It is concluded that Infecton is a very sensitive and quite specific marker of bone infection, but care must be taken in cases of excessive new bone formation and primary bone tumors, where false-positive results may be obtained.

16S ribosomal RNA methylase-mediated high-level resistance to 4-,6-aminoglycosides has been reported in clinical isolates of gram-negative bacilli from several countries. Three of 1534 (0.2%) isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and three of 734 (0.4%) Proteus mirabilis isolates from a university hospital in Athens, Greece, were positive for rmtB and highly resistant to all aminoglycosides tested (MICs ≥256 mg/L). Two of the K. pneumoniae rmtB-bearing isolates, were KPC-2 and OXA-10 producers and the third was a DHA-1 producer. One of the P. mirabilis isolates was a VIM-1 and OXA-10 producer and one was an OXA-10 producer. All rmtB-harbouring isolates were clonally unrelated. None of the E. coli (n = 1398) and Enterobacter spp. (n = 414) isolates were positive for armA, rmtA, rmtB, rmtC or rmtD.

Complications of long-term linezolid administration include anemia and thrombocytopenia. A recent report has suggested that pyridoxine may prevent myelosuppression. Pyridoxine was administered to 24 patients with bone infections who were being treated with linezolid. Thrombocytopenia occurred in 11 patients (45.8%), and anemia occurred in 6 (25%). We concluded that treatment wtih pyridoxine is unlikely to benefit patients who have been receiving linezolid for >2 weeks.

It appears that a multiresistant transferable plasmid encoding the SHV-5 beta-lactamase, causing unusually high resistance to ceftazidime and aztreonam, and the combination AAC(6')-I + AAC(3)-I of acetylating enzymes causing, also resistance to all clinically available aminoglycosides, is established in K. pneumoniae in Greece.

In a prospective randomized study meropenem was compared with imipenem/cilastatin in the treatment of 62 patients with intraabdominal infections requiring surgery. The patients were suffering from diffuse or local peritonitis of moderate severity complicating in most cases gangrenous appendicitis, stomach perforation or gallbladder disease. There were 30 patients in the meropenem group and 32 patients in the imipenem/cilastatin group. Both antibiotic regimens were given intravenously at a dosage of 1 g every 8 h for a mean duration of 7.7 days in the meropenem group versus 8.6 days in the imipenem/cilastatin group. Fifty-nine aerobic strains and 15 anaerobic strains were isolated from cultures of pus taken intraoperatively, the meropenem MICs ranging from < or = 0.25 to 2 micrograms/ml. At follow-up at least one month after treatment the outcome was considered successful in all of 27 evaluable patients given meropenem and in all of 29 evaluable patients given imipenem/cilastatin. Both antibiotic regimens were well tolerated.