ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: It has been suggested that chronic infections may predispose to cardiovascular disease. The relationship between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease has been a subject of increasing research in recent years. The isolation and identification of periodontal bacteria from atheromatous plaque can contribute to our knowledge of this vascular disease. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify periodontal bacteria from the periodontal pockets of different patients and to compare them with the microorganisms detected in the atheromatous plaques obtained from the same patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical isolates were obtained from 12 patients with periodontal wounds and atheromathous plaques. These samples were cultured in the appropriate bacteriological culture media and incubated in an anaerobic system. Periodontal bacteria were identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. RESULTS: From the 12 patients studied, nine presented different periodontopathic bacterial species. In two, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans was present in the periodontal pockets and the respective atheromatous plaques. CONCLUSION: The presence of A. actinomycetemcomitans in atheromatous plaques and the periodontal pockets of the same patients could indicate a role for periodontal pathogenic bacteria in the atherosclerosis disease process.
Subject(s)
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans/pathogenicity , Atherosclerosis/microbiology , Periodontitis/microbiology , Aged , Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans/isolation & purification , Atherosclerosis/complications , Bacterial Typing Techniques , Bacteroides/isolation & purification , Chronic Disease , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Periodontitis/complications , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Porphyromonas gingivalis/isolation & purification , Prevotella intermedia/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A resurgence of group A beta hemolytic Streptococcus infections such as fasciitis, cellulitis and Streptococcal Toxic Syndrome has been observed recently. AIM: To study the clinical features of patients with group A beta hemolytic Streptococcus infections in a regional hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of medical records of patients notified as having a group A beta hemolytic Streptococcus tissue infection, between 1994 and 1999. RESULTS: Twenty four patients were notified in the period as having a group A beta hemolytic Streptococcus infection and 18 (13 male, mean age 39 tears old) had tissue involvement. Eleven patients had a fasciitis (61%), six had a cellulitis (33%) and 14 patients (77%), a Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome. Eight patients died during hospital stay. The infection portal of entry was identify in 13 patients (the skin in 10 and intramuscular injections in three). Decreased patients had a longer lapse of disease before admission than patients discharged alive (5(range 3h-7 days) and 2.1 (range 6h-5 days) respectively). In seven patients a quick serological test, designed for pharyngeal infections was performed and it was positive in five. Blood cultures were positive in seven patients and in 11, the germ was isolated from the lesions. CONCLUSIONS: As the early diagnosis of group A beta hemolytic Streptococcus tissue infections has a prognostic value, the population should be instructed to recognize early signs and symptoms of these infections.
Subject(s)
Cellulitis/microbiology , Fasciitis/microbiology , Shock, Septic/microbiology , Streptococcal Infections/microbiology , Streptococcus pyogenes/isolation & purification , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Cellulitis/epidemiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Chile/epidemiology , Fasciitis/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Shock, Septic/epidemiology , Streptococcal Infections/epidemiology , SyndromeABSTRACT
The surgical technique for removal of the appendix has remained unaltered for many years. Recently, laparoscopic surgery has been introduced with advantages for many patients. We report 2 patients with acute appendicitis who were operated on with laparoscopic surgery at a regional hospital in southern Chile. This technique may become routinely available to general surgeons in the near future.
