Hemolytic Streptococci (hemolytic + streptococcus)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Epidural abscess following epidural analgesia in pediatric patients

PEDIATRIC ANESTHESIA, Issue 9 2005
YUAN-CHI LIN MD MPH
Summary Epidural abscess following epidural analgesia is an unusual event especially in pediatric patients. Two patients presented with fever and local signs of infection without neurological deficit on day 4 after the initiation of epidural analgesia. Neuro-imaging studies revealed epidural abscess. Both pediatric patients were treated successfully with intravenous antibiotics. One of the patients' initial MRI was normal. However, the symptoms persisted and a followed-up scan revealed epidural abscess. The other patient presented with worsening local indurations over the epidural insertion site and positive blood culture with Hemolytic streptococcus. Our experience suggests that neuro-imaging study should be strongly considered to evaluate pediatric patients with suspicion of epidural abscess. [source]


Bacteriologic Comparison of Tonsil Core in Recurrent Tonsillitis and Tonsillar Hypertrophy,

THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 12 2007
Jin Hyeok Jeong MD
Abstract Objectives: Although many bacteriology studies on tonsillar diseases have been completed, all have been confined to children and were characterized by a paucity of cases. The purpose of this study was to analyze the underlying bacterial pathogens in tonsillar disease. Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 824 patients who underwent elective tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy. We analyzed the differences between the bacterial pathogens in recurrent tonsillitis and tonsillar hypertrophy with regard to age, season, and antibiotic sensitivity. Results: Among 824 cases, 966 bacterial strains from the tonsil core were isolated. In recurrent tonsillitis, Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen (30.3%), followed by Haemophilus influenzae (15.5%) and group A ,-hemolytic Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes, 14.4%). In patients over 14 years of age, quite differently from other age groups, Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated at a significantly higher percentage. In tonsillar hypertrophy, H. influenzae was isolated most commonly (31.4%) regardless of age, followed by S. pyogenes (24.2%), S. aureus (22.9%), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (12.6%). Furthermore, mixed infection was common because of its high resistance to penicillin. In both groups, S. pneumoniae was more common in younger patients, whereas K. pneumoniae was relatively common in adults. We found no differences in the detection rate by season; however, H. influenzae was frequently isolated in the tonsillar hypertrophy group regardless of seasonal variations. We also found no difference in the antibiotic sensitivity between the two groups; however, strains resistant to penicillin were relatively prevalent and showed a high sensitivity to third-generation cephalosporin. Conclusions: We observed some differences in the types of bacteria in the tonsillar core between the recurrent tonsillitis and tonsillar hypertrophy groups. Our study indicates that essential bacteria have been changing and, thus, we need to change our choice of antibiotics. [source]


Pharmacokinetics of intravenous ceftiofur sodium and concentration in body fluids of foals

JOURNAL OF VETERINARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 4 2009
S. MEYER
The objectives of this study were to determine pharmacokinetics of intravenous (i.v.) ceftiofur in foals, to compare ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and microbiologic assay for the measurement of ceftiofur concentrations, and to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ceftiofur against common equine bacterial pathogens. In a cross-over design, ceftiofur sodium was administered i.v. to six foals (1,2 days-of-age and 4,5 weeks-of-age) at dosages of 5 and 10 mg/kg. Subsequently, five doses of ceftiofur were administered i.v. to six additional foals between 1 and 5 days of age at a dose of 5 mg/kg q 12 h. Concentrations of desfuroylceftiofur acetamide (DCA), the acetamide derivative of ceftiofur and desfuroylceftiofur-related metabolites were measured in plasma, synovial fluid, urine, and CSF by use of UPLC-MS/MS. A microbiologic assay was used to measure ceftiofur activity for a subset of plasma samples. Following i.v. administration of ceftiofur at a dose of 5 mg/kg to 1,2 day-old foals, DCA had a t½ of 7.8 ± 0.1 h, a body clearance of 74.4 ± 8.4 mL/h/kg, and an apparent volume of distribution of 0.83 ± 0.09 L/kg. After multiple i.v. doses at 5 mg/kg, DCA concentrations in CSF were significantly lower than concurrent plasma concentrations. Ceftiofur activity using a microbiologic assay significantly underestimated plasma concentrations of DCA. The MIC of ceftiofur required to inhibit growth of 90% of isolates of Escherichia coli, Pasteurella spp, Klebsiella spp, and ,-hemolytic streptococci was <0.5 ,g/mL. Intravenous administration of ceftiofur sodium at the rate of 5 mg/kg every 12 h would provide sufficient coverage for the treatment of susceptible bacterial isolates. [source]


