Results of the Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission 1970 of the 1st Zoological Institute of the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Department of Zoology of the Vidyalankara University of Ceylon, Kelaniya. Pt. 9. Dytiscidae (Coleoptera)

The intensive collecting of Prof. Dr. F. Starmühlner and Prof. Dr. H. H. Costa in Ceylon in 1970 produced among others some Dysticidae. The material turned out to be especially interesting as it comes all together from running waters, in which otherwise collecting is infrequent. From Sri Lanka quite a lot of species of Dytiscidae are already known

Antiseptics and disinfectants for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis: a systematic review

Background: The study objective was to assess the available data on efficacy and tolerability of antiseptics and disinfectants in treating bacterial vaginosis (BV). Methods: A systematic search was conducted by consulting PubMed (1966-2010), CINAHL (1982-2010), IPA (1970-2010), and the Cochrane CENTRAL databases. Clinical trials were searched for by the generic names of all antiseptics and disinfectants listed in the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System under the code D08A. Clinical trials were considered eligible if the efficacy of antiseptics and disinfectants in the treatment of BV was assessed in comparison to placebo or standard antibiotic treatment with metronidazole or clindamycin and if diagnosis of BV relied on standard criteria such as Amsel\u27s and Nugent\u27s criteria. Results: A total of 262 articles were found, of which 15 reports on clinical trials were assessed. Of these, four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were withheld from analysis. Reasons for exclusion were primarily the lack of standard criteria to diagnose BV or to assess cure, and control treatment not involving placebo or standard antibiotic treatment. Risk of bias for the included studies was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration\u27s tool for assessing risk of bias. Three studies showed non-inferiority of chlorhexidine and polyhexamethylene biguanide compared to metronidazole or clindamycin. One RCT found that a single vaginal douche with hydrogen peroxide was slightly, though significantly less effective than a single oral dose of metronidazole. Conclusion: The use of antiseptics and disinfectants for the treatment of BV has been poorly studied and most studies are somehow methodologically flawed. There is insufficient evidence at present to advocate the use of these agents, although some studies suggest that some antiseptics may have equal efficacy compared to clindamycin or metronidazole. Further study is warranted with special regard to the long-term efficacy and safety of antiseptics and disinfectants for vaginal use

Fatal Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia in a previously healthy woman was most likely associated with a contaminated hot tub

Community-acquired pneumonia due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in previously healthy individuals is a rare disease that is associated with high fatality. On 14 February 2010 a previously healthy 49-year-old woman presented to an emergency room with signs and symptoms of pneumonia, 2 days after returning from a spa holiday in a wellness hotel. Blood cultures and respiratory specimens grew P. aeruginosa. Despite adequate antimicrobial therapy, the patient died of septic multiorgan failure on day nine of hospitalization. On February 26, nine water samples were taken from the hotel facilities used by the patient: In the hot tub sample 37,000 colony-forming units of P. aeruginosa/100 ml were detected. Two of five individual colonies from the primary plate used for this hot tub water sample were found to be genetically closely related to the patients’ isolates. Results from PFGE, AFLP and MLST analysis allowed the two lung isolates gained at autopsy and the whirlpool bathtub isolates to be allocated into one cluster. The patient most likely acquired P. aeruginosa from the contaminated water in the hotel’s hot tub. The detection of P. aeruginosa in high numbers in a hot tub indicates massive biofilm formation in the bath circulation and severe deficiencies in hygienic maintenance. The increasing popularity of hot tubs in hotels and private homes demands increased awareness about potential health risks associated with deficient hygienic maintenance

Characterization of Clostridium difficile isolates using capillary gel electrophoresis-based PCR ribotyping

We have developed a Clostridium difficile PCR ribotyping method based on capillary gel electrophoresis and have compared it with conventional PCR ribotyping. A total of 146 C. difficile isolates were studied: five isolates were reference strains (PCR ribotypes 001, 014, 017, 027 and 053); 141 were clinical isolates comprising 39 Austrian PCR ribotypes collected in the period 2006–2007 at 25 Austrian healthcare facilities. Capillary gel electrophoresis yielded up to 11 fragments per isolate and 47 ribotype patterns. All but one of the five PCR ribotypes of reference strains were clearly reflected in the chromatograms of capillary-based typing. Capillary gel electrophoresis divided 24 isolates belonging to PCR ribotype type 014 into seven subgroups, whereas subtyping the same isolates using multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis yielded three unrelated subgroups, without obvious correlation to sr subgroups. Using a web-based software program (http://webribo.ages.at), we were able to correctly identify these 014 isolates by simply allocating the seven subgroup patterns to one ribotype, i.e. to PCR ribotype 014. We consider capillary gel electrophoresis-based PCR ribotyping to be a way of overcoming the problems associated with inter-laboratory comparisons of typing results, while at the same time substantially diminishing the hands-on time for PCR ribotyping

