Humans ; Pharyngitis ; complications ; microbiology ; Rheumatic Fever ; etiology ; Streptococcal Infections ; complications ; Streptococcus pyogenes

Aged, 80 and over ; Endophthalmitis ; ethnology ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Sepsis ; complications ; microbiology ; Streptococcal Infections ; complications ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; pathogenicity

Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Shock, Septic ; etiology ; microbiology ; Streptococcal Infections ; complications ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo study the relativity between Streptococcus sanguis group (SSG) and coronary heart disease (CHD).

METHODS41 individuals were diagnosed with CHD and 18 normals served as controls. All of them had undergone coronary angiography. Their social class (including education and wages), smoking, drinking, blood lipids and oral health were also recorded. SSG in saliva and subgingival plaque were cultivated in NAYS-B agar plates and counted. SSG were identified into species with routine biochemical reaction and AP-PCR.

RESULTSIn the multiple step regression analysis, the amount of SSG in saliva and subgingival plaque were positively associated with severe coronary atheromatosis after adjusting the classical risk factors of CHD. The average amount of SSG in saliva was (435 +/- 422) x 10(8) CFU/L in CHD group and (358 +/- 540) x 10(8) CFU/L in control group, F = 2.72, P = 0.08; the average amount of SSG in incisor was (331 +/- 484) x 10(7) CFU/L in CHD group and (98 +/- 164) x 10(7) CFU/L in control group, F = 5.54, P = 0.02; the average amount of SSG in molar was (352 +/- 381) x 10(7) CFU/L in CHD group and (185 +/- 232) x 10(7) CFU/L in control group, F = 2.86, P = 0.10. S. sanguis and S. gordonii were more in CHD group than in control group (P < 0.05), whereas S. mitis and S. oralis were the same in two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe increase of SSG in oral floras may play an important role in the occurrence of CHD.

Aged ; Coronary Disease ; complications ; Dental Plaque ; microbiology ; Educational Status ; Gingiva ; microbiology ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Molar ; microbiology ; Risk Factors ; Saliva ; microbiology ; Smoking ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Statistics as Topic ; Streptococcal Infections ; complications ; microbiology ; Streptococcus sanguis ; isolation & purification

Bacterial pericarditis has been recognized as a rare disease since the development of antibiotics. Usually, the disease is associated with underlying conditions or a seeding of infection elsewhere to the pericardium. Here we describe a case of group G streptococcal pericarditis as an initial presentation of colon cancer. A 52-yr-old man was admitted because of dyspnea. An electrocardiogram showed a diffuse ST-segment elevation and a two-dimensional echocardiogram showed a large amount of pericardial effusion. A pericardiocentesis was done and purulent fluid was drained. Group G streptococci was cultured in pericardial fluid. The patient was treated with antibiotics and pericardiostomy with saline irrigation. A colonoscopy revealed a small mass with moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma in rectosigmoid colon. He underwent a mucosectomy and was recovered without any complication.
Adenocarcinoma/complications/*diagnosis/surgery ; Colonic Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis/surgery ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pericardial Effusion ; Pericarditis/complications/drug therapy/*microbiology/surgery ; Streptococcal Infections/complications/drug therapy/*microbiology/surgery ; Streptococcus/*classification

BACKGROUND: Group B streptococcus (GBS) infection is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Here, we present the analytical and diagnostic usefulness of a new real-time PCR-based assay (Xpert GBS; Cepheid, USA) for rapid and accurate prenatal GBS screening. METHODS: We enrolled 175 pregnant women who were between 35 and 39 weeks of gestation. The analytical performance of the Xpert GBS assay was first tested using a reference GBS strain. Next, to test diagnostic performance, rectovaginal swabs were obtained from pregnant women who visited the hospital for regular antenatal screening after 34 weeks of gestation. The results of the Xpert GBS assay were compared to those of standard culture for the detection of prenatal GBS colonization. RESULTS: When any positive result from Xpert GBS or culture was considered a true positive, the sensitivity of the Xpert GBS assay and culture were 91% (20/22; 95% CI [confidence interval], 72-98) and 68% (15/22; 95% CI, 47-84), respectively. The specificity of both methods was 100% (153/153; 95% CI, 97-100). The sensitivity and specificity of the Xpert GBS assay, using the culture results as a reference, were 86.7% and 95.6%, respectively. In the Xpert GBS assay, the median threshold cycle of vaginally colonized samples was significantly lower than rectally colonized samples (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The Xpert GBS assay is an accurate, rapid, easy-to-use test for the detection of maternal GBS colonization in prenatal screening that might be especially useful in clinical settings where standard culture is not feasible.
DNA, Bacterial/*analysis ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rectum/microbiology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Streptococcal Infections/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Streptococcus agalactiae/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Vagina/microbiology

