Streptococcus suis infection in northern Thailand.

A ten-case report of Streptococcus suis infection was reported in Lamphun, northern Thailand from 1999 to 2000. Ten patients were admitted to Lampoon Provincial Hospital with a history of high fever, watery diarrhea, severe myalgia and ecchymosis rashes. The disease progressed rapidly and all patients died within 24-48 hours after admission from complications such as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), acute renal failure (ARF) or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Epidemiological data revealed that all cases were healthy men aged between 40-49, residing in the same geographical area and had a history of raw pork or uncooked pig's blood consumption prior to their illnesses. Blood culture and genetic investigation (16 s rRNA polymerase chain reaction with restriction enzyme PstII) confirmed diagnoses of the same species of Streptococcus suis infections.

Epidemiology of arabinose assimilation in burkholderia pseudomallei isolated from patients and soil in Thailand.

Burkholderia pseudomallei is an environmental saprophyte that has been isolated widely from soil in Southeast Asia and the relationship between environmental contamination and clinical melioidosis has been established. It has been shown that the arabinose assimilation property of B. pseudonrallei is probably one of the determinants indicating virulence of this organism. Therefore, the distribution of arabinose assimilation biotypes of B. pseudomallei collected from four geographic regions of Thailand was studied in order to determine an association between arabinose assimilation of B. pseudomallei and the uneven distribution of melioidosis found among these four areas. A total of 830 isolates of B. pseudomallei (412 patient isolates and 418 soil isolates) collected from the patients and soil in four regions of Thailand in 1997 were tested for an ability to grow on a minimal agar medium supplemented with L-arabinose. All patient isolates except one could not utilise arabinose (Ara-). For 418 soil isolates, 232 (55.5%) isolates were identified as Ara type. They comprised 180 (62.5%), 36 (46.8%), 6 (35.3%) and 10 (27.8%) isolates derived from northeastern, southern, northern and central regions respectively. The ratios of Ara- to Ara, were 1.7, 0.9. 0.5 and 0.4 among isolates collected from northeastern, southern, northern and central regions respectively. The prevalence of Ara- in soil isolates in northeast is significantly higher than those in other regions. This observation suggests that in addition to the presence of B. pseudomallei in soil which is one of the factors contributing to a burden of melioidosis in northeastern Thailand, the distribution of more virulent biotype (Ara-) soil isolates is a factor contributing to a high prevalence of melioidosis in northeastern Thailand as well.

Ofloxacin otic solution as treatment of chronic suppurative otitis media and diffuse bacterial otitis externa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Diphtheroid bacilli, Staphylococcus aureus were the major causes of diffuse bacteria otitis externa and chronic suppurative otitis media. This study showed that 0.3 per cent ofloxacin used for 2 weeks gave good clinical and bacteriological control of chronic suppurative otitis media and diffuse bacterial otitis externa without significant side effects.