Survival of Staphylococcus aureus on sampling swabs stored at different temperatures.

AIMS: To understand the impact of storage temperature on recovery of Staphylococcus aureus on sampling swabs. Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of skin and soft tissue infections, but also causes a variety of life-threatening diseases. With a large pool of asymptomatic carriers and transmission that can occur even through indirect contact, mitigation efforts have had limited success. Swab sampling, followed by culturing, is a cornerstone of epidemiological studies, however, S. aureus viability on swabs stored at different temperatures has not been characterized. METHODS AND RESULTS: We determined survival rates on swabs stored at five different temperatures. Samples stored at -70°C had no decay over time while samples stored at higher temperatures showed an exponential decay in viability. Mortality rates were greatest for swabs stored at 37°C. Survival at intermediate temperatures (-20 to 20·5°C) did not differ significantly, however, we observed more variation at higher temperatures. CONCLUSIONS: To maximize recovery of S. aureus cells, samples should be stored at -70°C or processed for culturing without delay. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Epidemiological studies of bacterial diseases are typically limited to determination of pathogen presence/absence, yet quantitative assessments of pathogen load and genetic diversity can provide insights into disease progression and severity, likelihood of transmission and adaptive evolutionary potential. For studies of S. aureus where time or access to a microbiology laboratory may delay culturing, deep freezing or timely culturing will maximize the degree to which sampling results reflect source status.

Mobile surgical teams of Croatian Special Police Forces: analysis of casualties during combat.

The purpose of this article is to present medical results of mobile surgical teams (MST) supporting units of Croatian Special Police Forces in three attack combat actions. The rate of injury was from 2.0 to 1.3%, Whereas the combat mortality rate was between 0.20 and 0.17%. No postoperative mortality occurred. Heavy injuries were found in 45% of all injured, among them 57% caused by shell fragments. Extremities were involved in 92% of all injuries, whereas 50% were injuries of the calf. All the injured were surgically managed by MST at the site of deployment or in mobile surgical hospitals and evacuated to general hospitals within 12 hours, where 80% of all heavily injured patients underwent additional operations with no postoperative mortality. Eight to 36 months after injury, we found major functional disability in 2% of all injured. NATO schemes served as a basis for the formation of the Croatian war surgical care system with certain modifications dictated by specific situations at the beginning of the aggression against Croatia. MST of Croatian Special Police Force presented second- and third--echelon staged management of the wounded, which was adequate for this type of attack combat situation.

Platelet monoamine oxidase activity, ego strength, and neuroticism in soldiers with combat-related current posttraumatic stress disorder.

AIM: To assess possible differences in platelet monoamino oxidase-B (MAO-B) activity, ego strength, and neuroticism in combat-experienced soldiers with or without current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD: The soldiers with current PTSD (N=36) and a control group of 34 healthy soldiers were matched in combat experience, time passed between combat experience and the study, demographic variables (age, marital status, education), and smoking status. Platelet MAO-B was assayed fluorometrically, ego strength was measured by the Croatian version of the Ego Identity Scale, and neuroticism by the N-scale from Eysenck's EPQ-R questionnaire. RESULTS: Soldiers with combat-related current PTSD had lower platelet MAO-B activity than the control group (9.1+/-3.9 vs. 11.9+/-4.0; p<0.05), as well as lower ego-strength (86.3+/-8.3 vs. 108.6+/-13.4; p<0.05) and higher neuroticism (23.5+/-13.2 vs. 5. 9+/-4.7; p<0.05). There was no association of ego strength or neuroticism with platelet MAO-B activity. CONCLUSION: Ego identity strength and emotional stability are associated with successful coping with combat trauma. The involvement of platelet MAO-B activity in biological basis of ego strength and neuroticism could not be demonstrated.