Characterisation of the aerobic bacterial flora of boid snakes: application of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

The aim of this study was to identify aerobic bacterial isolates from the respiratory tract of boids with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). From 47 boid snakes, swabs from the oral cavity, tracheal wash samples and, in cases in which postmortem examination was performed, pulmonary tissue samples were taken. Each snake was classified as having inflammation of the respiratory tract and/or oral cavity, or without evidence of inflammation based on combination of clinical, cytological and histopathological findings.

Intestinal blood flow in patients with chronic heart failure: a link with bacterial growth, gastrointestinal symptoms, and cachexia.

Background: Blood flow in the intestinal arteries is reduced in patients with stable heart failure (HF) and relates to gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and cardiac cachexia.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to measure arterial intestinal blood flow and assess its role in juxtamucosal bacterial growth, GI symptoms, and cachexia in patients with HF.

Methods: A total of 65 patients and 25 controls were investigated.

Chronic botulism in a Saxony dairy farm: sources, predisposing factors, development of the disease and treatment possibilities.

The aim of this study is to investigate Clostridium botulinum at a Saxony dairy farm with 159 cows and 18 heifers. The animals exhibited clinical symptoms of chronic botulism. To determine the source of the infection, feces, blood, organs, and gastrointestinal fluids of dead or euthanized cows; as well as soil, water, silage and manure were tested for C.

Relationship between gastrointestinal dysbiosis and Clostridium botulinum in dairy cows.

The gastrointestinal tract is a balanced ecosystem that can get out of balance and predisposed to clostridial diseases or other pathological conditions. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the gut microbiota in dairy cows suffering from chronic botulism. Cows were investigated for Clostridium (C.

Visceral botulism at dairy farms in Schleswig Holstein, Germany: prevalence of Clostridium botulinum in feces of cows, in animal feeds, in feces of the farmers, and in house dust.

From 41 dairy farms in Schleswig Holstein, Germany, 196 fecal specimens of diseased cows, 77 fecal specimens of farmers and family members from 26 of these farms, 35 animal feed specimens and 7 house dust specimens were investigated for Clostridium botulinum and its antigens, respectively. Four of the humans under study (one child, 8 month, and three adults) showed symptoms of infant/visceral botulism. Specimens were cultivated in reinforced clostridial medium (RCM).

Direct analysis and identification of pathogenic Lichtheimia species by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight analyzer-mediated mass spectrometry.

Zygomycetes of the order Mucorales can cause life-threatening infections in humans. These mucormycoses are emerging and associated with a rapid tissue destruction and high mortality. The resistance of Mucorales to antimycotic substances varies between and within clinically important genera such as Mucor, Rhizopus, and Lichtheimia.

Challenging the problem of clostridial identification with matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).

Diverse techniques were applied to effect the identification and classification of isolated clostridial strains. Nevertheless, the correct identification of clostridial strains remains a laborious, time-consuming task which entails a not inconsiderable degree of expertise. In addition to this, traditional methods based on the metabolic properties of the bacteria require rigorously standardized media and growth conditions to assure the attainment of reproducible results.