It is recognized that antibiotics which contain fl-lactam; penicillins, cephalosporines and carbapenems (imipenem/cilastatin, panipenem/betamipron and meropenem etc.) cause seizures as adverse effects1)•`5). The presence of the open /3-lacam metabolite was reported to inhibit the binding of the inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma aminobutyric acid, to its receptor in the central nervous system (...

OBJECTIVE There are no data available on gonococcal susceptibility in the Caucasus region. We aimed to determine in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrheae in Armenia in order to update the national treatment protocol. METHODS Isolates from men with urethral discharge presenting at 3 STI clinics in 3 different sites of Armenia were used to determine susceptibility of N. gon...

Salmonella enterica sv. Typhi (S typhi), the causative organism of enteric fever which is found mainly in the developing countries, is a severe systemic disease with a worldwide frequency estimated as 12-33 million cases per year. It is transmitted not only through contaminated food and beverages, but also via a vertical mechanism during the last trimester of pregnancy. Salmonella enterica sv. ...

Plasmid-borne ampC -lactamases are emerging worldwide. There is no gold standard in detecting them so it is presumed their prevalence is underestimated. They may confer resistance to broad-spectrum cephalosporins. In this paper the first outbreak in Europe of a Klebsiella pneumoniae harbouring a plasmid-borne DHA-1 -lactamase and a SHV-11 lactamase is reported. Following CLSI (Clinical Laborato...

We measured the interference of carbonyl compounds, drugs, and other substances in human serum on the determination of creatinine by the two-point, fixed-time kinetic modification of the Jaffé reaction as well as by four enzymatic methods. We added known concentrations of the interfering substances to a solution of creatinine in water. For bilirubin, we used both pooled normal sera with added b...

BACKGROUND There are no studies on cross-reactivity of betalactams among patients allergic to penicillin, or on the negative predictive value (NPV) of penicillin allergy evaluation from Arabian Gulf countries. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess the role and NPV of drug provocation test (DPT) for betalactam hypersensitivity reactions in patients referred for allergy evaluation in Kuwait. METHODS S...

Oceans have borne most of the biological activities on our planet. A number of biologically active compounds with varying degrees of action, such as anti-tumor, anti-cancer, anti-microtubule, anti-proliferative, cytotoxic, photo protective, as well as antibiotic and antifouling properties, have been isolated to date from marine sources. The marine environment also represents a largely unexplore...

OBJECTIVES Analysing how systemic antibiotic agents were dispensed to outpatients in a Colombian population between January 2005 and December 2006 and assessing their economic cost as antibiotic use and abuse have been related to serious bacterial resistance. METHODS This was a descriptive observational study of antibiotic drug use; a database was compiled from medication usage records mainta...

INTRODUCTION Listeria monocytogenes is a significant zoonosis causing invasive infections in the susceptible persons. The current paper presented a patient who died due to a rapidly-progressing multiple organ failure (MOF) as a result of severe sepsis caused by L. monocytogenes. CASE PRESENTATION A 70-years-old patient with chronic renal failure was admitted to the infectious diseases clinic ...