ABSTRACT
We report a case of hospital-acquired pneumonia that to our knowledge is the first description in Egypt of the emergence of vancomycin (VA)-resistant Staphylococcus aureus due to the concomitant use of ß-lactams. The combination of ß-lactam antibiotics and VA in the treatment of methicillin-resistant S. aureus must be avoided to refrain from inducing VA resistance; further, if there is coinfection with Gram-negative bacilli, ß-lactams must be avoided. If ß-lactam antibiotic-induced VA-resistant methicillin-resistant S. aureus is isolated, then ß-lactams must be avoided until the organism's sensitivity to VA is restored if VA is the only therapeutic option available.
ABSTRACT
Sera from 3,158 individuals living in northern Egypt were tested for the presence of antibodies against human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) by the newly developed particle agglutination (PA) test. Ten sera gave a positive reaction in the PA test. Eight of these sera were examined further by Western blotting and all of them gave several bands corresponding to HTLV-I structural proteins. Two of the 8 sera gave positive results in the indirect immunofluorescence test. The results indicate the presence of HTLV-I carriers in this area, although at very low incidence (0.063%).
