Prevalence of chlamydial infection among pregnant women in Bahrain

A pilot study to assess the prevalence of Chlamydial Infection among pregnant women routinely attending the antenatal clinics in Salmaniya Medical and Health Centres, was carried out during 1992. The sera of one hundred women attending the antenatal clinic were randomly screened for the presence of Chlamydia antibodies' by the enzyme immuno assay technique. The results showed that 44% of women had antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis indicating high prevalence of chlamydial disease in the community

Male urethritis in Bahrain: the increasing incidence of resistant gonorrhea

Bahrain has a relatively low incidence of male urethritis; about one-half of these cases are due to N.gonorrhoeae. Despite the overall low frequency of sexually transmitted disease in Bahrain, N. gonorrhoeae isolates are often highly resistant. One-fourth of recent strains were resistant to penicillin, and 65% of the remaining isolates showed evidence of a chromosomally mediated diminished sensitivity to penicillin. Resistance to tetracycline is not yet common, but emerging chromosomal resistance and potentially poor compliance make tetracyclines inferior agents for gonorrhea therapy. We recommend ceftriaxone as primary therapy for N.gonorrhoeae in Bahrain; spectinomycin would be a reasonable second choice

In-vitro activity of imipenem to pseudomonas and other gram negative bacteria

The agar dilution technique was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] of imipenem to clinical isolates from hospital and community acquired infections. From 160 strains of pseudomonas tested, 76% were sensitive to 6 Ug/ml or less, of which 66% had MIC of 4Ug/ml. There was 10% resistance as defined by growth at higher than 8 Ug/ml. Most escherichia coli strains [90%] were sensitive to 2 Ug/ml or less, while 13% of klebsiella strains showed resistance to 8 Ug/ml. The overall resistance in all strains was 9%

Urinary tract infections in Bahrain: what is the drug of choice?

Choosing appropriate and cost effective antibiotics to treat common infections like those of the urinary tract is an important aspect of a Physician's work. Making the right choice requires knowledge of local isolates. In Bahrain, most urinary infections are due to gram negative organisms, mainly E. coli and klebsiella species. Resistance to ampicillin and carbenicillin is now so widespread as to make these agents useless for empiric therapy. Gentamicin, cotrimoxazole cephalosporins and quinolines are all useful in selected circumstances. For serious infections requiring parenteral therapy, gentamicin is preferred, with ampicillin added if enterococcal infection is likely. Cotrimoxazole or a quinolone is adequate for pyelonephritis if the patient can tolerate oral therapy; these oral agents are also excellent for lower tract disease

Prevalence of antibodies to legionella pneumophila in Bahrain

Formalised yolk sac antigen of Legionella pneumophila serogroup I was used in the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test to determine the prevalence of antibodies to L. pneumophila in Bahrain. Sera from 510 blood donors were randomly chosen for this study. Positive reactions with titres of 1:16 were detected in the case of 12 sera, 1:32 in 5 sera, 1:64 in 2 sera and 1:128 in 1 serum. When a titre of 1:16 is taken as positive, the prevalence of antibodies is approximately 4%. In comparison to surveys conducted elsewhere, the results show that Bahrain is not an area of high exposure to the Legionnaires' disease bacillus

Cases of pneumonia caused by legionella pneumophila in Bahrain

Between January 1985 and August 1986, eighty patients with pneumonia admitted to Salmaniya Medical Centre were examined for antibodies to Legionella pneumophila by the indirect immunoflourescent technique. Four patients had titres of >/= 1:128 which by the criteria of the Association of Clinical Pathologists [A.C.P.] were provisionally diagnosed as cases of Legionnaires' disease. There were no fatalities among the cases, two of which responded to ampicillin, one to ampicillin combined with cloxacillin and gentamicin and the fourth only to erythromycin