Seven-year Survey Research Articles

A seven-year survey of susceptibility to marbofloxacin of pathogenic strains isolated from pets

This study, Vétoquinol S.A. epidemiosurveillance, was conducted from 1994 to 2001 in order to determine the susceptibility (by MIC determination) to marbofloxacin (a third generation fluoroquinolone used only in individual administration for animals). Strains from infected pets originated from six European countries. Isolates were collected from urinary infections ( Escherichia coli), respiratory infections ( Pasteurella multocida), dermatological infections ( Staphylococcus intermedius, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and otitis ( S. intermedius, P. aeruginosa). The MIC distribution for each species was the same both before and after the launch of marbofloxacin in 1995. In E. coli, a resistant population was present before the use of marbofloxacin; this resistance was induced by co- or cross-resistance to other antibiotics used previously. Over this period, there was no significant evolution of MIC 90 for any bacterial species studied and no development of resistance was observed. Marbofloxacin was the most active antibiotic against P. multocida isolates and had the lowest MIC. No difference in MIC distribution was seen between the S. intermedius (unimodal distribution) isolated from dermatological infections and those from otitis. This was also true for P. aeruginosa. The use of marbofloxacin was not found to have induced a significant increase or spread of resistant bacteria.

The distribution and abundance of the estuarine crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, in Queensland

A total of 6444 Crocodylus porosus (4303 non-hatchlings and 2141 hatchlings) were recorded during 196 vessel-based surveys of 103 waterways to determine the distribution and abundance of Crocodylus porosus in Queensland. The surveys, conducted from January 1994 to December 2000, covered 4174.3 km of waterway. Population structure was biased towards immature crocodiles, with 91% of all animals sighted being less than the minimum breeding size for individuals in the Northern Territory. The mean relative density of non-hatchling C. porosus was highest in waterways of north-western Cape York Peninsula and Lakefield National Park, and lowest for waterways along the populated east coast of Queensland. The highest numbers of hatchlings were recorded from waterways of north-western Cape York Peninsula, where nearly 74% of all hatchlings were recorded during the seven-year survey period. The C. porosus population in northern Queensland appears to be undergoing a limited recovery, with marginal increases in the mean relative density of non-hatchlings in seven of the eight crocodile biogeographic regions. On the basis of the distribution and abundance of hatchling and non-hatchling crocodiles, the north-western Cape York Peninsula region contains the best habitat for C. porosus in Queensland, particularly in the Wenlock River and Tentpole Creek area.

P52 Incidence and resistance patterns of tuberculosis. A seven-year survey in Plasencia (Spain) (1996–2002)

P52 Incidence and resistance patterns of tuberculosis. A seven-year survey in Plasencia (Spain) (1996–2002)

A seven-year survey of Klebsiella pneumoniae producing TEM-24 extended-spectrum β-lactamase in Nice University Hospital (1994–2000)

The aim of this study was to investigate TEM-24-producing isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, and their clonal dissemination in Nice University Hospital. During the 1994–2000 period, a total of 263 non-repetitive isolates of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae were collected. Most of these isolates were highly resistant in vitro to ceftazidime, cefotaxime and aztreonam, but susceptible to cefoxitin and imipenem. Resistance profile analysis revealed seven predominant antibiotypes (P1 to P7). Isoelectric focusing evidenced β-lactamase activity, with a chromosomal penicillinase (pl 7.7), and one or two additional enzymes with pls ranging from 5.4 to 8.2 identified as presumed TEM-1 pl 5.4, TEM-3 pl 6.3, TEM-24 pl 6.5, SHV-3 pl 7.0, SHV-4 pl 7.8, SHV-5 pl 8.2, or other unidentified β-lactamases. Among these K. pneumoniae, 130 isolates produced TEM-24, and 115 of them were highly resistant in vitro to quinolones (antibiotype P1). This phenotype was responsible for an outbreak in a medical intensive care unit from March to September 2000. Four isolates submitted were genetical sequenced, and shared 99.9% homology with tem-24 (GenBank no. X 65253). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (ERIC2-PCR) applied to 28 non-epidemic and six epidemic isolates yielded concordant results. Molecular typing revealed the persistence and dissemination of a single clone of TEM-24 producing K. pneumoniae in Nice Hospital during the seven-year study period.