Pharmacokinetics of oral doxycycline and concentrations in body fluids and bronchoalveolar cells of foals

JOURNAL OF VETERINARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 3 2007
A. WOMBLE
The objective of this study was to determine the disposition of orally administered doxycycline in foals. Six healthy 4- to 8-week-old foals were used. Doxycycline was administered to each foal via the intragastric (IG) route at dosages of 10 and 20 mg/kg, in a cross-over design. After the first 10 mg/kg dose, five additional doses were administered at 12-h intervals. A microbiological assay was used to measure doxycycline activity in serum, urine, peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal (CSF), pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF), and bronchoalveolar (BAL) cells. Following administration at 10 mg/kg, mean ± SD time to peak serum doxycycline activity (tmax) was 3.0 ± 1.2 h, maximum serum activity (Cmax) was 2.54 ± 0.27 ,g/mL, and terminal half-life (t1/2) was 8.5 ± 2.8 h. Administration at a dose of 20 mg/kg resulted in a significantly longer tmax (5.5 ± 1.8 h) as well as a tendency toward higher Cmax (2.89 ± 0.33 ,g/mL) and longer t1/2 (11.9 ± 2.6 h). After multiple IG doses, doxycycline activity in CSF was significantly lower than concurrent serum activity, whereas peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid, and BAL cell doxycycline activity was similar to concurrent serum activity. Doxycycline activity in urine and PELF was significantly higher than that found at other sites. Oral administration at a dosage of 10 mg/kg every 12 h would maintain serum, PELF, and BAL cell activity above the minimum inhibitory concentrations of Rhodococcus equi, , -hemolytic streptococci, and other susceptible bacterial pathogens for the entire dosing interval. [source]


Complications of varicella in healthy children in Izmir, Turkey

PEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2005
Güldane Koturoglu
AbstractBackground:,The purpose of the paper was to evaluate the indications of hospital admissions and complications of varicella infection in immunologically healthy children. Methods:,Between 1997 and 2001, patient records of children hospitalized due to varicella infection were reviewed. Incidence and clinical spectrum of complications and their distribution related to age and seasonal variations were analyzed. Results:,A total of 178 immunocompetent children were hospitalized for varicella complications during the study period. This resulted in a crude incidence of 6.3/100 000 population at risk. All hospital admissions were due to accompanying complications. The majority of complications occurred in preschool-age children with a median age of 3 years. No gender predominance was found. The most frequent complications were infectious complications, which were observed in 79 children (44%). Superinfections of the skin were present in 24 patients. Pneumonia was observed in 59 children: 49 had bacterial, 10 had viral pneumonia. Pyogenic arthritis was seen in two children and one had concomitant osteomyelitis. Group A ,-hemolytic streptococci were recovered from two patients with invasive bacterial infections. A total of 68 (38%) neurologic complications were observed. Cerebellar ataxia was present in 24, encephalitis was present in 17. Infectious complications occurred more frequently in younger children (median age: 2 years), whereas neurologic complications occurred at an older age (median age: 6 years). Hematologic complications were seen in nine children. There was a seasonal distribution of complications with a peak in January. Conclusion:,Complications of varicella requiring hospitalization in immunocompetent children are more frequent than previously thought. [source]


Microbiology of Healthy and Diseased Adenoids

THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 6 2000
Itzhak Brook MD
Abstract Objective To determine the qualitative and quantitative microbiology of core adenoid tissue obtained from four groups of 15 children each, with recurrent otitis media (ROM), recurrent adenotonsillitis (RAT), obstructive adenoid hypertrophy (OAH), and occlusion or speech abnormalities (controls). Methods Core cultures of surgically removed diseased adenoids and of healthy controls were cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Results Polymicrobial aerobic-anaerobic flora were present in all instances. Ninety-four organisms were isolated from control specimens, and 148 from ROM, 142 from RAT, and 149 from OAH specimens. The predominant aerobes in all groups were ,-hemolytic and ,-hemolytic streptococci, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, group A ,-hemolytic streptococci, and Moraxella catarrhalis. The prominent anaerobes were Peptostreptococcus, Prevotella, and Fusobacterium species. The number, concentration and distribution of types of most organisms did not vary among the three groups of diseased adenoids. However, the number of those that are potential pathogens and those that produced ,-lactamase was lower in the control than the diseased adenoids (P < .001). Conclusion The study highlights the importance of the bacterial load in the adenoids in contributing to the etiology of ROM, RAT, and OAH. [source]


