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Tract Pathogen (tract + pathogen)
Selected AbstractsMycoplasma genitalium: the aetiological agent of urethritis and other sexually transmitted diseasesJOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Jørgen Skov Jensen ABSTRACT Mycoplasma genitalium was first isolated in 1980 from two of 13 men with non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU). It shares several features with M. pneumoniae, a recognized respiratory tract pathogen. It is extremely difficult to isolate by culture. The development of sensitive and specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays in the early 1990s made clinical studies possible and a significant number of publications have shown a strong association between M. genitalium and NGU, independent of Chlamydia trachomatis. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the currently available information on the associations between M. genitalium and urogenital tract infections in men and women and assess their fulfilment of the Henle,Koch postulates. It is concluded that there is very strong evidence that M. genitalium is a cause of NGU in men and cervicitis in women. Evidence for upper genital tract infections in women has begun to accrue, but further studies are needed. The optimal treatment of M. genitalium infections remains to be determined, but antibiotics of the macrolide group appear to be more active than tetracyclines. [source] Sinus Tissue Pharmacokinetics After Oral Administration of Amoxicillin/Clavulanic AcidTHE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 6 2000Paulo Borges Dinis MD Abstract Objectives The in vitro synergy of the amoxicillin/clavulanic acid combination has not always translated in vivo into clinical superiority compared with amoxicillin alone. Specifically, conflicting reports have disputed the superiority of the combination in the treatment of both acute otitis media and acute sinusitis. One possible reason for this may have to do with inadequate target tissue pharmacokinetics. To explore this possibility in the sinuses, we undertook the present investigation. Study Design A randomized, open, single-dose, sinus tissue pharmacokinetic study with oral amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Methods Twenty-three adult patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who had been selected for surgery were randomly allocated to receive a tablet of 875/125 mg amo-icillin/clavulanate 2 to 4 hours before surgery began. During the operation tissue samples were collected at specific sinonasal sites for determination of both amo-icillin and clavulanic acid concentration levels. Results Amoxicillin displayed adequate tissue levels throughout the sinuses, high enough to cover common susceptible pathogens. However, the presence of clavulanate was detected in only half of the sinonasal tissue samples. Conclusions The kinetics of oral clavulanic acid apparently fails to provide a widespread anti,,-lactamase activity capable of enhancing the activity of amoxicillin in all parts of the sinuses. Despite this, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid maintains a central role in the treatment of acute rhinosinusitis, because amoxicillin is still the most effective oral ,-lactam against Streptococcus pneumoniae, a particularly virulent and increasingly resistant upper respiratory tract pathogen. Also, as our data show, a concomitant anti,,-lactamase activity can be expected to occur, although in an unpredictable fashion. [source] Toward quantifying the usage costs of human immunity: Altered metabolic rates and hormone levels during acute immune activation in menAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Michael P. Muehlenbein There is a paucity of data on the energetic demands of human immune functions, despite the fact that both clinical medicine and evolutionary biology would benefit from further clarification of these costs. To better understand the energetic requirements of mounting a mild immune response, as well as some of the major hormonal changes underlying these metabolic changes, we examined changes in resting metabolic rate (RMR) and hormones during and after respiratory tract infection in young adult men. An epidemiologic passive detection design was used to recruit 25 nonfebrile subjects naturally infected with respiratory tract pathogens. Symptomology, percent body fat, RMR, salivary testosterone and cortisol, and other information were collected at a minimum of three time points during and after convalescence. Comparisons of the differences in RMR, testosterone, and cortisol between sampling days within individual cases were made using paired t -tests. Participants experienced 8% higher RMR during illness, and a subset of these men experienced a mean increase greater than 14%. The participants also experienced 10% lower testosterone levels during illness, and a subset of these participants experienced a mean decrease of 30%, although cortisol levels did not change significantly. These results document elevated RMR following natural pathogen exposure in adult humans, demonstrating that even mild immune reactions can elicit significant increases in energy expenditure. Understanding the costs of immunity and the immunomodulatory actions of hormones are central to understanding the role of immunity in human life history evolution. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli in urine samples from children and adults: a 12 year analysisACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 4 2004K Abelson Storby Aim: To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance in urinary tract pathogens, primarily Escherichia coli, in two age groups, children 2 y and adults 18-50 y, over a period of 12 y. Methods: From the database of the microbiological laboratory all urinary tract culture data were extracted and structured according to date, patient age, bacteriological findings, antimicrobial susceptibility results and sample type. Statistical longitudinal analysis of bacteriological findings and antimicrobial resistance trends in the two age groups were performed. Results: Statistical significance was obtained for the following results. Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen in both age groups and irrespective of sample type. In E. coli resistance to ampicillin and trimethoprim was higher in children than in adults and increased over time in both age groups. Resistance to fluoroquinolones was higher in adults than in children and increased over time in both groups. Resistance to pivmecillinam, cefadroxil and nitrofurantoin was below 2% in 2001 in both age groups. Conclusion: The steadily increasing and now high E. coli resistance levels in children to ampicillin and trimethoprim render empirical therapy with these drugs doubtful. The stable and low levels of resistance to pivmecillinam, cefadroxil and nitrofurantoin (>2% in 2001) make these drugs reasonable alternatives in uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections. [source] | ||||||||||