Marek's Disease in Turkeys. I. A Seven-Year Survey of Commercial Flocks and Experimental Infection Using Two Field Isolates

Marek's disease virus (MDV) causes immunosuppression and tumors in chickens, but the turkey is an unusual host for the virus, and tumors caused by MDV in turkeys are unique. We describe the prevalence of turkey tumors in Israel between 1993 and 2000, their molecular diagnosis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the natural distribution of herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT). Most clinical cases with tumors in commercial turkeys were diagnosed as MDV. The reproduction of Marek's disease (MD) in turkeys by two turkey MDV strains, Ar and La, was analyzed, and it was shown that these strains can induce tumors in experimental trials. The severity of experimental disease differed from those features of the original outbreak, since a less severe disease was recorded.

Seven-Year Survey of Infective Endocarditis at Keio University Hospital

To determine the recent clinical features of infective endocarditis (IE), the author evaluated data on 19 cases of 16 patients with IE who were treated at Keio University Hospital between April 1, 1987 and March 31, 1994. There were 13 men and 3 women aged 24 to 65 years (mean 43.4 years). Echocardiography revealed the presence of valve vegetation in 12 patients. Viridans streptococci were the most common pathogen, and were identified in seven cases. Two cases of native valve endocarditis (NVE) due toStreptococcus agalactiae and three cases due to group D streptococci (two of which were identified asEnterococcus faecalis) were encountered. One of two cases infected wthS. agalactiae had no underlying diseases. NVE due to viridans streptococci,S. agalactiae, and group D streptococcus was successfully treated with penicillin G or ampicillin combined with gentamicin. One case of NVE due to methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus improved following treatment with a combination of cefmetazole and fosfomycin. Five patients underwent valve replacement surgery following antimicrobial therapy. One of these patients developed later endocarditis on the prosthetic valve. Three patients developed recurrent NVE. All but one of the 16 patients survived; the single death was due to a cerebral infarction. Based on these results, the author believes that currently available antibiotics are efficacious against IE.

Complications of transvenous right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy in adult patients with cardiomyopathy: A seven-year survey of 546 consecutive diagnostic procedures in a tertiary referral center

To determine the incidence, nature and subsequent management of complications occurring during right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy in patients with cardiomyopathy, all events occurring during 546 procedures in 464 consecutive patients were prospectively recorded. The internal jugular vein was the primary site of introduction in 96% of cases. A total of 33 complications (6%) occurred: 15 (2.7%) during catheter insertion including 12 arterial punctures (2%), 2 vasovagal reactions (0.4%) and 1 episode of prolonged bleeding (0.2%), all without sequelae; 18 (3.3%) during biopsy included 6 arrhythmias (1.1%), 5 conduction abnormalities (1%), 4 possible perforations (0.7%) and 3 definite perforations (0.5%) (pericardial fluid). Two (0.4%) of the three patients with a perforation died.There was no secular trend in the complication rate, nor were complications associated with specific clinical or hemodynamic characteristics. It is concluded that the overall rate of endomyocardial biopsy complications (6%) is low, but mortality may occur.

Epidemiology of hepatitis A in northern Italy: a seven-year survey.

During a seven-year survey of acute symptomatic viral hepatitis in Padua (Northern Italy), the epidemiological features of hepatitis A were evaluated in 207 consecutive patients (120 males, mean age 22.7 +/- 11.4 years). The annual attack rate of the disease decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) between 1978 and 1979 (0.11/1000 inhabitants) and 1981 and 1984 (0.04-0.03/1000 inhabitants), mainly due to its declining prevalence in the pediatric age. In parallel with the shifting of hepatitis A towards adulthood, single sources of infection, mainly associated with adult life-style such as foreign travel and raw shellfish ingestion, have become more and more prominent. The spread of drug abuse has not influenced the epidemiology of hepatitis A in our area.

Breeding Site Faithfulness, Reproductive Biology, and Adult Survivorship in an Isolated Population of Cassin's Finches

