Changing Etiology of Bacterial Endocarditis in the Antibacterial Era: Experiences at Boston City Hospital 1933-1965
01 Mar 1970-Annals of Internal Medicine (American College of Physicians)-Vol. 72, Iss: 3, pp 341-348
TL;DR: For example, during 12 selected years from 1933 to 1965, 337 patients were documented as having bacterial endocarditis at Boston City Hospital, 43 of them with 2 organisms and 10 with 3 in their blood as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Abstract During 12 selected years from 1933 to 1965, 337 patients were documented as having bacterial endocarditis at Boston City Hospital, 43 of them with 2 organisms and 10 with 3 in their blood,...
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TL;DR: The increased incidence of infection was not related to a nosocomial source or the more frequent use of long-term indwelling catheters, and Methicillin resistance among isolates was common (40%).
Abstract: Staphylococcus epidermidis, a major component of the skin flora, is usually considered a contaminant when recovered from diagnostic cultures. Since 1974 infections caused by gram-negative bacilli and S. aureus occurring among patients with granulocytopenic cancer have remained constant; infections due to S. epidermidis occurring before 1977 at a rate of 2.0 per 1000 days of hospitalization of patients with acute leukemia, increased to 14.6 per 1000 days in 1979. All S. epidermidis infections before 1977 originated from skin sites; since 1977 the respiratory tract and alimentary canal have become the predominant sites of origin. Predisposing factors for infection were profound granulocytopenia (less than 100/microL), a diagnosis of acute leukemia, and an oral nonabsorbable antibiotic regimen lacking vancomycin. The increased incidence of infection was not related to a nosocomial source or the more frequent use of long-term indwelling catheters. Methicillin resistance among isolates was common (40%). Intravenous vancomycin therapy provided the best therapeutic results. Diagnostic cultures positive for S. epidermidis in the setting of infection and profound granulocytopenia warrant appropriate antibiotic therapy.
428 citations
TL;DR: Endocarditis increased in frequency with age, and showed an excess of males over females up to the age of 65 years, and was associated with brain abscess, meningitis, pleural empyema and a variety of intra-abdominal abscesses.
Abstract: A collection of 820 isolates of streptococci and aerococci from human blood or internal organs was classified by means of a set of cultural and biochemical tests. Of these, 719 (712 streptococci and 7 aerococci) were from patients believed to be suffering from a systemic infection: endocarditis 317; a purulent lesion in an internal organ ("purulent disease") 152; bacteriaemia 250. The endocarditis streptococci included members of all recognisable taxa, but only certain of these were common: Streptococcus sanguis, 16-4%; dextran-positive and usually mannitol-fermenting strains of S. bovis (S. bovis I), 15-1%; S. mutans, 14-2%; S. mitior, 13-2%. Streptococci of the "alpha-haemolytic" taxa (S. sanguis, S. mitior and related strains) formed only 44-8% of the total. When the percentage frequency of streptococcal taxa among the endocarditis and "non-endocarditis" isolates was compared, the dextran-forming taxa (S. mutans, S. bovis I, S. sanguis, and dextran-positive streptococci otherwise resembling S. mitior) all had higher "endocarditis : non-endocarditis" ratios than did any of the non-dextran-producing taxa. Endocarditis increased in frequency with age, and showed an excess of males over females up to the age of 65 years. In young patients (less than 35 years), "alpha-haemolytic" streptococci predominated; with increasing age, the proportion of other streptococci increased progressively but the absolute numbers of isolations of "alpha-haemolytic" streptococci did not fall. Infections with S. mutans were prominent in the age-group 35-54 years and with S. bovis I at ages greater than or equal to 55 years. A history of previous heart disease was more often obtained in endocarditis due to "alpha-haemolytic" streptococci than in other streptococcal endocarditis. The streptococcus most often isolated from purulent lesions in internal organs was S. milleri (29-3%). It was associated with brain abscess, meningitis, pleural empyema and a variety of intra-abdominal abscesses. The only common predisposing factor in endocarditis was previous heart damage. In other systemic streptococcal diseases, other general or local predisposing causes could be observed, mainly in infections with the "pyogenic" groupable streptococci, the enterococci and S. milleri.
365 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors aim to assess changes in infective endocarditis (IE) epidemiology over the last 5 decades by using epidemiological data from the National Institute of Health.
Abstract: Aims
To Assess changes in infective endocarditis (IE) epidemiology over the last 5 decades.
346 citations
245 citations
TL;DR: The organisms that most frequently cause bacterial endocarditis were found to adhere best to heart valves in vitro, suggesting that the ability to adhere to valvular endothelium may be an important or essential charcteristic of bacteria that cause endocardritis in man.
Abstract: The abilities of 14 strains of aerobic gram-positive cocci and gram-negative bacilli to adhere in vitro to human or canine aortic valve leaflets were compared. 2-mm sections of excised valve leaflets were obtained by punch biopsy and were incubated under standardized conditions in suspensions of bacteria. Valve sections were subsequently washed and homogenized, and quantitative techniques were used to determine the proportions of bacteria from the initial suspensions that had adhered to the valve sections. Comparable results were obtained when these adherence ratios were determined by two independent methods based either on measurements of bacterial viability or of radioactivity in 51Cr-labeled bacteria. For each bacterial strain, the adherence ratio was constant over a wide range of concentrations of bacteria in the incubation medium. Strains of enterococci, viridans streptococci, coagulase-positive and coagulase-negative staphylococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (adherence ratios 0.003-0.017) were found to adhere more readily to valve sections than strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (adherence ratios 0.00002-0.00004). The organisms that most frequently cause bacterial endocarditis were found to adhere best to heart valves in vitro, suggesting that the ability to adhere to valvular endothelium may be an important or essential charcteristic of bacteria that cause endocarditis in man.
206 citations
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TL;DR: Oxytetracycline was used in 27 cases of bacterial endocarditis as mentioned in this paper, and the results indicated that the results were qualitatively comparable to those obtained with other drugs.
Abstract: Oxytetracycline. Reports of therapy with oxytetracycline in 27 collected cases of bacterial endocarditis75, 113, 134, 136, 154, 164, 169–172, 174 175 176 177 178 indicate that the results were qual...
78 citations