Clustering of cases of Mycobacterium fortuitum infection investigated by molecular typing

Organisms of the Mycobacterium fortuitum complex are recognised but uncommon causes of pulmonary disease, primary cutaneous disease and a wide spectrum of nosocomial infections. M fortuitum was isolated from 20 patients over a 15 month period, with an apparent clustering of isolates occurring from January to March 1994. The molecular epidemiology of this clustering was investigated using an arbitrary primer polymerase chain reaction method (AP-PCR). 21 isolates were studied, which yielded 13 distinct profiles. Multiple isolates from a single patient yielded identical profiles. All of seven isolates recovered during the six week period from January to March 1994 shared a common profile which was distinct from all other isolates, suggesting that a single strain was isolated from specimens from all seven patients. The source of this cluster is uncertain. We can find no epidemiological basis for an episode of cross-infection within the hospital environment, and it is assumed that contamination of the specimens during collection, transport or processing was responsible for the [quot ]pseudo-outbreak[quot ] of M fortuitum.

Pulmonary myiosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and effect of some medicinal plants extracts

Pulmonary mycosis is not uncommon finding in patients complaining of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Excess use of corticosteroids enhances the infection. Aspergillus and Candida species were the predominant strains isolated. The isolated fungi were sensitive [in vitro] in different degrees to different medicinal plants extracts

Pulmonary mycosis in chronic obstructive air way diseases and effects of some medicinal plant extracts

Pulmonary mycosis is not uncommon finding in patients complaining of chronic obstructive airway diseases. Excess use of corticosteroids enhances the infection. Candida and Aspergillus species were the predominant strains isolated. The isolated fungi were sensitive [in vitro] in different degrees to different medicinal plant extracts

role of some fungi in bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive lung diseases

This work was done on 100 patients [50 patients with bronchial asthma and 50 ones with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases [COPD] to study the role of some fungi in those patients by prick skin test, culture and indirect haemagglutination test for aspergillus. Prick skin test using fungal antigens showed 84% and 76% were positive in cases of bronchial asthma and COPD respectively. Skin test showed that the predominant fungi in bronchial asthma and COPD was Aspergillus niger, Asp. flavus and candida. Skin test using fungal antigens showed that skin sensitivity to Asp. niger was significantly higher in bronchial asthma than in COPD. The culture of sputa of 100 patients with bronchial asthma and COPD showed different fungal growth [80% showed positive fungal growth in bronchial asthma while in COPD 70% showed positive fungal growth]. The predominant fungi isolated by culture in cases of bronchial asthma and COPD were candida species followed by Aspergillus species. Indirect haemagglutination test for Aspergillus showed titre of 1/320 in 5 patients with bronchial asthma and in one patient with COPD [i.e.] in 6% of all cases. From this study it was found that simple prick skin test, if properly performed and with properly standardized fungal allergens, remains the best procedure for routine office clinical diagnosis

Factors associated with isolation of pathogenic bacteria from sputum of patients with acute bronchospasm.

Patients with obstructive airways disease (asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease) with an acute exacerbation of symptoms were studied. Those requiring hospitalization were chosen to study the pattern of respiratory pathogens isolated on a supervised sputum culture. Certain variables were studied in a case control design to determine an association with culture positivity.