Unusual N Gene Dropout and Ct Value Shift in Commercial Multiplex PCR Assays Caused by Mutated SARS-CoV-2 Strain.

Several SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged and early detection for monitoring their prevalence is crucial. Many identification strategies have been implemented in cases where sequencing data for confirmation is pending or not available. The presence of B.

Modeling microbial ethanol production by S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and E. faecalis under aerobic/anaerobic conditions - applicability to laboratory cultures and real postmortem cases.

A quite intriguing subject being intensively researched in the forensic toxicology field is the source of postmortem determined blood ethanol concentration: antemortem ingestion or postmortem microbial production. Our previous research on microbial ethanol production has reported a quantitative relationship between the ethanol and the higher alcohols and 1-butanol produced by Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfrigens, and Clostridium sporogenes. In this contribution, we continue our research reporting on the following: (i) the patterns of ethanol, higher alcohols, and 1-butanol production by the microbes Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis (all being aerobic/facultative anaerobic species, common corpse's colonizers, and ethanol producers), under controlled laboratory conditions, (ii) the mathematical modeling, with simple mathematical equations, of the correlation between ethanol concentration and the other studied alcohols' concentrations, by performing multiple linear regression analysis of the results, and (iii) the applicability of the constructed models in microbial cultures developed under different temperature than that used to build the models, in denatured blood cultures and in real postmortem cases.

Ocular toxoplasmosis: a review of the current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Purpose: This review aims to summarize the current knowledge concerning the clinical features, diagnostic work-up and therapeutic approach of ocular toxoplasmosis focusing mainly on the postnatally acquired form of the disease.

Methods: A meticulous literature search was performed in the PubMed database. A supplementary search was made in Google Scholar to complete the collected items.

Pathophysiological Aspects of Ocular Toxoplasmosis: Host-parasite Interactions.

Purpose: This review aims to present the state of the art to understand the pathophysiology of ocular toxoplasmosis (OT), providing further foundations that would help to improve the future treatment and prognosis of this potentially blinding disease.

Methods: A thorough literature search was performed in PubMed database. An additional search was made in Google Scholar to complete the collected items.

Modeling postmortem ethanol production by C. albicans: Experimental study and multivariate evaluation.

In previous research, we modeled the ethanol production by certain bacteria under controlled experimental conditions in an attempt to quantify the production of microbial postmortem ethanol in cases where other alcohols were co-detected. This contribution on the modeling of postmortem ethanol production by Candida albicans is complementary to these previous studies. Τhis work aimed to study ethanol, higher alcohols (1-propanol, isobutanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol), and 1-butanol production by Candida albicans: (i) in different culture media (Brain Heart Infusion, BHI and, Sabouraud Dextrose Broth, SDB), (ii) under mixed aerobic/anaerobic or strict anaerobic conditions, and (iii) at different temperatures (37 °C, 25 °C and, 4 °C), and develop simple mathematical models, resulted from fungal cultures at 25 °C, to predict the microbially produced ethanol in correlation with the other alcohols.

Rapid Detection of Allele from Clinical Isolates.

The emergence of carbapenemase (KPC) nosocomial outbreaks related to specific gene variants dictates the need for applicable diagnostic methods for allele discrimination. We report here a simple method of allele recognition based on a combination of endonuclease digestion analysis and PCR amplification using unique primers. isolates carrying the gene were tested.

Evaluating Infectious, Neoplastic, Immunological, and Degenerative Diseases of the Central Nervous System with Cerebrospinal Fluid-Based Next-Generation Sequencing.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear and paucicellular fluid that circulates within the ventricular system and the subarachnoid space of the central nervous system (CNS), and diverse CNS disorders can impact its composition, volume, and flow. As conventional CSF testing suffers from suboptimal sensitivity, this review aimed to evaluate the role of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in the work-up of infectious, neoplastic, neuroimmunological, and neurodegenerative CNS diseases. Metagenomic NGS showed improved sensitivity-compared to traditional methods-to detect bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal infections, while the overall performance was maximized in some studies when all diagnostic modalities were used.

Onychomycosis in Northwestern Greece Over a 7-Year Period.

