No abstract

Sensitivity patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pyogenes were studied prospectively in an outpatient population seeking medical advice for respiratory tract infections (RTI) in the Southern parts of Stockholm. In total, 3,214 nasopharyngeal and 1,907 throat swabs were cultured during January-February 1996. 32% of the patients had received antibiotics during the previous year. Reduced penicillin sensitivity in S. pneumoniae was rare (1.3%) and only seen in patients treated with antibiotics during the previous 4 months. Beta-lactamase production in H. influenzae was found in 13.4% of patients who had been treated with antibiotics during the last 4 months and in 7.9% of the others. No resistance (< 1%) to erythromycin was seen in S. pyogenes. In this population-based surveillance, the levels of resistance in common respiratory tract pathogens were thus low and correlated to previous antibiotic treatment. Strict indications for antibiotic treatment in uncomplicated RTI are advocated to maintain a low resistance rate. Penicillin is still the drug of choice in patients without frequent recurrences of RTI in a setting similar to the one studied.

In this study some analytical methods, which have been used in oil crop breeding, are compared from the point of view of plant breeding. For oil content determination a gravimetric method, NMR and NIR have been used. Protein content has been determined by the classical Kjeldahl technique, by the Biuret method and by NIR. The results indicate that the NIR spectroscopy is specially useful in screening breeding materials. This method enables the breeder to select for several quality characters simultaneously at a high speed and at a low cost. Since NIR spectroscopy is nondestructive, the same seed lot can be used for analysis and planting. Thus it is possible to select on a large scale for single plants.