bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Aortic Valve Endocarditis in a Dog Due toBartonella clarridgeiae
Authors: Chomel Bruno B. , Mac Donald Kristin A. , Kasten Rickie W. , Chang Chao-Chin , Wey Aaron C. , Foley Janet E. , Thomas William P. , Kittleson Mark D. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTWe report the first documented case of endocarditis associated withBartonella clarridgeiaein any species.B. clarridgeiaewas identified as a possible etiological agent of human cat scratch disease. Infective vegetative valvular aortic endocarditis was diagnosed in a 2.5-year-old male neutered boxer. Historically, the dog had been diagnosed with a systolic murmur at 16 months of age and underwent balloon valvuloplasty for severe valvular aortic stenosis. Six months later, the dog was brought to a veterinary hospital with an acute third-degree atrioventricular block and was diagnosed with infective endocarditis. The dog died of cardiopulmonary arrest prior to pacemaker implantation. Necropsy confirmed severe aortic vegetative endocarditis. Blood culture grew a fastidious, gram-negative organism 8 days after being plated. Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the isolate, including partial sequencing of the citrate synthase (gltA) and 16S rRNA genes indicated that this organism wasB. clarridgeiae. DNA extraction from the deformed aortic valve and the healthy pulmonic valve revealed the presence ofB. clarridgeiaeDNA only from the diseased valve. NoBorrelia burgdorferiorEhrlichiasp. DNA could be identified. Using indirect immunofluorescence tests, the dog was seropositive forB. clarridgeiaeand had antibodies againstEhrlichia phagocytophilabut not againstEhrlichia canis, Ehrlichia ewingii,B. burgdorferi, orCoxiella burnetii.
Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of
Alcaligenes xylosoxidans
Isolated from Patients with Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Saiman Lisa , Chen Yunhua , Tabibi Setareh , San Gabriel Pablo , Zhou Juyan , Liu Zhenling , Lai Lena , Whittier Susan 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

In the past decade, potential pathogens, including
Alcaligenes
species, have been increasingly recovered from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Accurate identification of multiply antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacilli is critical to understanding the epidemiology and clinical implications of emerging pathogens in CF. We examined the frequency of correct identification of
Alcaligenes
spp. by microbiology laboratories affiliated with American CF patient care centers. Selective media, an
exotoxin A
probe for
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
, and a commercial identification assay, API 20 NE, were used for identification. The activity of antimicrobial agents against these clinical isolates was determined. A total of 106 strains from 78 patients from 49 CF centers in 22 states were studied. Most (89%) were correctly identified by the referring laboratories as
Alcaligenes xylosoxidans
. However, 12 (11%) strains were misidentified; these were found to be
P. aeruginosa
(
n
= 10),
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
(
n
= 1), and
Burkholderia cepacia
(
n
= 1). Minocycline, imipenem, meropenem, piperacillin, and piperacillin-tazobactam were the most active since 51, 59, 51, 50, and 55% of strains, respectively, were inhibited. High concentrations of colistin (100 and 200 μg/ml) inhibited 92% of strains. Chloramphenicol paired with minocycline and ciprofloxacin paired with either imipenem or meropenem were the most active combinations and inhibited 40 and 32%, respectively, of strains. Selective media and biochemical identification proved to be useful strategies for distinguishing
A. xylosoxidans
from other CF pathogens. Standards for processing CF specimens should be developed, and the optimal method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of
A. xylosoxidans
should be determined.
Scedosporium prolificansKeratouveitis in Association with a Contact Lens Retained Intraocularly over a Long Term
Authors: Arthur Stella , Steed Lisa L. , Apple David J. , Peng Qun , Howard Gene , Escobar-Gomez Marcela 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTScedosporium prolificansis a soil saprophyte that is associated with a large variety of infectious processes and with respiratory colonization in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. We report the first described case ofS. prolificanskeratouveitis associated with the intraocular long-term retention of a contact lens in a 76-year-old female patient.
