Peptostreptococcus vaginalis or Peptostreptococcus prevotii? Identification and clinical importance of a new species of Peptostreptococcus

Peptostreptococcus vaginalis is a recently described species of Gram-positive anaerobic coccus. We report one case in which P. vaginalis was isolated in pure culture from an abscess on the upper arm, and summarise nine further cases where it was isolated in mixed culture from other superficial sites, particularly infected leg ulcers. We suggest that clinical strains of P. vaginalis have probably been described in the past as Peptostreptococcus prevotii, a species which has frequently been reported from clinical surveys of anaerobic infections; their relative importance and appropriate treatment are discussed. Preformed enzyme profiles provide a simple method of identification accessible to routine diagnostic laboratories; when clinically significant isolates of GPAC are isolated in pure growth, they should be identified to the species level by use of preformed enzyme kits.     

Effect of a steroidal (prednisolone) and nonsteroidal (indomethacin) antiinflammatory agent on ovulation and follicular accumulation of prostaglandin F2 alpha in sheep

The antiinflammatory steroid, prednisolone, was administered to sheep during the preovulatory period. The drug did not produce a blockade of follicular rupture. However, prednisolone negated a rise in production of prostaglandin (PG) F2 alpha characteristic of preovulatory follicles. Indomethacin, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agent, was 100% effective in preventing ovulation. Levels of PGF2 alpha within follicular tissue were very low following treatment with indomethacin. These findings indicate that ovulation can occur in the absence of a preovulatory elevation in follicular accumulation of PGF2 alpha. Potency of antiinflammatory drugs as inhibitors of ovulation appears to hinge upon their ability to cause a marked suppression in follicular synthesis of prostaglandins.     

Inhibition of fructolytic enzymes in boar spermatozoa by (S)-alpha-chlorohydrin and 1-chloro-3-hydroxypropanone

When boar spermatozoa were incubated with the (S)-isomer of the male antifertility agent alpha-chlorohydrin the activity of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was inhibited. The (R)-isomer had no significant effect on the activity of this enzyme whereas (R,S)-3-chlorolactaldehyde caused an inhibition of its activity and also in that of lactate dehydrogenase. The in vitro production of (S)-3-chlorolactaldehyde, the active metabolite of (S)-alpha-chlorohydrin, was attempted by incubating boar spermatozoa with 1-chloro-3-hydroxypropanone. Preliminary results lead us to propose that this compound is converted into (S)-3-chlorolactaldehyde as well as to another metabolite which is an inhibitor of other enzymes within the fructolytic pathway.     

Recurrent aseptic meningitis for 24 years: diagnosis and treatment of an associated lesion

Recurrent meningitis in the absence of an identifiable causative organism or anatomical source is a difficult diagnostic challenge for any infectious disease consultant. We evaluated a 49-year-old woman with episodes of meningitis which occurred on at least nine separate occasions for over 24 years. No causative organism, physical agent, or underlying disease process was identified as the source of this patient's recurrent lymphocytic meningitis. When computerized tomographic head scanning was first performed in 1977, a prominence of the left lateral ventricle was evident. It was not until the area was subsequently evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging techniques 13 years later that a lesion could be clearly identified, removed, and evaluated at pathology. Time alone will tell whether the lesion, a cavernous hemangioma, was truly the cause of this patient's recurrent aseptic meningitis for 24 years.     

The effect of mixtures of Lactobacillus spp. on the survival of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in in vitro continuous culture of porcine intestinal bacteria

Mixtures of strains of Lactobacillus spp., two of strains inhibitory to growth of the porcine enteropathogen Escherichia coli O149: K88ac: K91 in a co-culture screen, and one of strains with no effect on this pathogen, were examined to determine their effects on the retention of this pathogen in an in-vitro continuous culture system designed to maintain a representation of the porcine ileal microflora. Strains effective in co-culture also increased the rate of decline of the pathogen in the continuous culture. The inhibitory effect exceeded the displacement effect observed with non-inhibitory strains.