Browsing by Author "Finlayson, M. H."

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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    An appraisal of the uricult dip slide method in the diagnosis of urinary infections
    (HMPG, 1973-05) Finlayson, M. H.; Coates, J. K.; Brede, H. D.; Mitchell, P.
    Uricult dip slide urine cultures were compared with standard laboratory plate cultures. Good agreement of bacterial counts was obtained after incubation at 37°C but not at room temperature. Tests of therapeutic activity of various drugs on the commoner organisms producing urinary infections, were done. The results suggested that such tests had no positive value. Uricult dip slides should be of value as a suitable transport and diagnostic medium for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections.
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    Detection of biological false positive syphilis serum reactions
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1974) Brede, H. D.; Willey, K. D. F.; Kindermann, R. A.; Finlayson, M. H.
    A comparative evaluation of reagin tests (Wassermann, VDRL, RPR) and fluorescent treponema antibody absorption tests (FTA ABS) performed on blood specimens from 5,271 persons (2,493 pregnant women, 1,130 apparently healthy prospective employees, 1,345 newborn babies and 303 leprosy patients) showed that 17.2% of the pregnant women, 11.95% of the prospective employees, 19.0% of the newborn babies, and 27.2% of the leprosy patients gave positive reactions in one or more of the tests. The majority of specimens were from Cape Colored patients. FTA ABS tests allowed the exclusion as biological false positives of ± 30% of the pregnant 'positive reactors', of ± 37% of the prospective employees, 40.2% of the newborn babies, but only 1% of the leprosy patients. The FTA ABS test, therefore, deserves wide acceptance as the standard by which the diagnosis of syphilis is confirmed and false positive reactions are defined, although non specificity in pregnancies, intracellular infections and auto immune diseases occurs. The classical reagin tests are of value in the control of treatment.
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    Diagnosis and incidence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Cape Coloured females in the Western Cape : laboratory aspects
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1974) Finlayson, M. H.; Gibbs, B.; Brede, H. D.
    Specimens were taken, using carbon impregnated swabs, from the cervix, urethra and rectrum of 945 Cape Coloured gynaecological patients, and from the cervix only of 1,276 pregnant Cape Coloured women. These specimens were submitted to the laboratory in a modified Stuart transport medium and cultured on Thayer Martin medium. N. gonorrhoeae was cultured in 5.3% of the specimens from the gynaecological patients and in 5.3% of specimens from the pregnant women. All cultures showed type I or II colony pattern. No strains showed resistance to any of the antibiotics tested.
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    Differentiation of Klebsiella Enterobacter Serratia organisms
    (Health and Medical Publishing Group (HMPG), 1975) Finlayson, M. H.; Coates, J. K.; Coldrey, N. A.
    Differentiation of 625 strains of bacteria which fulfilled the requirements laid down for the definition of Klebsielleae was carried out using 6 biochemical tests. 546 strains were identified as members of the genus Klebsiella, 46 of the genus Enterobacter and 33 of the genus Serratia.
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    The enterotube system in the identification of Enterobacteriaceae and Yersinia
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1974) Finlayson, M. H.; Gibbs, B.
    A trial of the Enterotube system for the identification of Enterobacteriaceae and a comparison with the methods at present in use in the Tygerberg Hospital Laboratory, were carried out. One hundred cultures belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae including E. coli, P. mirabilis, P. vulgaris, P. morgani, P. rettgeri, Providencia, Edwardsiella, Shigella, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Serratis, Salmonella, Citrobacter and Arizona were tested with conventional procedures and also with the Enterotube. The organisms within 24 hours after isolation, were used. Three of the cultures examined were not identified by the Enterotube technique when their identity was established by routine conventional methods. These were non urease producing non motile organisms which may have been members of the tribe Klebsiellae. Good agreement was therefore observed in 97% of the cultures when the Enterotube was used compared with the conventional technique. Three cultures of Y. enterocolitica and two of Y. pseudotuberculosis were identified by the Enterotube.
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    Escherichia coli serotypes associated with urinary tract infections in the Western Cape
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1974) Brede, H. D.; Coldrey, N. A.; Coates, J. K.; Finlayson, M. H.
    Examination of 3,261 specimens of urine from patients with urinary tract infections led to the isolation of E. coli types from 933 samples (28.6%). Serological typing revealed 222 isolates (23.8%) as urinary or as enteropathogenic serotypes. The rest were untypable. The following urinary types were identified: O 1, O 2, O 4, O 5, O 6, O 7, O 9, O 11, O 18, O 39, O 75, the commonest being O 6, O 4, and O 75. Enteropathogenic types were O 26-B6, O 55-B5, O 86-B7, O 111-B4, O 112-B11, O 119-B14, O 124-B17, O 125-B15, O 126-B16, O 127-B8, O 128-B12, and O 142-B. Types O 112 and O 111 were the most prevalent. The 1973 pattern of urinary E. coli infections in the Western Cape differs from that found in other parts of the world. Type O 6 is most prevalent, followed by O 4, and O 75. The last is the most common type north of the equator. Other types were far less frequent. Crossreactivity between 14 V. cholerae strains and E. coli O 39 antiserum was proved, suggesting similarities between the enterotoxins of V. cholerae and pathogenic E. coli strains.
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    A modified reduced transport fluid for the preservation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae during transport
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1975) Finlayson, M. H.; Koralewski, F. F.; Kindermann, R. A.
    Reduced transport fluid (RTF) was modified by altering its pH and by the addition of a yeast dialysate. This reduced transport yeast containing fluid (RTYF) was shown to be superior to RTF in maintaining viability of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in cultures and in clinical material.
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    A note on the use of reduced transport fluid (RTF) for isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1974) Finlayson, M. H.; Willey, K. F. D.; Brede H. D.; Wilson A. J.
    Swabs containing pus from urethral discharges obtained from 55 male patients attending venereal disease clinics were transported in Stuart's transport medium or RTF (reduced transport fluid) and then cultured on Thayer Martin plates. Forty eight swabs showed the presence of Neisseria in smears and 45 gave good growth of N. gonorrhoeae when cultured 18 - 24 hours after the swabs were taken from the patient.
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    Prevention of food poisoning in hospital patients
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1974) Horwitz, B. M.; Finlayson, M. H.; Brede, H. D.
    Bacteriological investigations of raw and cooked foods and of food handlers in abattoirs, food factories and hospital kitchens show that they are potential sources of food poisoning organisms. The use of reheated (reconstituted) frozen foods is recommended as an ideal means of preventing food poisoning among hospital patients.