Egil Lingaas

Inhibition of growth of Proteus mirabilis and Escherichia coli in urine in response to fasting and vegetarian diet

It has recently been shown that serum antibody levels against Proteus mirabilis decreased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who improved clinically during treatment with 7–10 days of fasting followed by a one‐year vegetarian diet. As P. mirabilis is commonly implicated in urinary tract infections, this study was carried out to examine whether fasting and vegetarian diet may influence the growth of P. mirabilis and Escherichia coli in urine. Urine samples were collected from 22 patients who were referred to a health farm for various reasons. The dietary regimen recommended by the health farm consisted of fasting for 7 to 10 days followed by a vegan diet. The growth of both bacteria in urine samples collected after 8 days was significantly slower than in samples collected at baseline. In urine samples collected after 18 days growth was also reduced, although not significantly for E. coli. Our results show that dietary manipulation may reduce the ability of urine to support the growth of P. mirabilis and E. coli.

Generation of hydroxyl radicals by polymorphonuclear neutrophils during exposure to direct current and iron.

Human polymorphonuclear neutrophils were exposed to direct output current of 3 or 5 mA at either 300 or 500 V for 1 h in the presence and absence of iron. The current density was 25 or 40 nA/cm2. The formation of free oxygen radicals was measured as breakdown products from deoxyribose and methional. The cells were shown to generate oxygen radicals on electrical stimulation. A physiological concentration of iron enhanced radical formation, but OH was also formed in the absence of added iron. The most pronounced stimulation was seen at output current 5 mA and 500 V

Piroxicam enhances phagocytosis of Escherichia coli by human polymorphonuclear neutrophils

Abstract Human polymorphonuclear neutrophils were exposed to piroxicam, 1.5 uM, 15 uM and 150 uM during phagocytosis of radiolabelled Escherichia coli in vitro. Preincubation of the cells for 30 minutes before phagocytosis stimulated the uptake of E. coli at all concentrations. The elimination of substances of bacterial origin from the neutrophis in the postingestion phase was, however, not influenced by piroxicam.

Consensus statement: patient safety, healthcare-associated infections and hospital environmental surfaces

Healthcare-associated infections have serious implications for both patients and hospitals. Environmental surface contamination is the key to transmission of nosocomial pathogens. Routine manual cleaning and disinfection eliminates visible soil and reduces environmental bioburden and risk of transmission, but may not address some surface contamination. Automated area decontamination technologies achieve more consistent and pervasive disinfection than manual methods, but it is challenging to demonstrate their efficacy within a randomized trial of the multiple interventions required to reduce healthcare-associated infection rates. Until data from multicenter observational studies are available, automated area decontamination technologies should be an adjunct to manual cleaning and disinfection within a total, multi-layered system and risk-based approach designed to control environmental pathogens and promote patient safety.

In vitro activity of 9 antimicrobial agents against 177 strains of Haemophilus influenzae isolated from hospitalized patients

In vitro activity of 4 commonly used and 5 new antibiotics was examined against 177 strains of Haemophilus influenzae. All strains were collected from various sites in patients with clinical infections. The study confirms that several newer antibiotics are useful alternatives to older drugs, as measured by in vitro activity. Ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin were the most active agents, (MIC90 0.012 μg/ml and 0.05 μg/ml respectively), followed by aztrreonam (MIC90 0.1 μg/ml) and cefuroxime (MIC90 0.8 μg/ml). A new macrolide, azithromycin (CP 62,993), was more active than erythromycin, MIC901.6 μg/ml vs 6.4 μg/ml. Beta‐lacta‐mase production was detected in 4.5% (8/177) of the strains. In vitro activity was the same against strains collected in 1985 and 1988. No increase in beta‐lactamase production was recorded.

A Comparison of the in vitro Activity of Cefoxitin and Cephalothin against 7,312 Clinical Isolates

The antibacterial activity of cefoxitin and cephalothin was tested against 7,312 clinical isolates of aerobic pathogens. Cefoxitin was found to have a broad spectrum of activity. Among the gram-positive cocci, 99.1% of Staphylococcus aureus, 94.4% of Staphylococcus epidermidis and 98.1% of streptococci group B had a minimal inhibitory concentration of 16 microgram/ml or less, while only 4.6% of enterococci were sensitive to this concentration of cefoxitin. Among the gram-negative rods 94.4% of Escherichia coli, 89.3% of Klebsiella spp., 97.3% of Proteus mirabilis, 97.4% of Proteus vulgaris and 79.3% of Proteus morganii were sensitive to 16 microgram/ml of cefoxitin or less. The effect of Pseudomonas spp. and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus was negligible. Cefoxitin was less active than cephalothin against gram-positive cocci, the difference being most pronounced against enterococci. Cephalothin was also found to be more active than cefoxitin against P. mirabilis, while cefoxitin was superior to cephalothin against E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., P. vulgaris and P. morganii.