Einfluss der Händehygiene vor dem Legen von peripheren Venenkathetern auf die Häufigkeit von Komplikationen

Using two studies of a simple design it has been possible to furnish proof of the influence of hand hygiene prior to insertion of peripheral venous catheters on the incidence of complications. In the first study detailed data were collected anonymously for each patient on the procedure used for catheter insertion or on any complications. Data were collected for around 64% of patients in one hospital. Evaluation of the questionnaires revealed that there was a significant increase in the incidence of complications in line with an increasing duration of the indwelling period of between 24 and 96 hours. The unexpected finding of this evaluation study was that in the case of catheters with an indwelling period of more than two days there were highly significantly lower complication rates in those cases in which hand disinfection was carried out or gloves donned before catheter placement. The second study, based on the former, documented the cases giving rise to complications. The proportion of peripheral venous catheters implicated in complications was 24%. Here, too, there was a sharp rise in the risk of complications in line with the duration of the indwelling period. Catheters placed in the OR during the patient's hospital stay showed a significantly lower risk of complications than those inserted on wards, or even in the outpatient department. Conductance of hygienic hand disinfection or the wearing of disposable gloves resulted in significantly lower complication rates compared to normal handwashing or omission of a hand hygiene measure. The most plausible explanation for this positive effect exerted by the wearing of disposable gloves or conductance of hygienic hand disinfection prior to catheter placement is that there was no recontamination during repalpation, as often seen, of the prepared venepuncture site.Zwei einfach konzipierten Studien ist es gelungen, den Einfluss der Händehygiene vor dem Legen von peripheren Venenkathetern auf die Häufigkeit von Komplikationen zu beweisen. In der ersten Studie wurden pro Patient anonym ausführliche Daten zum Prozedere des Legens bzw. eventueller Komplikationen registriert. Ca. 64% der Patienten eines Krankenhauses wurden berücksichtigt. Die Auswertung der Fragebögen ergab, dass mit einer Liegedauer zwischen 24 und 96 Stunden die Häufigkeit von Komplikationen signifikant zunahm. Das unerwartete Ergebnis der Auswertung war aber, dass es bei Kathetern mit einer Liegedauer von über zwei Tagen hoch signifikant niedrigere Komplikationsraten in jenen Fällen gab, in denen vor dem Legen eine Händedesinfektion durchgeführt oder beim Legen Handschuhe getragen wurden. In der darauf aufbauenden, zweiten Studie wurden Fälle mit Komplikationen dokumentiert. Die Rate von peripheren Venenkathetern, bei denen Komplikationen beobachtet wurden, betrug 24%. Auch hier stieg mit der Liegedauer der Katheter das Risiko von Komplikationen deutlich an. Katheter, die während des Aufenthaltes des Patienten im OP gelegt worden waren, hatten ein signifikant geringeres Risiko von Komplikationen als solche, die auf Stationen oder gar in der Ambulanz gelegt wurden waren. Das Durchführen einer hygienischen Händedesinfektion oder das Anziehen von Einweghandschuhen führte im Vergleich zum normalen Waschen der Hände oder den Verzicht auf eine händehygienische Maßnahme zu signifikant niedrigeren Komplikationsraten. Die wahrscheinlichste Erklärung für den positiven Effekt der Einweghandschuhe oder der hygienischen Händedesinfektion vor dem Kathetersetzen ist, dass die bereits desinfizierte vorgesehene Einstichstelle bei oftmals vorkommender neuerlicher Palpation der Vene nicht rekontaminiert wird

Dytiscidae: The genus Rhantus Dejean (Coleoptera)

19 páginas, 9 figuras.Five species of Rhantus DEJEAN, 1833 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Colymbetinae) occur in New Caledonia. Four of these, all belonging to the R. pacificus group (sensu BALKE 1993) are endemic: R. alutaceus FAUVEL, 1883, R. monteithi BALKE, WEWALKA, ALARIE & RIBERA, 2007, R. novaecaledoniae BALFOUR-BROWNE, 1944, and R. poellerbauerae BALKE, WEWALKA, ALARIE & RIBERA, 2007. The fifth species, R. suturalis MACLEAY, 1825 is a member of the R. suturalis species group and very wide-spread in the Old World. A taxonomic overview, including the known larvae of the endemic species, is provided.Fieldwork was supported by The Linnean Society of London and the German Science Foundation, DFG (BA 2152/1-1, 1-2, 3-1). Financial support was provided also by the European Community’s programme “Structuring the European Research Area” under SYNTHESYS at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), contract numbers ES-TAF 193 & 2197 and Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, AT-TAF 223 (M. Balke).Peer reviewe

Hydroglyphus roeri n. sp. From Namibia (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae)

Volume: 35Start Page: 285End Page: 28