Clostridium difficile and toxins in the feces of patients with antimicrobial agents-associated diarrhea

Fecal specimens from a total of 51 persons, 36 patients with antimicrobial agent-associated a diarrhea and 15 healthy individuals [controls], were investiagted for the presence of Clostridium difficile and its toxins. C. difficile and its cytotoxins were detected in 11 [91.7%] and 10 [83.3%] of 12 patients diagnosed as having antimicrobial agent-associated pseudomembranous colitis [PMC], in 4 [44.4%] and 3 [33.3%] of 9 patients diagnosed as having antimicrobial agent-associated non-specific colitis, and lastly in 4 [26.7%] and 3 [20%] of 15 patients diagnosed as having antimicrobial agent associated diarrhoea. On the other neither C. difficile nor its toxins were detected in any of the controls. Regarding the antimicrobials mostly implicated in the causation of C. difficle-associated disease [CDAD], ampicillin was the most frequently encountered antimicrobial agent followed by cephalosporins, sulfamethoxazole- trimethoprime, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol

Different auxotypes of neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates and their patterns of antimicrobial susceptibility to four antibiotics

In a rabbit corneal model inoculated with Aspergillus flavus, the authors studied the effect of pH variation on the efficacy of topical Ketoconanzole 2% in the treatment of the fungal keratitis. Boric acid 4%, sodium bicarbonate 3% and neutral saline were adminstered prior to Ketoconazole drops in three different groups for five days. Through a microbiological study of the mean counts of CFU cornea, the Ketoconazole treated eyes in acidic pH gave the least count, which was statistically significant [0.01> p>0.001] when compared to their control eyes and also significant [0.02 > p>0.01] when compared to Ketoconazole in alkaline medium. This was confirmed by the in vitro testing as the Ketoconazole dissolved in Boric acid, gave a larger inhibition zone. In conclusion, the authors observed that the drug produced its best therapeutic effect in the acidic medium in comparison to the alkaline or neutral media

Role of chlamydia and mycoplasma in the etiology of nongonococcal urethritis [NGU] in men

A total of 70 men [patients and controls] were included in the present study. 50 patients complained either of spontaneous urethral discharge or a discharge was demonstrable on penile stripping with >/= 4 PMNs/HPF in urethral smear and with negative smear and culture for Neisseria gonorrhoeae; these men were designated as the NGU group. The remaining 20 men were completely asymptomatic; they were designated as the control group. By passage of urethral swabs specimens were obtained for smear and culture for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, culture for mycoplasma, and smear for chlamydia [for immunofluorescence staining]. Chlamydia tracomatis was identified from significantly more NGU patients [23 [46%] of 50] than from men with no-urethitis [1 [5%] of 20]. Ureaplasma urealyticum was isolated from 14 [28%] of 50 NGU, this agent was found to be significantly associated with chlamydia-negative NGU patients [11 [41%] of 27 patients] than either chlamydia-positive NGU [3 [13%] of 23 patients] or men with no-urethritis [3 [15%] of 20 men]. On the other hand, there was no statistically significant difference in the rate of isolation of Mycoplasma hominis between NGU patients and controls. Clinically there were no prominant differences observed between the NGU group and the control group