[Trichomonas vaginalis - the culprit or the accomplice?]

The case reports describes detection of Trichomonas vaginalis in a 34-year-old patient with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes and a subsequent C-section in week 25 of her pregnancy, with the presence of T. vaginalis not being the only risk factor for preterm labor. Although a rare finding in pregnant women, the presence of this microorganism must be considered in such situations.

Occurrence and characterization of food-borne pathogens isolated from fruit, vegetables and sprouts retailed in the Czech Republic.

Food of non-animal origin is a major component of the human diet and has been considered to pose a low risk from the point of view of bacteriological safety. However, an increase in the number of outbreaks of illness caused by such pathogens and linked to the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables have been reported from around the world recently. Salmonella spp., STEC (Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli) and Listeria monocytogenes are among the most frequently identified agents. Additionally, the transmission of antibiotic resistant strains including also the methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) to humans via the food chain is one of the greatest public health problems being confronted today. Therefore, we focused on the bacterial safety of fruit, vegetables and sprouts on sale in the Czech Republic. One strain (0.3%) of Salmonella Enteritidis phage type PT8, one strain (0.3%) of MRSA and 17 strains (5.0%) of L. monocytogenes were isolated from a total of 339 collected samples. The most problematic commodities were frozen fruit and vegetables (packed and unpacked) and fresh-cut vegetables. Our findings indicate deficiencies in hygiene practices during harvesting, processing and distribution of these commodities. Although sprouts and berries are the most likely to be contaminated by human pathogens, only two samples were positive for the presence of L. monocytogenes.

Clonal distribution of monophasic Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype 4,[5],12:i:- in the Czech Republic.

Abstract Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- has become the third most common serotype in Europe, including the Czech Republic. In this study, phenotypic and genotypic methods for a more detailed description of this serotype were used. Analysis of a limited number of isolates revealed that 76% of them belonged to phage type DT193. Also, rare phage types DT208 and U311 were identified. In total, 88.6% of the isolates were resistant to at least four antimicrobial agents. In this study, 24 multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis profiles were detected, and some of them matched with the profiles recently described in Europe.

Unusual occurrence of Salmonella Mikawasima in 2012-2013 in the Czech Republic: part of a multistate outbreak?

An increased number of cases of salmonellosis caused by the rare serotype Mikawasima was noted in the years 2012 and 2013 in the Czech Republic. A potential on-going outbreak caused by this serotype in European countries has also been reported. Altogether 14 human and 1 environmental isolates from the year 2012 and 11 human isolates from the year 2013 from different locations of the Czech Republic were sent to our laboratory for typing. Macrorestriction analysis together with antimicrobial susceptibility testing and PCR for ESBL and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance detection were performed to compare our isolates. Twenty-one isolates created two very similar clusters and 5 isolates had different profiles. Twenty-five isolates were fully susceptible to all agents used. One isolate showed resistance to 12 microbial agents and possessed blaTEM, blaSHV, blaOXA, blaCTX-M and qnrB genes.

[Salmonellosis outbreaks in the Czech Republic in 2012]. / Epidemické prípady salmonelóz v Ceské republice v roce 2012.

In 2012, the Brno laboratory of the National Institute of Public Health investigated 143 human and 10 food-borne Salmonella strains. All strains were linked to salmonellosis outbreaks in various areas or represented rare serotypes that had emerged more often in some periods. These strains were matched to 22 outbreaks reported in the Czech Republic. Phenotyping and genotyping revealed that the cause of most outbreaks (82%) was the serotype Enteritidis, but other serotypes that are rare in the Czech Republic (S. Mikawasima, S. 9,12:l,v:-, S. Indiana, or S. Stanley) were also involved in some outbreaks.

Salmonella enterica resistant to antimicrobials in wastewater effluents and black-headed gulls in the Czech Republic, 2012.

We investigated the presence and epidemiological relatedness of Salmonella isolates from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Brno, Czech Republic and from nestlings of black-headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) at the Nove Mlyny waterworks, situated 35 km downstream from the WWTP. During 2012, we collected 37 wastewater samples and 284 gull cloacal swabs. From wastewater samples, we obtained 89 Salmonella isolates belonging to 19 serotypes. At least one resistant strain was contained in 89% of those samples. Ten different serotypes of Salmonella were detected in 38 young gulls, among which 14 (37%) were resistant to antimicrobials. Wastewater isolates were mostly resistant to sulphonamides and tetracycline, gull isolates to tetracycline and ampicillin. We detected the occurrence of blaTEM-1,tet(A), tet(B), tet(G), sul1, sul2, sul3, floR and strA resistance genes. For the first time, we identified a class 1 integron with the dfrA12-orfF-aadA2 gene cassette in S. Infantis. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, we confirmed the presence of identical clusters of S. Agona, S. Enteritidis PT8, S. Infantis and S. Senftenberg in wastewater and black-headed gulls, thus indicating the possibility of resistant Salmonella isolates spreading over long distances in the environment.