Paediatric tuberculosis in a Pacific Islands community in New Zealand.

Objectives: To describe the demographic, clinical and management aspects of an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) within a paediatric Pacific Island community in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2002-2003.

Methods: The index and source case are described along with details of the extensive contact tracing that was undertaken in this community.

Results: A total of 24 children were diagnosed with TB over an 11-month period.

Transcriptional analysis of bacteriocin production by malt isolate Lactobacillus sakei 5.

Malt isolate Lactobacillus sakei 5 produces three bacteriocins, sakacin P, sakacin T and sakacin X. The structural and regulatory genes for sakacin T and sakacin X are part of the sakacin TX locus, which consists of two adjacent, but divergently oriented gene clusters. Primer extension transcriptional analysis pointed to the existence of three distinct promoters within the sakacin TX locus, indicating that the three-component regulatory system in this locus is atypical in the sense that it is divided into a pheromone-specifying operon and an operon containing the genes for the histidine protein kinase and response regulator.

Functional characterization of a composite bacteriocin locus from malt isolate Lactobacillus sakei 5.

Lactobacillus sakei 5, isolated from malted barley, produces three bacteriocins. Genetic and functional analysis of the purified bacteriocins showed that this strain produces a plasmid-encoded bacteriocin that is identical to sakacin P, as well as two novel, chromosomally encoded bacteriocins, which were designated sakacin T and sakacin X. The structural genes specifying sakacin T and sakacin X are part of the sakacin TX locus, which consists of two adjacent but divergently oriented gene clusters.