Role of Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus) Raised as Livestock in Ecuadorian Andes as Reservoirs of Zoonotic Yeasts.

Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) have been reared for centuries in the Andean region for ceremonial purposes or as the main ingredient of traditional foods. The animals are kept in close proximity of households and interact closely with humans; this also occurs in western countries, where guinea pigs are considered pets. Even though it is acknowledged that domestic animals carry pathogenic yeasts in their tissues and organs that can cause human diseases, almost nothing is known in the case of guinea pigs.

In-house protocol and performance of MALDI-TOF MS in the early diagnosis of bloodstream infections in a fourth-level hospital in Colombia: Jumping to full use of this technology.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are a major cause of mortality in hospitalized patients. Rapid diagnosis is crucial because any delay in the antimicrobial treatment is associated with an increase in adverse patient outcomes. The application of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) technology directly to blood cultures permits earlier identification of BSIs and facilitates treatment management.