Listeria meningitis: report of ten recent cases and review of current therapeutic recommendations.

Ten cases of meningitis due to Listeria monocytogenes were admitted to three hospitals in Berlin between 1978 and 1983. One patient was a premature infant in whom meningitis was diagnosed as part of typical granulomatosis infantiseptica. Another presented with signs of brainstem encephalitis which was confirmed post mortem. Positive blood cultures were obtained from five of the patients. Two strains of listeria were resistant and one was only moderately sensitive to penicillin. The three most recently isolated strains were tested for sensitivity to the third generation cephalosporins. All were resistant to latamoxef, and two were resistant to cefotaxime. The implications of these findings for the empirical treatment of purulent meningitis are discussed.

Peritoneal exudate T lymphocytes with specificity to sheep red blood cells. III. High dose of antigen induces suppressor T cells which influence the appearance in exudates of effector T cells for delayed-type hypersensitivity and helper T cells for humoral immune responses.

Antisera produced in rabbits against adherent cells of rat alveolar or peritoneal lavage fluid (anti-rat alveolar macrophage sera, ARAMS, or anti-rat peritoneal macrophage sera, ARPMS) were used to detect antigenic differences between alveolar (AM) and peritoneal (PM) macrophages in an indirect membrane immunofluorescence (IMF) test. Of all sera tested, the IMF titres were higher with cells of that population which was used for immunization. These differences were found before and after exhaustive absorptions with insolubilized rat plasma, rat erythrocytes, and non-adherant rat kidney, spleen, thymus and bone marrow cells. The differences were not due to antigens specific for one of the macrophage populations, as demonstrated by cross-adsorption studies with macrophages of different localization. It is assumed that two or more macrophage specific antigenic determinants are present in different density in the two macrophage populations.

[Antibiotic susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in Berlin]. / Antibiotikaempfindlichkeit von Neisseria-gonorrhoeae-Isolaten in Berlin.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Because of the increasing resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, we studied the actual resistance of isolates in Berlin. PATIENTS/METHODS: 85 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates were collected between 1995 and 1997. Susceptibility testing was performed for penicillin G, tetracycline, spectinomycin, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin and azithromycin by agar dilution. RESULTS: 18.8% isolates were resistant or intermediately resistant to penicillin G (including 6 PPNG). 12.9% isolates were resistant, 43.5% intermediately resistant to tetracycline. One strain was resistant against ciprofloxacin, 4 isolates showed increased MIC values (0.06-0.5 mg/l), whereas 78 isolates were fully susceptible (< 0.007 mg/l). All isolates were susceptible to spectinomycin, ceftriaxone, and azithromycin. CONCLUSIONS: Penicillin G and tetracycline should be given only in cases of proven sensibility. Resistance against ciprofloxacin may occur, especially in isolates acquired in south-east Asia. Ceftriaxone, spectinomycin and azithromycin were active against all isolates. The actual resistance situation should be monitored.