European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Jul 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialMulticenter, randomized, double-blind comparison of erythromycin estolate versus amoxicillin for the treatment of acute otitis media in children. AOM Study Group.
Erythromycin is frequently prescribed in Germany for acute otitis media, but well-designed clinical trials under present epidemiological conditions are lacking. Therefore, a double-blind, randomized, multicenter trial was performed to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of erythromycin estolate versus amoxicillin in children with acute otitis media and to identify the risk factors associated with clinical failure. Investigators from 19 centers throughout Germany recruited 302 children with clinical, otoscopic, and tympanometric evidence of acute otitis media. ⋯ Treatment-related adverse events were recorded in eight (5.3%) of 151 erythromycin-treated patients and in 11 (7.3%) of 151 amoxicillin-treated patients. In this study in an outpatient setting in Germany, erythromycin estolate was as safe and effective as amoxicillin in the treatment of acute otitis media. Both drugs can be administered in a convenient twice-daily dosage schedule.
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Jul 1998
Clinical TrialCeftriaxone in the outpatient treatment of cancer patients with fever and neutropenia.
A study was performed in low-risk cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia to determine the safety and efficacy of ceftriaxone given in an outpatient setting. A total of 126 episodes of febrile neutropenia in 120 clinically stable outpatients were treated with intravenous ceftriaxone alone (n=100) or in combination with other antibiotics (n=26). ⋯ Ninety-five episodes (76%) were successfully treated in an outpatient setting only; admission to hospital was necessary in 31 episodes (24%), but no infection-related death was observed. Ceftriaxone seems to be safe and effective for outpatient therapy of patients with low-risk febrile neutropenia.
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Jul 1998
Use of microscopic morphology in smears prepared from radiometric cultures for presumptive identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Mycobacterium avium complex, Mycobacterium kansasii, and Mycobacterium xenopi.
The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a method for presumptive identification of mycobacteria, based on the morphology in smears prepared from radiometric Bactec-positive cultures (Becton Dickinson, USA) and to select the appropriate DNA probe (AccuProbe; Gen Probe, USA). The smear morphology of acid-fast bacilli was evaluated in 468 positive cultures from clinical samples: 313 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, 67 Mycobacterium avium complex, 32 Mycobacterium kansasii, 49 Mycobacterium xenopi, and seven Mycobacterium gordonae. ⋯ The correct probe was selected in 98%, 97%, and 72% of cultures, respectively, for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Mycobacterium avium complex, and Mycobacterium kansasii. The observation of acid-fast bacilli morphology in radiometric cultures is a rapid and cost-efficient method for presumptive identification of common clinical isolates of mycobacteria.