This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of moxifloxacin for the eradication of bacterial colonisation of the airways in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Out of 119 stable patients with COPD screened, 40 (mean age 69 yrs, mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s 50% predicted) were colonised with potentially pathogenic microorganisms (PPMs) a...

BACKGROUND & AIMS The study focuses on the influence of a probiotic supplement alone and in combination with a calcium supplement on faecal lactobacilli colonisation and beneficial health effects such as a lowering of blood cholesterol. METHODS Thirty-two men and women participated in the double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. All participants consumed a probiotic drink containin...

Azithromycin reduces airway inflammation and improves forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) in chronic rejection or bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) after lung transplantation (LTx). Azithromycin prophylaxis might prevent BOS. A double-blind randomised controlled trial of azithromycin (n = 40) or placebo (n = 43), initiated at discharge and administered three times a week for 2 yrs, was...

The gut of preterm neonates is colonised with a paucity of bacterial species originating more from the environment than from the mother. Furthermore, a delayed colonisation by bifidobacteria promotes colonisation by potentially pathogenic bacteria. This may contribute towards the development of neonatal necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). The physiopathology of NEC is still unclear but immaturity ...

In a prospective survey of infants born in a single maternity unit, asymptomatic faecal colonisation by Clostridium difficile occurred in 31 (47%) of 66 babies who provided a faecal sample during week one of life and at age 14 and 28 days, and in 46 (30.7%) of the total of 150 babies for whom at least one faecal sample was obtained during the month of study. There was no evidence for acquisitio...

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori is one of the commonest causes of chronic infection of mankind, yet the natural history of acute infection is poorly understood. Some studies suggest that gastric colonisation with H pylori is associated with suboptimal nutrition and growth in childhood. AIMS To describe the clinical features of early H pylori colonisation and assess its role in the development ...