Mycobacterium haemophilum: Emerging or Underdiagnosed in Brazil?

Fleury Ctr Diagnost Med, Microbiol Sect, BR-04344070 Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BrazilOswaldo Cruz Hosp, Sao Paulo, BrazilAlbert Einstein Hosp, Sao Paulo, BrazilSirio Libanes Hosp, Sao Paulo, BrazilServidores Estado Hosp, Rio De Janeiro, BrazilAlianca Hosp, Salvador, BA, BrazilLamina Lab, Rio De Janeiro, BrazilInst Oswaldo Cruz, BR-20001 Rio De Janeiro, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Diphyllobothriasis, Brazil

Cases of human diphyllobothriasis have been reported worldwide. Only 1 case in Brazil was diagnosed by our institution from January 1998 to December 2003. By comparison, 18 cases were diagnosed from March 2004 to January 2005. All patients who became infected ate raw fish in sushi or sashimi

In vitro activity of ampicillin-sulbactam against clinical multiresistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates

We evaluated the in vitro activity of ampicillin-sulbactam in comparison with that of broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents against Acinetobacter baumannii isolates. Two hundred and twelve clinical isolates collected between January 1993 and March 1995 from two tertiary hospitals located in Sao Paulo, Brazil were tested for susceptibility by the disk diffusion method against several broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents, including imipenem, ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, aztreonam, amikacin, and polymyxin B. All strains were susceptible to polymyxin B. The second most active compound was the combination ampicillin-sulbactam (88% susceptibility). Only 79% of the isolates were susceptible to imipenem. Ciprofloxacin was active against GO (28%) and amikacin against 34 (16%) isolates. Ceftazidime was the most active cephalosporin; however, only 9% of the isolates were susceptible to this compound. Both aztreonam and ampicillin alone showed very poor activity against this species (1% susceptibility). The prevalence of severe infections due to A. baumannii is increasing very rapidly in the tertiary hospitals of Sao Paulo and there are very few options for the treatment of these infections. Polymyxin B is invariably in vitro active against this species; however, this compound can cause severe side effects and is not commercially available for intravenous use in Brazil and in several other countries. Our results indicated that the combination ampicillin-sulbactam may be an alternative drug for the treatment of infections due to multiresistant A. baumannii; however, further studies are necessary to evaluate the clinical role of this compound for the treatment of severe infections.UNIV FED SAO PAULO,DIV INFECT DIS,LAB ESPECIAL MICROBIOL CLIN,EPM,BR-04023062 SAO PAULO,BRAZILUNIV FED SAO PAULO,DIV INFECT DIS,LAB ESPECIAL MICROBIOL CLIN,EPM,BR-04023062 SAO PAULO,BRAZILWeb of Scienc