A novel non-invasive tool for disease surveillance of free-ranging whales and its relevance to conservation programs

ANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 2 2010
K. Acevedo-Whitehouse
Abstract The numbers of potentially pathogenic microorganisms that have been isolated from stranded cetaceans in the last three decades underscore the urgent need for methods of detection of microorganisms that might cause significant disease and increase the likelihood of population declines. We have designed and implemented two non-invasive techniques for the collection of exhaled breath condensate (blow) from free-ranging whales and demonstrated their suitability for the detection of respiratory bacteria. We successfully collected 22 individual blow samples from eight cetacean species. Using well-established molecular techniques we detected three bacterial genera (Haemophilus, Streptococcus and Staphylococcus). Haemophilus spp. was detected in fin whale Balaenoptera physalus, sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus, humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae and gray whale Eschrichtius robustus blows, while unidentified , -hemolytic streptococci and Staphylococcus aureus were detected in gray whale and blue whale Balaenoptera musculus blows. The detection limit of the test was determined as 1 CFU mL,1. None of the identified bacteria were found in environmental (control) samples, suggesting that their presence in the blows was genuine and not due to inadvertent contamination. While the population-level relevance of these bacteria is as yet unclear and it is possible that they are commensal microorganisms, S. aureus has been identified previously as a high-risk pathogen to cetacean health, and streptococci have increasingly been associated with cetacean mortality events. We suggest that future cetacean monitoring programs of vulnerable or threatened species include blow sampling as a means to determine the prevalence of the respiratory bacteria in the populations and monitor spatiotemporal fluctuations as indicators of changes in cetacean health. [source]


Childhood Pustular Psoriasis Elicited by the Streptococcal Antigen: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

PEDIATRIC DERMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2003
Marya Cassandra D.O.
The occurrence of this disease in childhood is rare, and fewer than 200 cases have been reported in the literature. We describe a 10-year-old boy with GPP who had an elevated serum antistreptolysin titer. Several antigenic factors shown to elicit GPP have been reported, including withdrawal of steroids, emotional stress, and infection. However, we further propose that the group A ,-hemolytic streptococcus can trigger a flare of GPP. We suggest that if pustular psoriasis is suspected clinically, an elevated serum antistreptolysin antibody titer may help identify the causative antigen. [source]


Psoriasis in childhood and adolescence: evaluation of demographic and clinical features

PEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 6 2006
MUAMMER SEYHAN
Abstract Background: The present study was aimed to define the gender ratio, familial occurrence, age of onset, precipitating factors, clinical types, nail and joint involvement of psoriasis in childhood and adolescence in Turkey. Methods: A total of 61 children with psoriasis under 18 years old were evaluated retrospectively, for age, gender, age of disease onset, family history, concomitant disease, the clinical type of psoriasis, clinical localization, nail and joint involvement and treatment modalities. Results: Of the patients, 23 (37.70%) were boys and 38 (62.30%) were girls. Mean age was 9.28 ± 4.02 years in girls and 11.18 ± 3.85 years in boys (9.96 ± 4.03 years in all children). Mean age at the onset of the disease was 6.81 ± 4.11 years in girls and 7.03 ± 4.28 years in boys (6.89 ± 4.14 years in all patients). In 14 (23%) cases, a positive family history was detected. The most frequent probable triggering factors were upper respiratory tract infections (14.8%) and positive throat culture for A group ß-hemolytic streptococcus (21.3%). Frequency of emotional stress and psychiatric morbidity were 54% and 9.8%, respectively. The most frequent localizations at onset were trunk (44.3%), extremities (54.0%), and scalp (36.0%). Three children (4.9%) had a history of dissemination from psoriatic diaper rash. In total, 51 (83.6%) patients presented with psoriasis vulgaris, eight (13.1%) with generalized pustular psoriasis, and the remaining two (3.3%) with erythrodermic psoriasis. Conclusion: The incidence of psoriasis among dermatological patients in childhood and adolescence was 3.8%. The disease tends to appear earlier in girls than boys. The authors suggested that stress and upper respiratory infections are the most important triggering factors in childhood and adolescence psoriasis. [source]