[3 new cases of Enterobacter taylorae infection]. / Tres nuevos casos de infección por Enterobacter taylorae.

BACKGROUND: Enterobacter taylorae is a recently identified microorganism pertaining to the enterobacterian family. To date few infections by this organism have been reported with their clinical significance being unknown. Three patients with Enterobacter taylorae infection are described with the possible pathogenic capacity of this microorganism in concurrence with opportune epidemiologic features being commented upon in addition to the different sources of infection. METHODS: Biochemical identification of the microorganisms was performed by the automatized MicroScan system (Baxter). The sensitivity to the different antimicrobians was determined by automatized reading (Baxter) of the seried microdilution to the last point. RESULTS: The two first patients presented infection of an open wound with E. taylorae being isolated from the culture of the exudate of the wound and from a culture of the drainage point, respectively. The third patient developed nosocomial bacteremia following prolonged hospital stay with growth of E. taylorae being found in two different blood culture series. Different biotypes of the E. taylorae species were isolated in the three patients. Specific treatment was administered to the three patients according to the antibiogram with improvement in the clinical manifestations being observed. CONCLUSIONS: The three clinical cases herewith described suggest that E. taylorae is a potentially pathogenic microorganism which, in determined circumstances (empiric antibiotic treatment, open wounds, diagnostic or therapeutic instruments) may produce clinical pictures similar to those described for other Enterobacter species.

Reference intervals for serum lipids, lipoproteins, and apoproteins in the elderly.

We measured total cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, apoprotein A, and apoprotein B in serum. The subjects were a volunteer group of 145 white people (50 men and 95 women) ranging in age between 65 and 95 years, who were not receiving medical treatment and had no disease that could influence lipid metabolism. Before further categorization, we saw no significant sex-related difference in any of these lipid constituents. The mean age of the group was about 80 years, and we compared results for those older and younger. For the women, the only significant difference was a decrease in low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol for those older than 80 years. In men over 80 there was a significant decrease in triglycerides and in apoprotein B and an increase in high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol. The only sex-related difference for persons under and over 80 was in values for high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, which were higher for men over 80, whereas triglycerides were higher for women over 80.