J Dairy Sci. 1999 Jan;82(1):93-8.
Comparison of treatment of mastitis by oxytocin or antibiotics following detection according to changes in milk electrical conductivity prior to visible signs.

Hillerton JE, Semmens JE.

Institute for Animal Health, Newbury, Berks, United Kingdom.

Mastitis was induced in dairy cows by infusion of 500 cfu of Streptococcus uberis into the mammary gland. Most infections developed to clinical disease, and the majority were predicted by changes in the electrical conductivity of the foremilk. The benefits of clinical prognosis and bacteriological cure were determined for cases that were treated when predicted to develop into clinical mastitis and compared with cases that were allowed to develop until milk clotted or until pyrexia before intramammary antibiotic treatment was used. Treatment prior to clinical mastitis included use of intramammary antibiotic or intramuscular oxytocin to allow stripping of residual milk to remove bacteria. All infections in which treatment was delayed resulted in clinical mastitis that was cured clinically and bacteriologically by sustained treatment using a broad-spectrum intramammary antibiotic preparation once daily but requiring a mean treatment time of 10 d. It was possible to prevent clinical mastitis from developing and to eliminate all infections in cows that were treated early when the developing disease was predicted by changes in the electrical conductivity of quarter foremilk and was treated aggressively by administering an intramammary antibiotic at each milking for 3 d. Treatment of 20 IU of oxytocin at six successive milkings of cows that were predicted to develop disease eliminated 25% of the infections, but 75% of the cows developed clinical mastitis. Those cases were resolved by sustained daily treatment using the same intramammary antibiotic. Elimination (100% clinical and bacteriological cure) of all infections caused by Strep. uberis was possible with early and aggressive or sustained use of the intramammary antibiotic. The early intervention using an intramammary antibiotic, when infection was first indicated by changes in the electrical conductivity of milk, was the most efficient method to achieve cure and led to quicker recovery of milk quality to a saleable standard.


Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10022011&dopt=Abstract antibiotic, antibiotics



Curr Microbiol. 1999 Apr;38(4):199-204.
Behavior of pythium Torulosum zoospores during their interaction with tobacco roots and Bacillus cereus.

Shang H, Chen J, Handelsman J, Goodman RM.

Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Russell Laboratories, Room 687A, Madison, WI 53706, USA.

Bacillus cereus UW85 suppresses seedling damping-off diseases caused by Oomycetes and produces antibiotics that inhibit development of Oomycetes in culture. The goal of this study was to determine how UW85 and its antibiotics affected the behavior of an Oomycete, Pythium torulosum, in its interaction with plant roots. We studied tobacco seedlings inoculated with zoospores of P. torulosum and UW85 culture, culture filtrate, washed cells, antibiotics (zwittermicin A or kanosamine), purified from cultures of UW85, and UW030, a mutant of UW85 that does not suppress disease and does not produce the antibiotics. Microscopic observation revealed that all of the treatments inhibited zoospore activity around roots and encystment on roots. Treatment with UW85 culture, culture filtrate, zwittermicin A, or kanosamine delayed cyst germination and the elongation rate of germ tubes, whereas treatment with UW030 or washed UW85 cells did not. In an in vitro seedling bioassay of disease suppression, the antibiotics, zwittermicin A and kanosamine, suppressed disease singly or together, although UW85 culture suppressed disease more effectively than did the antibiotics. The results show that B. cereus cultures affect zoospore behavior in the presence of roots, and B. cereus-produced antibiotics, zwittermicin A and kanosamine, contribute to disease suppression and inhibition of germ tube elongation in the presence of the plant root.


Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10069854&dopt=Abstract antibiotic, antibiotics



Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2000 Autumn;1(3):187-96.
Emerging bacterial pathogens: a consensus of the scientific data and the risk for development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

Rapp RP.

Departments of Pharmacy and Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.

