Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease
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Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2009
Cutoff values for bacteria and leukocytes for urine flow cytometer Sysmex UF-1000i in urinary tract infections.
Because urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a quite common disease, the gold standard for diagnosing UTIs is still bacterial culture, although a large percentage of samples are negative: unnecessary cultures can be reduced by means of an effective screening test. The analytic performance of a new urine cytometer, the UF-1000i, has been tested on 1463 urine samples submitted to our laboratory for culture. Bacteria and leukocyte counts have been compared by means of the UF-1000i with colony-forming unit (CFU) quantification on citrate lactose electrolytes deficient agar to assess the best cutoff values. ⋯ Analytic parameters such as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and correctly classified incidence were satisfactory. Based on the results obtained in this study, when using the UF-1000i analyzer for a screening test for UTI, a cutoff value of 40 white blood cells/microL should be adopted. The cutoff value for bacteria should be 125/microL for those clinical conditions in which 10 x 10(5) CFU/mL indicates a positivity.
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Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Sep 2009
Case ReportsUnrecognized cervical spinal epidural abscess associated with metastatic Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia and liver abscess in nondiabetic patients.
We describe a Klebsiella pneumoniae-related liver abscess and unrecognized epidural abscess with or without endophthalmitis in 2 nondiabetic patients, both of whom suffered neurologic complications after invasive procedure. Although rare, we should keep these types of cases in mind when making a diagnosis in patients with both liver abscess and complaint of neck pain.
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Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Jun 2009
Comparative StudyOutcomes of extended infusion piperacillin/tazobactam for documented Gram-negative infections.
This comparison of intermittent versus extended-infusion piperacillin-tazobactam among patients with Gram-negative infections revealed similar mortality and length of stay. Outcomes remained similar when stratified by MIC value.
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Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Apr 2009
Usefulness of multilocus polymerase chain reaction followed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to identify a diverse panel of bacterial isolates.
Polymerase chain reaction electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) was tested for its ability to accurately identify a blinded panel of 156 diverse bacterial isolates, mostly human and/or animal pathogens. Here, 142/156 (91%) isolates were correctly identified to the genus level and 115/156 (74%) were correctly identified to the species level. Only 9% were misidentified. This study shows that multilocus PCR/ESI-MS has the potential to be a useful technique for identifying a broad range of bacteria.
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Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Feb 2009
Effectiveness of the antibiotic lock therapy for the treatment of port-related enterococci, Gram-negative, or Gram-positive bacilli bloodstream infections.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of antibiotic lock therapy to treat port-related enterococci, Gram-negative, or Gram-positive bacilli bloodstream infections. ⋯ Antibiotic lock therapy combined with systemic antibiotics appears to be a safe and effective treatment of port-related bacteremia caused by enterococci, Gram-negative, or Gram-positive bacilli if the patient is stable and no septic syndrome is associated.