Onychomycosis is considered as one of the major public health problems with a global distribution associated with geographic, demographic and environmental factors, underlying comorbidities and immunodeficiency disorders. This study was conducted to investigate the etiological agents of onychomycosis, in Northwestern Greece during a 7-year period. The study population included 1095 outpatients with clinically suspected onychomycosis that presented to the University Hospital of Ioannina, NW Greece (2011-2017).

Detection of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in foods of plant origin in North-Western Greece.

Giardia and Cryptosporidium are recognized as leading causes of waterborne and foodborne diarrhoeal disease with worldwide distribution. The study aimed to determine the protozoan contamination of various foods of plant origin. A total of 72 samples from 27 different varieties of fresh vegetables and fruits were collected from supermarkets and open markets in North-Western Greece and were examined using conventional diagnostic methods.

Molecular Analysis of Dirofilaria repens Isolates from Eye-Care Patients in Greece.

Purpose: Human ocular dirofilariasis is a zoonotic disease caused by several species of filarioid helminths of the genus Dirofilaria. The aim of this study was to further re-examine five preserved specimens previously isolated from patients with ocular dirofilariasis by molecular means.

Methods: Four of the examined helminths had been stored in unbuffered formaldehyde solution for more than eight years; whereas, the fifth helminth was stored in ethanol buffer for more than two years.

Nutritional Status and the Influence of the Vegan Diet on the Gut Microbiota and Human Health.

The human gut microbiota is considered a well-known complex ecosystem composed of distinct microbial populations, playing a significant role in most aspects of human health and wellness. Several factors such as infant transitions, dietary habits, age, consumption of probiotics and prebiotics, use of antibiotics, intestinal comorbidities, and even metabolic diseases may continously alter microbiota diversity and function. The study of vegan diet-microbiota interactions is a rapidly evolving field, since plenty of research has been focused on the potential effects of plant-based dietary patterns on the human gut microbiota.

Impact of enterococcal urinary tract infections in immunocompromised - neoplastic patients.

Infections in immunocompromised-neoplastic patients represent a severe complication. Among bacteria, Enterococcus species constitute a common causative pathogen of urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially among hospitalized patients with or without urinary tract carcinoma, related commonly to urinary tract abnormalities, urinary catheters or prolonged antibiotic treatment. Although enterococci have been considered more commonly as colonization bacteria in the intestine than virulent agents, they are frequently implicated in UTIs.

Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacterial Pathogens and Detection of Carbapenemases in Isolates from Hospital Wastewater.

During a six-month period (October 2017-March 2018), the prevalence and susceptibility of important pathogenic bacteria isolated from 12 hospital raw sewage samples in North Western Greece was investigated. The samples were analyzed for methicillin-resistant (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant (VRE), extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing carbapenemase-producing (CKP), and multidrug-resistant Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the agar diffusion method according to the recommendations of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The diversity of carbapenemases harboring was examined by two phenotyping screening methods (modified Hodge test and combined disk test), a new immunochromatographic rapid assay (RESIST-4 O.

An Update on Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the arthropod-borne flaviviruses (arboviruses) which are mainly transmitted by blood-sucking mosquitoes of the genus ZIKV infection has been known to be rather asymptomatic or presented as febrile self-limited disease; however, during the last decade the manifestation of ZIKV infection has been associated with a variety of neuroimmunological disorders including Guillain⁻Barré syndrome, microcephaly and other central nervous system abnormalities. More recently, there is accumulating evidence about sexual transmission of ZIKV, a trait that has never been observed in any other mosquito-borne flavivirus before. This article reviews the latest information regarding the latter and emerging role of ZIKV, focusing on the consequences of ZIKV infection on the male reproductive system and the epidemiology of human-to-human sexual transmission.

Oropouche Fever: A Review.

Oropouche fever is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by Oropouche virus (OROV), an arthropod transmitted Orthobunyavirus circulating in South and Central America. During the last 60 years, more than 30 epidemics and over half a million clinical cases attributed to OROV infection have been reported in Brazil, Peru, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago. OROV fever is considered the second most frequent arboviral febrile disease in Brazil after dengue fever.

Shelf-life of smoked eel fillets treated with chitosan or thyme oil.