We used mist nets in a capture-recapture demographic study of the birds of an isolated relict grove of ponderosa pines (Blue Sky) on Hart Mountain in southern Oregon. Cassin's Finches (Carpodacus cassinii), usually considered nomadic, returned each spring. Females were more faithful to breeding site than males. As evidenced by cloacal swelling and incubation patch formation, 96% of females laid eggs in the 18 days following 24 May. When June snow storms destroyed most nests in 1975 and 1979, many females attempted second nestings: Most apparently abandoned these second nestings in early July when the finches left Blue Sky to wander more widely over Hart Mountain while they underwent their annual molts. Most yearling females and males were sexually active and apparently nested. Although obscured by reduced mobility of females during incubation and early brooding, the sex ratio was close to 50/50. There were 20 to 25 pairs per hectare of suitable (pine) finch habitat. Breeding density may be limited by the zone around the female that is defended by the male during nestsite selection and nest building. The minimum annual survival rate for finches one year old and older was 0.64 (SE = ? 0.02) for males and 0.60 (SE = ? 0.03) for females. Cassin's Finch (Carpodacus cassinii) inhabits open conifer woodlands of the interior mountains of western North America, generally nesting above an elevation of 1,500 m. It breeds from southern interior British Columbia, Montana, and northern Wyoming south to interior southern California, northern Arizona, and northern New Mexico. The finch is at least an altitudinal migrant in parts of its range, and migrates latitudinally as well. Wintering flocks have been reported in the lowland valleys as far north as southern British Columbia. Latitudinal migrants have been recorded regularly as far south as northern Baja California and the Mexican highlands to Durango, Zacatecas, and Coahuila (AOU 1983). A limited literature (summarized by Salt 1958, Orr 1968, and Samson 1976a) conveys the impression that Cassin's Finch is an opportunistic species, characterized by a labile annual cycle, weak faithfulness to breeding site, and geared to exploit variable sources of food. The bird shares these characteristics with many other species of cardueline finches (Newton 1972). In the only systematic studies of the summer biology of the Cassin's Finch done thus far, Samson (1976a, b) found large annual fluctuations in breeding populations of northern Utah and regarded the species as nomadic. In contrast, we found that a population of Cassin's Finches on Hart Mountain in southeastern Oregon varied little in size from year t year and that individuals showed high breeding site faithfulness. This stimulated us to examine and report here several related aspects of the summer biology and demography of this relatively little-known species. Our data on Cassin's Finches were obtained as a secondary result of a more extensive, seven-year survey of year-to-year variation in the breeding avifauna of Hart Mountain, conducted by systematic capture-recapture of birds in mist nets. Our analysis is, therefore, retrospective and confined to questions that can be examined with the aid of data obtained by such methods.

Abundance and distribution of Halobates micans (Insecta : Gerridae) in the northwest Atlantic

A seven-year survey of the marine water-strider Halobates micans in the northwest Atlantic Ocean showed highest abundance of the insects in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf Stream. The Bahama Islands and northern Sargasso Sea regions yielded relatively low abundances, and few H. micans were collected north of 35°N latitude. Regional patterns of insect abundance appear to be directly related to surface water temperature, but biotic factors such as predation and abundance of gelatinous food organisms may be important. Water strider abundance does not appear to be related to regional differences in the abundance of floating substrata. Estimates of absolute density ranged from 0 to 53,000 H. micans km −2, with densities in tropical Caribbean waters averaging 7000 km −2. Using data from 9 to 48°N latitude as an extension of data from the central Atlantic ( Cheng and Schulz-Baldes, 1981, “Meteor” Forschungsgemeinschaft-Ergebnisse, 33, 17–21), density of H. micans approximates an inverse logarithmic function of latitude. In those geographic regions where repeated annual transects have been made, the year to year variations in standing stocks of the insect are low, except in the southwest Sargasso Sea.

Ectopic pregnancy: a seven-year survey.

Seventy-five patients with ectopic pregnancy were treated at Jordan University Hospital (JUH) during a 7-yr period from January 1976 to December 1982. The ratio of ectopic pregnancies to deliveries was 1 to 162. The most common symptoms were: abdominal pain, 96%; amenorrhea, 69.3%; vaginal bleeding, 60%. No patients with pelvic inflammatory disease were found. An intrauterine contraceptive device was present in 14.6% of the patients and 10.6% of the cases had previous pelvic surgery. Culdocentesis gave false negative results in 16.7% of the patients. The treatment of choice was salpingectomy. There were no maternal deaths in this series.

Sources and susceptibilities of staphylococci isolated from children. A seven-year survey.

