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The prevalence of streptogramin resistance genes in enterococci recovered from retail poultry in the Greater Washington DC area was examined. Forty-three chicken and 32 turkey retail samples were analysed. Thirty-one non-Enterococcus faecalis enterococcal strains were isolated that displayed MICs of quinupristin-dalfopristin and virginiamycin of > or = 4 mg/L. These included Enterococcus faecium (turkey n = 4, chicken n = 23), Enterococcus gallinarum (turkey n = 2, chicken n = 1) and Enterococcus hirae (chicken n = 1). The presence of streptogramin resistance genes was examined by PCR in all non-E. faecalis isolates. The vat(E) gene was detected in 10/23 chicken E. faecium and from 2/4 turkey E. faecium. No other streptogramin resistance genes were detected by PCR. In addition, erm(B) was detected in all the E. faecium and E. gallinarum found in turkeys and in 7/23 E. faecium found in chickens. The vat(E) gene was transferable by conjugation from only two of the 12 E. faecium isolates (one from chicken and one from turkey). This study suggests that there is a high prevalence of low-level streptogramin resistance among enterococci found in retail poultry and that other, yet to be identified, mechanisms operate in these isolates that confer streptogramin resistance in enterococci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance among Escherichia coli isolates from diarrhoeal disease in cattle was studied. Many of the isolates were multiply resistant to β-lactams, including expanded-spectrum cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, sulphonamides, tetracycline and fluoroquinolones. In many of the isolates, IEF revealed a strong β-lactamase band compatible with overexpression of the AmpC β-lactamase, either alone or in addition to TEM-type enzymes. Several of the isolates also possessed genes encoding virulence factors associated with animal and human diarrhoeal diseases. These results suggest that the use of antibiotics in animals could lead to a reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that could potentially infect humans. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The length of time a named antibiotic should be given to eradicate a urinary tract infection in the adult non-pregnant female seen in a general practitioner's surgery has been further investigated. A three-day course of amoxycillin is superior to a one-day course of the same drug in the same dose, in sterilizing the urine and in providing relief of symptoms. A previous study in the same population employing the same criteria but comparing a ten-day course with a three-day course (Charlton ., 1976), showed no difference in the cure rate bacteriologically and symptomatically. We therefore recommend that a three-day course of antibiotic is the preferred length of time for the treatment of this group of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Minimum inhibitory concentrations of 13 -lactam antibiotics (ampicillin, amoxycillin, amoxycillin/clavulanate, imipenem, cefazolin, cefadroxil, cefaclor, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, cefepime, cefpirome, cefpodoxime and cefixime), were determined for 76 strains of -lactamase negative , isolated over a five year period (1985–1990) that gave reduced zones to cefuroxime on disc testing when compared to the control strain NCTC 11931. MIC values for all antibiotics (except imipenem) were approximately ten times higher than the MIC values for a susceptible control group. Increased resistance was not associated with any particular biotype, although three biotype III strains were highly resistant to imipenem. More than 50% of strains with reduced susceptibility to -lactam antibiotics were isolated from patients with chronic respiratory disease. Published data on the sputum concentration of each antibiotic were compared to the MIC values obtained for the susceptible and resistant strains. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Three-hundred and twelve episodes of fever in 234 neutropenic patients with haematological malignancies were treated empirically with either imipenem or a combination of piperacillin and gentamicin. There were no significant differences in the percentages of patients responding to therapy at either 72 h (59% and 56% of assessable episodes in the imipenem and combination groups respectively) or at the end of treatment (55% and 53% of assessable episodes in the imipenem and combination groups respectively). Patients in the piperacillin plus gentamicin group experienced significantly more renal tubular damage whereas those who received imipenem suffered more nausea or vomiting. We conclude that imipenem mono-therapy represents an acceptable alternative to piperacillin plus gentamicin as empirical therapy of the febrile neutropenic patient. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]