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Objectives: Little is known about the significance of Streptococcus G or C colonization in pregnant women. The objective of this study was to assess whether vaginal Streptococcus group G or C colonization detected in late pregnancy increases the infectious morbidity of the mother or newborn.Methods: A total of 15,114 rectovaginal cultures taken at 35-37 weeks of pregnancy were analyzed at Tampere University Hospital, Finland, between 2012 and 2014. From this laboratory data, all Streptococcus G or C-positive cultures were included to study maternal and neonatal infectious morbidity after delivery. This study population was compared to women with a positive Streptococcus B culture and to women with a negative culture.Results: The prevalence of Streptococcus G or C colonization was 2.9%. Significantly more postpartum endometritis was found in this study group. No association was found between colonization and neonatal bacteremia.Conclusions: Streptococcus G or C colonization is associated with postpartum endometritis. More research is needed to clarify if antibiotic prophylaxis is reasonable for this group during delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the occurrence, clinical picture, and triggering infections of reactive arthritis (ReA) associated with a large waterborne gastroenteritis outbreak. Methods: After an extensive sewage contamination of the water supply system, an estimated 8453 of the 30 016 inhabitants of the town of Nokia fell ill. General practitioners and occupational physicians were advised to refer any patients with suspicion of new ReA to rheumatological examination including faecal culture, human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 and antibody tests for Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Yersinia. Results: Forty-five patients (33 females, 12 males) aged 16–77 years (median 53) were referred. ReA was diagnosed in 21, postinfectious arthralgia in 13, and other musculoskeletal conditions in 11 patients. HLA-B27 was positive in five out of 44 patients (11%). Of the 21 patients with ReA, possible triggering infections were observed in seven (33%), Campylobacter in four, Yersinia in three, and Salmonella in one, who also had Campylobacter infection. ReA was mild in all but one patient who presented with persistent Salmonella enterica serotype enteritidis infection. Conclusions: Taking into account the large population contaminated with potentially arthritogenic agents, the occurrence of ReA was rare and mild in character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep, respiratory tract and ear infections due to Microascaceae ( Pseudallescheria, Scedosporium, Microascus or Scopulariopsis) were studied nationwide in Finland during 1993–2002. The data were based on 52,000 fungal cultures that represented about 50% of all such specimens in Finland and included all Finnish cases of profound immunosuppression. There were 39 cases that were re-evaluated as clinically significant, i.e., three pneumonias, two deep pedal infections and five wound infections, 11 sinusitis and 18 ear infections. The pedal infections and most pneumonias occurred in immunocompromised patients. Most cases, except the ear infections, were due to Pseudallescheria boydii. Two patients had lethal P. boydii pneumonia and a deep P. boydii infection of the foot contributed to a third lethal case. Two of the patients with lethal outcomes had received an allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT). Two patients with haematological malignancies were cured of deep site infections by a prolonged course of itraconazole. Wound, sinus and ear infections were cured or improved by local surgery or topical therapy. There were 0.8–1.7 cases of any type of infection per million inhabitants per year (MY) and 3.4 cases/1000 AHSCT. Mortality associated with Microascaceae in any type of patient was 0.06–0.12 MY. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a retrospective population-based study of 140 episodes of Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis bacteremia occurring in Finland during 1995-2004. Rare emm types were associated with more severe disease and increased mortality rates. Skin and soft tissue infections were more frequent clinical signs among cases caused by common emm types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes an enzyme immunoassay for the routine serological diagnosis of salmonella infections with commercially available lipopolysaccharides of `S typhimurium' and `S enteritidis' as antigen. Experimental methods.

