Introduction of PCR testing reveals a previously unrecognized burden of yersiniosis in Hampshire, UK.

Current testing practices for yersiniosis mean that its true incidence and epidemiology are not well understood. In mid-2016, the introduction of testing via a multiplex gastrointestinal PCR panel at Portsmouth hospital laboratory in Hampshire, UK, resulted in a marked increase in the number of cases identified locally. Here we describe the epidemiology and microbiology of cases identified at Portsmouth laboratory following the introduction of PCR testing.

Elevated risk of invasive group A streptococcal disease and host genetic variation in the human leucocyte antigen locus.

Invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) disease is uncommon but carries a high case-fatality rate relative to other infectious diseases. Given the ubiquity of mild GAS infections, it remains unclear why healthy individuals will occasionally develop life-threatening infections, raising the possibility of host genetic predisposition. Here, we present the results of a case-control study including 43 invasive GAS cases and 1540 controls.

prosthetic valve endocarditis presenting as a stroke.

Introduction: is a common pathogen of the gastrointestinal tract, but invasive disease is rare. can play a role in osteomyelitis, meningitis and joint infection and has a prediliction for the vascular endothelium, causing mycotic aneurysms, thrombophlebitis and endocarditis. Here we present a case of prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by and a review of the literature.

Study of the influence of platinum, palladium and rhodium on duckweed (Lemna minor).

Objectives: Road traffic pollutants and the residues of cytostatics that are widely used in anti-cancer therapy are a significant sources of platinum group elements (PGE; Pt, Pd and Rh) in environment. These metals can migrate into sewage and thus pollute surface waters. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effect of PtCl4 on the antioxidant and enzymatic activity of duckweed (Lemna minor), a bioindicator of the aquatic environment.

Comparison of the effect of platinum on producers in aquatic environment.

Objectives: An enhanced worldwide application of platinum group elements (PGE), in particular platinum, has been observed during recent decades. An increased concentration of PGE was determined in collected samples of great amount of aqueous ecosystems.The aim was to compare phytotoxic effect of platinum (PtCl4) by performing two different bioassays on green algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and macrophyte duckweed, Lemna minor.

Clinical and microbiological characteristics of severe Streptococcus pyogenes disease in Europe.

In an attempt to compare the epidemiology of severe Streptococcus pyogenes infection within Europe, prospective data were collected through the Strep-EURO program. Surveillance for severe cases of S. pyogenes infection diagnosed during 2003 and 2004 was undertaken in 11 countries across Europe by using a standardized case definition and questionnaire.

Epidemiology of severe Streptococcus pyogenes disease in Europe.

The past 2 decades have brought worrying increases in severe Streptococcus pyogenes diseases globally. To investigate and compare the epidemiological patterns of these diseases within Europe, data were collected through a European Union FP-5-funded program (Strep-EURO). Prospective population-based surveillance of severe S.

Group A streptococci from invasive-disease episodes in Poland are remarkably divergent at the molecular level.

Forty-one clinical isolates of group A streptococcus (GAS) were recovered in Poland from patients with severe invasive infections and were analyzed by phenotypic and genotypic techniques. All isolates were characterized by determining their susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents and by determining their types by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing, emm typing, and the detection of five streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin genes (speA, speB, speC, speF, ssa). The isolates studied were fully susceptible to penicillin G, levofloxacin, quinupristin-dalfopristin, and linezolid.