The present study examined the effect of natural antimicrobials: Chitosan, thyme oil and their combination, on the shelf-life of smoked eel fillets stored under vacuum packaging (VP) at 4°C. Based on sensory odor data smoked eel fillets had a shelf-life of 35 (control), 42 (thyme treated and>49 (thyme, chitosan-thyme treated) days. The thiobarbituric acid value (TBA) value of the control eel sample was significantly higher than the chitosan-thyme-treated eel samples.

Viability of and Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in a delicatessen appetizer (yogurt-based) salad as affected by citrus extract (Citrox) and storage temperature.

The antimicrobial effect of citrus extract (at 1 mL/kg [C1] and 2 mL/kg [C2]) on naturally occurring microbiota and inoculated pathogens (E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes at ca.

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy Using Indocyanine Green and Near-Infrared Diode Laser Against Enterococcus faecalis in Infected Human Root Canals.

Objective: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered a promising adjunct to the currently available endodontic disinfection techniques leading to more effective reduction of intracanal bacteria. The present ex vivo study aimed to assess the antimicrobial effect of PDT using indocyanine green (ICG) as photosensitizer and a near-infrared (NIR) diode laser in root canals of human teeth infected with Enterococcus faecalis.

Materials And Methods: Ninety single-rooted teeth after chemomechanical preparation and sterilization were contaminated with an E.

Zika virus infection: Past and present of another emerging vector-borne disease.

Zika virus infection is an emerging mosquito-borne disease, first identified in Uganda in 1947. It is caused by the Zika arbovirus, and transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. For almost half a century, the Zika virus was reported as the causative agent of sporadic human infections.

Antimicrobial Activity of Basil, Oregano, and Thyme Essential Oils.

For centuries, plants have been used for a wide variety of purposes, from treating infectious diseases to food preservation and perfume production. Presently, the increasing resistance of microorganisms to currently used antimicrobials in combination with the appearance of emerging diseases requires the urgent development of new, more effective drugs. Plants, due to the large biological and structural diversity of their components, constitute a unique and renewable source for the discovery of new antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic compounds.

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy using Indocyanine green and near-infrared diode laser in reducing Entrerococcus faecalis.

Background: The use of Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy (aPDT) has been suggested as an adjuvant method to eliminate facultative bacteria during root canal disinfection. The purpose of this preliminary in vitro study was to determine whether the light-activated antimicrobial agent, Indocyanine green (ICG), could be used as photosensitizer and kill Enterococcus faecalis strain under planktonic conditions when irradiated with near-infared (NIR) diode laser emitting in 810nm wavelength.

Methods: Planktonic suspension containing Enterococcus faecalis strain was divided into nine experimental groups: (1) aPDT with ICG and laser (medium energy fluence), (2) aPDT with ICG and laser (high energy fluence), (3) only ICG without laser activation, (4) only laser emission without ICG (5) 2.

Conventional and molecular methods used in the detection and subtyping of Yersinia enterocolitica in food.

Yersinia enterocolitica is an important foodborne pathogen, but the prevalence in food is underestimated due to drawbacks in the detection methods. Problems arise from the low concentration of pathogenic strains present in food samples, similarities with other Enterobacteriaceae and Y. enterocolitica-like species and the heterogeneity of Y.

In vitro antimicrobial activity of five essential oils on multidrug resistant Gram-negative clinical isolates.

Aim/background: The emergence of drug-resistant pathogens has drawn attention on medicinal plants for potential antimicrobial properties. The objective of the present study was the investigation of the antimicrobial activity of five plant essential oils on multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

Materials And Methods: Basil, chamomile blue, origanum, thyme, and tea tree oil were tested against clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 6), Escherichia coli (n = 4), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 7), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 5) using the broth macrodilution method.

Laboratory diagnosis of human visceral leishmaniasis.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by the Leishmania donovani complex, is a vector-borne systemic disease, with a worldwide distribution causing high morbidity and mortality in the developing world. VL patients may be asymptomatic or they may present symptoms and findings of a systemic infection. The positive predictive value of clinical diagnosis in patients with typical symptoms is usually high, but more often, the signs and symptoms are inconclusive and mistaken with other co-endemic diseases.