Haemagglutinins and adherence properties to HeLa and intestine 407 cells of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Klebsiella oxytoca isolates.

The occurrence of haemagglutination (HA) and adherence properties were examined in 50 strains of K. pneumoniae and 17 K. oxytoca strains isolated from humans. All isolates except three exhibited HA activity. Mannose-sensitive haemagglutinins (MSHA) were expressed by the majority of K. pneumoniae strains, but only by one K. oxytoca isolate. Mannose-resistant haemagglutination (MRHA) to human or guinea pig erythrocytes could not be detected; haemagglutinins of the MR/K type were found in both species with similar frequencies. Adhesive properties could be demonstrated in K. pneumoniae as often as in K. oxytoca: About half of the strains adhered to two human cell lines: HeLa and Intestine 407. The incidence of HA activity was similar in adhering and nonadhering strains. A correlation between MSHA, MR/K-HA and adherence to tissue-cultured cells could not be detected.

Comparative investigations of Klebsiella species of clinical origin: plasmid patterns, biochemical reactions, antibiotic resistances and serotypes.

A total of 124 K. pneumoniae and 52 K. oxytoca isolates obtained from clinical specimens was investigated for plasmid patterns, biochemical reactions, antibiotic resistances and serotypes regarding to the distribution and relationships of these characters. A great diversity of plasmid patterns, bio/serotypes and resistance patterns was revealed. About 90% of strains contained plasmid DNA and up to seven plasmid bands per isolate could be shown. For K. pneumoniae, serotype 7 and for K. oxytoca, type 55 were most common. In general, little difference between both species was found and characters were similarly distributed. With respect to the site of isolation, serotype 7 was predominating in K. pneumoniae strains from the respiratory tract. Highly multiple-resistant organism were found in the largest number in specimens from the urogenital tract, in the lowest in specimens from wounds. Extensive statistical analyses did not detect any relationship among the characters investigated.

The use of negative indexes of health to evaluate quality of care in a primary-care group practice.

A quality assessment method using negative indexes of health as a measure of the quality of medical care was applied in a hospital-based primary-care group practice. During a 5-year period, records of 1,147 patients were analyzed. The study led to several observations regarding the use of this method in this setting: 1) The negative indexes of health method encourages physicians to include both primary and secondary preventive measures in their practice of medicine and to see their role as a broad one, from providing good care to individual patients to influencing public policy. 2) Most medical records do not now contain all the data required for use of this method. 3) In cases where this method identifies only a few instances of possibly preventable disease or untimely death, it is impossible to know whether the care is good and the method of evaluation is sensitive, or whether the care is poor and the method is insensitive to deficiencies in care.

Evaluation of plain abdominal radiographs in the diagnosis of abdominal pain.

In an effort to develop referral criteria for the ordering of abdominal radiographs for patients presenting with abdominal symptoms, we prospectively studied the relation between clinical data and radiographic abnormalities. Of 1780 examinations, 179 (10.0%) showed some radiographic abnormality. If abdominal radiographs would have been limited to those patients who had moderate or severe abdominal tenderness, or to patients with a high clinical suspicion of bowel obstruction, renal or ureteral calculi, trauma, ischemia, or gallbladder disease, regardless of the degree of tenderness, 956 (53.7%) examinations would not have been done. All radiographic abnormalities reflecting a serious pathologic process would have been identified. Only 33 (3.5%) abnormalities of limited significance, almost all localized or generalized ileus, would have been undetected. The adoption of these referral criteria would result in minimal loss of clinically useful information, large financial savings, and a reduction in radiation exposure.

Evaluation of plain abdominal radiographs in the diagnosis of abdominal pain.

In an effort to develop referral criteria for the ordering of abdominal radiographs for patients presenting with abdominal symptoms, we prospectively studied the relation between clinical data and radiographic abnormalities. Of 1780 examinations, 179 (10.0%) showed some radiographic abnormality. If abdominal radiographs would have been limited to those patients who had moderate or severe abdominal tenderness, or to patients with a high clinical suspicion of bowel obstruction, renal or ureteral calculi, trauma, ischemia, or gallbladder disease, regardless of the degree of tenderness, 956 (53.7%) examinations would not have been done. All radiographic abnormalities reflecting a serious pathologic process would have been identified. Only 33 (3.5) abnormalities of limited significance, almost all localized or generalized ileus, would have been undetected. The adoption of these referral criteria would result in minimal loss of clinicall useful information, large financial savings, and a reduction in radiation exposure.