Streptococcus suis toxic-shock syndrome and meningitis.

Three cases with S. suis bacteremia and meningitis were reported. The first case was a 23-year-old butcher who was a regular drinker of alcohol for two years and developed streptococcal toxic-shock syndrome. The organism was transmitted to him through a minor cut in his right arm. The second cases was a 49-year-old female laborer who had been consuming locally produced alcohol for 20 years and developed fever and meningitis. Unfortunately, she succumbed in seven days despite intensive supportive and cefotaxime treatments. The third case was a 45-year-old regular alcoholic drinker and car painter who was seen at a private hospital due to contusion at his left lateral chest wall. However, fever and confusion due to meningitis was detected upon admission. Irreversible deafness developed within 48 hours of ceftriaxone therapy for meningitis. He finally recovered with deafness. S. suis was isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures in all three cases though initially reported to be viridans group of streptococci.

Hygienic status of food handlers.

The study demonstrated bacterial species on hands and nails of food-handlers before and after hand-washing. Those were Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Micrococcus spp., Bacillus spp., Diphtheroid, Aeromonas hydrophila, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas spp., Proteus mirabilis, Serratia spp., Citrobacter freundii. Before hand washing, each food-handler harboured one to eight bacterial species. After hand-washing (eight with water from plastic boxes, 97 from pipe water, 57 out of 97 (58.8%) used soap or detergent with water), disappearance of one to four bacterial strains from hands and nails were found in 47.6 per cent of food-handlers. Cultures of water used for washing from eight plastic boxes yielded Staph. spp., Strep. spp., Aeromonas hydrophila, Kleb.pneumoniae, Acinetobacter anitratus, Enterobacter cloacae. From pipe water, Diphtheroid in 4, 4.1 per cent Micrococcus in 1, 1.03 per cent were shown. Comparing bacterial species found in food-handlers with long nails and short nails, 4-8 more species were revealed in the former than the latter for 35.7 per cent. After hand-washing, there was recontamination of bacterial species in 17 food-handlers. This was probably due to dirty napkins or dresses during hand-drying or from water in plastic boxes.

Persistent bacterial endocarditis caused by three isolates of satellite streptococci.

Three isolates of satellite streptococci were cultivated from the blood of a patient affected persistent bacterial endocarditis. They had distinguishable ultrastructural abnormalities. Their cell wall architecture changed from a fuzzy coat (first isolate) to a thick electron transparent layer covered with a rough fuzzy coat (second isolate), and to electron dense globular material which detached from the wall in small patches (third isolate). The antibiotics probably played an important role in changing their architecture. These three isolates were probably derived from the same strain, since they had common biochemical characteristics and they were isolated from the same patient during the course of his endocarditis.

Cholecystitis associated with Enterobacter agglomerans.

A case report of chronic cholecystitis due to Enterobacter agglomerans, occurred in a 54-year old female with homozygous beta-thalassemia. The patient responded successfully to cholecystectomy and sulfamethoxazole + trimetroprim therapy. The source of the infection was not known, however, cystic duct obstruction and immune deficit were thought to be the predisposing causes.

Distribution of IMVC biogroups of Aeromonas hydrophila and Aeromonas sobria isolated from human, fish and water.

Aeromonas sobria and A.hydrophila were isolated from infected fish in ratio of 3.5:1 during the outbreak of fish infections from December 1982 to February 1983, while isolates from human diarrheic stool was 1 :2. On the basis of IMVC reactions 138 isolates of motile aeromonads could be divided into 11 biogroups, with biogroup 4 showing statistically significant association with infections. Nine biogroups of aeromonads which were isolated from infected fish reflected that the outbreak was not caused by a single type of bacteria. There may have been some common factors which acted as predisposing causes. The possibility of zoonosis spreading of this epidemic infection of fish was low, because the majority of the infective agents in man and fish were different.