A 2% quaternary ammonium compound polymerised with a denture acrylic resin displayed antiseptic properties after a 4-week soaking period in artificial saliva. Such antiseptic denture base could help geriatric patients to improve their oral health.

Helicobacter pylori is a microaerophilic, motile bacterium, especially adapted to life in the human stomach. The presence of H. pylori in the stomach is strongly associated with chronic gastritis and ulcer disease and is a risk factor for gastric cancers. The microorganism may be transmitted orally and has been detected in dental plaque, saliva, and feces, but the hypothesis that oral microflora may be a permanent reservoir of H. pylori is still controversial. A review of the literature suggests that the recovery of H. pylori in the mouth is probably intermittent, associated with gastroesophageal reflux but not with specific oral disease. Nonetheless, the PCR identification of oral H. pylori may become helpful, particularly in cases of gastritis or ulcer relapse after antimicrobial therapy. Eradication of oral H. pylori by local medication or periodontal procedures would rely on the precise identification of its ecological niche. Within family groups, prophylactic methods should be practiced to avoid oral carriage of H. pylori. The risk of iatrogenic transmission during dental care, however, is already circumscribed by standard professional hygiene procedures. J Periodontol 1997;68:2–6.

Rates of resistance in AGNB as a whole and in particular species (P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella), as well as frequency of concomitant resistance found in the French ICU study, were higher than those found in ICU studies conducted with the same methodology in Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany, which may reflect differences in case mix.

Aims: To develop an in vitro protocol in order to assess the antiseptic properties of a quaternary ammonium compound polymerized with acrylic denture resin base, using experimental resin discs and dialysis membranes. Methods and Results: Experimental acrylic resin discs were polymerized with Poly 202063A, an ammonium compound (2-50%). Antiseptic properties were assayed against two reference strains (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus) and a laboratory strain (Candida albicans), using three different conditions (test A, B and C). In test A, according to classical protocols the resin discs were first soaked in large volumes of microbial inoculum (45 ml). An original dialysis protocol was then designed to recreate the small biofilm volume on the prosthetic surface. In test B, discs and bacterial inoculum (600 ll) were introduced in a dialysis bag and dialysed against a sterile buffer. A bactericidal effect was observed against E. coli and Staph. aureus (<0AE1% viable cells in initial bacterial suspension). A dose-dependent fungistatic effect was observed against C. albicans. Finally, in test C discs and sterile buffer (600 ll) were introduced in a dialysis bag and dialysed against microbial inoculum. Reduced activity was found outside the dialysis bag, demonstrating that free ammonium was able to diffuse through the dialysis membrane, displaying antiseptic properties.Conclusions: The present protocol demonstrated that a quaternary ammonium compound remains efficient after heat polymerization with an acrylic denture base resin, both in immediate and distant microbial environments. Significance and Impact of the Study: Such removable prosthetic devices with intrinsic antiseptic properties would contribute to improve the long-term management of denture stomatitis.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important cause of acute otitis media (AOM). The aim of this study was to evaluate trends in antibiotic resistance and circulating serotypes of pneumococci isolated from middle ear fluid of French children with AOM during the period 2001-2011, before and after the introduction of the PCV-7 (2003) and PCV-13 (2010) vaccines. Between 2001 and 2011 the French pneumococcal surveillance network analysed the antibiotic susceptibility of 6683 S. pneumoniae isolated from children with AOM, of which 1569 were serotyped. We observed a significant overall increase in antibiotic susceptibility. Respective resistance (I+R) rates in 2001 and 2011 were 76.9% and 57.3% for penicillin, 43.0% and 29.8% for amoxicillin, and 28.6% and 13.0% for cefotaxime. We also found a marked reduction in vaccine serotypes after PCV-7 implementation, from 63.0% in 2001 to 13.2% in 2011, while the incidence of the additional six serotypes included in PCV-13 increased during the same period, with a particularly high proportion of 19A isolates. The proportion of some non-PCV-13 serotypes also increased between 2001 and 2011, especially 15A and 23A. Before PCV-7 implementation, most (70.8%) penicillin non-susceptible pneumococci belonged to PCV-7 serotypes, whereas in 2011, 56.8% of penicillin non-susceptible pneumococci belonged to serotype 19A. Between 2001 and 2011, antibiotic resistance among pneumococci responsible for AOM in France fell markedly, and PCV-7 serotypes were replaced by non-PCV-7 serotypes, especially 19A. We are continuing to assess the impact of PCV-13, introduced in France in 2010, on pneumococcal serotype circulation and antibiotic resistance.

We are presenting a new case of meningitis due to the Micrococcus luteus species. This germ was isolated twice in eight days from the CSF of a 57-year old woman. The patient had a ventriculoperitoneal shunt implanted for hydrocephalus following a meningeal haemorrhage. Antibiotic therapy was efficient but the patient died of a recurrent haemorrhage.

This multicenter period prevalence study clearly supports the hypothesis of a common role of C difficile in infectious diarrhea in hospitalized patients. Disease associated with C difficile should therefore be systematically evaluated in diarrheal stools from inpatients.

Among cases of bacteremia, 27% were caused by PNSP, but this level varies according to the counties and the age of the patients. Infection-related mortality was high, but there was no increase related to penicillin G non-susceptibility of the infecting strain.