ABSTRACT
A bacteriological work on surface infections was done among live births (study group I) and neonates admitted in hospital (study group II). Out of 134 cases of conjunctivitis in group I Gram-negative bacilli predominated (48.5%) with Escherichia coli accounting for 29 (14.9%) cases, Klebsiella species 15 (11.2%) cases, Citrobacter freundii 3 (2.2%) cases, Pseudomons aeruginosa 18 (13.4%) cases and Aeromonas hydrophila 3 (2.2%) amongst pure isolates (73.9%). Gonococcus was noted in 2 (1.5%) cases. In group II, 41.7% were Staphylococcus aureus in pure growth (75%), compared to only 9.0% in group I. Skin infections were caused by both Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the principal insolates from umbilical sepsis. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated as pure growth from local site of noma neonatorum. Anaerobic cultures were negative in all except in 2 cases of umbilical sepsis with tetanus neonatorum revealing Clostridium tetani which however proved to be non-toxigenic. Blood cultures were positive in 4 out of 14 cases bearing 50% correlation with bacteria from surface infections. A source study established partial correlation with the cases of pseudomonas conjunctivitis. Phage typing of Staphylococcus aureus and biochemical typing failed to detect any definite marker of clinical entities, except that the skin infections were caused by group III phages predominantly (65.0%).
Subject(s)
Bacteriophage Typing , Conjunctivitis, Bacterial/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks , Gram-Negative Bacteria/isolation & purification , Humans , India/epidemiology , Infant, Newborn , Pseudomonas Infections/epidemiology , Skin Diseases, Bacterial/microbiology , Staphylococcal Infections/classification , Umbilicus/microbiologyABSTRACT
Forty-one cases of empyema thoracis admitted in hospital during April, 1985 to August, 1987 were studied. Majority were males (65.9%) and were of less than 2 years of age (70.7%). Right side (60.9%) was predominantly involved. Abdominal distension (43.9%) was very characteristic, with other usual features like fever, cough and respiratory distress. A large majority of them were victims of malnutrition (73.2%) and anaemia (53.7%) with haemoglobin level ranging from 5-9 g/dl. Mortality was high (17.1%). Therapy with parenteral cloxacillin and gentamicin and continuous intercostal tube drainage accounted for loss of 15.8 bed days (average period of hospitalisation). Staph aureus was the principal aetiopathogen (68.3%). No anaerobe could be isolated. Strains of staphylococci were mostly resistant to penicillin and ampicillin but sensitive to gentamicin, cloxacillin and erythromycin.