Microbiological assessment of success and failure in pulp revitalization: a randomized clinical trial using calcium hydroxide and chlorhexidine gluconate in traumatized immature necrotic teeth.

Aim: To compare differences in the disinfection efficacy of calcium hydroxide (CH) and chlorhexidine gluconate (CHD) dressings in pulp revitalization (PR) of traumatized immature necrotic teeth; to investigate the microflora in successful/failed PR and whether bacterial persistence influences the outcomes of PR. Methods: Microbiological assessment of the average bacterial load (CFU/sample) and bacterial diversity (taxa/sample) was performed on 41 teeth at three timepoints (S2-before, S3-after debridement and S5- after root canal dressing). Results: The primary microflora was more diverse in successful cases than in failed. Decreases in CFU/sample and taxa/sample occurred S2 - S3, though new increases occurred at S5 in the CHD subgroup (successful and failed) and CFU/sample in the CH subgroup (failed). At S5, the successful cases showed more bacterial decreases. No specific species was associated with the outcomes with no statistical differences between the disinfection efficacy. Conclusions: There were no statistical differences in CH and CHD efficacy. At S5, microflora persisted in both successful and failed outcomes, but the abundance and diversity increased significantly only in the failed cases. The successful outcomes presented higher diversity and higher decreases of the primary microflora at S5 than the failed outcomes. The abundance and diversity increased significantly at S5 only in failed cases.

Microbiological assessment of Suncus murinus bred and managed as laboratory animals.

Suncus murinus is gaining prominence as a laboratory animal; however, there is no generally accepted method for microbiological monitoring. This study aimed to apply non-serological microbiological monitoring of laboratory mice for S. murinus and identify the subdominant species obtained by culture methods for microbial assessment. Culture and PCR were used to test S. murinus for the laboratory mice test panels including 10 bacterial species and orthohantaviruses, all of which were negative. The species that grew sub-dominantly in rectal feces were identified as Aeromonas hydrophila, which is pathogenic to mammals. These results indicate that microbiological monitoring should be used to detect pathogens directly from S. murinus, not from sentinel animals, due to the host-specific microbial environment.

Microbiological assessment of arterial allografts processed in a tissue bank.

The transmission of microbial infection through tissue allografts is one of the main risks that must be controlled in tissue banks. Therefore, microbiological monitoring controls and validated protocols for the decontamination of tissues during processing have been implemented. This study is based on the evaluation of data from microbiological cultures of arteries (mainly long peripheral arteries) processed in the tissue bank of Valencia (Spain). Donors' profile, pre- and post-disinfection tissue samples were assessed. The presence of residual antibiotics in disinfected tissues was determined and the antimicrobial potential of these tissues was tested. Our overall contamination rate was 23.69%, with a disinfection rate (after antibiotic incubation) of 87.5%. Most (76.09%) of the microbial contaminants were identified as Gram positive. Arterial allografts collected from body sites affected by prior organ removal showed higher risk of contamination. Only vancomycin was detected as tissue release. The antimicrobial effect on Candida albicans was lower than that for bacterial species. Risk assessment for microbial contamination suggested the donor's skin and the environment during tissue collection as the main sources for allograft contamination. Antibiotic-disinfected arterial allografts showed antimicrobial potential.

Microbiological status of drinking water sources and its relationship with human health in Solan, India.

In Solan district, the developmental activities associated with chemical based farming, rapid urbanization, and rampant industrialization have led to many diarrhoeal, gastroenteritis, and hepatitis disease outbreaks. This has necessitated for microbiological assessment of indicator organisms, the thermotolerant coliforms, in drinking water sources, and their relationship with diarrhoeal disease. All the 49 Public Health Institutes (PHIs) of the district were categorized into very low, low, moderate, and high disease burden regions by stratification method. For drinking water, 55.5, 16.5, and 17% people preferred springs, borewells, and hand-pump respectively. These sources inventoried by Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice survey in one of very low and seven of high disease burden regions, and were analyzed by multiple tube fermentation technique. A cross-sectional survey of 200 children was undertaken for diarrhoeal disease estimation. Parwanoo, an industrial and Kurgal, a non industrial region witnessed highest (30.20) and lowest (4.40) Most Probable Number (MPN) per 100 ml water of thermotolerant coliforms, respectively. Thermotolerant coliforms were also observed significantly more (16.77 MPN/100 ml water) in monsoon than in post monsoon season (9.04 MPN per 100 ml water). The thermotolerant coliform Escherichia coli was recovered from six and three water sources respectively during monsoon and post monsoon. A strong correlation (r = 0.78) existed between the diarrhoeal disease occurrence and the concentration of thermotolerant coliforms in monsoon whereas it was moderate (r = 0.61) in post monsoon. The study indicated more contamination of water sources due to industrial activities which further got aggravated during the rainy season of the region.

Visually clean is not necessarily microbiologically safe: Learnings from WASH assessment of maternity units of Gujarat, India.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) within the context of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is well debated; however, WASH in health care sector is still in nascent phase, especially for maternity units. Although there are studies on WASH in maternity units, least are focused towards the microbiological safety. The objective of present study is to compare the visual assessment with microbiological assessment of selected maternity units of Gujarat (India) and to document microbiological contamination and drug resistance. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 10 selected maternity units of Sabarkantha and Gandhinagar district of Gujarat, India, during Feb-March 2018. Two steps of Tool Box Plus were used for documentation: visual and microbiological assessment. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) patterns amongst positive microorganisms were also documented. RESULTS: Although the majority of the studied maternity units were visually clean, the microbiological findings contraindicated the same. The overall visual score across all facilities was close to 50% indicating good visual cleanliness. Out of 195 samples collected, 18% (35) samples were positive for pathogenic organisms and the majority were identified from mops and labour table. 1/3rd of organisms were resistant to > 5 antibiotics. Pathogenic organism identified includes Acitenobacter, Klebsilla, MR CONS, E coli, Psudomonas Aeruginosa and Pseudomonas species. CONCLUSIONS: Visual assessment alone which is currently used for assessment of hygiene is not a proxy for safety. It should be validated by the microbiological method. Microbiology surveillance should be explored to get valuable insights on the effectiveness of cleaning practices of the maternity units.

Validity and reliability of semi-quantitative wound swabs.

Wound infection is a common factor that delays wound healing. The diagnosis of wound infection should be based on clinical observations of the presence of classic signs of infection. There is also a role for microbiological investigation, for example, using semi-quantitative wound swabs, to help guide systemic treatment. However, there is still a debate about the most accurate method for taking a wound swab. This review explores the research evidence underpinning the use of semi-quantitative wound swabs, focusing on the validity and reliability of this method of assessment.

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Brazilian Food Truck Food Handlers.

This study aimed to (i) compare the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices (KAP) and observed food safety practices of food truck (FT) food handlers, (ii) evaluate the microbiological quality of food and water samples collected from these vehicles, and (iii) establish a score classification for the KAP instrument according to the food contamination probability assessment. This study was conducted in three stages with 40 food truck food handlers conveniently sampled in the Federal District, Brazil, through structured interviews, application of an observational checklist for the assessment of handlers' practices and the collection of food and water samples for determination of microbiological quality. FTs that are likely to exhibit food contamination and are at a high risk of foodborne diseases if at least one of the following situations occur: (1) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the knowledge section; (2) if a food handler scores ≤5 in the attitudes section; or (3) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the self-reported practices section. On the other hand, FTs in which handlers score higher than the cutoff points in all the sections are unlikely to exhibit food contamination and are at a low risk of foodborne diseases. The findings of this study are the first step to understand food handlers' point of view and the initial diagnosis to guide educational strategies in the FT sector.

Microbiological assessment along the fish production chain of the Norwegian pelagic fisheries sector--Results from a spot sampling programme.

Microbes play an important role in the degradation of fish products, thus better knowledge of the microbiological conditions throughout the fish production chain may help to optimise product quality and resource utilisation. This paper presents the results of a ten-year spot sampling programme (2005-2014) of the commercially most important pelagic fish species harvested in Norway. Fish-, surface-, and storage water samples were collected from fishing vessels and processing factories. Totally 1,181 samples were assessed with respect to microbiological quality, hygiene and food safety. We introduce a quality and safety assessment scheme for fresh pelagic fish recommending limits for heterotrophic plate counts (HPC), thermos tolerant coliforms, enterococci and Listeria monocytogenes. According to the scheme, in 25 of 41 samplings, sub-optimal conditions were found with respect to quality, whereas in 21 and 9 samplings, samples were not in compliance concerning hygiene and food safety, respectively. The present study has revealed that the quality of pelagic fish can be optimised by improving the hygiene conditions at some critical points at an early phase of the production chain. Thus, the proposed assessment scheme may provide a useful tool for the industry to optimise quality and maintain consumer safety of pelagic fishery products.

