Campylobacter jejuni septicemia--epidemiology, clinical features and outcome.

In 33 cases of Campylobacter jejuni septicemia, the disease was more common at the extremes of age: infants made up a third of the reported cases while 24% of patients were older than 50 years. Fever was noted in more than 80% of patients and chills in about a fourth. Enteritis was present in 70% of cases, and the gastrointestinal tract was the principal source of septicemia. Half of the patients did not have significant underlying disease but were at extremes of age, which may reflect relative host impairment. Mortality (25%) owing to C jejuni septicemia occurs mostly in compromised hosts.

Ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid versus moxalactam in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections.

A formulation of 3.0 g of ticarcillin and 0.1 g of clavulanic acid was evaluated in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections, and its efficacy was compared with that of moxalactam in a randomized open study. Thirty-three patients received 3.1 g of ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid every six hours via intravenous infusion, and 36 patients received 2.0 g of moxalactam every eight hours via intravenous infusion. Diagnostic categories included intramuscular abscesses, cellulitis, skin ulcers, gangrene, and perirectal abscesses. The average age of the patients and the duration of therapy were similar in both groups. Overall, 45 aerobic and 25 anaerobic bacteria were isolated from the ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid-treated patients; 58 aerobic and 24 anaerobic bacteria were isolated from the moxalactam-treated patients. Thirty of 33 patients in the ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid-treated group had a satisfactory response; a skin rash developed in one patient; therapy failed in one patient with Staphylococcus aureus infection; and one patient died as a result of a bleeding peptic ulcer. In the moxalactam-treated group, 32 of 36 patients had a satisfactory response; a skin rash developed in one patient; therapy failed in a patient with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection; and two patients were unevaluable. Ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid as a single agent was found to be as effective as moxalactam in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections.