An Atlas of β-Glucuronidases in the Human Intestinal Microbiome.

Microbiome-encoded β-glucuronidase (GUS) enzymes play important roles in human health by metabolizing drugs in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The numbers, types, and diversity of these proteins in the human GI microbiome, however, remain undefined. We present an atlas of GUS enzymes comprehensive for the Human Microbiome Project GI database.

Elasticity of crystalline beta-sheet monolayers.

Designed amphiphilic beta-sheet peptides with the sequence Pro-Glu-(Phe-Glu)(n)-Pro (n = 2-7) were previously shown by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), to form ordered two-dimensional (2-D) monolayer structures at interfaces induced by the proline residues at peptide termini. The GIXD diffraction pattern was modeled with two coexisting lattice arrangements, suggesting structural flexibility exhibited in the multiple ways by which beta-strands and their amino acid side chains pack into ordered 2-D structures. Here, we find by in-situ GIXD measurements that the ordered beta-sheet assemblies may undergo a quasi-reversible compression and expansion cycle at the air-water interface.

Albumin, length of stay, and proton pump inhibitors: key factors in Clostridium difficile-associated disease in nursing home patients.

Objectives: To identify risk factors for Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) in nursing home patients.

Design: Retrospective chart reviews.

Setting: Long-term care facility with 347 beds and an additional 180 sub-acute care beds, adjacent to an academic tertiary care hospital center.

In vitro activity of gatifloxacin alone and in combination with cefepime, meropenem, piperacillin and gentamicin against multidrug-resistant organisms.

Objectives: To study the in vitro interaction of gatifloxacin in combination with gentamicin and with the beta-lactams cefepime, meropenem and piperacillin against clinical isolates of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Methods: The activity of each drug alone was determined by an agar dilution method. Chequerboard synergy testing was then performed against all the isolates.

Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis by isothermal ramification amplification method: a feasibility study.

Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading cause of sexually transmitted disease in the United States. Effective screening for this agent can facilitate prompt treatment and prevent its sequelae. The recent introduction of liquid-based cytology has made possible the simultaneous screening of cervical intraepithelial lesions and detection of C.

Bacterial colonization of endotracheal tubes in intubated neonates.

Objective: To obtain in vivo bacterial colonization profiles on endotracheal tubes at different sites in the neonatal airway in an attempt to better characterize one potential element of chondritis.

Design: A case series in which cultures were obtained from calculated segments of 33 endotracheal tubes immediately following extubation. This allowed for sampling at specific levels of the airway corresponding to the trachea, the subglottis, and the oropharynx.

In vitro bactericidal effect of a modified thermal Nitinol electrode.

Purpose: A standard electrode surgical generator connected to a Nitinol coil was used in vitro to evaluate whether the generated electromagnetic energy had any bactericidal effect on Escherichia coli.

Materials And Methods: The ATCC 259222 E. coli strain was used.

Mortality associated with concurrent strongyloidosis and cytomegalovirus infection in a patient on steroid therapy.

Disseminated strongyloidosis has been recognized with increasing frequency, often in patients who are immunocompromised or have received steroid therapy. In addition, disease due to cytomegalovirus (CMV) is noted in immunodeficient hosts. We report on a 55-year-old Puerto Rican man who received steroid treatment for orpharyngeal pemphigus vulgaris and developed abdominal symptoms with alternating constipation and diarrhea.

In vitro activity of ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and trovafloxacin, alone and in combination with beta-lactams, against clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Burkholderia cepacia.

We tested three fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and trovafloxacin), each combined with each of four beta-lactams (cefoperazone, ceftriaxone, imipenem, and meropenem) for synergy against clinical isolates of nosocomial strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Burkholderia cepacia. The ciprofloxacin-beta-lactam combinations showed synergy against none or only a small fraction (7 to 10%) of the P. aeruginosa and B.

In vitro susceptibility of recent gram-positive isolates to ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and trovafloxacin.

Gram-positive isolates (n = 290) were tested for their susceptibility to three fluoroquinolone antibiotics by standard disk-diffusion technology. Overall, 59%, 72%, and 85% were susceptible and 29%, 25%, and 11% were resistant to ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and trovafloxacin, respectively. Of Staphylococcus aureus isolates (n = 84), 55%, 57%, and 88% were susceptible to the three antibiotics, respectively.

The in vitro bactericidal effect of microwave energy on bacteria that cause prostatitis.

Objectives: We investigated the in vitro nonthermal effects of microwaves delivered from Prostatron 2.0 on Escherichia coli and Enterobacter cloacae.

Methods: The fingers of powder-free, sterile gloves were ligated, and bacterial solutions were transferred into the remaining area of the glove.

Epidemiology and control of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in an adult and children's hospital.

Background: The incidence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) has reached endemic proportions in many medical centers. To initiate an effective infection control program, an understanding of the epidemiologic attributes of the genus in medical facilities is imperative.

Methods: We studied 138 consecutive cases of VRE from April through December 1995.

Response of enteric gram-negative bacteria to disks containing 20 micrograms each of ampicillin and sulbactam.

Ampicillin-sulbactam disks containing either 10 microg of each drug or 20 microg of each drug were tested against 138 recently, sequentially isolated members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Results obtained with the higher-content disks corresponded more closely to the impressions of clinicians.

Gemella morbillorum as a cause of septic shock.

The gram-positive bacterium Gemella morbillorum has been recovered from patients with endocarditis but has rarely been associated with acute fulminant infections. We describe two children with a rapid onset of septic shock, which was fatal in one, following infection with this organism. G.

Susceptibility testing of Propionibacterium acnes comparing agar dilution with E test.

Propionibacterium acnes has been identified as a significant agent of nosocomial infections, including endophthalmitis. Data concerning susceptibility of P. acnes to newer beta-lactam antibiotics and fluoroquinolones are limited.

Association of recurrent candidal vaginitis with inheritance of Lewis blood group antigens.

A subset of women with candidal vulvovaginitis have no known risk factors for recurrent episodes. Although there are reports of an association of blood group antigens with various infections, no such association has been described with candidal vulvovaginitis. The ABO, P1, and Lewis group phenotypes of 35 women with recurrent vulvovaginitis but without other chronic infections were determined.

Characterization of vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus durans.

During investigation of an outbreak of vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium in a paediatric hospital, an isolate of Enterococcus durans resistant to vancomycin, teicoplanin, ampicillin and highly resistant to gentamicin and streptomycin was found in the stools of a patient also colonized with a strain of E. faecium with the same resistance pattern. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of vancomycin and teicoplanin were 512 and 64 mg/mL, respectively.

Is hand washing really needed in an intensive care unit?

Objectives: To determine whether a rigorous antiseptic hand washing of bare hands with 4% chlorhexidine and alcohol reduced fingertip microbial colonization as compared with the use of boxed, clean, nonsterile latex gloves. In addition, to investigate if aseptic donning technique and/or a prior hand washing would reduce the level of glove contamination.

Design: Prospective, randomized, crossover design, with each subject serving as his/her own control.

The challenge of vancomycin-resistant enterococci: a clinical and epidemiologic study.

Background: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci have been recovered with increasing frequency from hospitalized patients. Risk factors, mode of nosocomial transmission, extent of colonization in hospitalized patients, and treatment options for these organisms have not been completely delineated.

Methods: We studied 53 patients (group A) with vancomycin-resistant enterococci isolated from various clinical specimens and also surveyed for vancomycin-resistant enterococci in stool specimens submitted for Clostridium difficile toxin assays (group B).