Tactics for the control of wildlife rabies in Ontario (Canada).

Two different tactics are currently being utilized to control rabies in foxes, skunks and raccoons in Ontario, Canada. The first tactic, which involves live-capturing with cage-traps and vaccinating by intramuscular injection, was successful in immunizing 54%-72% of the skunk and raccoon populations in a 60 km2 area of Toronto, Ontario. This area has been free of rabies for two-and-a-half years. The second tactic, involving the distribution of baits containing modified live-virus (ERA) rabies vaccine, was implemented to control rabies in foxes in both urban and rural areas of Ontario. In Toronto, 50% and 63% of the foxes were vaccinated during 1989 and 1990, respectively. Over the same period, 45% and 61% of the foxes in a 30,000 km2 area of south-eastern Ontario were immunized. Rabies is declining in both of these areas. A contingency plan has been devised to control an epizootic of raccoon rabies which is threatening to invade Ontario from the United States of America.

In vitro antibacterial activity of SM-7338, a carbapenem antibiotic with stability to dehydropeptidase I.

SM-7338, a new carbapenem antibiotic, was demonstrated to have potent antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of aerobes, including Staphylococcus aureus, beta-hemolytic streptococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria spp., members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp., and gram-positive and gram-negative anaerobes in a collection of 1,102 unselected clinical isolates. At a concentration of 0.5 micrograms/ml, SM-7338 inhibited 90% of these strains. The spectrum of activity of ceftazidime and cefotaxime was more limited, and many of the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp. were resistant to these agents, piperacillin, or gentamicin. A collection of ofloxacin-resistant strains was inhibited by SM-7338 or imipenem at 4 micrograms/ml. SM-7338 was more active than metronidazole and clindamycin against anaerobes. Of the carbapenems, imipenem had greater activity against staphylococci but SM-7338 was much more active against Haemophilus, Branhamella, and Neisseria spp. and all genera of Enterobacteriaceae tested. The MIC of SM-7338 for 90% of these strains ranged from less than or equal to 0.008 to 0.13 micrograms/ml. When tested against 124 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, SM-7338 inhibited 76% at 0.5 microgram/ml but imipenem inhibited only 15% at this concentration. Both carbapenems exhibited similar activities against Bacteroides spp., but SM-7338 was more active than imipenem against Clostridium spp. The MBC of SM-7338 was most commonly the same as or twice the MIC. SM-7338 and imipenem showed excellent activities against bacteria elaborating chromosome- or plasmid-mediated beta-lactamases, including those conferring resistance to broad-spectrum cephalosporins. The activity of SM-7338 was generally unaffected by the culture medium used, pH, 25% human serum, and inoculum size, but the susceptibility of Xanthomonas maltophilia was medium dependent.