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Four cases of endocarditis due to Kingella kingae are described in compromised patients. All had primary heart disease, and two had systemic lupus erythematosis and congenital heart defect respectively, in addition. Confirmation of Kingella kingae was made in one case at autopsy. The literature on 11 cases of endocarditis, 2 bacteremia, 4 osteomyelitis, 5 septic arthritis and 1 intervertebral disc infection, all caused by Kingella kingae, is reviewed. Our findings confirm that the organism is of low pathogenicity. Children may be predisposed to infection with Kingella kingae.

BackgroundFlexible cystoscopy is used in urological outpatient departments for diagnostic cystoscopy of bladder cancer and requires a high-level disinfection between each patient. The purpose of this study was to make a microbiological post disinfection efficacy assessment of flexible cystoscopes (FC) using disposable sterile endosheaths.MethodsOne hundred endosheaths underwent a leak-test for barrier integrity after cystoscopy. Microbiological samples from these cystoscopies were obtained; after removal of the endosheath, and after cleaning the scope with a detergent cloth, rinsing with tap water followed by 70% ethanol disinfection and subsequent drying. The number of colony forming units (cfu) from the samples was counted after 72 hours and then divided in three categories, Clean FC (<5 cfu/sample), Critical FC (5–50 cfu/sample) and High-risk FC (>50 cfu/sample). The result was compared with data of 10 years continuous control sampling recorded in the Copenhagen Clean-Endoscope Quality Control Database (CCQCD) and analyzed with a Chi-square test for homogeneity.ResultsAll 100 endosheaths passed the leak-test. All samples showed a Clean FC and low means of cfu. A query to the CCQCD, showed that 99.8% (1264/1267) of all FC with a built-in work-channel reprocessed in a WD were clean before use.ConclusionThe reprocessing of FC using endosheaths, as preformed in this study, provides a patient-ready procedure. The results display a reprocessing procedure with low risk of pathogen transmission, high patient safety and a valid alternative to the recommended high-level disinfection procedure of FC. However, the general impression was that sheaths slightly reduced vision and resulted in some patient discomfort.

The production of enterotoxin A, B, C and D by 196 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from blood cultures and 95 strains from nasal carriers was investigated. Half of the bacteraemia strains were from patients who died with or because of their infection, the other half from patients who survived. The nasal strains were selected to match the bacteraemia strains regarding phage types. Overall, 30.6% of the bacteraemia strains and 40.0% of the nasal strains produced enterotoxins; enterotoxins B and C were the toxins produced most frequently in both groups. A similar incidence and pattern of enterotoxin production was found among the bacteraemia strains of S. aureus regardless of acquisition of the infection, the portal of entry, presence or absence of endocarditis and outcome of the infection. Thus, the concept that the enterotoxins play an important role in staphylococcal infections, apart from the diseases caused by the toxins per se such as food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome, cannot be substantiated by the results of the present study.

Reduction in the dosage of dicloxacillin from 500 mg to 250 mg 3 times a day would mean lowering of costs and less side-effects in orthopaedic infections. In this cross-over study, the serum concentrations of dicloxacillin were measured in 9 patients after administration of dicloxacillin 500 mg 3 times a day (dicloxacillin 500 mg) and after co-administration of 250 mg dicloxacillin and 250 mg probenecid 3 times per day (dicloxacillin 250 mg+probenecid 250 mg). Concentrations were measured every hour after the tablet intake. The mean maximum serum concentrations of dicloxacillin were 17.1 micrograms/ml (dicloxacillin 500 mg) and 12.2 micrograms/ml (dicloxacillin 250 mg+probenecid 250 mg), respectively (P < 0.05). Serum concentrations above 3 micrograms/ml were obtained during 285 min. in both regimes, but the individual variations were biggest during in the dicloxacillin 250 mg+probenecid 250 mg treatment. Serum concentrations above 5 micrograms/ml were in mean measured during 228 min. (dicloxacillin 500 mg) and 190 min. (dicloxacillin 250 mg+probenecid 250 mg), respectively (P < 0.05). The clinical significance of these findings is being discussed. In theory, treatment with dicloxacillin 250 mg+probenecid 250 mg may be as sufficient as dicloxacillin 500 mg.