Infection is the likeliest single cause of delayed healing in healing of chronic open wounds by secondary intention. If neglected it can progress from contamination to colonization and local infection through to systemic infection, sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, and it can be life-threatening. Infection in chronic wounds is not as easy to define as in acute wounds, and is compl...

Seventy isolates of Providence were obtained from urinary tract infections in patients from five hospitals. They were all identified as Providence B (Providencia stuartii). A typing system was devised for these organisms based on their production of and sensitivity to bacteriophage and bacteriocins. Using this system, 27 distinct strains were recognized, and it was clear that many patients had ...

INTRODUCTION The study aimed to investigate the resistance of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an indicator used in hospitals but isolated from faecal samples of children in the community, to commonly used antibiotics and antiseptic agents. METHODOLOGY S. aureus isolates were identified by phenotypic and genotypic techniques such as biochemical tests and polymerase chain re...

The use of local antiseptics is a common method in septic joint surgery. We tested polyhexanide and hydrogen peroxide, two of the most frequently used antiseptics with high efficacy and low toxicity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of both antiseptics on the extracellular cartilaginous matrix synthesis of human chondrocytes. Chondrocytes were isolated from donated human kn...

The issue of whether low-level tolerance to germicides selects for antibiotic-resistant strains is unsettled but might depend on the mechanism by which tolerance is attained. For example, changes in the permeability barrier or efflux mechanisms might affect susceptibility to both antibiotics and germicides, but specific changes to a target site might not. Some researchers have suggested that us...