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. · Apr 1999
Procalcitonin concentrations in patients with neutropenic fever.
To assess the usefulness of markers of inflammation in distinguishing bacterial infection from severe systemic nonbacterial inflammation, concentrations of procalcitonin, neopterin, endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin-6 were measured in 28 neutropenic patients at the onset of fever and twice thereafter at 4 h intervals. Infection was found in 11 patients, and 17 patients had fever of undetermined origin. ⋯ Its poor sensitivity was related to an absent or delayed response in patients with gram-positive infections. Considerable overlap between infected and noninfected patients was found in levels of endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin-6.
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Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. · Apr 1999
Outbreak of Escherichia coli O157 infection associated with a music festival.
Seven persons who attended the Glastonbury Music Festival were infected with Vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 and an eighth person had serological evidence of infection. Cases were reported from different parts of England. Patients were interviewed by telephone about clinical symptoms, festival attendance, camping details, food history, water exposure, and contact with mud and animals. ⋯ Escherichia coli O157 strains from seven persons and from a cow belonging to a herd that had previously grazed the site all belonged to phage type 2 and possessed genes for Vero cytotoxin 2. Drug resistance and DNA-based tests showed that six patients were infected with strains indistinguishable from each other and from the bovine isolate. The most likely vehicle of infection was mud contaminated with Escherichia coli O157 from infected cattle.