Sensitive Detection ofEhrlichia chaffeensisin Cell Culture, Blood, and Tick Specimens by Reverse Transcription-PCR
Authors: Felek Suleyman , Unver Ahmet , Stich Roger W. , Rikihisa Yasuko 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTEhrlichia chaffeensisis an obligatory intracellular bacterium of monocytes and macrophages and the etiologic agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, an emerging zoonosis. The Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum) has been implicated as the primary vector ofE. chaffeensis. The present study examined the sensitivity of the nested reverse transcription (RT)-PCR based on the 16S rRNA gene relative to that of the nested PCR for detection ofE. chaffeensisin infected DH82 cells, experimentally infected dog peripheral blood mononuclear cells, or experimentally infectedA. americanumtick samples. The RT-PCR was found to be approximately 100 times more sensitive than the PCR for detection ofE. chaffeensisregardless of the nature of the specimens. Thus, this RT-PCR is useful for detection ofE. chaffeensiswhen a high sensitivity is required. Positive results by RT-PCR also imply the presence of viable pathogens. This is the first demonstration of RNA ofE. chaffeensisin infected blood and acquisition-fed male, nymphal, and larvalA. americanumticks.
Immunodiagnostic Identification of Dairy Cows Infected withPrototheca zopfiiat Various Clinical Stages and Discrimination between Infected and Uninfected Cows
Authors: Roesler Uwe , Scholz Holger , Hensel Andreas 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTProtothecosis is a severe form of mastitis in cattle that is caused by colorless algae of the genusPrototheca. So far, no suitable serological test for the identification of infected animals is available for routine diagnosis. In this study an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the identification of infected cows and for discriminating among infected cows at various clinical stages was developed. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) in serum and IgA and IgG1 in whey were used as antibody isotypes. The ELISA was evaluated using serum and whey from animals at different clinical stages of infection. A total of 12 cows with acute clinical manifestation of protothecal mastitis, 22 cows with clinical signs of chronic mastitis, 40Prototheca zopfii-negative cows, and 18 cows with chronic clinical signs and earlier cultures positive forP. zopfiibut with presently negative culturing results were investigated. A sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 94% were calculated for the ELISA based on IgA levels. Intra-assay and interassay variations were calculated to be 6.08 and 6.32%, respectively. Based on these data, this ELISA was found to be suitable for discrimination between infected and uninfected animals and might therefore be useful for screening affected herds.
Circulating Nucleic Acids of
Chlamydia pneumoniae
and Cytomegalovirus in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography
Authors: Smieja M. , Chong S. , Natarajan M. , Petrich A. , Rainen L. , Mahony J. B. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 208 consecutive patients undergoing elective coronary angiography or angioplasty were collected before, immediately after, and 4 h after the procedure. Nucleic acids of
Chlamydia pneumoniae
and of cytomegalovirus (CMV) were detected by PCR and confirmed by hybridization. Circulating
C. pneumoniae
DNA was identified in 24 patients (11.5%) and was associated with current smoking (odds ratio [OR] = 4.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6 to 12.2,
P
= 0.004) but not with arterial narrowing on coronary angiogram or with serological results positive for
C. pneumoniae
. Circulating CMV DNA was identified in 36 patients (17.3%) and was associated with anti-CMV immunoglobulin G (OR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.2 to 6.3,
P
= 0.02) but not with angiographic arterial narrowing or with the need for revascularization. Neither
C. pneumoniae
nor CMV DNA detection increased after angioplasty, a procedure in which endothelium is disrupted. Larger prospective studies are needed to determine the prognostic significance of DNA detection.
Strain Composition of the EhrlichiaAnaplasma marginalewithin Persistently Infected Cattle, a Mammalian Reservoir for Tick Transmission
Authors: Palmer Guy H. , Rurangirwa Fred R. , McElwain Terry F. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTTick-borne ehrlichial pathogens of animals and humans require a mammalian reservoir of infection from which ticks acquire the organism for subsequent transmission. In the present study, we examined the strain structure ofAnaplasma marginale, a genogroup II ehrlichial pathogen, in both an acute outbreak and in persistently infected cattle that serve as a reservoir for tick transmission. Using themsp1α genotype as a stable strain marker, only a single genotype was detected in a disease outbreak in a previously uninfected herd. In contrast, a diverse set of genotypes was detected in a persistently infected reservoir herd within a region whereA. marginaleis endemic. Genotypic diversity did not appear to be rapidly generated within an individual animal, because only a single genotype, identical to that of the inoculating strain, was detected at time points up to 2 years after experimental infection, and only a single identical genotype was found in repeat sampling of individual naturally infected cattle. Similarly, only a single genotype, identical to that of the experimentally inoculated St. Maries or South Idaho strain, was identified in the bloodmeal taken byDermacentor andersoniticks, in the midgut and salivary glands of the infected ticks, and in the blood of acutely infected cattle following tick transmission. The results show that mammalian reservoirs harbor genetically heterogeneousA. marginaleand suggest that different genotypes are maintained by transmission within the reservoir population.