The clinical manifestations of infection were analysed during an outbreak of 34 cases of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serotype Ia infection. The diagnosis was based on the results of enzyme immunoassay and verified by stool culture in five cases. The first four patients were pupils from the same school, and information on any signs and symptoms of infection was obtained by questionnaire from pupils of the school. A blood sample was obtained from 101 children. Strong IgM and IgG antibody responses to Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Ia were found in 13 (25%) of the 52 pupils who reported signs and symptoms of infection and in 9 (18%) of the 49 with no manifestations of infection. The vigorous immune response also resulted in effective opsonization of the causative microorganism. The most common symptoms were fever and abdominal pain. Three children operated on because of suspected appendicitis were found to have mesenteric lymphadenitis. Only one patient developed reactive arthritis. Analysis showed that a remarkable proportion of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infections may be subclinical, and that individual Yersinia pseudotuberculosis strains may have different capacities to cause postinfection complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation o f T lymphocytes by an antigen requires joint recognition of the antigen and the class-II HLA determinants on the membrane of the antigen-presenting cells (APC). Patients with reactive arthritis exhibit a depressed lymphocyte transformation response to Yersinia. suggesting a possible immunoregulatory disturbance in these patients. In this study the role of Ia (class-II HLA antigen)-positive APC in the lymphocyte response to a complex antigen, whole Yersinia bacterium, was evaluated. The results demonstrate that Ia-positive cells are necessary for the T-lymphocyte response to Yersinia. The role of AFC in the pathogenesis of reactive arthritis is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The histocompatibility antigens B8 and DR3 are associated with several autoimmune diseases, and immune hyper-responsiveness has been believed to be one factor in the pathogenesis of these diseases. In the present study we compared the in vitro immunoglobulin production of healthy HLA-88-positive individuals with that of HLA-B8-negative individuals. In HLA-B8-positive persons a higher number of pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-stimulated Ig-secreting cells was obtained. When the cells were stimulated with PWM in the presence of a physiological concentration of hydrocortisone (HC), the secretion of IgG was significantly higher in HLA-B8-positive individuals. This finding indicates that the PWM-stimulated IgG secretion in healthy HLA-B8-positive individuals is more sensitive for the enhancing action of HC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twelve to 16 months after Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 enteritis 33 (85%) of the 39 patients who developed reactive arthritis as a postinfection complication had IgA class and 28 (72%) had IgG class anti-yersinia antibodies. In contrast, 7 (32%) of the 22 patients who did not develop arthritis were positive in the IgA test and 11 (50%) positive in the IgG test. The results were about the same when the material was divided into cases with diagnosis of yersiniosis verified by stool culture or by serology. These results confirm the value of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the diagnosis of yersiniosis, particularly in cases with postinfection complications when the stool isolations remain negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and in yersinia arthritis the main findings in serum immunoglobulin (Ig) studies have been raised IgA in AS and a high anti-yersinia IgA and IgG response and the persistence of IgA class antibodies in yersinia arthritis. In order to study predisposition to high IgA response in AS and yersinia arthritis we measured the in-vitro Ig production in patients with AS and in persons who have once had yersinia arthritis, and we compared it with the Ig production in persons who have had yersiniosis but recovered without getting arthritis and with that in healthy controls. IgA secretion by peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated by pokeweed mitogen was the same in all 4 groups, and no signs of higher IgA production in AS patients could be found. In AS patients lymphocyte activation by whole yersinia bacteria resulted in higher total IgG production than in healthy controls. The total number of plaque-forming cells in yersinia-stimulated cultures was significantly higher in persons who have had yersiniosis without arthritis than in persons who have suffered from yersinia arthritis or in persons in other groups. AS patients had low IgM production, which reverted to normal when hydrocortisone was added to the culture. The in-vitro Ig production in general did not correlate with the presence of the HLA B27 antigen but rather with the clinical history of the subjects studied. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lymphocyte transformation responses were studied in 21 patients with acute yersinia infection followed-up after the acute infection for up to one year. Eight patients had reactive arthritis caused by yersinia. The responses to the causative serotype of yersinia were significantly lower (p less than 0.05) in patients with arthritis than in those without arthritis. Stimulation with Escherichia coli gave lower responses than with yersinia, but with E. coli the difference between arthritic and nonarthritic groups was more significant (p less than 0.02). The responses to yersinia and E. coli were not correlated with the presence of HLA B27. Lymphocyte transformation by purified protein derivative of tuberculin, streptokinase-streptodornase, phytohaemagglutinin, or concanavalin-A revealed no significant differences between the arthritic and nonarthritic groups. The role of the enterobacterial common antigen in the pathogenesis of reactive arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses findings of a questionnaire study on the joint symptoms after the outbreak of gastroenteritis in Nokia, Finland. Topics include Campylobacter being the most common pathogen found in patient's faecal culture, occurrence of reactive arthritis and symptoms like pain in the joint movement, swelling of the joints and redness in the joints.