Recent vs Conventional Methods of Caries Removal: A Comparative in vivo Study in Pediatric Patients.

AIMS: To compare the three different methods of caries removal, conventional method using Airotor and chemomechanical method using Carisolv and Papacarie. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The patients with multiple carious teeth were selected either in the deciduous dentition or mixed dentition. Ninety primary molars were selected from 30 children (10 males and 20 females) between the age group 6 and 9 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After caries excavation, cavities were evaluated for caries removal or clinical efficacy by the tactile and visual criteria, microbiological efficacy, time taken for the procedure. Patient acceptability toward the treatment was also checked with the help of a visual analog scale (VAS). The observations thus obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using analysis of variance (ANOVA), Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: The clinical efficacy of caries removal was highest with Airotor while the microbiological efficacy of caries removal was almost comparable with Airotor, Carisolv and Papacarie caries removal methods. The time taken to remove caries by Airotor method was observed to be least while the patient acceptance was found to be highest with Papacarie method. How to cite this article: Chowdhry S, Saha S, Samadi F, Jaiswal JN, Garg A, Chowdhry P. Recent vs Conventional Methods of Caries Removal: A Comparative in vivo Study in Pediatric Patients. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2015;8(1):6-11.

Microbiological Assessment of Indoor Air of Teaching Hospital Wards: A case of Jimma University Specialized Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Hospital environment represents a congenial situation where microorganisms and susceptible patients are indoors together. Thus, the objective of this study is to provide fundamental data related to the microbial quality of indoor air of Jimma University Specialized Hospital wards, to estimate the health hazard and to create standards for indoor air quality control. METHODS: The microbial quality of indoor air of seven wards of Jimma University Specialized Hospital was determined. Passive air sampling technique, using open Petri-dishes containing different culture media, was employed to collect sample twice daily. RESULTS: The concentrations of bacteria and fungi aerosols in the indoor environment of the wards ranged between 2123 - 9733 CFU/m(3). The statistical analysis showed that the concentrations of bacteria that were measured in all studied wards were significantly different from each other (p-value=0.017), whereas the concentrations of fungi that were measured in all sampled wards were not significantly different from each other (p-value=0.850). Moreover, the concentrations of bacteria that were measured at different sampling time (morning and afternoon) were significantly different (p-value =0.001). CONCLUSION: All wards that were included in the study were heavily contaminated with bacteria and fungi. Thus, immediate interventions are needed to control those environmental factors which favor the growth and multiplication of microbes, and it is vital to control visitors and students in and out the wards. Moreover, it is advisable that strict measures be put in place to check the increasing microbial load in the hospital environment.

Microbiological quality of indoor air in university libraries.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the concentration of bacteria and fungi in the indoor environment of Jimma University libraries, so as to estimate the health hazard and to create standards for indoor air quality control. METHODS: The microbial quality of indoor air of eight libraries of Jimma University was determined. The settle plate method using open Petri-dishes containing different culture media was employed to collect sample twice daily. Isolates were identified according to standard methods. RESULTS: The concentrations of bacteria and fungi aerosols in the indoor environment of the university libraries ranged between 367-2595 CFU/m(3). According to the sanitary standards classification of European Commission, almost all the libraries indoor air of Jimma University was heavily contaminated with bacteria and fungi. In spite of their major source difference, the average fungi density found in the indoor air of libraries did appear to follow the same trend with bacterial density (P=0.001). The bacteria isolates included Micrococcus sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus sp. and Neisseria sp. while Cladosporium sp., Alternaria sp., Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus sp. were the most isolated fungi. CONCLUSIONS: The indoor air of all libraries were in the range above highly contaminated according to European Commission classification and the most isolates are considered as potential candidates involved in the establishment of sick building syndromes and often associated with clinical manifestations like allergy, rhinitis, asthma and conjunctivitis. Thus, attention must be given to control those environmental factors which favor the growth and multiplication of microbes in indoor environment of libraries to safeguard the health of users and workers.