Isolation and Characterization of a Black-Pigmented
Corynebacterium
sp. from a Woman with Spontaneous Abortion
Authors: Shukla Sanjay K. , Vevea Dirk N. , Frank Daniel N. , Pace Norman R. , Reed Kurt D. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

An unusual black-pigmented coryneform bacterium was isolated from the urogenital tract of a woman who experienced a spontaneous abortion during month 6 of pregnancy. Biochemical and chemotaxonomic analyses demonstrated that the unknown bacterium belonged to the genus
Corynebacterium
. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences (GenBank accession no.
AF220220
) revealed that the organism was a member of a distinct subline which includes uncultured
Corynebacterium
MTcory 1P (GenBank accession no.
AF115934
), derived from prostatic fluid, and
Corynebacterium
CDC B8037 (GenBank accession no.
AF033314
), an uncharacterized black-pigmented coryneform bacterium. On the basis of chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic evidence, this organism probably represents a new species and is most closely related to the uncharacterized Centers for Disease Control and Prevention group 4 coryneforms. Our strain is designated CN-1 (ATCC 700975).
Genotyping of EnterotoxigenicClostridium perfringensFecal Isolates Associated with Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Food Poisoning in North America
Authors: Sparks Shauna G. , Carman Robert J. , Sarker Mahfuzur R. , McClane Bruce A. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTClostridium perfringenstype A isolates producing enterotoxin (CPE) are an important cause of food poisoning and non-food-borne human gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, including antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). Recent studies suggest thatC. perfringenstype A food poisoning is caused byC. perfringensisolates carrying a chromosomalcpegene, while CPE-associated non-food-borne GI diseases, such as AAD, are caused by plasmidcpeisolates. Those putative relationships, obtained predominantly with European isolates, were tested in the current study by examining 34cpe-positive,C. perfringensfecal isolates from North American cases of food poisoning or AAD. These North American disease isolates were all classified as type A using a multiplex PCR assay. Furthermore, restriction fragment length polymorphism and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis genotyping analyses showed the North American AAD isolates included in this collection all have a plasmidcpegene, but the North American food poisoning isolates all carry a chromosomalcpegene. Western blotting demonstrated CPE expression by nearly all of these disease isolates, confirming their virulence potential. These findings with North American isolates provide important new evidence that, regardless of geographic origin or date of isolation, plasmidcpeisolates cause most CPE-associated AAD cases and chromosomalcpeisolates cause mostC. perfringenstype A food poisoning cases. These findings hold importance for the development of assays for distinguishing cases of CPE-associated food-borne and non-food-borne human GI illnesses and also identify potential epidemiologic tools for determining the reservoirs for these illnesses.
Molecular Epidemiology ofStreptococcus uberisIsolates from Dairy Cows with Mastitis
Authors: Phuektes Patchara , Mansell Peter D. , Dyson Rodney S. , Hooper Narelle D. , Dick Jennifer S. , Browning Glenn F. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTPulsed-field gel electrophoresis and antimicrobial sensitivity testing were used as tools to investigate the epidemiology ofStreptococcus uberismastitis in dairy cows. A total of 62 different strains were found among 138 isolates from the four herds investigated, and between 10 and 26 different strains were found in each herd. There was no strain common to all four herds. Identical strains ofS. uberiswere detected from different quarters of individual cows and from cows within the same herd, suggesting that transmission from quarter to quarter and cow to cow had occurred. Despite the great variation inS. uberisstrains, persistent infection with the same strain within a lactation was observed in most cows. Predominant strains were present in two herds. Preliminary investigations could not clarify why these particular strains might predominate, but in one herd there was a significant difference between the prevalence of clinical mastitis in quarters infected with the predominant strain and that in quarters infected with other strains, suggesting the greater virulence of the predominant strain. The wide variety ofS. uberisstrains found is consistent with an environmental source ofS. uberis. However, evidence of direct transmission, the persistence of infection, and the predominance of particular strains in some herds indicate thatS. uberisinfections are epidemiologically complex and that the relative importance of these factors in the occurrence of mastitis may differ between herds.
