The Brazilian journal of infectious diseases : an official publication of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases
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The microbiota from the uniforms of 31 professionals from the general intensive care unit was analyzed. The samples were collected in duplicate at the beginning and at the end of the work period. Total viable counts of microorganisms were determined; there was a significant increase in the counts at the end of the period, when compared with those obtained at the beginning. ⋯ Among the isolated pathogens 11/18 were Staphylococcus aureus, 2/18 were Acinetobacter baumannii, 2/18 were Klebsiela pneumoniae and 1/18 were Serratia rubidae. Some of these isolates were multi-resistant to antibiotics. Emphasis should be placed on reducing the spread of these pathogens in the hospital, making sure that biosafety protocols are followed by the staff.
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Acute bacterial meningitis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among children less than five years old, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis being the most important agents of bacterial meningitis in developing countries. The development of the conjugate vaccines in the beginning of the 90's, especially type b H. influenzae (Hib), and more recently the heptavalent pneumococcal and the serogroup C meningococcal vaccines, have contributed directly to changes in the epidemiological profile of these invasive diseases (direct effect) and of their carriage status (indirect effect). ⋯ We also address constraints for the development and delivery of these vaccines and review new candidate state-of-the-art vaccines. The greatest challenge, undoubtedly, is to implement these vaccines worldwide, especially in the developing regions.
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We report an outbreak of conjunctivitis due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa involving seven infants admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Uberlândial Federal University Hospital between March and September 2001. Three infants developed systemic complications (01 sepsis and 02 pneumonias). Ten isolates were obtained from conjunctival cultures and all were resistant to ceftazidime and aminoglycosides. Fast identification of the organism and treatment with imipenem were important in containing the outbreak of P. aeruginosa.
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We report the case of a 44 year-old female, who presented a long-lasting, clinically atypical, secondary syphilis ("malignant syphilis") in the right foot, which started six months before medical evaluation. The patient had a serological diagnosis of HTLV-I infection and syphilis two years before the onset of the skin lesions, following a blood donation. ⋯ After failure of this first treatment regimen, she was given penicillin, which promoted complete healing of the lesion. We found evidence that infection by HTLV-I is capable of modifying the clinical course of secondary syphilis.
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Bacterial counts were made of catheter insertion site and of catheter tips to help determine risk factors associated with catheterization of the jugular and subclavian veins. Among the 116 patients included in this study, 69% had central venous catheters (CVC) in the subclavian vein. Seven or more days catheterization (p=0.001) and > or =3 invasive devices (p=0.01) were infection risk factors associated with catheterization of the jugular vein. ⋯ We found a high prevalence of ORSA (62.5%) and ORCoNS (57.1%) in catheter tips. The high counts of staphylococci, including ORSA and ORCoNS, at the insertion site, and the significant association of this colonization with catheter tip contamination, indicate that the skin is an important reservoir of microorganisms associated with catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI). Health professionals should be aware of this potential source of infection at the CVC insertion site.