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Clostridium difficile infection is usually associated with antibiotic therapy and is almost always limited to the colonic mucosa. Small bowel enteritis is rare: only 9 cases have been previously cited in the literature. This report describes a case of C. difficile small bowel enteritis that occurred in a patient after total colectomy and reviews the 9 previously reported cases of C. difficile enteritis.

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Coronary artery disease is an inflammatory condition associated with several infections. We prospectively evaluated 155 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography for evidence of Bartonella species and Coxiella burnetii infection. All Bartonella cultures were found to be negative. Multivariable logistic regression analysis that controlled for potential confounding factors revealed no association between coronary artery disease and seropositivity to Bartonella henselae (odds ratio [OR], 0.852; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.293-2.476), Bartonella quintana (OR, 0.425; 95% CI, 0.127-1.479), C. burnetii phase 1 (OR, undefined), and C. burnetii phase 2 (OR, 0.731; 95% CI, 0.199-2.680). The geometric mean titer (GMT) for C. burnetii phase 1 assay was slightly higher in persons with coronary artery disease than in those without such disease (P<.02). B. henselae, B. quintana, and C. burnetii seropositivity was not strongly associated with coronary artery disease. On the basis of GMTs, C. burnetii infection may have a modest association with coronary artery disease.

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In recent years manufacturers have developed several products containing saprophytic bacteria, previously believed to be of minimal pathogenicity. We describe the first case of persistent Bacillus licheniformis bacteremia occurring after intentional injection of a consumer product that includes B. licheniformis spores. We postulate that these spores remained in the tissue, unaffected by antimicrobials, ultimately necessitating soft-tissue debridement of the area surrounding the injection site. On the basis of this case and a review of the literature, we submit that some consumer products contain bacteria with demonstrated pathogenicity. Manufacturers should study these bacteria in detail in order to rapidly provide information such as bacteriologic data and antimicrobial susceptibility data to clinicians.

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OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a high rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at our institution was due to laboratory misclassification and to evaluate the effect of this misclassification. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We evaluated all S. aureus isolates identified at our institution during a 60-day period in 1997. Automated susceptibility test results (using the Vitek system) from our clinical microbiology laboratory and an independent laboratory were compared with oxacillin agar screen plate results at both laboratories. Isolates with discordant results for susceptibility to oxacillin were tested by broth microdilution minimal inhibitory concentrations and for the presence of the mecA gene. RESULTS: Eighteen (72%) of the 25 organisms (obtained from 17 patients) found to be resistant to oxacillin by the Vitek system at our institution were susceptible by the oxacillin agar screen. Discordant isolates tested by broth microdilution minimal inhibitory concentrations and for the mecA gene were found to be oxacillin susceptible and mecA gene negative. Thus, at our hospital, almost three fourths of the organisms initially identified as methicillin-resistant S. aureus by the Vitek system were actually susceptible to oxacillin. This misclassification resulted in needless infection control measures and unnecessary vancomycin use. CONCLUSION: Hospitals that use only automated susceptibility testing for S. aureus should periodically validate their results with additional testing.

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Drowning and near-drowning can abruptly devastate the lives of both the affected victims and their families. In addition to the complications directly caused by the submersion, several indirect causes of morbidity exist. Infection is one of the complications associated with near-drowning, and pneumonia is the most severe of these infectious complications. The risk factors, microbiological causes, diagnostic approach, and appropriate therapy for pneumonia associated with near-drowning are not well described in the literature. Herein, we review the epidemiology and pathophysiology associated with near-drowning, discuss the potential mechanisms of infection, and describe the likely risk factors for pneumonia related to near-drowning. We also detail the microbiological causes of this entity and provide important clinical and epidemiological information associated with specific pathogens. Finally, we summarize an appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic approach to pneumonia associated with near-drowning.

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Aeromonas is increasingly recognized as a human pathogen that causes a variety of different infections. Aeromonas has rarely been reported as a cause of respiratory infection, and it has been described in near-drowning-associated pneumonia. This article reviews a case of Aeromonas sobria pneumonia associated with a near drowning and considers the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 10 previously reported cases. Nearly all of the cases involved young healthy men, a rapid development of pneumonia and sepsis after a brief stable period postimmersion, and bilateral infiltrates on chest radiography. A very high rate of positive blood cultures and mortality was also noted. The epidemiological and clinical data in this review may be helpful to the clinician caring for near-drowning victims. Although prophylactic antibiotics are not recommended for near-drowning victims, broad-spectrum antibiotics should be rapidly instituted with any evidence of infection.

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