Oxalate-degrading bacteria, including Oxalobacter formigenes, colonise the gastrointestinal tract of healthy koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and those with oxalate nephrosis.

BACKGROUND: Koalas in the Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia, have a high prevalence of oxalate nephrosis, or calcium oxalate kidney crystals. Gastrointestinal tract oxalate-degrading bacteria, particularly Oxalobacter formigenes, have been identified in other animal species and humans, and their absence or low abundance is postulated to increase the risk of renal oxalate diseases. This study aimed to identify oxalate-degrading bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of koalas and determine their association with oxalate nephrosis. METHODS: Caecal and faecal samples were collected at necropsy from 22 Mount Lofty Ranges koalas that had been euthanased on welfare grounds, with 8 koalas found to have oxalate nephrosis by renal histopathology. Samples were analysed by PCR for the oxc gene, which encodes oxalyl-CoA decarboxylase, and also by Illumina sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. RESULTS: The oxc gene was detected in 100% of koala samples, regardless of oxalate nephrosis status. Oxalobacter formigenes was detected in all but one faecal sample, with no difference in abundance between koalas affected and unaffected by oxalate nephrosis. Other species of known oxalate-degrading bacteria were infrequently detected. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to identify Oxalobacter and other oxalate-degrading bacterial species in koalas, but an association with oxalate nephrosis and absence or low abundance of Oxalobacter was not found. This suggests other mechanisms underlie the risk of oxalate nephrosis in koalas.

The effect of time lapse on the accuracy of two acrylic resins used to assemble an implant framework for soldering.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: There are insufficient data on the accuracy of resin indexing materials for the assembly of implant prostheses in vivo. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This in vitro study assessed the fit of an implant framework with the use of 2 common acrylic resins. PURPOSE: A standardized type IV gold alloy cast framework with 3 stainless steel implant replicas secured to 3 premachined gold cylinders placed 200 mm apart using a parallelometer was fabricated on a flat type IV stone model. Wax was placed around the center of each bar section, and a silicone matrix was fabricated to enable the same quantity of material to be used for each assembly. Each bar was sectioned at the center of the matrix, and indices (n=20) were fabricated from Duralay and GC Pattern acrylic resins. The materials were allowed to polymerize for 15 minutes before the assemblies were removed from the model. Frameworks were visually assessed for fit after an additional 15 minutes, after 2 hours, and after 24 hours, using the Sheffield 1-screw test. Observational outcomes are presented indicating visually perceived fit relative to the type of indexing resin. RESULTS: Both indexing materials were judged to be visually accurate at the 15-minute time interval only. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this in vitro study, both resin-indexed implant assemblies were judged visually accurate for fit 15 minutes after polymerization but not at subsequent test intervals.