Apr 11

PRIMARY PERITONITIS: FLORA

Posted: under Anti-Infectives.
April 11th, 2011

Primary peritonitis is almost always monomicrobial, so growth of more than one organism should raise the suspicion for secondary peritonitis. Gram-negative enteric organisms make up about 60% of SBP infections, with Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae being most frequently isolated. Gram-positive organisms, most often Streptococcus pneumoniae and other streptococcal species, account for about 25% of episodes. Patients receiving selective intestinal decontamination (SID), usually with fluoroquinolone antibiotics, may have a higher frequency of gram-positive SBP episodes. Despite the predominantly anaerobic flora of the colon, anaerobic organisms are rarely isolated from peritoneal fluid and, when present, correlate strongly with polymicrobial infection. Bacteremia occurs in up to 75% of SBP cases when the infection is due to a single aerobic species, but it is rare in patients with peritonitis due to anaerobes.The most common infecting organisms in children with primary peritonitis are S. pneumoniae and group A streptococci. Uncommon organisms isolated in cases of primary peritonitis include N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Coccidioides immitis.*87/348/5*

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Dec 28

HOW A COLD PROGRESSES

Posted: under Anti-Infectives.
December 28th, 2010

It may give you little comfort to know that most of the symptoms of a cold are caused, not by the cold virus attacking you, but by your body’s immune system attacking the virus. In other words, you feel worse because you’re getting better.
Enter the virus: In a sneak attack you have no way of detecting, cold viruses enter the upper respiratory tract through the nose or are transported there through the eyes.
The viral attack: Viruses that do not get entrapped and flushed out by the tiny hairs and mucus that line the nasal passages can penetrate the layer of mucus and attach themselves to cells in the throat, where they multiply and disperse throughout the nose and throat. At this point, you still have no reason to suspect an impending cold.
Body cells fight back: Within an hour of the viral attack, throat cells injured by the virus launch a counterattack, releasing chemicals that trigger inflammation and attract white blood cells to fight off the infection. As a result, the tissues become red and begin to swell, though you probably are still unaware of what lies ahead.
Reinforcements arrive: White blood cells called macrophages— the “gobblers” of the immune system—arrive to engulf the invading viruses. This attack triggers the release of several infection-fighting proteins.
Symptoms blossom: About a day after the throat cells become infected, the developing inflammation causes a sore throat and the defensive proteins that are released induce chills and muscle aches. These proteins also combine with blood in the nose to cause nasal swelling—that unmistakable feeling of congestion—and a runny nose. The excess mucus, in turn, can trigger a cough.
Symptoms subside: The immune system begins to get the upper hand within 3 to 7 days of the viral invasion. Inflammation subsides, mucus production gradually returns to normal, and you start to feel significantly better.
*23\296\2*

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