Persistence of Staphylococcus spp. in milk from cows undergoing homeopathy to control subclinical mastitis.

BACKGROUND: Mastitis is one of the major diseases in dairy cattle, as it causes great economic losses to producers due to the reduction of milk production and changes in the quality of the product. The disease is mainly caused by bacteria of the genus Staphylococcus spp., these microorganisms can express various virulence factors, such as biofilms for example. In herds with organic management, producers and technicians use unconventional ways to treat and control the disease, such as homeopathy. However, it is not known if this type of treatment is able to control pathogenic bacteria such as those of the genus Staphylococcus, of relevance to animal and human health. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the production of biofilm in vitro and its genes by Staphylococcus spp. isolated in the milk of cows treated with homeopathy, as well as the persistence of microorganisms in animals. METHODS: Ninety-nine isolates of Staphylococcus spp. from cows treated and not treated with homeopathy were identified by internal transcribed space-polymerase chain reaction and investigated for the presence of the icaABCD, bap, aap, atlE, and bhp genes and in vitro biofilm production using the adhesion method on polystyrene plates. The enzyme restriction profile was determined by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis. Clusters of S. aureus and S. epidermidis with three or more isolates had an isolate selected for Multilocus Sequence Typing. RESULTS: The frequency of S. aureus isolations was similar in treated and untreated cows, while 71.4% of the coagulase-negative identified were isolated in cows treated with homeopathy. The distribution of the operon ica genes was similar in animals with and without treatment, except for the icaD gene, more frequent in treated cows. Production of biofilm was associated with presence of one or more genes from the icaADBC operon. S. aureus revealed a greater diversity and greater dissemination in cows treated and not treated with homeopathy. Sequence Types ST1, ST5, and ST126 were identified in S. aureus. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of biofilm-associated genes and the in vitro production of biofilms, combined with the persistence of clonal profiles of Staphylococcus spp. demonstrate other forms of control for bovine mastitis should be researched for organic production herds.

[In vitro activities of Odorrana grahami antimicrobial peptides from skin against 5 pathogenic bacteria].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficiency of 4 Odorrana grahami antimicrobial peptides from skin against 5 pathogenic bacteria, include 2 wild strains and 7 resistant strains. METHODS: Broth microdilution antimicrobial susceptibility test was used for bacteria that growed aerobically. RESULTS: The 4 Odorrana grahami antimicrobial peptides were basically in vitro efficient agents for inhibition against to methicillin-resistant coagulase negative Staphylococcus (MRSCN, 85460), wild Staphylococcus aureus (24157), penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP, 84688 and 91452), class I beta-lactamase Enterobacter cloacae (AmpC, 85439 and 93543), wild Escherichia coli (84492), extended-spectrum beta-lactamases Escherichia coli (ESBL, 84492), inhabitor-resistant TEM beta-lactamase Escherichia coli (IRT, 85580). CONCLUSION: The 4 Odorrana grahami antimicrobial peptides from skin have broad spectrum antimicrobial activity; especially have in vitro activity to resistant strains. So it is hopeful to be developed as the antimicrobial agent as well as the disinfectant and the antiseptic.

Evaluation of the automated Bact-Alert system for pediatric blood culturing.

The Organon Teknika BacT/Alert (Organon Teknika, Durham, NC), using the Pedi-BacT 20 mL aerobic bottle (BPBCS) was compared to the Wampole Isolator (WI) 1.5 Microbial tube (Wampole Laboratories, Cranbury, NJ), for detection and recovery of pediatric pathogens. The BPBCS continuously monitors culture bottles for changes in CO2 concentrations, while WI cultures are examined twice daily for appearance of colonial growth on agar media. Of 5,175 paired blood cultures, 383 pathogens were recovered from 606 positive cultures. There were 272 pathogens recovered by both systems, 64 from BPBCS only, and 47 from WI only. Overall recovery rates were 88% for BPBCS and 83% for WI. There was no significant difference between the two systems in detection or times to positivity of staphylococci, Enterobacteriaceae, or pseudomonads. Trends toward better recovery of streptococci (20 vs. 10) and fastidious microaerophiles (3 vs. 0) were found with BPBCS, whereas more slowly growing pathogens (Rochalimaea henselae [1], Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare [1]) were recovered by WI only, but because of their lower frequency did not achieve statistical significance. Detection of Haemophilus influenzae (14.9 hours in WI vs. 45.4 hours in BPBCS) was faster with WI. False positive plus contaminant cultures were detected in 5.9% BPBCS versus 1.5% WI. BPBCS offers detection of bacteremia at a rate comparable to WI with advantages of automation.

Effect of opium smoking cessation on the nasopharyngeal microbial flora.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of opium smoking cessation on the frequency and type of microorganisms in the nasopharynx of opium smokers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in the Psychiatry, and Ear, Nose, and Throat Departments, Moradi Hospital, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran from June to November 2008. Nasopharyngeal cultures were taken from 50 opium smokers before, and 2-3 months after cessation of opium smoking. Potential pathogens were identified. Patients were not advised to change their number of cigarettes, and we used methadone for the substitution of opium. RESULTS: Eight potential pathogens were isolated from nasopharyngeal cultures obtained from 43 individuals before opium smoking cessation, and 4 were recovered from 33 individuals after cessation (p=0.03). Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Streptococcus alpha hemolytic, and Staphylococcus aureus were not found in the second culture. The most sensitivity to antibiotics was for ceftriaxone (84%), ciprofloxacin (74%), and cloxacillin (72%), and the most resistance for amoxicillin (26%) and the least resistance for chloramphenicol. CONCLUSION: Some potential pathogens decrease or are even absent after opium cessation. Opium smoking affects the nasopharyngeal flora.