Detection of Salmonellae in Chicken Feces by a Combination of Tetrathionate Broth Enrichment, Capillary PCR, and Capillary Gel Electrophoresis
Authors: Carli K. Tayfun , Unal Can Bora , Caner Vildan , Eyigor Aysegul 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTThis report describes a rapid detection procedure for salmonellae from chicken feces by the combination of tetrathionate primary enrichment (preenrichment [PE])-bacterial lysis-capillary PCR and capillary gel electrophoresis. PureSalmonella entericaserovar Enteritidis 64K was reisolated and detected by capillary PCR after buffered peptone water and nutrient broth, tetrathionate broth base Hajna (TTBH), and tetrathionate broth (TTB) preenrichments. When the same culture was mixed with intestinal homogenate, bacteriological reisolation and capillary PCR detection was achieved only by TTBH and TTB preenrichments. Capillary gel electrophoresis revealed that aSalmonellagenus-specific 281-bp PCR product was detected whenSalmonellastrains but not non-Salmonellastrains were tested. The detection limit of capillary PCR with whole-cell DNA extracted from pureSalmonella entericaserovars Enteritidis 64K, Typhimurium LT2-CIP60-62, and Gallinarum 64K was 3, 3, and 9 CFU ml−1, respectively. The detection limit of capillary PCR from whole-cell DNA extracted from intestinal homogenate artificially contaminated with the same three strains was 3, 3, and 7 CFU ml−1, respectively. We compared the results of the capillary PCR and bacteriological examination from the natural samples. Thirty-five of 53 naturally contaminated samples produced a specific PCR product. In 9 of the 35 PCR-positive samples,Salmonellacould not be detected bacteriologically either by PE or a primary and delayed secondary enrichment (DSE) combination. In the 18 PCR-negative samples, 4 samples were found to harborSalmonellaby both PE and DSE and 14 samples were positive after DSE. Fifty-three additional intestinal homogenate samples, which were negative by their PE and DSE in bacteriological examination, were found to be also negative by their PCRs. The total time required to detectSalmonellawith the capillary PCR method we used was approximately 20 h. If samples are from clinically diseased birds, the total time for PCR and detection is reduced to 2 h since the 18-h PE is not required. These results indicate that TTB enrichment, bacterial lysis, and genus-specific capillary PCR combined with capillary gel electrophoresis constitute a sensitive and selective procedure which has the potential to rapidly identifySalmonella-infected flocks.
Utility of Inoculum Counting (Walshe and English Criteria) in Clinical Diagnosis of Onychomycosis Caused by Nondermatophytic Filamentous Fungi
Authors: Gupta Aditya K. , Cooper Elizabeth A. , MacDonald Paul , Summerbell Richard C. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACT

Opportunistic onychomycosis caused by nondermatophytic molds may differ in treatment from tinea unguium. Confirmed diagnosis of opportunistic onychomycosis classically requires more than one laboratory analysis to show consistency of fungal outgrowth. Walshe and English in 1966 proposed to extract sufficient diagnostic information from a single patient consultation by counting the number of nail fragments positive for inoculum of the suspected fungus. Twenty fragments were plated per patient, and each case in which five or more fragments grew the same mold was considered an infection by that mold, provided that compatible filaments were also seen invading the nail tissue by direct microscopy. This widely used and often recommended method has never been validated. Therefore, the validity of substituting any technique based on inoculum counting for conventional follow-up study in the diagnosis of opportunistic onychomycosis was investigated. Sampling of 473 patients was performed repeatedly. Nail specimens were examined by direct microscopy, and 15 pieces were plated on standard growth media. After 3 weeks, outgrowing dermatophytes were recorded, and pieces growing any nondermatophyte mold were counted. Patients returned on two to eight additional occasions over a 1- to 3-year period for similar examinations. Onychomycosis was etiologically classified based on long-term study. Opportunistic onychomycosis was definitively established for 86 patients. Counts of nondermatophyte molds in initial examinations were analyzed to determine if they successfully predicted both true cases of opportunistic onychomycosis and cases of insignificant mold contamination. There was a strong positive statistical association between mold colony counts and true opportunistic onychomycosis. Logistic regression analysis, however, determined that even the highest counts predicted true cases of opportunistic onychomycosis only 89.7% of the time. The counting criterion suggested by Walshe and English was correct only 23.2% of the time.
