Raymond L. Kaplan

Comparative in vitro activity of ciprofloxacin against Campylobacter spp. and other bacterial enteric pathogens.

A comparison was made of the in vitro activity of ciprofloxacin (Bay o 9867) with nine other antibiotics against isolates of Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, Clostridium difficile, Vibrio spp., and Escherichia coli. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin were the lowest of any compound tested for all organisms except C. difficile.

Comparative in vitro activities of twelve antimicrobial agents against Campylobacter species.

The in vitro susceptibility of 27 Campylobacter jejuni, 31 Campylobacter coli, and 30 Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus strains to 12 antimicrobial agents was determined. Ciprofloxacin, a new quinoline derivative, was the most active agent tested. Antimicrobial susceptibility differed among the three species tested.

Disseminated Fusarium solani Infection With Cutaneous Nodules in a Bone Marrow Transplant Patient

ABSTRACT: Fusarium is a ubiquitous fungus that commonly colonizes ulcerated, burned, or traumatized skin and may cause keratitis and onychomycosis in healthy hosts. Serious disseminated infection due to Fusarium has been reported with increasing frequency in immunocompromised patients. We describe a bone marrow transplant patient who developed fungal septicemia and disseminated skin nodules due to Fusarium solani. Fusarium should be recognized as a potential cause of deep fungal infection in immunocompromised patients.

In vitro activities of lomefloxacin and temafloxacin against pathogens causing diarrhea.

The in vitro activities of temafloxacin (A63004) and lomefloxacin (SC-47111; NY-198) were compared with those of seven other antibiotics against 146 isolates of bacterial enteric pathogens, including Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. Ciprofloxacin was the most active drug against the Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and Vibrio spp. tested. Lomefloxacin, temafloxacin, and difloxacin were the most active drugs tested against Campylobacter spp. (MIC for 90% of strains, 0.125 to 0.25 micrograms/ml).

In vitro activity of A-56268 (TE-031), a new macrolide, compared with that of erythromycin and clindamycin against selected gram-positive and gram-negative organisms.

The in vitro activity of A-56268 was determined and compared with that of erythromycin and clindamycin against a limited spectrum of 401 gram-positive and gram-negative organisms. A-56268 was quite active against erythromycin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and group B streptococci and was moderately active against Campylobacter fetus subsp. fetus. A-56268 was consistently bactericidal only for S. pneumoniae. The activity of A-56268 was comparable to that of erythromycin against most organisms tested.

A survey of β-lactamase-producing Haemophilus influenzae an evaluation of 5750 isolates

Previous studies have reported that 15%-34% of Haemophilus influenzae produce beta-lactamase. A surveillance program was developed by SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories to determine the current percentage of beta-lactamase-producing H. influenzae from five selected geographic locations in the United States. In 1993, results of 5750 isolates from specimens submitted to five reference clinical laboratories were evaluated. Data were collected from 29 states and the District of Columbia. The percentages of beta-lactamase-producing H. influenzae was 33% and ranged from 22%-40% for the individual states.

Effects of erythromycin and ciprofloxacin on chronic fecal excretion of Campylobacter species in marmosets.

Ciprofloxacin was compared with erythromycin for the eradication of Campylobacter species that were chronically excreted in the stools of marmosets (Saguinus labiatus labiatus, Saguinus fuscicollis nigrifrons, and Saguinus fuscicollis illigeri). Stool cultures were negative within 48 h of the beginning of treatment with either agent. Within 10 days after the end of therapy, however, Campylobacter species were again isolated from the stools of six animals that had received erythromycin. During an 8-week follow-up period, no animal that had received ciprofloxacin relapsed. High levels of ciprofloxacin in the stool (mean, 49.2 micrograms/g) possibly contributed to the efficacy of this agent.

Comparative in vitro activity of A-56268 (TE-031) against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria andChlamydia trachomatis

The in vitro activity of A-56268 (TE-031) was determined and compared with that of 13 antibiotics against 401 gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and 11 strains ofChlamydia trachomatis.A-56268 was very active against methicillin-susceptibleStaphylococcus aureusandNeisseria gonorrhoeae,and was among the most active of the agents tested againstListeria monocytogenes,streptococci andChlamydia trachomatis.It was moderately active againstHaemophilusspp.,Vibriospp.,Campylobacter jejuniandCampylobacter fetussubsp.fetus.It was inactive against enterococci, methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis, Campylobacter coli, Salmonellaspp.,Shigellaspp. andYersinia enterocolitica.A-56268 was not consistently bactericidal or more active than erythromycin for any organism exceptChlamydia trachomatis.

Speciation and Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci

During a six month period, 191 isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci from blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid and heart valves were identified to species level and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. Seventy-one percent of isolates wereStaphylococcus epidermidis, 8 %Staphylococcus warneri, 7 %Staphylococcus hominis, 7 %Staphylococcus haemolyticus, 4 %Staphylococcus capitis, 2 %Staphylococcus saprophyticus and 1 %Staphylococcus cohnii. Approximately 4 % of isolates were felt to be associated with infection. Overall, 18% of isolates were susceptible to penicillin G, 61 % oxacillin, 98 % cephalothin, 98 % cefamandole, 72 % cefotaxime, 95 % cefsulodin, 76 % gentamicin, 64 % clindamycin and 98 % rifampicin. All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin. Vancomycin, rifampicin, cephalothin and cefamandole showed excellent activity against oxacillin-resistant isolates. With one exception, speciation was not helpful in determining whether or not an isolate was associated with infection.

A Urine Preservative System to Maintain Bacterial Counts A Laboratory and Clinical Evaluation

The urinary tract is a common site of infection in the hospitalized, institutionalized, or ambulatory patient population. Ideally, urine should be cultured immediately or refrigerated up to 24 hours for quantitative examination for microorganisms. In the evaluation of patients at their homes or in long-term care facilities, rapid plating or refrigeration may not be practical. This is also true when evaluating small children in whom external collection devices are required to obtain a specimen. Because of these limitations, we evaluated a urine preservative and transport system, the Sage Products Urine Culture Tube, in a study of 1469 clinical specimens. This tube utilizes boric acid (1.1% final concentration) as a preservative. The Urine Culture Tube was easy to use and was as effective as refrigeration in maintaining bacterial counts. This system may be particularly useful where rapid transport or refrigeration is limited.