Usefulness of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time of flight mass spectrometry for the identification of Streptococcus mutans.

This study evaluated the reliability of MALDI-TOF MS coupled with statistical tools for the identification of Streptococcus mutans in comparison with PCR-based techniques. Bacterial isolates were identified and serotyped by conventional PCR, using S. mutans species and serotype-specific primers.

Molecular and serological typing of Streptococcus mutans strains isolated from young Galician population: relationship with the oral health status.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Streptococcus mutans and its serotypes in samples from oral cavity of young Galician population and their relationship with the oral health state. The variables generally associated with dental caries, such as salivary flow rate, buffering capacity, eating habits, and lifestyle, were also analysed. No relationship was found between the variables studied and the presence of S.

Leprosy in the twenty-first century: a microbiological, clinical, and epidemiological study in northwestern Spain.

Leprosy, or Hansen's disease, is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae and the recently discovered Mycobacterium lepromatosis. In Spain and other countries, where leprosy has been eliminated, an increasing number of imported cases have been documented, especially from South Africa and South America. The diagnosis of leprosy is mainly clinical, based on the signs established by the World Health Organization (WHO), although laboratory tools can be useful for diagnostic confirmation.

Diagnosis of hepatitis C virus infection in Spain: An opportunity to improve.

Background: Reflex testing of antibodies and viral load in the same sample for diagnosing hepatitis C virus infection speeds up access to treatment. However, how hepatitis C is diagnosed in Spanish hospitals is unknown.

Objective: To describe the available resources and procedures for the diagnosis of hepatitis C virus infection in Spain.

The efficiency of several one-step testing strategies for the diagnosis of hepatitis C.

Background: implementing one-step strategies for hepatitis C diagnosis would help shorten the time to treatment access. Thus avoiding disease progression and complications, while facilitating hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination.

Objective: to assess the validity and certainty of potential one-step strategies for the diagnosis of HCV infection and their associated cost and efficiency.

Prevalence and distribution of hepatitis C virus genotypes in Galicia during the period 2000-2015.

Introduction: We present the largest study conducted in Galicia on the prevalence and distribution of HCV genotypes/subtypes.

Methods: Retrospective study collecting the total number of patients chronically infected by HCV between 2000.01.

[Microbiological diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus infection].

This document attempts to update the main tasks and roles of the Clinical Microbiology laboratory in HIV diagnosis and monitoring. The document is divided into three parts. The first deals with HIV diagnosis and how serological testing has changed in the last few years, aiming to improve diagnosis and to minimize missed opportunities for diagnosis.

[CMV DNA detection in plasma using real-time PCR based on the SYBR-Green I dye method].

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess a real-time PCR technique on the LightCycler 2.0 with SYBR-Green I detection as compared to another real-time PCR method based on detection with FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) probes for the quantification of CMV DNA.

Methods: The two real-time PCR methods were used to test plasma samples from immunocompromised patients with clinically suspected CMV disease, patients under follow-up without symptoms, and healthy adults.

[Epidemiology and clinical manifestations of viral hepatitis].

Viral hepatitis is an infectious disease affecting the liver. At this time, five different human hepatitis viruses are recognized and characterized in detail: Hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis D virus (HDV), and hepatitis E virus (HEV). The hepatitis viruses differ widely in their modes of transmission and clinical features.

Hepatitis B virus genotyping based on cluster analysis of the region involved in lamivudine resistance.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotyping and treatment resistances analysis provide key information for the study of infected patients. Among the existing HBV genotyping methods, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) based methods are used widely, but HBV genetic variability may lead to wrong results. A simple method for HBV genotyping is described.