Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of staphylococci isolated from the skin surface of clinically normal cats.

Samples were collected from 148 adult cats, processed for isolation of Staphylococcus species and tested for susceptibility to penicillin G, gentamicin, oxacillin, amoxycillin, ampicillin, cephalexin and rifampin. Methicillin resistance was also determined. Ninety-eight isolates were obtained (66% of samples). Coagulase-negative species were most common, and the most frequently isolated species (37 samples) was Staph. felis. Other coagulase-negative species, such as Staph. simulans, Staph. epidermidis and Staph. saprophyticus were also isolated. Coagulase-positive species were obtained from 40 cats; the most frequent was Staph. intermedius (26 samples), followed by Staph. aureus (14 samples). Resistance to antibiotics was frequently observed, with 58.2% of the isolates showing resistance to at least one drug. Resistance to Penicillin G was observed in 49 of the 98 isolates (50%), 22 samples were resistant to oxacillin (22.4%) and 12 to rifampin (12.2%). Resistance to amoxycillin and ampicillin was very similar to that observed to Penicillin G. Gentamicin was the most active antimicrobial agent. Three MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) were isolated, which represents 21.4% of the isolates of that species. Nineteen MRS (methicillin resistant staphylococci) were also observed, distributed among Staph. intermedius (eight), Staph. simulans (six) and Staph. felis (five) isolates. The role of these micro-organisms on the skin of cats is discussed.

[Narcolepsy, an epidemic?]. / Narcolepsia, uma epidemia?

Narcolepsy, was first described in 1880, is a chronic, disabling disease characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and abnormal REM manifestations. It is estimated that, in Brazil, 15,000 to 150,000 cases may exist, but is was only since the first sleep laboratories were installed in the country that the disease began to be recognized. It created a sudden increase in the number of diagnosis which actually simulates an epidemics in the medical records. The existence of a sleep laboratory, however, is not necessary for the diagnosis of the disease. An informed clinician can identify it during the interview. The goal of this paper is to inform about the clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of the disease through the report of four selected cases.