tetracycline and Convalescence

To characterize antibody response in horses with clinical signs of Ehrlichia equi infection.. Prospective study.. 13 horses with confirmed acute E equi infection.. Sequential serum sampling was performed in Connecticut and New York during 1995 and 1996 to identify horses with naturally acquired equine granulocytic ehrlichiosis (EGE). Horses with clinical signs of EGE (i.e., fever without respiratory involvement) were confirmed as having E equi infection by polymerase chain reaction detection of ehrlichial DNA and by a minimum fourfold increase in total antibody titer by indirect fluorescent antibody staining methods. Infection was corroborated by use of DNA sequencing.. 11 of 13 horses did not have detectable antibody in serum samples obtained at onset of disease. Seroconversion was evident in samples obtained 19 to 81 days thereafter. Median time to peak antibody response was 46 days after onset and median titer was 1:320. For 11 of 13 horses, antibody titers were < or = 1:40 by 215 days after onset.. E equi was found in horses in the northeastern United States and caused EGE. Concentration of antibodies to E equi increased within 19 to 81 days of disease onset and were low during early weeks of infection. Therefore, antibody detection may be of limited value for early serologic diagnosis. We suggest that disease may develop from a reinfection, and retrospective serologic studies to determine exposure to E equi may reflect a disproportionate number of negative reactions.

Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antibodies, Bacterial; Convalescence; DNA, Bacterial; Ehrlichia; Ehrlichiosis; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; Horse Diseases; Horses; Prospective Studies; Tetracycline

Although the existence of chronic carriers of Vibrio cholerae has been posited, the information in this regard is limited and contradictory. In order to determine the usefulness of the encapsulated string test (enterotest) for detecting V. cholerae in duodenal secretions of biliary origin (biliduodenal secretions), 59 patients (30 males and 29 females) over the age of 15 with clinically and bacteriologically diagnosed cholera were evaluated. All the patients, who were treated at the María Auxiliadora Departmental Hospital in Lima, Peru, were put on the same rehydration regimen and were given 2 g of tetracycline daily for 3 days. Between 24 h and 7 days after completion of the antibiotic treatment the first control tests were performed: culture of biliduodenal secretions obtained using enterotest and culture of feces obtained by rectal swab. No patient had diarrhea at the time of the first test. The biliduodenal secretion cultures revealed the presence of V. cholerae in five patients (8.5%) (four females and one male), while the fecal culture yielded negative results in all cases. One week later the control test was repeated on four of the five patients. All the biliduodenal secretion cultures were negative and only one fecal culture was positive at this stage. The patient in question was subjected to the same control tests one week later and both were negative. It is concluded that enterotest can be a simple, well-tolerated, low-cost method for detecting V. cholerae carriers.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Bacteriological Techniques; Carrier State; Cholera; Convalescence; Feces; Female; Gastrointestinal Contents; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Tetracycline; Vibrio cholerae

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Agglutination Tests; Antibodies; Bacteriological Techniques; Carrier State; Chloramphenicol; Cholera; Convalescence; Furazolidone; Humans; India; Magnesium Sulfate; Male; Middle Aged; Sulfaguanidine; Tetracycline; Time Factors

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Cardiomegaly; Convalescence; Digitalis Glycosides; Diuretics; Endocarditis, Bacterial; Erythromycin; Glucocorticoids; Heart Failure; Humans; Injections, Intramuscular; Penicillins; Pericarditis; Rheumatic Heart Disease; Socioeconomic Factors; Streptococcal Infections; Tetracycline

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chickenpox; Convalescence; Drug Therapy; Eczema; Herpes Simplex; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Infant; Kaposi Varicelliform Eruption; Pathology; Syndrome; Tetracycline