[Two cases of meningitis due to Listeria monocytogenes (author's transl)]. / Estudio de dos casos de meningitis por Listeria monocytogenes.

Two cases of meningitis due to Listeria monocytogenes in a 73-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman are described. Both patients were admitted to an Emergency Department in acute state, probably caused by cerebral stroke. Neither presented clinical symptoms of meningitis. No other concomitant conditions which might weaken the patient's general state were known to be present. The first patient died after 16 hours, the second after 5. The analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid gave the following information: Case 1: 1,500 cells, 80 percent of which were polynuclear neutrophils; Pandy's reaction was positive; albumin 1.5 g/l and glucose 0.65 g/l. Case 2: 197 cells/mm3, 90 percent of which were polynuclear neutrophils; Pandy's reaction was positive; albumin and glucose were 0.60 and 0.10 g/l respectively. Samples of the cerebrospinal fluid were cultured in various media and pure cultures of Listeria monocytogenes, subtype 4b, were isolated. The source of the infection could not be determined in either of the two cases.

[7 cases of Staphylococcus lugdunensis infection]. / Estudio de siete casos de infección por Staphylococcus lugdunensis.

Staphylococci are frequently isolated from human, animal and environmental samples. The genus Staphylococcus comprises 27 species, of which 23 are coagulase-negative. The pathogenic role of the coagulase-negative species remains to be fully established. Staphylococcus lugdunensis is a recently described coagulase-negative species. Its Latin name reflects the city (Lyon, France) where the bacteria was first described. The present study reports 7 cases of human infection caused by S. lugdunensis. Case 1: a 64 y/o diabetic woman in whom S. lugdunensis was isolated in the conjunctival exudate. Case 2: a 51 y/o male diagnosed of a bladder tumor, with S. lugdunensis detected in the purulent exudate of a transurethral resection. Case 3: an 81 y/o woman with cerebrovascular stroke, in whom S. lugdunensis was isolated from urine. Case 4: a 65 y/o male with bacterial endocarditis and S. lugdunensis isolation in blood culture. Case 5: a 79 y/o male with liver cirrhosis and S. lugdunensis in blood culture. Case 6: a 75 y/o female with cerebrovascular stroke, in whom S. lugdunensis was isolated from urine. Case 7: a 77 y/o male diagnosed of femoral osteosarcoma and isolation of S. lugdunensis in the purulent exudate of the wound. The present communication broadens the range of clinical syndromes in which coagulase-negative S. lugdunensis appears as pathogen.

[Non-A non-B hepatitis associated with cytomegalovirus infection]. / Hepatitis no-A no-B asociada con infección por citomegalovirus.

A clinical case of a 58 year old male suffering from hepatitis non A, non B, and terminal chronic renal insufficiency under periodic dialysis, is presented. Following a 600 cc of packed red blood cells transfusion, there was an increase of antibodies IgG against cytomegalovirus (from 1/160 to 1/1560), detected by ELISA. At the same time, there were an increase of transaminases up to 404 UI/ml of GPT. Total bilirubin persisted normal. The possible etiology of the hepatitis non A, non B caused by cytomegalovirus is discussed and the results compared to those observed by other authors in immunosuppressed renal transplant patients.

[Laboratory diagnosis of infantile infections caused by the respiratory syncytial virus. Report of 9 cases]. / Diagnóstico de laboratorio de las infecciones infantiles por virus respiratorio sincitial. A propósito de 9 casos.

Nine cases of respiratory infections caused by syncytial respiratory virus which were diagnosed by direct immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies are presented here. Six of them have been clinically diagnosed as bronchiolitis and the remaining three are diagnosed as obstructive bronchitis, upper respiratory cold and respiratory distress respectively. Seven are male and two are female. Their ages vary from 13 days to eleven months. Its usefulness is indicated given its speed and the current availability of specific antiviral therapeutics. The test would be especially indicated in atypical cases like nursing babies with apnea or those with congenital heart disease or other underlying lung diseases and also to prevent intrahospital epidemias. The conclusion is reached that direct immunofluorescence seems to be an attractive alternative for laboratories that do not have costly cell culture equipment.

[A Staphylococcus haemolyticus study in urinary infections. An analysis of 8 cases]. / Estudio de Staphylococcus haemolyticus en las infecciones urinarias. Análisis de ocho casos.

Urinary infections caused by Staphylococcus are attributed usually to Staphylococcus epidermidis or Staphylococcus saprophyticus. 8 cases of urinary infection due to S. haemolyticus are discussed: 5 adults all of them over 66 years, diagnosed respectively of diabetes, cancer and stroke. Three children diagnosed of febrile syndrome, encephalopathy and enterocolitis associated with urinary infection. S. haemolyticus was identified through the determination of 19 biochemical parameters. The antibiograms performed showed that all S. haemolyticus isolated were sensible to vancomycin, nitrofurantoin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. It is concluded that S. haemolyticus is an opportunistic pathogen that is present on immunodepressed hosts, that is why is advisable to perform a more in-depth characterization of the S. epidermidis isolated in urine, especially in persistent pathologic processes.

[Laboratory diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus infection]. / Contribución al diagnóstico de laboratorio de las infecciones por virus respiratorio sincitial.

We study 18 children with acute respiratory infection diagnosed early by direct immunofluorescence (DIF) using monoclonal antibodies to synticial respiratory virus (SRV). Antibodies to adenovirus, influenza virus A and B, parainfluenza virus 1, 2 and 3, mycoplasma, Q fever, herpes and cytomegalovirus (CMV) are also studied. We consider that in most cases the diagnosis of infections caused by SRV cannot be established by complement fixation, and should be accompanied by some antigen detection technique. Direct immunofluorescence facilitates the early detection of SRV in most cases before the appearance of antibodies to this virus. Only one of the 18 patients with positive DIF presented antibodies to SRV.

[The FTA-abs test in the diagnosis of congenital syphilis]. / La prueba del FTA-abs, en el diagnóstico de la sífilis congénita.

Present survey has analysed the results obtained from 13 children whose FTA-abs (IgG) test proved to be positive. For assessing their anti-Treponemal and reaginic antibodies, the RPR, passive hemagglutination (MHA-TP) and FTA-abs trials were carried out, the existence of specific IgG and IgM being noticed from the latter. Out of the 13 samples subject to our analyses, 7 showed some specific IgM antibodies, with the existence of a congenital syphilis being clinically assessed from three of them, whereas the remaining 6 samples only showed some IgG antibodies. The need for an early diagnosis during the first and third quarters of pregnancy is indicated, through a reaginic (RPR o VDRL) trial or a treponemic (MHA-TP) one, as well as the assessing of anti-Treponema pallidum antibodies in the umbilical cord blood, where a positive luetic serology appears to be the case during the period of pregnancy.

[The role of IgA and IgA antigliadin antibodies in the diagnosis and management of celiac disease]. / Importancia de los anticuerpos antigliadina de tipo IgA e IgG en el diagnóstico y seguimiento de la E. celíaca.

The authors reports the results of ELISA IgG and IgA antigliadin antibodies measurements in a study of 271 serum samples proceeding from celiac patients (with and without gluten containing diet) and control subjects. IgA antigliadin antibody measurement had the most specificity and positive predictive value, IgG antigliadin antibody measurement had the most sensitivity and negative predictive value. Our results point out that antigliadin antibodies are helpful in the diagnosis and management of celiac disease. Un the same manner, antigliadin antibodies are helpful to evaluate the adherence of patients to gluten-free diet.