[Spreading of Listeria monocytogenes in cheese dairy products]. / Indagine sulla diffusione di Listeria monocytogenes in prodotti lattiero caseari.

The increasingly more frequent occurrences of epidemic nidus of Listeria monocytogenes induced the E.E.C. Health Organisation to research into the diffusion of such microorganism. During the first six months of 1988 the "Istituto Superiore di Sanità" began a research into the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in milk and dairy products. The biological section of the "Laboratorio di Sanità Pubblica" of Grugliasco (Torino) participated in this study and in this work methods and results are reported. Changing the F.D.A. methods, incubation time was reduced. The percentage of positive samples was 4.6%, especially in dairy products with cheese mould. These results confirm an environmental diffusion of Listeria monocytogenes, nevertheless non illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes was recorded in the population who ate these products. Therefore the problem of Listeria monocytogenes pathogenicity and its diffusion by food remains to be clarified.

[Group A streptococci: serotypes isolated in a pediatric environment]. / Streptococchi di gruppo A: sierotipi isolati in ambiente pediatrico.

We examined the incidence of different types of group A Streptococci in children with various (mostly respiratory) diseases. The 85.6% of strains assayed were T typable; they belonged more frequently to "5-11-12-27-44" T complex, to type T12, T1, "3-13-B3264" T complex and T4. An increase of type 1 and 4 was found in streptococcal strains isolated more recently.

[Urinary tract infections: new approaches]. / Infezioni delle vie urinarie: nuovi orientamenti.

Evidence that cure in acute, uncomplicated UTI will be achieved with a single-dose treatment is reported. In according with experimental works on pyelonephritis and pharmacological and pharmacocynetic data on new aminoglycoside antibiotics, authors proposed a new approach in the management of UTI, acute bacterial pyelonephritis and asymptomatic bacteriuria in children. Association of bolus dose therapy, non chemoantibiotical control of periurethral and intestinal ecosystem, with frequent and systematic monitoring of bacteriuria, seems to be effective to control infection and to prevent the development of renal scarring. Management of UTI in childhood could be easier and not require intensive and prolonged courses of antimicrobial therapy.

[Considerations about new cephalosporins]. / Considerazione sulle nuove cefalosporine.

Spectrum of antibacterial activity, pharmacokinetics, adverse effects, dosage and therapeutic uses of newer cephalosporins are reviewed, following data of the most recent international works. AA. think that advantages of the new compounds in comparison with previous cephalosporins, are not so important that might modify their opinion on the role of cephalosporins in therapy: cephalosporins are useful, effective and safe chemotherapeutic agents, but all are overused and, only exceptionally, they could be claimed as a first choice antibiotics. Attempts should be made to define the precise indications for the use of the several members of the group before deciding which are really necessary, when it is really necessary. Newer cephalosporins should be reserved for situations in which they may be preferred to others chemo-antibiotics because of their relative safety or because of organism resistance to better established drugs. The present newer cephalosporins are generally effective when used wisely, in hospitalised patients, but therapy will often be significantly more expensive than a current chemo-antibiotic treatment.

[Case of L. monocytogenes meningitis in the non-neonatal period]. / Su un caso di meningite da L. monocytogenes in età non neonatale.

A case of Listeria monocytogenes meningitidis in a little girl of Envie (Cuneo) is reported. The epidemiologic study has shown the presence of significatively high antibodies titers also in the sera of other members of the family.