SUMMARY Neisseria gonorrhoeae was isolated from 5.9% of oropharyngeal specimens obtained from patients attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. Oropharyngeal isolates from 69 patients and anogenital isolates from 97 other patients attending the same clinic were compared. Many of the gonococci could be differentiated by the compounds required for growth in chemically defined media or by differences in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of penicillin G. Strains with requirements for either proline (Pro-) or arginine (Arg-) or for none of the compounds that are used for differentiation (zero phenotype) were more common in the oropharynx (91.3% of patients) than in anogenital sites (73-2 % of patients). On the other hand, gonococci with multiple requirements that include arginine, hypoxanthine, and uracil (AHU strains) were present in oropharyngeal specimens from only three patients (4 4 %), but were isolated from anogenital specimens from 18 patients (18-6%). A high susceptibility to penicillin characterised the AHU strains from all sites, as others have reported. The pencillin MIC ranged from 0 003-0 72 ,ug/ml for strains with Pro-, Arg-, and zero phenotypes. However, a penicillin MIC > 0-42 ,ug/ml was found for 17-6 % of oropharyngeal isolates of these types, but for only 4-1 % of Pro-, Arg-, and zero isolates from anogenital sites. None of these moderately resistant strains produced 13-lactamase. Our findings indicate that gonococci differ in their ability to colonise the oropharynx successfully.
Surveillance of seven types of delicatessen salads (chicken, egg, ham, macaroni, American potato, shrimp, and tuna) was conducted from March through July, 1974. Liver spread and sandwich spread were included in the sampling. Products were obtained from approximately 150 retail establishments. A separate surveillance of one central production unit and approximately 18 retail establishments, which it supplied, was also conducted. Twenty six percent to 85% of samples of products obtained from general retail outlets had aerobic plate count (APC) values of less than 100,000 per gram. Thirty six percent to 79% had coliform Most Probable Number (MPN) levels of less than 100 per gram, while 83 to 100% contained less than 10 Escherichia coli per gram. Some samples of each of the products contained low numbers of coagulase-positive staphylococci. Seventy one per cent to 96% of samples of various products, obtained from a central production unit, yielded APC values of less than 100,000 per gram. Forty five percent to 94% had coliform MPN values of less than 100 per gram. Two of six products contained low levels of coagulase-positive staphylococci in 9% and 2% of the samples examined.
Identification of Salmonella enteritidis serotype Havana, isolated from a 2½-month old female, engendered efforts to trace the source of infection. The inquiry led to examination of commercially prepared dehydrated dog foods. Twenty-five samples, representing four different manufacturers plus two retail store brands, were examined. Each of 11 samples, produced by one manufacturer, contained one or more Salmonella serotypes. Eight of them contained S. enteritidis serotype Havana. Isolates of serotype Havana from the index case and her mother had antibiotic susceptibility patterns essentially identical to those of nine of 10 serotype Havana isolates recovered from one sample of dog food. The possibility that the human isolates were related to the dog food isolates could not be eliminated.
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