Journal of clinical microbiology
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J. Clin. Microbiol. · Jun 2011
Comparative StudyMultiplex PCR allows rapid and accurate diagnosis of bloodstream infections in newborns and children with suspected sepsis.
Sepsis is a major health problem in newborns and children. Early detection of pathogens allows initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy that strongly correlates with positive outcomes. Multiplex PCR has the potential to rapidly identify bloodstream infections, compensating for the loss of blood culture sensitivity. ⋯ Among specimens taken from patients receiving antibiotic therapy, we also observed a significantly higher rate of positivity of SeptiFast than blood culture (14.1% versus 6.5%, respectively; P < 0.0001). On the contrary, contaminants were significantly more frequent among blood cultures than SeptiFast (n = 97 [5.8%] versus n = 26 [1.6%]), respectively; P < 0.0001). SeptiFast served as a highly valuable adjunct to conventional blood culture in children, adding diagnostic value and shortening the time to result (TTR) to 6 h.
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J. Clin. Microbiol. · Jun 2011
Phenotypic, genotypic, and antibiotic sensitivity patterns of strains isolated from the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe.
This paper details the phenotypic, genotypic, and antibiotic sensitivity patterns of 88 Vibrio cholerae strains from Zimbabwe. Of the 88 strains, 83 were classified as "altered El Tor" and 5 as "hybrid El Tor" strains. All of the strains were susceptible to tetracycline, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin by disc diffusion, but susceptibility to tetracycline and azithromycin diminished when observed using the MIC method.