Showing papers by "Martin J. Blaser published in 1981"

Salmonella bacteremia: reports to the Centers for Disease Control, 1968-1979.

Abstract: In 1963, a Salmonella Surveillance Program was established jointly by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta, Ga., and the Association of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and Laboratory Directors. As a result, the CDC receives reports from each state every week on the serotypes of Salmonella isolated, the age, sex, and county of residence of the person from whom the organism was isolated, and the source (stool, blood, cerebrospinal fluid) of the isolate. In this paper we review the reports of blood isolates of Salmonella over the past 12 years. For certain serotypes of Salmonella, blood isolates constituted a large proportion of all reported isolates. From 1968 to 1979, 269,704 isolates of Salmonella from blood and stool were reported to the CDC. These were obtained from 268,507 persons, of which 1,197 persons had both blood and stool isolates reported. Four serotypes accounted for 57.6% of these paired isolates: Salmonella typhimurium, 20.1%; Salmonella typhi, 16.3%; Salmonella heidelberg, 13.6%; and Salmonella enteritidis, 7.6%. For the 12-year period, 8,018 blood isolates were reported (median, 600 isolates per year; range, 507-1,091 isolates) of 128 serotypes. For 1977, a representative year, 608 blood isolates were reported, or 2.8 isolates per million people (based on U.S. population). The age-specific isolation rates are shown in figure 1. The reported isolation rate from blood was highest for infants younger than one year of age, with the peak rate in the zeroto two-month-old group. For stool isolates, the peak rate occurs in infants three to five months of age [1]. For persons from one to 70 years of age, reported blood isolates were uncommon. For persons older than 70 years of age, the reported isolation rate doubled compared with the rate for persons between 60 and 70 years of age, but it was still significantly lower than the rate for persons younger than one year of age. Men accounted for 55.8% of the blood isolates but for only 50.7% of the stool isolates, a difference

Evaluation of transport and storage techniques for isolation of Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni from turkey cecal specimens.

Abstract: Immediate culturing of fecal specimens is not always possible, and appropriate methods for transport and storage of Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni specimens have not been fully evaluated. Using nine techniques, we studied the survival of C. fetus subsp. jejuni in cecal specimens from infected turkeys. The organisms survived in specimens held without transport medium for 3 to 15 days (median, 9 days) at 4 degrees C, and 2 to 9 days (median, 4 days) at 25 degrees C. Only 20% of specimens frozen for 24 h at either -20 or -70 degrees C yielded C. fetus subsp. jejuni. Specimens dried on filter paper strips were negative for C. fetus subsp. jejuni within 1.5 h. Cary-Blair medium with decreased agar was the best of the six transport media tested, it enabled recovery of the organism from 100% (3 days) and 71% (7 days) of cecal samples held at 4 degrees C and 94% (3 days) and 85% (7 days) of cecal specimens held at 25 degrees C. In contrast, more than half of all cecal specimens held at 4 or 25 degrees C in Culturettes or buffered glycerol saline were negative by 3 days, and all were negative at 7 days. Results with the other three media studied (Campy-thio, thioglycolate medium, and alkaline peptone water) were intermediate. Overnight incubation of specimens in alkaline peptone water at 37 or 42 degrees C did not enhance recovery of C. fetus subsp. jejuni. Therefore, refrigeration without a transport medium is satisfactory for up to 3 days for recovery of C. fetus subsp. jejuni from specimens, however, we recommend the use of Cary-Blair medium with decreased agar for specimens that must be transported or stored for longer than 3 days and for rectal swabs, to prevent drying.

Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni : Background and Laboratory Diagnosis

Abstract: Category A-1 continuing education credit is available to anyone who studies a CIE Update series and completes a written exam. Exams can be ordered from the ASCP and will be sent to participants following the appearance of the final article of each series in LABORATORY MEDICINE. After receipt of a completed answer sheet at ASCP, a certificate of credit will be awarded to each participant. An exam order form appears on page 480 in this issue.

An outbreak of salmonellosis involving multiple vehicles

Abstract: A biphasic outbreaks of salmonellosis affected customers and employees of a restaurant in Maine, in October and November, 1979. Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from 27 customers and nine employees. Ten other individuals were ill but did not have specimens taken for culture, and there were four secondary cases including one affecting a laboratory technician. Fourteen individuals (28%) were hospitalized for up to 45 days, and a total of 416 days of work were lost as a result of the outbreak. Two different food items served at the restaurant at separate times were identified as vehicles. In the first part of the outbreak, 37 persons who consumed either egg-based foods (p = 0.003) or salad (p = 0.006) became ill. In the second phase of the outbreak, in late October and November, nine cases were associated with consumption of inadequately refrigerated salad (p = 0.008), but not with egg-based foods. An infected symptomatic food handler prepared the incriminated salad for some members of this latter group. Use of antacids was also associated with illness (p = 0.03). The occurrence of illness over a seven-week period, the implication of several vehicles, and the demonstration of secondary cases suggest that "sporadic" cases of salmonellosis in the community may be linked.

Acute suppurative parotitis associated with anaerobic bacteremia.

Abstract: Most episodes of acute suppurative parotitis are caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Reported here is a patient who had acute parotitis associated with anaerobic sepsis caused by Bacteroides melaninogenicus and Peptostreptococcus micros. Acute parotitis should be included in the ever-widening spectrum of clinical infections caused by anaerobic bacteria.