Strike-through of moist contamination by woven and nonwoven surgical materials.

A test is described which correlates the stress of stretching surgical gown and drape material with moist bacterial strike-through. By application of this test to a number of woven and nonwoven surgical gown and drape materials, it was found that not all of these materials, either woven or nonwoven, are impermeable to moist contamination for equal periods of time. Nonwoven disposable materials now in use range from those which remain impermeable to moist bacterial permeation through all tests while some remain impermeable for limited periods of time, and others almost immediately permeable to moist bacterial penetration. The same situation holds for woven materials. Under conditions of our test, Quarpel treated Pima tight-woven cotton cloth was impermeable to moist bacterial strike-through, through up to 75 washing and sterilizing cyclings, while ordinary linen and untreated Pima cloth permitted bacterial permeation almost immediately. These results have significance in lengthy wet surgical operations.

Effect of antibacterial therapy on renal lysozyme levels in rats developing bacterial pyelonephritis.

In animals developing unilateral Proteus mirabilis-induced pyelonephritis, the total soluble renal lysozyme (SRL) of both kidneys undergoes a biphasic elevation. The second phase of elevated SRL is associated with the onset of chronicity in the infected kidney. To discover whether effective antibacterial therapy altered the second elevation of SRL, levels of SRL were determined in rats developing unilateral chronic pyelonephritis with and without effective regimens of antibacterial agents. Therapeutic doses of ampicillin and nitrofurantoin caused elevations of SRL in both kidneys of infected animals, but these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Both agents produce elevations of SRL in uninfected animals which were significant (P < 0.05) when compared with normal animals. Kanamycin sulfate at a therapeutic dose induced great elevations of SRL in kidneys of both infected and uninfected animals. It is concluded that infection per se is not the cause of the elevated SRL.

Renal lysozyme levels in animals developing "sterile pyelonephritis".

The induction of sterile unilateral pyelonephritis in rats with heat-killed Proteus mirabilis cells is described. The lesions were identical to those produced with viable bacteria. Lysozyme levels in both kidneys of rats developing unilateral sterile pyelonephritis underwent biphasic elevations similar to those produced with viable bacteria. In the injected kidney, the first elevation, associated with the trauma of injection, could be produced by injecting sterile saline. The second elevation was associated with the onset of chronicity in the injected kidney. The nonmanipulated, contralateral kidney showed a similar biphasic elevation, of equal duration but of greater magnitude.

Tetracycline inhibition of a lipase from Corynebacterium acnes.

A lipase which hydrolyzes triglycerides (tricaprylin and trilaurin) and naphthyl laurate was obtained from the broth of Corynebacterium acnes cultures by ammonium sulfate fractionation. Ca(2+) and sodium taurocholate stimulated activity of the enzyme. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) did not inhibit activity of the Ca(2+)-activated enzyme, but lipolytic activity was inhibited by EDTA in the absence of Ca(2+). Tetracycline (10(-4)m) produced a slight inhibition of the lipase activity with 5 x 10(-5)m or less showing no effect on the lipase activity. However, complete inhibition by tetracycline at 10(-4)m was observed for Ca(2+)-activated enzyme. Tetracycline inhibition of the C. acnes lipase could be demonstrated at concentrations as low as 10(-6)m.

Renal lysozyme levels in animals developing Proteus mirabilis-induced pyelonephritis.

In animals developing experimentally induced unilateral pyelonephritis, both the infected kidney (IK) and the contralateral noninfected kidney (NIK) showed an immediate increase in renal lysozyme activity of about 5 days' duration after the unilateral injection of viable Proteus mirabilis into the renal cortex. Lysozyme activities of the NIK were consistently higher than those of the IK. This initial increase was followed by a second increase which lasted throughout the period of observation (17 days), and enzyme activities of the NIK were consistently higher than those of the IK. In saline punctured kidneys of control animals, both the saline punctured kidney (SP) and the non-saline punctured kidney (NSP) showed only the immediate increase in renal lysozyme activity, which persisted until the SP was completely healed. These enzyme activities were less than those observed in the infected animals, but the response of the NSP was greater than that of the SP. Trauma not directed to the kidney does not produce a similar response of renal lysozyme. The elevated renal lysozyme of the NIK could not be shown to protect it from bacterial infection.