bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Pyloriset Screen, a Rapid Whole-Blood Diagnostic Test for
Helicobacter pylori
Infection
Authors: Oksanen Aino , Veijola Lea , Sipponen Pentti , Schauman Knut-Olof , Rautelin Hilpi 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

Helicobacter pylori
infection can be detected by several invasive tests based on gastroscopy and by noninvasive methods such as serologic assays. Noninvasive tests can be used not only in addition to invasive tests but also by themselves to screen for
H. pylori
infection in patients who are not in urgent need of endoscopy. Lately, rapid qualitative serologic tests have been developed. In the present study, the accuracy of a novel rapid whole-blood test, Pyloriset Screen, detecting immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA antibodies against
H. pylori
was evaluated. A total of 207 consecutive adult outpatients referred for upper endoscopy were enrolled. Gastric biopsy specimens were taken from the antrum and corpus for histologic examination and rapid urease testing. Cultures were available for 113 patients. Serum samples collected from all patients were tested for
H. pylori
antibodies by two enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) (Pyloriset EIA and an in-house EIA), a rapid latex agglutination test (Pyloriset Dry), and Pyloriset Screen. Patients were considered
H. pylori
positive if helicobacters were seen on histologic examination (77 patients) or, if in combination with histologically verified (although helicobacter-negative) gastritis, their IgG antibody titers were elevated in the two EIAs (five patients). The Pyloriset Screen test had a sensitivity of 95%, a specificity of 94%, a positive predictive value of 91%, and a negative predictive value of 97%. Among 63 patients under the age of 45 years, the Pyloriset Screen test did not miss a single
H. pylori
diagnosis, and only 1 patient had a false-positive result. Pyloriset Screen could be used reliably to screen for
H. pylori
infection.
Identification of
Lactococcus garvieae
by PCR
Authors: Zlotkin Amir , Eldar Avi , Ghittino Claudio , Bercovier Herve 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

Lactococcus garvieae
(junior synonym
Enterococcus seriolicida
) is an emerging zoonotic agent isolated from economically important fish (rainbow trout and yellowtail), from cattle, and from humans. Clindamycin susceptibility is the only phenotypic test which can differentiate
L. garvieae
from
Lactococcus lactis
, another emerging agent in humans. A PCR assay for the identification of
L. garvieae
was developed and resulted in an amplified fragment of 1,100 bp in size. The PCR assay was shown to be specific to
L. garvieae
. The PCR assay was positive for all the
L. garvieae
strains tested, which originated from three different continents (Asia, Australia, and Europe). The PCR assay was negative for the phenotypically similar
L. lactis
and for all the other fish pathogens tested, including
Streptococcus iniae
and
Aeromonas salmonicida
. The PCR assay was applied to plasma obtained from diseased animals and was found sensitive enough to detect bacteria from 1 μl of plasma. The PCR assay that was developed is the only practical test besides the clindamycin test which can specifically identify the zoonotic agent
L. garvieae
and which can differentiate it from
L. lactis.
Genotypic Characterization of Seven Strains ofMycoplasma fermentansIsolated from Synovial Fluids of Patients with Arthritis
Authors: Schaeverbeke Thierry , Clerc Maïthé , Lequen Laurence , Charron Alain , Bébéar Cécile , de Barbeyrac Bertille , Bannwarth Bernard , Dehais Joël , Bébéar Christiane 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACTWe performed a genotypic characterization of seven strains ofMycoplasma fermentanswhich have been isolated from the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n= 2), spondyloarthropathy (n= 1), and unclassified arthritis (n= 4). We compared them to three reference strains (strains PG18 and K7 and incognitus strain) and to a clinical isolate from the urethra of a patient with nongonococcal urethritis. The characterization methods included electrophoresis of native DNA, arbitrarily primed PCR, and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis following conventional and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Southern blot analysis with a probe internal to an insertion sequence was performed with the restriction products produced by the last two techniques. No extrachromosomal DNA sequences were detected. TheM. fermentansstrains identified by these methods did not present a unique profile, but they could be separated into two main categories: four articular isolates were genetically related to PG18 and the three other isolates, the urethral isolate, and the incognitus strain were related to K7. We also looked for the presence of the bacteriophage MAV1 (associated with the arthritogenic property ofMycoplasma arthritidisin rodents) in theM. fermentansstrains. MAV1 DNA was not detected in either the clinical isolates or the reference strains ofM. fermentans.
Specificity of Rabbit Antisera against Lipopolysaccharide ofAcinetobacter
Authors: Pantophlet Ralph , Brade Lore , Dijkshoorn Lenie , Brade Helmut 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACTAcinetobacterhas been reported to be involved in hospital-acquired infections with increasing frequency. However, clinical laboratories still lack simple methods that allow the accurate identification ofAcinetobacterstrains at the species level. For this study, proteinase K-digested whole-cell lysates from 44 clinical and environmental isolates were investigated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting with hyperimmune rabbit sera to examine the possibility of developing a serotyping scheme based on the O antigen ofAcinetobacterlipopolysaccharide (LPS). The antisera, obtained by immunization of rabbits with 13 of the heat-killed isolates investigated, were characterized by Western blotting and enzyme immunoassay by using proteinase K-digested whole-cell lysates and phenol-water-extracted LPS as antigens. In both assays, the antisera were shown to be highly specific for the homologous antigen. In addition, assignment ofAcinetobacterLPS to the smooth or the rough phenotype was shown not to be reliable when it was based only on the results obtained with silver-stained gels. O-antigen reactivity, determined by Western blot analysis, was observed with 11 of the 31 isolates, most of which belonged to the speciesAcinetobacter baumannii(DNA group 2) and the unnamed DNA group 3. Interestingly, some O antigens were found in a DNA group different from that of the strain used for immunization. The results indicate that O serotyping ofAcinetobacterstrains is feasible and thus may provide a simple method for the routine identification of these opportunistic pathogens.
Nonperinatal Nosocomial Transmission of
Candida albicans
in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Prospective Study
Authors: Reef Susan E. , Lasker Brent A. , Butcher Dona S. , McNeil Michael M. , Pruitt Ruth , Keyserling Harry , Jarvis William R. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

Nosocomial
Candida albicans
infections have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). To determine the possible modes of acquisition of
C. albicans
in hospitalized neonates, we conducted a prospective study at Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, Ga. Clinical samples for fungal surveillance cultures were obtained at birth from infants (mouth, umbilicus, and groin) and their mothers (mouth and vagina) and were obtained from infants weekly until they were discharged. All infants were culture negative for
C. albicans
at birth. Six infants acquired
C. albicans
during their NICU stay. Thirty-four (53%) of 64 mothers were
C. albicans
positive (positive at the mouth,
n
= 26; positive at the vagina,
n
= 18; positive at both sites,
n
= 10) at the time of the infant’s delivery. A total of 49
C. albicans
isolates were analyzed by restriction endonuclease analysis and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis by using genomic blots hybridized with the CARE-2 probe. Of the mothers positive for
C. albicans
, 3 of 10 were colonized with identical strains at two different body sites, whereas 7 of 10 harbored nonidentical strains at the two different body sites. Four of six infants who acquired
C. albicans
colonization in the NICU had
C. albicans
-positive mothers; specimens from all mother-infant pairs had different restriction endonuclease and CARE-2 hybridization profiles. One
C. albicans
-colonized infant developed candidemia; the colonizing and infecting strains had identical banding patterns. Our study indicates that nonperinatal nosocomial transmission of
C. albicans
is the predominant mode of acquisition by neonates in NICUs at this hospital; mothers may be colonized with multiple strains of
C. albicans
simultaneously; colonizing
C. albicans
strains can cause invasive disease in neonates; and molecular biology-based techniques are necessary to determine the epidemiologic relatedness of maternal and infant
C. albicans
isolates and to facilitate determination of the mode of transmission.
Genotypic and Phenotypic Analysis ofMycoplasma fermentansStrains Isolated from Different Host Tissues
Authors: Campo Laura , Larocque Patrick , La Malfa Tiziana , Blackburn Warren D. , Watson Harold L. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACTA correlation was found between the expression of a specificMycoplasma fermentanssurface antigen (Pra, proteinase-resistant antigen) and the site of isolation of the organism from the infected host. Strains which expressed Pra were most frequently associated with cells of bone marrow origin, and strains which lacked expression of Pra were most commonly isolated from the respiratory tract, genital tract, and arthritic joints, i.e., epithelial cell surfaces. Pra was previously shown to be resistant to degradation by proteinases and was hypothesized to play a protective role at the organism surface and perhaps to influence which host tissue site was colonized by the organism. The methods used for this phenotyping scheme required isolation and growth of the mycoplasma in quantities sufficient for immunoblot analysis using monoclonal antibodies. We wanted to determine a more rapid and less cumbersome technique to supplement this method for determining the Pra phenotype directly in clinical specimens. Here we describe PCR studies to investigate the movement of a previously identifiedM. fermentansinsertion sequence (IS)-like element. These data showed a correlation between a specific IS genotype and the Pra+phenotype. Production of a 160-bp product using a single set of IS-based primers was associated with expression of Pra. The genomic IS location resulting in the 160-bp product was determined by using Southern blot analysis and was found to be a stable insertion site characteristic of genotype I strains. Additional analyses of sequences within and flanking the IS insertion sites revealed another pair of PCR primer sites which resulted in the consistent production of a 450-bp amplicon. The stability of this site was dependent on the absence of the IS-like element between the primer sites. The production of this 450-bp amplicon correlated with the Pra mutant phenotype and was characteristic of genotype II strains. The data showed that the sequence within the IS may be unstable and that reliable genotyping sequences are more easily found in the stable genomic sites which flank the IS element.
Comparison of Methods of Identifying
Helicobacter hepaticus
in B6C3F
1
Mice Used in a Carcinogenesis Bioassay
Authors: Fox James G. , MacGregor Judith A. , Shen Zeli , Li Xiantang , Lewis Robert , Dangler Charles A. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

In a long-term rodent bioassay evaluating the carcinogenicity of triethanolamine, there was equivocal evidence of carcinogenic activity in male B6C3F
1
mice, based on a marginal increase in the number of hepatocellular adenomas and hepatoblastomas. Interpretation was complicated by the presence of
Helicobacter hepaticus
in selected silver-stained liver sections which also had histological evidence of karyomegaly and oval cell hyperplasia. An increase in numbers of liver tumors, as evidence of carcinogenic activity, was also noted in female mice. However,
H. hepaticus
was not considered a complicating factor, because the livers of the female mice did not have histological features compatible with
H. hepaticus
infection. A retrospective analysis of 51 liver tissue samples from the original carcinogenicity study was conducted to determine the incidence of
H. hepaticus
infection and to evaluate different diagnostic approaches for assessing the presence of
H. hepaticus
in livers lacking characteristic lesions. In an initial evaluation of seven mice with liver tumors, argyrophilic bacteria resembling
H. hepaticus
were observed in liver sections, associated with characteristic liver lesions of hepatocytic karyomegaly and oval cell hyperplasia. Frozen liver tissue was available from four of these mice; all were confirmed to be infected with
H. hepaticus
by culture and PCR. In a larger subsequent analysis using frozen liver tissues from 44 mice without characteristic hepatic lesions,
H. hepaticus
-specific DNA was amplified from the livers of 21 of 44 of the mice (47%), compared to 14 of 44 of the mice (32%) having
H. hepaticus
cultured from their frozen liver tumors. The results of
H. hepaticus
culture and
H. hepaticus
-specific PCR concurred (i.e., both positive and negative results) in 84% of the cases. Microscopic detection of immunofluorescence-labeled or silver-stained bacteria in liver sections was relatively insensitive compared to either culture or PCR detection. This study confirms the widespread prevalence of
H. hepaticus
in mice, its potential to confound experimental results, and the need to include diagnostic testing for
H. hepaticus
in a murine health monitoring program.
Isolation of a Nonpathogenic Strain of
Citrobacter sedlakii
Which Expresses
Escherichia coli
O157 Antigen
Authors: Park C. H. , Martin E. A. , White E. L. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

A nonpathogenic strain of
Citrobacter sedlakii
which expresses the
Escherichia coli
O157 antigen is described. The discovery of this strain emphasizes the necessity of additional biochemical and/or toxigenicity testing when isolates react with
E. coli
O157 latex reagents.
Recurrent Catheter-Related Infection Caused by a Single Clone of
Mycobacterium chelonae
with Two Colonial Morphotypes
Authors: Hsueh Po-ren , Teng Lee-jene , Yang Pan-chyr , Chen Yu-chi , Ho Shen-wu , Luh Kwen-tay 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

We describe herein a recurrent catheter-related (Port-A-Cath; Smiths Industries Medical Systems [SIMS] Deltec, Inc., St. Paul, Minn.) infection caused by multidrug-resistant
Mycobacterium chelonae
with two colonial morphotypes in a 53-year-old woman with gastric adenocarcinoma. Four isolates recovered from this patient within a 3-month period were found to belong to a single clone on the basis of the isolates’ identical antibiotypes as determined by the E test and their identical random amplified polymorphic DNA patterns.
Rapid Detection of Species of the Opportunistic Yeast
Trichosporon
by PCR
Authors: Sugita Takashi , Nishikawa Akemi , Shinoda Takako 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

Trichosporon
species are opportunistic pathogens, associated with a high mortality rate in immunocompromised patients. Oligonucleotide primers were used to amplify a 170-bp fragment of small-subunit ribosomal DNA of all species in the genus
Trichosporon
by PCR. The primers amplify DNAs of all species in the genus
Trichosporon
, including six causative agents of trichosporonosis. DNAs of other medically important yeasts, such as
Candida albicans
and
Cryptococcus neoformans
, are not amplified by this detection system.
Evaluation of the Abbott LCx Ligase Chain Reaction Assay for Detection of
Chlamydia trachomatis
and
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
in Urine and Genital Swab Specimens from a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic Population
Authors: Carroll Karen C. , Aldeen William E. , Morrison Michael , Anderson Roberta , Lee Deborah , Mottice Susan 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

The Abbott LCx ligase chain reaction (LCR) assay for the simultaneous detection of
Chlamydia trachomatis
and
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
was evaluated by using swab and urine specimens from 562 patients.
C. trachomatis
results by LCR were compared to those by the Gen-Probe PACE 2 assay, whereas
N. gonorrhoeae
results by LCR were compared to those by culture. The Gen-Probe and LCR assays were performed according to the manufacturers’ instructions. Gram-negative diplococci growing on modified Thayer-Martin medium were confirmed as
N. gonorrhoeae
by the GonoGen II assay. Supplemental data analysis was performed by major outer membrane protein PCR for
C. trachomatis
and probes for pilin gene detection for
N. gonorrhoeae
. A true-positive result for each pathogen was defined as a positive result for all three or two of three assays. Overall agreement among the six assays was 94.8%.
C. trachomatis
prevalence was 16.2%;
N. gonorrhoeae
prevalence was 5.5%. The overall sensitivity and specificity, respectively, for each test (after supplemental data analysis) were as follows: for
C. trachomatis
, Gen-Probe, 65.9 and 100%; LCR on urine, 90.1 and 100%; LCR on swab specimens, 96.7 and 100%; and for
N. gonorrhoeae
, culture, 80.6 and 100%; LCR on urine, 93.5 and 99.8%; and LCR on swab specimens, 96.8 and 100%. For women, the
N. gonorrhoeae
culture was very insensitive compared to its performance in men (58.3 versus 94.7%, respectively). For
C. trachomatis
, the Gen-Probe assay’s sensitivity was lower for men than for women (62.3 versus 71.1%, respectively). The sensitivity for
C. trachomatis
detection by LCR on urethral and cervical swab specimens was 96.2 and 97.4% for men and women, respectively. For men, swab results were slightly better than urine results for both pathogens (sensitivity for
C. trachomatis
in swab and urine specimens, 96.2 and 92.5%, respectively; sensitivity for
N. gonorrhoeae
in swab and urine specimens, 100 and 94.7%, respectively), while for women, cervical swabs were superior in sensitivity to urine samples for detecting
C. trachomatis
(swab, 97.4%; urine, 81.6%) and equivalent for
N. gonorrhoeae
(swab, 92.3%; urine, 91.6%). The LCx LCR appears to be both sensitive and specific for the detection of
C. trachomatis
and
N. gonorrhoeae
when performed on urine or genital swab samples. Swab samples had better sensitivity than urine samples for the detection of both pathogens.
Antigenic and Genomic Diversity of Human Rotavirus VP4 in Two Consecutive Epidemic Seasons in Mexico
Authors: Padilla-Noriega Luis , Méndez-Toss Martha , Menchaca Griselda , Contreras Juan F. , Romero-Guido Pedro , Puerto Fernando I. , Guiscafré Héctor , Mota Felipe , Herrera Ismael , Cedillo Roberto , Muñoz Onofre , Calva Juan , Guerrero María de Lourdes , Coulson Barbara S. , Greenberg Harry B. , López Susana , Arias Carlos F. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT
In the present investigation we characterized the antigenic diversity of the VP4 and VP7 proteins in 309 and 261 human rotavirus strains isolated during two consecutive epidemic seasons, respectively, in three different regions of Mexico. G3 was found to be the prevalent VP7 serotype during the first year, being superseded by serotype G1 strains during the second season. To antigenically characterize the VP4 protein of the strains isolated, we used five neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) which showed specificity for VP4 serotypes P1A, P1B, and P2 in earlier studies. Eight different patterns of reactivity with these MAbs were found, and the prevalence of three of these patterns varied from one season to the next. The P genotype of a subset of 52 samples was determined by PCR. Among the strains characterized as genotype P[4] and P[8] there were three and five different VP4 MAb reactivity patterns, respectively, indicating that the diversity of neutralization epitopes in VP4 is greater than that previously appreciated by the genomic typing methods.
Proliferative Enterocolitis Associated with Dual Infection with Enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
and
Lawsonia intracellularis
in Rabbits
Authors: Schauer David B. , McCathey Sonya N. , Daft Barbara M. , Jha Sharda S. , Tatterson Lisa E. , Taylor Nancy S. , Fox James G. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

Both enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
(EPEC) and an obligate intracellular bacterium, previously referred to as an intracellular
Campylobacter
-like organism and now designated
Lawsonia intracellularis
, have been reported as causes of enterocolitis in rabbits. An outbreak of enterocolitis in a group of rabbits, characterized by an unusually high rate of mortality, was found to be associated with dual infection with EPEC and
L. intracellularis
. The EPEC strain was found to have
eaeA
gene homology but was negative for
afrA
homology. The absence of the
afrA
gene, which encodes the structural subunit for the AF/R1 pilus, indicates that this rabbit EPEC strain is distinct from the prototypic RDEC-1 strain. This finding suggests that rabbit EPEC strains widely reported in Western Europe, which lack AF/R1 pili, are also present in rabbits in the United States. Dual infection with these two pathogens in rabbits has not been previously reported and may have contributed to the unusually high mortality observed in this outbreak.
Evaluation of Silica Gel Packages for Transport of
Neisseria meningitidis
Authors: Popovic Tanja , Kim Chung , Schmink Susanna , Ajello Gloria 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

Eight
Neisseria meningitidis
reference strains, representing six different serogroups, were plated on 57 blood agar plates each. The growth was harvested and stored in silica gel packages at different temperatures for up to 90 days. When held at 4°C, all strains were recovered after 90 days of storage. Strains held at room temperature or alternately at 4°C and room temperature survived for at least 10 and 17 days, respectively.
Non-O157:H7 Stx2-Producing
Escherichia coli
Strains Associated with Sporadic Cases of Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome in Adults
Authors: Bonnet R. , Souweine B. , Gauthier G. , Rich C. , Livrelli V. , Sirot J. , Joly B. , Forestier C. 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACT

From August 1996 to May 1997, six verotoxin-producing
Escherichia coli
(VTEC) strains were isolated from stool specimens of adults suffering from hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). All the isolates were
stx
2
positive and belonged to different serotypes: O6:H4, O91:H10, O91:H21, O rough:H16, OX3:H−, and O nontypeable:H−. The enterohemolysin (Ehly)-encoding genes were detected in two isolates, and none of the isolates harbors the intimin (Eae)-encoding gene. These findings suggest that
stx
2
-positive non-O157:H7 VTEC is a major cause of HUS in adults and that several sources of pathogens are responsible for local endemic infections.