Acremonium
infections were especially likely to be correctly predicted by inoculum counting. Inoculum counting could be used to indicate a need for repeat studies in cases of false-negative results from laboratory direct microscopy. Inoculum counting cannot serve as a valid substitute for follow-up study in the diagnosis of opportunistic onychomycosis. It may, nonetheless, provide useful information both to the physician and to the laboratory, and it may be especially valuable when the patient does not present for follow-up sampling.
Recombinant Major Antigenic Protein 2 ofEhrlichia canis: a Potential Diagnostic Tool
Authors: Alleman A. Rick , McSherry Leo J. , Barbet Anthony F. , Breitschwerdt Edward B. , Sorenson Heather L. , Bowie Michael V. , Bélanger Myriam 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTThe major antigenic protein 2 (MAP2) ofEhrlichia caniswas cloned and expressed. The recombinant protein was characterized and tested in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format for potential application in the serodiagnosis of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. The recombinant protein, which contained a C-terminal polyhistidine tag, had a molecular mass of approximately 26 kDa. The antigen was clearly identified by Western immunoblotting using antihistidine antibody and immune serum from an experimentally infected dog. The recombinant MAP2 (rMAP2) was tested in an ELISA format using 141 serum samples fromE. canisimmunofluorescent antibody (IFA)-positive and IFA-negative dogs. Fifty-five of the serum samples were from dogs experimentally or naturally infected withE. canisand were previously demonstrated to contain antibodies reactive withE. canisby indirect immunofluorescence assays. The remaining 86 samples, 33 of which were from dogs infected with microorganisms other thanE. canis, were seronegative. All of the samples from experimentally infected animals and 36 of the 37 samples from naturally infected animals were found to contain antibodies against rMAP2 ofE. canisin the ELISA. Only 3 of 53 IFA-negative samples tested positive on the rMAP2 ELISA. There was 100% agreement among IFA-positive samples from experimentally infected animals, 97.3% agreement among IFA-positive samples from naturally infected animals, and 94.3% agreement among IFA-negative samples, resulting in a 97.2% overall agreement between the two assays. These data suggest that rMAP2 ofE. caniscould be used as a recombinant test antigen for the serodiagnosis of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis.
Genomic Heterogeneity and O-Antigenic Diversity ofCampylobacter upsaliensisandCampylobacter helveticusStrains Isolated from Dogs and Cats in Germany
Authors: Moser I. , Rieksneuwöhner B. , Lentzsch P. , Schwerk P. , Wieler L. H. 
Published: July 2002

ABSTRACTA serotyping scheme based on heat-stable surface antigens was established for 101Campylobacter upsaliensisand 10Campylobacter helveticusstrains isolated from 261 dogs and 46 cats of different ages originating from two geographically distinct regions in Germany. The prevalence ofC. upsaliensisvaried between 27.8% in juvenile dogs (<12 months of age) and 55.4% in adult dogs (P< 0.05). Of the cats, 19.6% harboredC. upsaliensis, whereas 21.7% carriedC. helveticus. Of theC. upsaliensisisolates from both host species, 93.1% belonged to five different serogroups, two of them being prevalent at rates of 47.5 and 27.7%, with different frequencies in both regions. Six (54.6%) of theC. helveticusisolates also belonged to serotypes found amongC. upsaliensisstrains, whereas five (45.4%) possessed an O antigen unique forC. helveticus. In contrast, a considerable degree of genomic diversity of the isolates was assessed by macrorestriction analyses with the endonucleasesSmaI andXhoI, using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis as well as enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence PCR (ERIC PCR). Restriction withSmaI pointed towards the existence of clonal groups associated to some extent with serotypes, while restriction withXhoI disintegrated these groups to smaller noncoherent subgroups. Analysis of ERIC PCR profiles did not exhibit any associations with serotypes. In conclusion these data demonstrate the genomic heterogeneity amongC. upsaliensisstrains and indicate that the combination ofSmaI restriction with serotyping is a useful tool to investigate the expansion of clonal groups ofC. upsaliensis.