Syndromic management of sexually transmitted infections; an approach at the primary care level: Part 2

Syndromic management of transmitted infections is now a widely accepted strategy for treatment of infections and prevention of the spread of HIV in the developing world. Although STIs are caused by many different organisms, they cause only a limited number of syndromes. Syndromic management facilitates immediate diagnosis and treatment of many STIs at the same time without the need for expensive and time consuming laboratory tests

Microbiological study of neonatal conjunctivitis with special reference to Chlamydia trachomatis.

PURPOSE: To study the microbial agents, chiefly Chlamydia trachomatis and other bacteria, in neonatal conjunctivitis. METHODS: Conjunctival specimens from 70 newborns with conjunctivitis were subjected to bacterial culture and sensitivity testing, monoclonal antibody based C. trachomatis antigen detection test and species-specific Chlamydia antibody detection in the sera of babies and their mothers, by micro-immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: Bacteria were isolated from 35 (50%) babies; the majority (20, 57.14%) were Staphylococcus epidermidis. C. trachomatis antigen was detected in conjunctival smears of 17 (24%) babies, and 6 (35.29%) of them were positive for other bacteria. Six babies and their mothers tested positive for C. trachomatis Ig G antibodies. At follow-up after 14 weeks, 6 (35.29%) of the Chlamydia antigen-positive babies were found to have developed recurrent conjunctivitis. CONCLUSION: C. trachomatis is responsible for almost a quarter of all cases of neonatal conjunctivitis, with recurrences in 35% of cases. Bacteria could be isolated from 50% of the patients though the exact role of Staphylococcus epidermidis, isolated from 28.65% of the neonatal conjunctivitis cases, remains unclear.

A microbiological study of ophthalmia neonatorum in hospital-born babies.

A retrospective microbiological analysis of ophthalmia neonatorum among the hospital-born babies of a rural multispecialty hospital over a period of 2 years was made. Diagnostic cultures were performed in all the affected babies and 30 cases were found to be culture positive for bacterial species. The spectrum of various bacterial isolates and their antibiotic sensitivity patterns were studied. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to be the commonest causative organism according to this study and newer fluoroquinolones like ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin were the antibiotics that showed the best sensitivity pattern.

Profilaxia da oftalmia neo-natorum / Prophylaxis of ophthalmia neonaturum

A oftalmia neonatorum provocada pelo gonococo é uma inflamçäo destrutiva que costuma levar a cegueira suas vítimas. A situaçäo começou a melhorar com a adoçäo de medidas higiênicas como a lavagem das mäos das mäes, recém-natos e obstetras e a incidência caiu de 20% para 0,2% com o método de Credé que utiliza o nitrato de prata a 2,5%, depois diminuído para 1%. Outros agentes profiláticos säo o Protargol e o Argirol e as sulfas e antibióticos. Para as condiçöes existentes no nosso País a adoçäo de instilaçäo de antibiótico ou pomada oftálmica de antibiótico parece ser a melhor forma de instituir a profilaxia de oftalmia neonatorum