ABSTRACT
Background: There is phenotypic and genetic variability among the species Borrelia burgdorferi that produces Lyme disease. Three gene species and seven serotypes have been defined. Aim: To study the efficacy of two gene species in the serological diagnosis of Borrelia burgdorferi infections in Granada, Spain. Material and methods: One thousand sixty nine sera coming from 1,251 subjects without Lyme borreliosis were analyzed. These subjects were studied for health or pregnancy controls, differential diagnosis of viral disease, diagnosis of syphilis, neurological or rheumatic diseases. In all samples, antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi (B31 and Pko strains) and against Treponema pallidum were investigated. Screening tests (ELISA and hemagglutination) were followed by confirmations tests for positive samples (Western Blot IgG strain B31 and FTA-abs respectively). A clinical and laboratory follow up was done for subjects with positive serological tests. Results: The global rate of positive antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi B31 was 8.31 per cent and against the strain Pko was 0.64 per cent. Western blot was negative in 36 per cent of subjects with positive ELISA B31. The distribution of antibodies against the strain B31 was acute herpes virus infection in 16 per cent, gestation in 3 per cent, HIV infection in 6.4 per cent, T pallidum infection in 36 per cent, rheumatic diseases in 25 per cent, neurological diseases in 17.5 per cent and health controls in 7.4 per cent. The percentage of positive Western Blot analyzes were 0.8, 2.1 and 0.4 per cent respectively. A reversion of positive ELISA tests was observed in 6 subjects. Conclusions: The disparity in rates of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi in different geographic regions may be due to differences in the serological tests used. The high rate of false positive ELISA tests underscores the need to use other serological tests
Subject(s)
Humans , Lyme Disease/diagnosis , Borrelia burgdorferi/pathogenicity , In Vitro Techniques , Serologic Tests/methods , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Blotting, Western , Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
Background: The diagnosis of cytomegalovirus infections measuring IgG or IgM antibodies has a high rate of false positive or negative results, specially in immunocompromised patients. Aim: To compare the diagnostic yield of antibodies against cytomegalovirus with the measurement of the antigen in peripheral leukocytes. Material and methods: Forty three blood samples coming from pediatric patients with suspected cytomegalovirus infections were analyzed. Low affinity IgG and IgM antibodies against Epstein Barr virus and cytomegalovirus, using indirect ELISA assays, and the virus antigen in peripheral leukocytes, using a commercial immunoperoxidase assay, were measured. Results: Seven patients had positive IgM antibodies against cytomegalovirus. In five of these the viral antigen was detected in peripheral leukocytes. Twenty patients had positive antibodies against Epstein Barr virus, and in 16 patients all serologic tests were negative. Conclusions: There is not a good correlation between antibodies against cytomegalovirus and the detection of its antigen in patients with acute infections
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Cytomegalovirus Infections/immunology , Cytomegalovirus/isolation & purification , Leukocytes/immunology , Immunoglobulin G , Immunoglobulin M , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Herpesvirus 4, Human/isolation & purification , Antibodies, Viral/isolation & purification , Antigens, Viral/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
Enterococci resistance to antimicrobials has increased lately. We studied the susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials of 150 enterococci strains coming from hospitalized and outpatients, using the agar dilution method. Teicoplanin, followed by imipenem and amoxicilin-clavulanic acid had the lower minimal inhibitory concentrations. No strains of E faecalis was resistant to ampicillin, whereas 14 percent of E faecium had minimal inhibitory concentrations over 8 µg/ml. The high minimal inhibitory concentrations of cefpirone (64µg/ml) renders this antimicrobial useless in the treatment of enterococcal infections. Betalactamase production and resistance to glycopeptides were not detected. Antimicrobial susceptibility of strains coming for hospitalized or outpatients were similar