Microbiological Quality of Indoor Air in University Libraries

Objective: To evaluate the concentration of bacteria and fungi in the indoor environment of Jimma University libraries, so as to estimate the health hazard and to create standards for indoor air quality control.Methods:determined. The settle plate method using open Petri-dishes containing different culture media was employed to collect sample twice daily. Isolates were identified according to standard methods.Results:The concentrations of bacteria and fungi aerosols in the indoor environment of the The microbial quality of indoor air of eight libraries of Jimma University was university libraries ranged between 367-2595 CFU/m3. According to the sanitary standards classification of European Commission, almost all the libraries indoor air of Jimma University was heavily contaminated with bacteria and fungi. In spite of their major source difference, the average fungi density found in the indoor air of libraries did appear to follow the same trend with bacterial density (P=0.001). The bacteria isolates included Micrococcus sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus sp. and Neisseria sp. while Cladosporium sp., Alternaria sp.,Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus sp. were the most isolated fungi. Conclusions: The indoor air of all libraries were in the range above highly contaminated according to European Commission classification and the most isolates are considered as potential candidates involved in the establishment of sick building syndromes and often associated with clinical manifestations like allergy, rhinitis, asthma and conjunctivitis. Thus, attention must be given to control those environmental factors which favor the growth and multiplication of microbes in indoor environment of libraries to safeguard the health of users and workers.

Microbiological quality of indoor air in university libraries

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the concentration of bacteria and fungi in the indoor environment of Jimma University libraries, so as to estimate the health hazard and to create standards for indoor air quality control.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The microbial quality of indoor air of eight libraries of Jimma University was determined. The settle plate method using open Petri-dishes containing different culture media was employed to collect sample twice daily. Isolates were identified according to standard methods.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The concentrations of bacteria and fungi aerosols in the indoor environment of the university libraries ranged between 367-2595 CFU/m(3). According to the sanitary standards classification of European Commission, almost all the libraries indoor air of Jimma University was heavily contaminated with bacteria and fungi. In spite of their major source difference, the average fungi density found in the indoor air of libraries did appear to follow the same trend with bacterial density (P=0.001). The bacteria isolates included Micrococcus sp., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus sp. and Neisseria sp. while Cladosporium sp., Alternaria sp., Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus sp. were the most isolated fungi.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The indoor air of all libraries were in the range above highly contaminated according to European Commission classification and the most isolates are considered as potential candidates involved in the establishment of sick building syndromes and often associated with clinical manifestations like allergy, rhinitis, asthma and conjunctivitis. Thus, attention must be given to control those environmental factors which favor the growth and multiplication of microbes in indoor environment of libraries to safeguard the health of users and workers.</p>

A comparison study of hygiene status in meals for poorly-fed children through microbiological analysis / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess hygiene status of meals for poorly-fed children through microbiolo-gical quality. METHODS: Meals were provided by two social enterprises, one franchise, and one convenience store. There were a total of six meal samples; two samples (social enterprise meal 1; SEM 1, social enterprise meal 2; SEM 2) from two social enterprises, respectively, two samples (franchise meal 1; FM 1, franchise meal 2; FM 2) from one franchise, and two samples (convenience store meal 1; CSM 1, convenience store meal 2; CSM 2) from one convenience store. Microbiologi-cal analysis and assessment were performed by Korean food standards codex (KFSC). RESULTS: General bacteria and E. coli in SEM 1 were detected, but the levels were not over KFSC, and Coliform less than 9.2 x 10 CFU/g was also de-tected in seasoned bean sprouts of SEM 1. General bacteria was detected at 1.6 x 10(6) CFU/g in cabbage kimchi of SEM 2. Coliform was detected in cabbage kimchi, squid cutlet, stir-fried pork, and fried chicken of FM1 and 2, but the levels were not over KFSC. In addition, S. aureus was detected in cabbage kimchi and seasoned dried white radish of FM 1 and 2 (9.8 x 10(2) CFU/g, 9.4 x 10(3) CFU/g respectively), thus was over KFSC. B. cereus was detected in stir-fried pork and fried chicken (1.2 x 10(3) CFU/g, 1.5 x 10(3) CFU/g respectively) of FM 1 and 2, thus was over KFSC. Finally, S. aureus was detected in stir-fried dried squid, seasoned spicy chicken, and stir-fried kimchi of CSM 1 and 2, and was over KFSC too (9.5 x 10(4) CFU/g, 2.4 x 10(2) CFU/g, 1.3 x 10(3) CFU/g respectively). CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggest that systemic management of hygiene is necessary to safely providing meals to poorly-fed children.

