Objective: Traumatic experiences during or after childbirth are subject of intense discussions in mainstream and social media as well as in scientific literature. Aim of this evaluation is to estimate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following childbirth in postpartum women and to evaluate the influence of maternal, obstetrical and neonatal characteristics on the degree of PTSD symptoms measured by the Impact of Events Scale questionnaire (IES-R).
Methods: In total, 589 women who gave birth in the University Medical Center Mainz, Germany in 2016, participated in a survey within the first days after birth.
Biocides are frequently applied as disinfectants in animal husbandry to prevent the transmission of drug-resistant bacteria and to control zoonotic diseases. Concerns have been raised, that their use may contribute to the selection and persistence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Especially, extended-spectrum β-lactamase- and AmpC β-lactamase-producing have become a global health threat.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDue to its high case fatality rate, foodborne listeriosis is considered a major public health concern worldwide. We describe one of the largest listeriosis outbreaks in Germany with 83 cases of invasive listeriosis between 2013 and 2018. As part of the outbreak investigation, we identified a highly diverse population at a single producer of ready-to-eat meat products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated the suitability of a newly developed biocide susceptibility test system based on microtiter plates containing vacuum dried biocides as a fast and reliable screening method. The evaluated substances included the cationic biocides benzalkonium chloride (BAC), chlorhexidine dihydrochloride (CHX), cetylpyridinium chloride, didecyldimethylammonium chloride, and octenidine dihydrochloride. Testing a selection of and enterococci, the biocide microtiter plates provided results comparable to those obtained from broth microdilution according to ISO 20776-1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContamination of food during processing is recognized as a main transmission route of To prevent microbial contamination, biocides are widely applied as disinfectants in food processing plants. However, there are concerns about the development of antimicrobial resistance in foodborne pathogens due to widespread biocide usage. In our study, 93 isolates from German food production facilities were (i) tested for biocide and antibiotic susceptibility using broth microdilution assays, (ii) analyzed for links between reduced biocide susceptibility and antibiotic resistance, and (iii) characterized by whole-genome sequencing, including the detection of genes coding for biocide tolerance, antibiotic resistance, and other virulence factors.
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