Rapid detection of methicillin-resistant staphylococci from blood culture bottles by using a multiplex PCR assay.

Rapid detection and accurate identification of methicillin-resistant staphylococci are critical for the effective management of infections caused by these organisms. We describe a multiplex PCR-based assay for the direct detection of methicillin-resistant staphylococci from blood culture bottles (BacT/Alert; Organon-Teknika, Durham, N.C.). A simple lysis method followed by a multiplex PCR assay designed to detect the nuc, mecA, and bacterial 16S rRNA genes was performed. A total of 306 blood culture specimens were collected over a period of 10 months from June 1998 to April 1999, consisting of 236 blood cultures growing staphylococci (including 124 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp.), 50 positive blood cultures which grew organisms other than staphylococci, and 20 blood cultures that were negative for bacterial and fungal pathogens after 5 days of incubation and terminal subculture. DNA extraction, PCR, and detection could be completed in 2.5 h. Of the positive blood cultures with staphylococci, the multiplex PCR assay had a sensitivity and specificity of 99.2% and 100%, respectively. Our results show that rapid, direct detection of methicillin-resistant staphylococci is possible, allowing clinicians to make prompt and effective decisions for the management of patients with staphylococcal bacteremia.

Comparison of the BacT/Alert pediatric blood culture system, Pedi-BacT, with conventional culture using the 20-milliliter Becton-Dickinson supplemented peptone broth tube.

The performance of the Pedi-BacT system, the BacT/Alert (Organon Teknika Corp., Durham, N.C.) pediatric blood culture bottle, was compared with that of a conventional 20-ml supplemented peptone broth tube (Becton-Dickinson Corp., Cockeysville, Md.) (BD system) in matched aerobic cultures. The tubes of the BD system were visually examined daily for 7 days and were subcultured during the first 24 h of incubation. Pedi-BacT cultures were mechanically agitated and continuously monitored for growth by the instrument. Of the 6,628 compliant pairs, 331 (5.0%) were positive in both systems, 220 (3.3%) were positive in the Pedi-BacT system only, and 170 (2.6%) were positive in the BD system only. One (0.02%) false-negative culture and 15 (0.2%) false-positive cultures occurred with the Pedi-BacT system while 20 (0.3%) false-negative cultures and 35 (0.5%) false-positive cultures occurred with the BD system. Of 288 clinically significant organisms detected in matched pairs from which a single isolate was recovered, 176 (61%) were recovered from both systems, 83 (29%) were recovered from the Pedi-BacT system only (P < 0.0001), and 29 (10%) were recovered from the BD system only. Members of the family Enterobacteriaceae (P < 0.01), miscellaneous nonfermenters (P < 0.05), and Candida spp. (P < 0.01) were isolated more frequently in the Pedi-BacT system than in the BD system. No significant difference in recovery of other organisms was found between the systems. The average time to detection for the Pedi-BacT system ranged from 11.5 h for streptococci to 29.7 h for enterococci, while that for the BD system ranged from 20.3 h for streptococci to 66.4 h for some nonfermenters. The BacT/Alert system is a reliable, labor-saving alternative to conventional blood culture methods.

Tratamento dose única com 800 mg de pefloxacina versus tratamento de sete dias norfloxacina e co-trimoxazol na infecçåo urinária baixa / Safety of single-dose tratment with pefloxacin (800 mg) was compared with seven-day treatment regimen of 400 mg norfloxacin and cotrimoxazole twice daily in the therapy of cystitis uncomplicated

A eficácia do tratamento dose-única com 800 mg de pefloxacina foi comparada com o tratamento prolongado por sete dias, com norfloxacina ou com co-trimoxazol, na terapia da infecçåo nåo complicada do trato urinário. Nesse estudo duplo-cego e randomizado, entre 200 pacientes estudadas, 91 casos foram considerados válidos para a análise dos resultados, 47 pacientes receberam dose única de 800 mg de pfloxacina, 21 foram tratadas com 400 mg de norfloxacina, duas vezes por dia, e 23 com 960 mg de co-trimoxazol duas vezes por dia. Para manter o estudo duplo-cego, as pacientes tratadas com pefloxacina dose única receberam comprimidos de placebo até completar sete dias de tratamento, exatamente como os outros dois grupos. No segundo retorno, com 40 dias de seguimento, a cura laboratorial foi de 93,7 por cento com o tratamento dose única, 95,3 por cento com a norfloxacina e 87 por cento com co-trimoxazol. Nåo houve diferença significante entre os índices de cura clínica e laboratorial. O tratamento com 800 mg de pefloxacina em dose única apresenta alta eficácia clínica e laboratorial, comparável ao tratamento prolongado por sete dias com norfloxacina co-trimoxazol, com vantagens como: menor incidência de efeitos colaterais, menor risco de aquisiçåo de resistência, maior aderência do paciente ao tratamento, pela facilidade e conforto de uma única administraçåo oral

Controle laboratorial da atividade de autonosódios em diferentes casos de infecçäo

It was made the laboratory control of autonosodies activity, prepared with alive germs and apploed in D30. Through the control of diverse biological material provenient from the patients treated with autonosodies, the authors concluded that the use of this medicine is viable in different infections. Nevertheless, its aplication must be done under a regular laboratory control, even if the patients do not present any symptom