New Sources of Resistance to Terbinafine Revealed and Squalene Epoxidase Modelled in the Dermatophyte Fungus Trichophyton interdigitale From Australia.

Background: Terbinafine is widely used to treat onychomycosis caused by dermatophyte fungi. Terbinafine resistance in recent years is causing concern. Resistance has so far been associated with single-nucleotide substitutions in the DNA sequence of the enzyme squalene epoxidase (SQLE) but how this affects SQLE functionality is not understood.

Metagenomics of Toenail Onychomycosis in Three Victorian Regions of Australia.

Onychomycosis is a fungal disease of the nail that is found worldwide and is difficult to diagnose accurately. This study used metagenomics to investigate the microbiology of 18 clinically diagnosed mycotic nails and two normal nails for fungi and bacteria using the ITS2 and 16S loci. Four mycotic nails were from Bass Coast, six from Melbourne Metropolitan and eight from Shepparton, Victoria, Australia.

Garlic alters the expression of putative virulence factor genes SIR2 and ECE1 in vulvovaginal C. albicans isolates.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis causes sufferers much discomfort. Phytotherapy with garlic has been reported to be a possible alternative form of treatment; however, it is unknown why patients report varying success with this strategy. Fresh garlic extract has been shown to down-regulate the putative virulence gene, SIR2 in C.

Predominance of Trichophyton interdigitale Revealed in Podiatric Nail Dust Collections in Eastern Australia.

Toenail onychomycosis caused by dermatophytes is a significant medical and financial worldwide burden. Relatively scant research has been undertaken as to the predominant species and strains causing this condition in Australia, which is a unique isolated continent with diverse geographical, climatic and population regions. Four regions were selected in Eastern Australia: Far North Queensland, Rural Victoria, Melbourne Metropolitan and Tasmania.

Visibility and transmission: complexities around promoting hand hygiene in young children - a qualitative study.

Background: Effective hand hygiene practice can reduce transmission of diseases such as respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and gastrointestinal infections, especially in young children. While hand hygiene has been widely promoted within Australia, primary care providers' (PCPs) and parents' understanding of hand hygiene importance, and their views on hand hygiene in reducing transmission of diseases in the community are unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the views of PCPs and parents of young children on their knowledge and practice of hand hygiene in disease transmission.

Dissonant views - GPs' and parents' perspectives on antibiotic prescribing for young children with respiratory tract infections.

Background: Antibiotics are not recommended for treating uncomplicated respiratory tract infections (RTIs), despite this, antibiotic prescribing for this is widespread. General practitioners (GPs) report parental pressure and fear of losing patients if they do not prescribe antibiotics, however, parental views on antibiotics for RTIs are unclear. Therefore, this study examined GPs' and parents' perceptions regarding antibiotic prescribing for RTIs in young children.

The safety and sensitivity of a telemetric capsule to monitor gastrointestinal hydrogen production in vivo in healthy subjects: a pilot trial comparison to concurrent breath analysis.

Background: Intestinal gases are currently used for the diagnosis of disorders including small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and carbohydrate malabsorption.

Aim: To compare the performance of measuring hydrogen production within the gut directly with the telemetric gas-sensing capsule with that of indirect measurement through breath testing.

Methods: Using standard breath testing protocols, the capsules and breath tests were simultaneously evaluated in a single-blinded trial in 12 healthy subjects.

Why do we not want to recommend influenza vaccination to young children? A qualitative study of Australian parents and primary care providers.

Introduction: Influenza vaccination has been shown to be safe and effective against influenza and in the prevention of complicating secondary respiratory illnesses. However, its uptake in young children remains low. This study explored the views, attitudes and practices of parents and primary care providers (PCPs) on their knowledge and acceptance of influenza vaccination in children under 5.

Management of respiratory tract infections in young children-A qualitative study of primary care providers' perspectives.

Unlabelled: Respiratory tract infections in young children are the most common cause of general practice visits in Australia. Despite the availability of clinical practice guidelines, the treatment and management of respiratory tract infections in young children is inconsistent. The aim of the study was to explore the management of respiratory tract infections in young children from a multi-disciplinary perspective using across-sectional qualitative research design based on the theoretical domains framework and the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation-B model.

Potential of in vivo real-time gastric gas profiling: a pilot evaluation of heat-stress and modulating dietary cinnamon effect in an animal model.

