ABSTRACT
A reverse CAMP test [RCT] was done for the identification of different clinical isolates of C. perfringens. The same test was run using other Clostridia species and beta hemolytic streptococci other than group B. RCT was 100% positive, specific and sensitive with C. perfringens and completely inhibited by its specific antiserum A. It was 100% negative with other Clostridia species and group C streptococci. RCT was also negative with 60% of groups A and C and atypical [bullet shaped hemolysis obtained] with 40% of them. This test was not inhibited by any streptococcal antisera denoting that it is C. perfringens alpha-toxin related. It is a simple, reliable, reproducible, specific and economical test for identification of C. perfringens
Subject(s)
Clostridium Infections/diagnosisABSTRACT
Fifty subjects between 5-50 years old were enrolled for C. difficile detection in stools. Twenty five fecal specimens from patients with post-antibiotic diarrhea and 25 from healthy individuals were studied. All were submitted to direct C. difficile cytotoxin test, and to anaerobic culture on CCFA medium after ethanolic shock. Indirect cytotoxin test from supernate of positive cooked meat culture for the organism was done as well. Neutralization of cytotoxin was carried using C. sordellii antisera. C. difficile-sordellii cytotoxin was demonstrated in stool supernates of 28% of patients with diarrhea and 4% of non-diarrheal controls. The difference was statistically significant [P <0.05]. False negative culture was met with in 12% of specimens meaning more reliability on cytotoxin assay then on conventional culture. Also, the carriage rate denoted by cytotoxin activity was higher than when resorting to culture. The highest rate [30%] was encountered among 5-10 years old children and the lowest [7.7%] among >40-50 years old persons. So, cytotoxin test for diagnosis of C. difficile presence in stools was more reliable, more rapid and more sensitive than the conventional culture
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial AgentsABSTRACT
100 fecal specimens collected from 50 normal adults as control and 25 of each post antibiotic and antibiotic unrelated diarrhea were processed for isolation of C. difficile and deduction of its prevalence rate. Different isolation trials were resorted to as direct plating, ethanolic shock treatment and Robertson's cooked meat enrichment. Egg yolk supplemented cycloserine cefoxitin fructose agar and columbia blood agar were used for direct and indirect inoculation. They were incubated anaerobically and for different periods. C. difficile prevalence rate was 2% in the control group, 16% in post antibiotic diarrhea and 8% in miscellaneous diarrhea patients. All isolated strains of C. difficile grew from ethanolic shock treated stools and exclusively into egg yolk CCFA medium. Out of positive ethanolic shock treated stools 57.1% needed 5 days of anaerobic incubation onto egg yolk CCFA medium to grow the organism compared to 42.8% only which needed 48 hours. Moreover, 71.4% of C. difficile grew after enrichment into cooked meat medium for 48 hours prior to plating onto selective medium whereas 28.5% only could be isolated by direct plating of ethanolic shock treated stools onto the same medium
Subject(s)
Clostridioides difficile/pathogenicity , Anti-Bacterial AgentsABSTRACT
In this study, fifty-five Ps. aeruginosa strains isolated from different clinical specimens were examined for their enzymatic activities [8 enzymes] by substrate plate assays. The correlation study revealed that protease and elastase activities were ore prevalent in systemic isolates than in isolates from other sources, which suggested that these factors may play an important role in the dissemination of Ps. aeruginosa from local or superficial sites. Therefore, enzyme profiles could permit the fingerprinting and differentiation of clinical strains from various sources and hold a promising mean for future follow up studies and epidemiological surveys as a cheap and stable typing technique
Subject(s)
EnzymesABSTRACT
20% methicillin resistant Staph. aureus strains were recovered over three months period out of 200 strains of Staph. aureus isolated from the Surgical Department of the Main Alexandria University Hospital. Being of the same biochemical character they denote an original single strain responsible for their propagation. This necessitate prompt isolation of such patients and optimal hand washing practices an antiseptic technique when dealing with such patients. Definite cross resistance between methicillin resistance and cephalosporins has been proven. Thus, the existence of a reservoir of methicillin resistant strains in a hospital should alter not only the approach to treatment of established infections but also affect the choice of preoperative prophylactic regimens. The most threatening epidemiologic aspect is the potential for spread of these nosocomial strains into the community
Subject(s)
Drug Resistance , Methicillin , CephalothinABSTRACT
Anaerobes were isolated from 48% of postoperative infected gynecologic operations. The high rate of anaerobe recovery could be attributed to the collection of acceptable specimens onto serum wet cotton swabs, to the rapid transport in Stuart's transport medium, anaerobic enrichment in cooked meat medium, immediate appropriate plating of specimens upon arrival in the laboratory and the toxemic criteria determined by various specific biochemical patterns. In 73.9% of cases they could be only recovered after anaerobic enrichment into cooked meat medium and the rest on direct anaerobic plating. Anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli were the major anaerobic isolates followed by anaerobic Gram-positive cocci. Bacteroides fragiles was the principal pathogen constituting 41.7% of recovered anaerobes. Peptococci formed 25% of anaerobes, while each of fusibacterium and peptostreptococci 16.7%. No anaerobe was isolated in pure culture but as a rule mixed with aerobes and facultative anaerobes which emphasizes a synergistic process playing a complex ecosystem