Resistance of haemophilus influenzae isolates from pediatric patients

This study compared the in vitro activity of various antibiotics [ampicillin, amoxycillin/clavulanic acid, cefaclor, cefuiroxime, ceftriaxone, cefixime, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole] against 658 strains of Haemophilus influenzae isolated from pediatric patients attending a large general hospital in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia between May 1992 and April 1994. Patients were admitted with the diagnoses of septicaemia, pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis, otitis or conjunctivitis. The activity of the antibiotics tested was evaluated by disc diffusion using Haemophilus test medium and National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Beta-lactamase production was detected using cefinase discs. Ampicillin resistance was found in 18.5% of isolates, mainly [17.1%] of the beta-lactamaseproducing type. The ampicillin-resistant, beta-Iactamase-nonproducing strains were relatively resistant to all other beta-lactam antibiotics tested. Ciprofloxacin showed 99% susceptibility, trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole 50% and erythromycin showed 37% susceptibility mostly in the intermediate category

Rotavirus gastroenteritis among pediatric admissions at Al Mana general hospital[A.G.H],Dammam, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia

A latex agglutination test was used to determine the incidence of Rotavirus infection in 230 infants and children with a diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis admitted to the pediatrics ward at AI Mana General Hospital, Dammam, Eastern province, Saudi Arabia. Rotavirus was detected in 98 cases [42.6]. The highest incidence occurred in the 7 - 12 month age group. There was no significant sex difference. Rotavirus was detected over the whole period of the study, with a peak incidence from September through November, and a slighty lesser peak in February, A bacterial etiology was found in 38% of the cases. There was an overall success rate of about 82% in detecting an etiology for the gastroenteritis. Rotavirus was clearly the most common single agent responsible for acute gastroenteritis especially in the younger age groups

Endotracheal tube tip cultures in ventilated newborns

In this study 144 cultures of endotracheal tube tips from 82 newborns ventilated for various reasons were done to determine the pattern of bacterial colonization in their respiratory tracts. In the first week of ventilation 70% of the cultures were sterile, with the remaining cultures growing mainly gram +ve organisms constituting part of the normal respiratory flora. The incidence of sterile cultures decreased with the duration of ventilation and gram -ve organisms predominated after the second week. Blood and urine cultures done failed to correlate with the E.T. tube culture results. It is concluded that the limited value of endotracheal tube tip cultures does not justify being a routine practice on ventilated babies in the neonatal intensive care nursery, especially if they are already under antibiotic cover