BACKGROUND: To investigate the risk factors for vaginal infections and antimicrobial susceptibilities of vaginal microorganisms among women who experienced preterm birth (PTB), we compared the prevalence of vaginal microorganisms between women who experienced preterm labor (PTL) without preterm delivery and spontaneous PTB. METHODS: Vaginal swab specimens from 126 pregnant women who experienced PTL were tested for group B streptococcus (GBS), Mycoplasma hominis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Treponema pallidum, herpes simplex virus (HSV) I and II, and bacterial vaginosis. A control group of 91 pregnant women was tested for GBS. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed for GBS, M. hominis, and U. urealyticum. RESULTS: The overall detection rates for each microorganism were: U. urealyticum, 62.7%; M. hominis, 12.7%; GBS, 7.9%; C. trachomatis, 2.4%; and HSV type II, 0.8%. The colonization rate of GBS in control group was 17.6%. The prevalence of GBS, M. hominis, and U. urealyticum in PTL without preterm delivery and spontaneous PTB were 3.8% and 8.7% (relative risk [RR], 2.26), 3.8% and 17.3% (RR, 4.52), and 53.8% and 60.9% (RR, 1.13), respectively, showing no significant difference between the 2 groups. The detection rate of M. hominis by PCR was higher than that by culture method (11.1% vs. 4.0%, P=0.010). The detection rates of U. urealyticum by PCR and culture method were 16.7% and 57.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of GBS, M. hominis, and U. urealyticum between the spontaneous PTB and PTL without preterm delivery groups.
Female ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Mycoplasma Infections/complications/microbiology ; Mycoplasma hominis/isolation & purification ; Obstetric Labor, Premature/*epidemiology/etiology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology/microbiology ; Premature Birth/*epidemiology/etiology ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Streptococcal Infections/complications/microbiology ; Streptococcus agalactiae/isolation & purification ; Ureaplasma Infections/complications/microbiology ; Ureaplasma urealyticum/isolation & purification ; Vagina/*microbiology

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is one of the severe pathogenic bacteria during the perinatal period, both on pregnant women and newborns. GBS infection may lead to pneumonia, septicemia, meningitis or other severe disease, even death in neonates. Although only 1%-2% infections will develop into GBS disease among the neonates, the etiological mechanism of which is worth researching. This review summarizes the possible factors related to GBS infection or occurrence of the disease, including the risk in gestation period (for example, colonization of GBS on vagina of pregnant women, preterm birth or premature rupture of fetal membranes and so on), related pathogens (bacteria strains, loads or virulence), immune level (inflammatory factor or neutralizing anticytokine auto-Abs), gene defect or primary immunodeficiencies of the hosts.
Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/urine* ; Premature Birth ; Streptococcal Infections/urine* ; Streptococcus agalactiae/isolation & purification* ; Vagina/microbiology*

Although the association between Streptococcus bovis endocarditis and colon carcinoma is well known, very few cases of S. bovis infection associated with underlying malignancies have been reported in Korea. The S. bovis group has been recently reclassified and renamed as Streptococcus gallolyticus and Streptococcus infantarius subspecies under a new nomenclature system. We report a case of infective endocarditis with colon cancer caused by S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus (previously named S. bovis biotype I). A 59-yr-old woman presented with a 1-month history of fever. Initial blood cultures were positive for gram-positive cocci, and echocardiography showed vegetation on mitral and aortic valves. Antibiotic treatment for infective endocarditis was started. The infecting strain was a catalase-negative and bile-esculin-positive alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus susceptible to penicillin and vancomycin. The strain was identified as S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus with the use of the Vitek 2 GPI and API 20 Strep systems (bioMerieux, USA). The 16S rDNA sequences of the blood culture isolates showed 100% homology with those of S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus reported in GenBank. The identification of the infecting organism, and the subsequent communication among clinical microbiologists and physicians about the changed nomenclature, led to the detection of colon cancer. The patient recovered after treatment with antibiotics, valve surgery, and operation for colon cancer. This is the first report of biochemical and genetic identification of S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus causing infective endocarditis associated with underlying colon cancer in a Korean patient.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Colonic Neoplasms/*complications/diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Endocarditis, Bacterial/complications/diagnosis/*microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Streptococcal Infections/complications/diagnosis/*microbiology ; Streptococcus bovis/genetics/*isolation &purification

We report a case of necrotizing fasciitis involving Streptococcus agalactiae, Arcanobacterium haemolyticum, and Finegoldia magna in a 36-yr-old female diabetic patient, which started after a minor dog bite to the toe of the patient. This case suggested that a trivial infection after a minor dog bite in an immunocompromised patient such as diabetes patient could result in a significant complication such as necrotizing fasciitis. The life-threatening infection was cured by timely above-the-knee amputation, as well as penicillin G and clindamycin therapy.
Actinomycetales Infections/diagnosis/microbiology ; Adult ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Arcanobacterium ; Bites and Stings/*complications ; Clindamycin/therapeutic use ; Diabetes Mellitus/diagnosis/therapy ; *Dogs ; Fasciitis, Necrotizing/diagnosis/drug therapy/*microbiology ; Female ; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/diagnosis/microbiology ; Humans ; Penicillin G/therapeutic use ; Peptostreptococcus ; Streptococcal Infections/diagnosis/microbiology ; Streptococcus agalactiae