction was inhibited by the presence of aztreonam but not by imipenem . The inhibition was overcome by first washing the cell samples from induced cultures and then incubating the sonicates for a prolonged period at 4 degrees C . It is proposed that the phenomena of an optimum inducing concentration and the interference with the assay of beta-lactamase by the presence of residual antibiotic demonstrated in this study with aztreonam and imipenem would be of relevance when applied more broadly to studies of beta-lactamase induction . In particular these would have a profound effect on the results of studies which attempt to compare the efficacy of beta-lactams as inducers of Class I beta-lactamase. J Antibiot (Tokyo), 1989 Dec, 42(12), 1729 - 33 Isolation and characterization of agglomerins A, B, C and D; Shoji J et al.; New antibiotics, agglomerins A, B, C and D, were isolated from the culture broth of a bacterial strain identified as Enterobacter agglomerans . These antibiotics are acidic in nature and their sodium salts are obtained as colorless crystalline powders, soluble in lower alcohols . All the antibiotics shows characteristic UV maxima at 248 and 298 nm . Molecular formulas: A, C15H21O4Na; B, C17H23O4Na; C, C17H25O4Na and D, C19H27O4Na; were indicated by elemental analysis and MS . These antibiotics are active against a wide variety of anaerobic bacteria and weakly against aerobic Gram-positive bacteria in vitro. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis, 1989 Dec, 8(12), 1053 - 61 Antibacterial activity of the new carbapenem meropenem (SM-7338) against clinical isolates; Ravizzola G et al.; The in vitro antibacterial activity of the new carbapenem antibiotic meropenem (SM-7338) against 567 clinical isolates was evaluated . SM-7338 exhibited activity against a broad spectrum of