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

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

The M protein and streptococcus pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE A) are important virulence factors in group A streptococci (GAS) infections. The emm types of GAS strains isolated from patients with sepsis were determined by sequencing the 5' N-terminus of the emm gene, encoding the M protein, and clonality analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The presence of speA and production of SPE A were also examined. There were no predominant GAS clones. The emm genotypes were variable, and the most common genotype was emm13 (17.9%). The production prevalence of SPE A was 21.4%. The low mortality rate (7.1%) of GAS sepsis might be attributable to the low incidence of virulent strains such as emm1 (10.7%) and emm3 (7.1%), as well as to low production rate of SPE A.
Virulence/genetics ; Variation (Genetics) ; Streptococcus pyogenes/*genetics/*pathogenicity ; Streptococcal Infections/*etiology/microbiology ; Sepsis/*etiology/microbiology ; Middle Aged ; Membrane Proteins/*biosynthesis/*genetics ; Male ; Infant ; Humans ; Genotype ; Female ; Exotoxins/*biosynthesis/*genetics ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics/isolation & purification ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Bacterial Proteins/*biosynthesis/*genetics ; Aged ; Adult ; Adolescent

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

OBJECTIVETo study the potential risk factors of human infecting with Streptococcus suis.

METHODS1: M matched case-control study was conducted. 29 human cases of Streptococcus suis infection in the early phase were included in the case group, Patients' family members, neighbors and peoples who had worked together with patients to handle deceased or sick pigs in the last week were recruited as matched controls. There were 147 controls in total. Both cases and controls received questionnaire investigation including the ways to contact sick/dead pigs. Conditional logistic regression was employed to analyze matching data.

RESULTSAccording to the results of multivariate analysis, slaughtering (OR = 11.978, 95% CI: 3.355-42.756), carcasses cutting and processing (OR = 3.008, 95% CI: 1.022-8.849) sick/dead pigs were associated with cases related to human Streptococcus suis infection. The attributable risk proportion were 91.65% and 66.76% respectively. The other types of exposures to sick/ dead pigs, including feeding, selling, burying and eating, were not associated with the human Streptococcus suis infection in our study population.

CONCLUSIONSlaughtering, carcasses cutting and processing sick/dead pigs were important risky behavior for humans to be infected by Streptococcus suis.

Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; statistics & numerical data ; Risk Factors ; Streptococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; etiology ; microbiology ; Streptococcus suis ; physiology

OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of squamous cell carcinoma on oral bacteria.

METHODSThis study investigated the microbial contents of the plaque on the surfaces of oral squamous cell carcinomas. Samples were obtained from the central surface of lesions, contiguous healthy mucosa and saliva of 42 patients with oral squamous carcinoma before and after operation.

RESULTSThe median of bacterial colony forming units per milliliter (CFUs/ml) of saliva before operation was 8.10 x 10(8) CFUs/ml. The median of CFUs per square centimeter of the tumor surface was 5.21 x 10(5) CFUs/cm2 which was significantly higher than that of the healthy (the control) mucosa (1.77 x 10(4) CFUs/cm2, P = 0.0001). The CFUs per square centimeter of mucosa surface at the operative zone was 4.34 x 10(5) CFUs/cm2 which was also significantly higher than that of the healthy (control) mucosa(7.24 x 10(4) CFUs/cm2, P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONOral carcinoma can break the balance of oral microflora, which may be one of the reasons leading to the high susceptivity of these compromised patients to systemic infection.

Adult ; Aged ; Bacteria, Aerobic ; isolation & purification ; Bacteria, Anaerobic ; isolation & purification ; Bacterial Infections ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Mucosa ; microbiology ; Mouth Neoplasms ; microbiology ; Saliva ; microbiology ; Streptococcal Infections ; prevention & control ; Streptococcus ; isolation & purification

A small number of cases of bacterial endophthalmitis due to Streptococcus pyogenes, a Gram positive organism, have previously been reported. In this case, rapidly progressive Streptococcus pyogenes endophthalmitis was developed five years after cataract surgery which had been. The previous cataract surgery was combined with intraocular lens implantation by trans-scleral suspension technique. Treatment included enucleation and intravenous antibiotic injection. In this case of delayed Streptococcus pyogenes endophthalmitis after extracapsular cataract extraction. It seems probable that progressive erosion of the suture material resulted in exogenous endophthalmitis.
Aged ; Antibiotics, Combined/therapeutic use ; Case Report ; Cataract Extraction/*adverse effects ; Endophthalmitis/drug therapy/*microbiology ; Eye Infections, Bacterial/drug therapy/*etiology ; Female ; Human ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular/adverse effects ; Streptococcal Infections/drug therapy/*etiology ; Streptococcus pyogenes/*isolation & purification ; Treatment Outcome ; Vitreous Body/microbiology