Gastroenterologists are still unable to differentiate between some of the most ordinary disorders of the gut and consequently patients are misdiagnosed. We have developed a swallowable gas sensor capsule for addressing this. The gases of the gut are the by-product of the fermentation processes during digestion, affected by the gut state and can consequently provide the needed information regarding the health of the gut.

Anti-amyloidogenic properties of some phenolic compounds.

A family of 21 polyphenolic compounds consisting of those found naturally in danshen and their analogues were synthesized and subsequently screened for their anti-amyloidogenic activity against the amyloid beta peptide (Aβ42) of Alzheimer's disease. After 24 h incubation with Aβ42, five compounds reduced thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence, indicative of their anti-amyloidogenic propensity (p < 0.001).

Respiratory tract infections among children younger than 5 years: current management in Australian general practice.

Objective: To explore the current management in Australian general practice of common respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in children younger than 5 years.

Design, Setting And Participants: Analysis of data from a sample of 4522 general practitioners who participated in the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) cross-sectional survey, April 2007 to March 2012. Consultations with children younger than 5 years were analysed.

A simple and inexpensive device for biofilm analysis.

The Calgary Biofilm Device (CBD) has been described as a technology for the rapid and reproducible assay of biofilm susceptibilities to antibiotics. In this study a simple and inexpensive alternative to the CBD was developed from polypropylene (PP) microcentrifuge tubes and pipette tip boxes. The utility of the device was demonstrated using Candida glabrata, a yeast that can develop antimicrobial-resistant biofilm communities.

Reprint of New opportunities for improved ribotyping of C. difficile clinical isolates by exploring their genomes.

Clostridium difficile causes outbreaks of infectious diarrhoea, most commonly occurring in healthcare institutions. Recently, concern has been raised with reports of C. difficile disease in those traditionally thought to be at low risk i.

Associations with asymptomatic colonization with Candida in women reporting past vaginal candidiasis: an observational study.

Objective: Asymptomatic vaginal colonization with Candida species is a known risk factor for vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Taking known risk factors for symptomatic VVC, the authors sought to identify factors associated with asymptomatic colonization.

Study Design: As part of a randomized controlled trial which compared vaginal candidal colony counts in women taking garlic tablets or placebo, 192 asymptomatic women collected a baseline screening swab for Candida species.

New opportunities for improved ribotyping of C. difficile clinical isolates by exploring their genomes.

Clostridium difficile causes outbreaks of infectious diarrhoea, most commonly occurring in healthcare institutions. Recently, concern has been raised with reports of C. difficile disease in those traditionally thought to be at low risk i.

Premenstrual vaginal colonization of Candida and symptoms of vaginitis.

Although premenstrual exacerbation of vulvovaginal symptoms attributed to Candida spp. is well documented, the causation of these symptoms is not well understood. This study describes the daily vaginal colonization of Candida in three women.

A novel method for simultaneous Enterococcus species identification/typing and van genotyping by high resolution melt analysis.

In order to develop a typing and identification method for van gene containing Enterococcus faecium, two multiplex PCR reactions were developed for use in HRM-PCR (High Resolution Melt-PCR): (i) vanA, vanB, vanC, vanC23 to detect van genes from different Enterococcus species; (ii) ISR (intergenic spacer region between the 16S and 23S rRNA genes) to detect all Enterococcus species and obtain species and isolate specific HRM curves. To test and validate the method three groups of isolates were tested: (i) 1672 Enterococcus species isolates from January 2009 to December 2009; (ii) 71 isolates previously identified and typed by PFGE (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) and MLST (multi-locus sequence typing); and (iii) 18 of the isolates from (i) for which ISR sequencing was done. As well as successfully identifying 2 common genotypes by HRM from the Austin Hospital clinical isolates, this study analysed the sequences of all the vanB genes deposited in GenBank and developed a numerical classification scheme for the standardised naming of these vanB genotypes.

High resolution melt analysis to track infections due to ribotype 027 Clostridium difficile.

The increased prevalence of hypervirulent ribotype 027 Clostridium difficile requires rapid identification of isolates in order to implement timely infection control strategies. High resolution melt (HRM) analysis of PCR products can identify strain variation amongst genera of bacteria. The intergenic (16S-23S rDNA) spacer region contains sequence regions conserved within genera and other sequence region variables between species within genera.