Antibiotic resistance in the hospital setting is continuing to increase, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs) and other areas of the hospital such as oncology units, where the use of empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics is common. The problem of antibiotic resistance is also compounded in the immunocompromised patient. Multi-drug resistance is common among both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria, and becoming more prevalent among fungi (yeast). Two major antibiotic-resistant pathogens include extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). When infections occur with ESBL-KP, a carbapenem antibiotic is usually the drug of choice. When infection occurs with VRE, specific therapy is bacteriostatic, and the clinician may have to rely on empirically selected antibiotics or combinations of antibiotics to achieve a positive outcome. Two newly-approved agents, linezolid and quinupristin/dalfopristin can be used to treat infections caused by resistant gram-positive cocci, but the latter is approved for use against VR-E. faecium. Risk factors for the development of ESBL-KP include the use of extended-spectrum cephalosporins such as ceftazidime. Risk factors for the development of VRE include inappropriate use of vancomycin, extended-spectrum cephalosporins, and antianaerobic drug therapy such as clindamycin. Several institutions have documented a reduction in one or both of these resistant pathogens following a decrease in the use of extended-spectrum cephalosporins combined with the increased use of extended-spectrum penicillins/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations, such as piperacillin/tazobactam, for the empiric therapy of infections. For VRE, a reduction in the inappropriate use of vancomycin is also an important interventional strategy along with improved infection control practice.


Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12594889&dopt=Abstract antibiotic, antibiotics [PubMed - in process]



J Chemother. 1999 Feb;11(1):46-9.
Elution of vancomycin and tobramycin bonded to vascular grafts.

Leblebicioglu H, Sencan I, Gunaydin M, Esen S, Eroglu C, Sunbul M.

Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Ondokuz Mayis University, Medical School, Samsun, Turkey. hakanomriteme.com

The elution of vancomycin and tobramycin from vascular grafts sealed with collagen and human blood was studied in vitro. The release of antibiotics was measured in three different types of soaked grafts, including grafts soaked with antibiotic after being sealed with albumin, those sealed with antibiotic and albumin mixture and those impregnated with fresh blood and antibiotic mixture. Each antibiotic was tested at two different concentrations, i.e. 5 mg/ml and 10 mg/ml for vancomycin and 2 mg/ml and 5 mg/ml for tobramycin. The eluted antibiotic concentrations were determined by the fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Initially large quantities of antibiotics were quickly eluted, depending on the amount of antibiotic mixture. A measurable amount of vancomycin was released for 3 days. There was no difference between the elution kinetics of the two antibiotics from the three different soaked grafts (p>0.05). Antibiotic-soaked grafts provided zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus on Trypticase soy agar plate for up to 24 h. These results suggest that local application for 24 h of vancomycin or tobramycin with vascular grafts may be effective to prevent graft infection as shown by the fluorescence polarization immunoassay.


Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10078780&dopt=Abstract antibiotic, antibiotics



Presse Med. 1999 Feb 20;28(7):343-50.
[Prescription and consumption of antibiotics in ambulatory care]

[Article in French]

[No authors listed]

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to describe changes in prescription practices outside the hospital, to evaluate the adaptation of such prescriptions to current scientific knowledge, and to compare medical practices in France with those in other European countries. METHODS: Data were collected from several sources: analysis of the literature, surveys conducted in the Loiret department and in the Rhone-Alpes region, ten-year health surveys (INSEE), data from the Sentinel network, sales statements from pharmaceutical firms, the Permanent Survey of Medical Prescription (EPPM) of the Medical Information and Statistics (IMS) firm. Comparisons between France, the United Kingdom and Germany were conducted by the French Medicine Agency's Pharmaco-economic Studies and Information Department using data furnished by the IMS firm and by pharmaceutical firms. RESULTS: In France, antibiotic sales increased by a mean annual rate of 2.1%, expressed in antibiotic units, and 2.6%, expressed in turnover (manufacturer price) between 1991 and 1996. The majority of these antibiotics were prescribed for respiratory and ENT infections with a presumed viral etiology such as rhinopharyngitis and acute bronchitis. The results of the different surveys were in agreement showing that antibiotic prescriptions are made in approximately 40% of all consultations for rhino-pharyngitis and in 80% of those for acute bronchitis. Antibiotics were prescribed in more than 90% of cases of pharyngitis whatever the age of the patient. The situation was different for acute middle ear infections as the number of consultations has remained relatively unchanged over the last 10 years while antibiotic prescriptions have strongly increased, reaching 80% of the consultations. The number of consultations for pharyngitis and acute rhino-pharyngitis appears to be greater in France than in the United Kingdom and in Germany. Likewise, the proportion of patients using antibiotics after consulting for presumed viral conditions would be higher in France with different antibiotic classes being used. CONCLUSIONS: There is a gap between official guidelines (product description documents, therapeutic information document good practice guidelines, consensus conferences) and the state of current practices. Excessive and poorly-adapted antibiotic prescription favors the disturbing phenomenon of resistance which is all the more alarming because the emergence of resistant strains is difficult to predict and concern bacteria causing the most common infections. To improve medical practices and achieve a persistent reduction in the use of antibiotics for viral infections, validated recommendations should be distributed to physicians. An effort should be made to prescribe the most appropriate active substance at optimal dose and treatment duration to limit the development of bacterial resistance. In addition, patients and the general public should be informed of the absence of any beneficial effect and the individual and collective risks involved in using antibiotic for viral infections in order to help them better understand and comply to their physician's prescription.


Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10083880&dopt=Abstract antibiotic, antibiotics



Am J Gastroenterol. 1999 Mar;94(3):725-9.
Costs of diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection: when does choosing the treatment regimen based on susceptibility testing become cost effective?

Breuer T, Graham DY.

VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.

OBJECTIVE: Antibiotic-resistant Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) strains are becoming increasingly prevalent. Currently, most physicians treat H. pylori infections without relying on antimicrobial susceptibility testing to choose the best regimen. This study was conducted to evaluate whether routine pretreatment susceptibility testing is cost effective from a third party payer point of view. METHODS: A decision model was devised to compare direct costs and outcome for diagnosis and treatment over 1 year for two different strategies. Strategy A: Endoscopy plus biopsy followed by an empirical antibiotic treatment of H. pylori-positive ulcer patients. Treatment failure was followed by reendoscopy with biopsy and antibiotic susceptibility testing and a second treatment. Strategy B: Endoscopy as in strategy A now followed by antibiotic susceptibility testing and tailored antibiotic treatment. Treatment failure was handled as in strategy A. RESULTS: Following through with strategy A or B, the overall cure rate for both strategies was virtually identical. Therefore, cost effectiveness is defined as money saved per patient by using strategy B, while achieving similar effectiveness (cure rates). As an example we compared therapies for a population with known parameters for antibiotic resistance as well as cure rates. Pretreatment susceptibility testing would save $37,000 per 1,000 patients treated. According to our model (equal therapy-price assumption in strategy A and B), pretreatment susceptibility testing for metronidazole is less costly for all the reported populations worldwide. CONCLUSIONS: Our decision analysis suggests that routine pretreatment susceptibility testing can be cost effective under various settings. The model presented is easily transferable to any population as long as the following variables are known: 1) the proportion of H. pylori strains in the population that are resistant to the antibiotics of the initial regimen; 2) the cure rate in sensitive H. pylori strains; 3) the cure rate in resistant H. pylori strains; and 4) the costs for diagnosis and treatment used.


Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10086658&dopt=Abstract antibiotic, antibiotics



Antibiot Khimioter. 1998;43(11):6-10.
[Evaluation of antibiotic sensitivity of pathogenic vibrios of various species]

[Article in Russian]

Danilkina EB, Smolikova LM, Mironova AV, Sanamiants EM.

Research Plague Institute, Rostov-on-Don.

The recent increase of the number of antimicrobials and isolation of antibiotic resistant strains from humans and environmental objects is indicative of the necessity of further investigation of antibiotic susceptibility of the representatives of the genus Vibrio pathogenic for man to provide rational therapy of the diseases due to them. Susceptibility of 160 strains of pathogenic vibrios of 9 species to 11 antibiotics and chemotherapeutic drugs was assayed by the method of serial dilutions in agar media. The isolates were shown to be highly susceptible to chloramphenicol, doxycycline, cefotaxime, nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin which made it possible to consider them as the drugs of choice in the treatment of the diseases caused by the microorganisms. A tendency to form polyantibiotic resistant strains within every species of tested pathogenic vibrios was observed. It conditioned the prospects of further profound study of the phenomenon with the analysis of the genetic determination of antibiotic resistance markers in pathogenic vibrios.


Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10079859&dopt=Abstract antibiotic, antibiotics