A seven-year surveillance was done of the antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from patients seen in The Children's Hospital, Birmingham, Ala. There were no outbreaks of hospital-acquired staphylococcal infection during this time. Of 5,479 strains, 2,685 were from hospitalized children; 2,794 of 5,479 were from outpatients. The incidence of penicillin resistance increased from 76% to more than 85% between 1973 and 1979, with no significant difference noted between inpatient and outpatient strains. Penicillin resistance was similar, regardless of the clinical source (site of isolation) of staphylococci. Skin lesions, soft tissue, wounds, and abscess perennially accounted for the greatest proportion of isolates. Thus, skin lesions represent an important reservoir for penicillin-resistant staphylococci. Nearly all strains were susceptible to the other antibiotics tested; multiple resistance was rare. Susceptibility to clindamycin, erythromycin, cephalothin, sodium, and nafcillin sodium remained stable through the years. These agents provide effective therapeutic regimens for patients with staphylococcal infection, including those with penicillin allergy.

Aklisuktuk (Growing Fast) Pingo, Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Northwest Territories, Canada

Field surveys have been carried out for the 1972 to 1979 period in order to study the growth of Aklisuktuk (Growing Fast) Pingo. The field surveys show that the top of the pingo was slowly subsiding during the seven-year survey period, possibly from a slow downslope glacier-like creep of the ice-rich overburden and ice core. The name "Aklisuktuk" probably dates back at least 200 years. The rapid growth which attracted attention was from accumulation of water in a large sub-pingo water lens.Key words: Aklisuktuk Pingo, sub-pingo water lens, pingo subsidence

Relationship between antibiotic consumption and frequency of antibiotic resistance of four pathogens--a seven-year survey.

Relationship between antibiotic consumption and frequency of antibiotic resistance of four pathogens--a seven-year survey.

Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis: a seven-year survey.

The seven-year results of all cases (84) diagnosed as polymyalgia rheumatica or giant cell arteritis are reported. The diagnosis proved to be incorrect in seven, of which six had a polyarthritis. Most cases were treated with prednisolone, starting with 20 mg daily for those with evidence of cranial arteritis, and 10 mg for those without. Fourteen patients were withdrawn from treatment (after three months to 31/2 years--mean 21 months), but three relapsed and treatment has been restarted. There was no correlation between the presence or absence of arteritis, the starting dose of prednisolone and the subsequent duration of treatment. A small group (7) received higher doses without obvious advantage. Twenty-two started on 5-9 mg daily, but the dose had to be increased in 13 because of inadequate control of symptoms. Objective physical abnormality, particularly painful limitation of shoulder movement, was present in most cases. No patient developed a serious complication of the disease after treatment had been started. Complications of treatment were infrequent. Spinal osteoporosis occurred in seven, but did not cause long-term disability.

Lightning Deaths in the United States: A Seven-Year Survey from 1959 to 1965

Lightning Deaths in the United States: A Seven-Year Survey from 1959 to 1965

Some observations on infection in maxillo-facial fractures

Summary 1. The results of a seven-year survey into the characteristics of infections in maxillo-facial fractures are described. 2. The changing pattern of infections is emphasised. With more widespread use of open reduction the main source of infection is now the operating theatre. 3. The advantages of open reduction are mentioned. The characteristics of infection in open reduction are discussed and the point is made that few infections appear to involve the fracture site itself and delay healing. Possible sources of infection at operation are suggested.

A seven-year survey of a burns unit for children, 1954–1960

Summary This report, covering a seven-year period in a burns unit for children under modern conditions of hospital accommodation and treatment, emphasises the high mortality from burns involving over one-third body surface area affected by third-degree burns. Eighty-five per cent. of fatal cases had over one-third body surface area burned. The mortality rate from burns up to 20 per cent. surface area was small, under 1 per cent., and with 20 to 30 per cent. surface area burns it was less than 10 per cent. The mortality rate from scalds was low (1·2 per cent.), except in those instances where a large surface area was involved or where there was prolonged immersion. Clothing, however ignited, is the overwhelmingly predominant cause of fatal burns. Flame proofing of clothing prior to purchase, and in the home following washing, would limit the size of burns in children to a surface area which is within the capabilities of modern treatment.

INCIDENCE OF SECOND PRIMARY TUMORS IN CHILDREN WITH CANCER AND LEUKEMIA: A SEVEN-YEAR SURVEY OF 150 CONSECUTIVE AUTOPSIED CASES.

INCIDENCE OF SECOND PRIMARY TUMORS IN CHILDREN WITH CANCER AND LEUKEMIA: A SEVEN-YEAR SURVEY OF 150 CONSECUTIVE AUTOPSIED CASES.

OXYGEN AND RETROLENTAL FIBROPLASIA: A SEVEN-YEAR SURVEY

OXYGEN AND RETROLENTAL FIBROPLASIA: A SEVEN-YEAR SURVEY