Potential public health consequences of exposure assessment for Staphylococcus aureus: commentary on the paper by Masclaux et al.

The study of Masclaux et al., in this issue of the Annals of Occupational Hygiene, describes measurement of Staphylococcus bacteria in pig farms using classical viable measurement techniques and molecular techniques. Molecular techniques find application in hygiene field studies more often and create new opportunities. Common dust sampling approaches can be used in combination with molecular techniques and high numbers of samples can be processed creating opportunities for hygiene control and for exposure assessment in the context of epidemiological surveys. Hygienists should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the use of these techniques. Aspects of microbial sampling are briefly reviewed.

Microbiological assessment of indoor air of a teaching hospital in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the quality of indoor air of different wards and units of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, to ascertain their contribution to infection rate in the hospital. METHODS: The microbial quality of indoor air of nine wards/units of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria was conducted. Sedimentation technique using open Petri-dishes containing different culture media was employed and samplings were done twice daily, one in the morning shortly after cleaning and before influx of people/patients into the wards/units and the other in the evening when a lot of activities would have taken place in these wards. Isolates were identified according to standard methods. RESULTS: Results showed that there was a statistically significant difference (χ(2) = 6.016 7) in the bacteria population of the different sampling time whereas it was not so for fungi population (χ(2) = 0.285 7). Male medical ward (MMW) and male surgical general (MSG) recorded the highest bacterial and fungal growth while the operating theatre (OT) was almost free of microbial burden. The bacteria isolates were Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella sp., Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pyogenes and Serratia marscences while the fungi isolates included Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp., Candida albicans and Alternaria sp. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominantly isolated bacterium while Penicillium sp. was the most isolated fungus. CONCLUSIONS: Though most of the microbial isolates were potential and or opportunistic pathogens, there was no correlation between the isolates in this study and the surveillance report of nosocomial infection during the period of study, hence the contribution of the indoor air cannot be established. From the reduction noticed in the morning samples, stringent measures such as proper disinfection and regular cleaning, restriction of patient relatives' movement in and out of the wards/units need to be enforced so as to improve the quality of indoor air of our hospital wards/units.

Increasing pathomorphism of pulmonary tuberculosis: an observational study of slow clinical, microbiological and imaging response of lung tuberculosis to specific treatment. Which role for linezolid?

During recent years, a progressive emerging of tuberculosis occurred, related to the overall increased age of general population, primary and secondary (iatrogenic) immunodeficiencies, the availability of invasive procedures, surgical interventions and intensive care supports, bone marrow and solid organ transplantation, and especially the recent immigration flows of people often coming from areas endemic for tuberculosis, and living with evident social-economical disadvantages, and with a reduced access to health care facilities. Since January 2006, at our reference centre we followed 81 consecutive cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, with 65 of them which remained evaluable for the absence of extrapulmonary complications, and a continuative and effective clinical and therapeutic follow-up. The majority of episodes of evaluable pulmonary tuberculosis (49 cases out of 65: 75,4 percent) occurred in patients who immigrated from developing countries. In two patients multiresistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains were found, while two more subjects (both immigrated from Eastern Europe) suffered from a disease due to extremely resistant (XDR) M. tuberculosis strains. Although enforcing all possible measures to increase patients' adherence to treatment (empowerment, delivery of oral drugs under direct control, use of i.v. formulation whenever possible), over 72 percent of evaluable patients had a very slow clinical, microbiological, and imaging ameliorement (1-6 months), with persistance of sputum and/or bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid positive for M.tuberculosis microscopy and/or culture for over 1-4 months (mean 9.2±3.2 weeks), during an apparently adequate treatment. When excluding patients suffering from XDR and MDR tuberculosis, in four subjects we observed that off-label linezolid adjunct together with at least three drugs with residual activity against tuberculosis, led to a significantly more rapid clinical-radiological improvement...