In vivo-expressed genes of Pasteurella multocida.

Pasteurella multocida is the causative agent of infectious diseases of economic importance such as fowl cholera, bovine hemorrhagic septicemia, and porcine atrophic rhinitis. However, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms and determinants that P. multocida requires for virulence and pathogenicity is still limited. To address this issue, we developed a genetic expression system, based on the in vivo expression technology approach first described by Mahan et al. (Science 259:686--688, 1993), to identify in vivo-expressed genes of P. multocida. Numerous genes, such as those encoding outer membrane lipoproteins, metabolic and biosynthetic enzymes, and a number of hypothetical proteins, were identified. These may prove to be useful targets for attenuating mutation and/or warrant further investigation for their roles in immunity and/or pathogenesis.

Characterisation of a Pasteurella multocida esterase gene which confers a hemolytic phenotype in Escherichia coli under anaerobic conditions.

Investigation of the hemolytic phenotype under anaerobic growth conditions of an avian Pasteurella multocida strain, PBA100, resulted in the identification and characterisation of a gene encoding an esterase enzyme, mesA, that conferred a hemolytic phenotype in Escherichia coli under anaerobic conditions. MesA appeared to be expressed and functional under anaerobic and aerobic conditions in both E. coli and P. multocida. A P. multocida mesA mutant was generated which resulted in the loss of acetyl esterase activity under anaerobic conditions. However, this mutation did not cause any attenuation of virulence for mice nor a detectable change to the anaerobic hemolytic phenotype of P. multocida. In E. coli MesA appeared to cause hemolysis indirectly by the induction of the latent E. coli K-12 cytolysin, sheA.

The molecular biology of pasteurella multocida.

Pasteurella multocida is an important veterinary and opportunistic human pathogen. The species is diverse and complex with respect to antigenic variation, host predeliction and pathogenesis. Certain serological types are the aetiologic agents of severe pasteurellosis, such as fowl cholera in domestic and wild birds, bovine haemorrhagic septicaemia and porcine atrophic rhinitis. The recent application of molecular methods such as the polymerase chain reaction, restriction endonuclease analysis, ribotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, gene cloning, characterisation and recombinant protein expression, mutagenesis, plasmid and bacteriophage analysis and genomic mapping, have greatly increased our understanding of P. multocida and has provided researchers with a number of molecular tools to study pathogenesis and epidemiology at a molecular level.

Cloning and characterisation of the Pasteurella multocida ahpA gene responsible for a haemolytic phenotype in Escherichia coli.

Haemolysins are membrane-damaging agents which have been described as bacterial virulence factors due to their ability to lyse erythrocytes and other host cells, and therefore inducing a greater inflammatory response (Elliott et al., 1998). Pasteurella multocida was found to be haemolytic under anaerobic conditions. In this study, we cloned and characterised a P. multocida gene, designated ahpA, which conferred a haemolytic phenotype on Escherichia coli when incubated under anaerobic conditions. A deletion was introduced into the ahpA open reading frame which abolished the haemolytic phenotype. The clone containing ahpA showed erythrocyte specificity, causing haemolysis of bovine and equine erythrocytes, and demonstrated weak haemolysis on ovine erythrocytes. Upon further investigation, AhpA was found to affect the expression of the E. coli K-12 latent haemolysin, SheA, under anaerobic conditions.

Physical and genetic map of the Pasteurella multocida A:1 chromosome.

A physical and genetic map of the Pasteurella multocida A:1 genome was generated by using the restriction enzymes ApaI, CeuI, and NotI. The positions of 23 restriction sites and 32 genes, including 5 rrn operons, were localized on the 2.35-Mbp single circular chromosome. This report presents the first genetic and physical map for this genus.

Intravenous medication errors.

In a clinical study, it was reported that based on the number of adult patients admitted to two hospitals, medication errors amounted to almost 4,000, an alarming figure considering that many were thought to be preventable. Today's healthcare environment dictates the type of care patients receive and from whom, and the potential for medication errors. This article discusses the factors concerning the prescribing of i.v. medications, preparing the medications, and administering them competently by nurses and pharmacists.

Use of financial reports in managing pharmacies.

The use of financial reports for preparing and monitoring the pharmacy budget is reviewed. Internal reports are generated within the department or hospital and are used to compare actual financial performance with budgeted projections. External reports are usually prepared by outside agencies and are used to compare the productivity, operations, and financial performance of one hospital with others in a predetermined group. The level of detail used in preparing financial reports determines the level of detail that can be used to monitor the budget. Internal reports on revenue, nonlabor expense, and labor expense are discussed, and the limitations of external reports comparing hospitals are presented. Effective use of financial reports is important in accurate budget forecasting, and pharmacy managers must seek out the financial information that will be of most value to them.

System to measure the use of pharmacy personnel.

The development of a program to monitor the use of pharmacy personnel is described. The program is part of a hospital-wide Labor Information System developed to support requests for additional staff, to highlight opportunities for improved and allocation of manpower, and to serve as a conceptual model of the department from a manpower perspective when communicating with other members of the hospital organization. Nine major functions of the pharmacy department were identified. Detailed activities for each function were listed along with the type of personnel who performed each activity. Standards representing the amount of time spent on each activity were then developed. Variable, fixed, and open standards were used. Workload volumes are tabulated on a biweekly basis and entered into a computer. Payroll data covering the same period are simultaneously fed into the computer system. The resulting computer-generated report compares the service hours necessary to perform the actual workload (based on the predetermined time standards) to the available hours actually worked by each job category of pharmacy personnel. The ratio of service hours to available hours measures the use of personnel by functional activity. The system has been successfully applied to support requests for additional personnel, to forecast staffing needs for new programs, and to make operational improvements. In addition, the system has the capacity to accurately monitor personnel time for providing clinical services.