HIV-seropositive and seronegative control subjects performed a standard paper-and-pencil version and an experimental reaction time version of the Stroop Color-Word Naming Task. Results indicated that both symptomatic and asymptomatic HIV-positive subjects showed an exaggerated Stroop effect compared to controls, but this increase was only apparent on the RT version of the task. Analysis of components of the effect indicated that HIV-positive subjects showed increased inhibition compared to controls but normal facilitation. These results suggest that HIV-related cognitive slowing has an attentional component, most likely involving controlled processes. In addition, these results emphasize the utility and sensitivity of RT measures in the study of early HIV-1 infection.

A prospective review of all enterococcal isolates for 13 months showed that 9.0% were resistant to ampicillin (MIC, .16 ,ug/ml; zone diameter, <15 mm), as determined by the Vitek system, disk diffusion, microdilution MIC testing, and macrodilution MIC testing. All were I8-lactamase negative. A total of 19 and 3 resistant isolates were from urine and intravascular sites, respectively. Ampicillin-resistant enterococci appear to be a growing clinical problem.MICs of ampicillin against enterococci usually range from 1 to 8 p.g/ml, although MICs for Enterococcus faecium may be as high as 32 ,ug/ml (2, 6,13,14). From the 1960s to the early 1980s, there was no change in the susceptibility of enterococci to either penicillin or ampicillin (6). Resistance of isolates to ampicillin by P-lactamase production (8, 10) or unknown mechanisms (1) Uncertain as to whether this result was due to methodology or a change in susceptibility, we studied all the enterococcal isolates to determine the incidence of ampicillin resistance by using four different methods. Ampicillin-resistant isolates also were tested for P-lactamase production, high-level gentamicin resistance, and susceptibility to other antibiotics possibly effective for the treatment of enterococcal infections.

Cotton fever is usually a benign febrile, leukocytic syndrome of unknown etiology seen in intravenous narcotic abusers. Cotton and cotton plants are heavily colonized with Enterobacter agglomerans. We report a case of cotton fever associated with E agglomerans in which the organism was first isolated from the patient's blood and secondarily from cotton that he had used to filter heroin. Enterobacter agglomerans is with most probability the causal agent of cotton fever. Patients presenting with the classic history should have blood cultures performed and should be started on a regimen of empiric antibiotic therapy.

Thirty-seven nondemented HIV-seropositive and 17 seronegative control subjects were administered the Sternberg speed of memory scanning task, a procedure frequently employed to study mental slowing in patients with subcortical dementing disorders. Experimental and control subjects did not differ in speed of memory scanning, as indexed by the slopes of set size-reaction time functions, nor on mean 0-intercepts for the RT functions, which index stimulus detection and motor response time. Intercept values were significantly greater for subjects with a positive alcohol abuse history and for subjects with greater self-reported depression, but slopes were not significantly correlated with substance abuse history or psychological distress. Cognitive slowing in early HIV-1 infection is not a nonspecific effect observed across all measures of information processing speed. Underlying component functions measured must be carefully considered when selecting reaction time tasks for study with HIV-seropositive subjects. The term "subcortical" dementia may be too general a descriptor, and RT task performance may provide an alternative basis for classification of dementia types.

A prospective study identified 9 (32%) of 28 ampicillin-resistant (MIC 2 16 ,ug/ml) enterococcus isolates as Enterococcus raffinosus. A case-control study found no significant differences with respect to underlying diseases, catheterization, or surgery between patients with ampicillin-resistant E. raffinosus and those with ampicillin-susceptible Enterococcus spp. Prior treatment with antibiotics and prolonged hospitalization were more frequent among patients with ampicillin-resistant E. raffinosus. Patients with the same strain (determined by plasmid analysis) were frequently hospitalized concurrently. From the 1960s to the early 1980s, susceptibility of enterococci to ampicillin and penicillin did not change (6). Resistance of a few Enterococcusfaecalis isolates to ampicillin by ,B-lactamase production (10, 13) was reported in the 1980s. Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus raffinosus, and Enterococcus gallinarum were reported subsequently (2, 16), with ampicillin resistance probably due to decreased penicillin-binding affinity of penicillin-binding proteins (3, 17). In recent reports, E. raffinosus has constituted a relatively large