Biofilm Development by Complex Clinical Isolates: Effect of Clarithromycin in Ultrastructure.

Background: The complex includes the commonest non-tuberculous mycobacteria associated with human infections. These infections have been associated with the production of biofilms in many cases, but there are only a few studies about biofilms produced by the species included in this group.

Methods: Three collection strains ( ATCC25291, ATCC13950, and DSM756), three clinically significant strains (647, 657, and 655), and three clinically non-significant ones (717, 505, and 575) of each species were included.

biofilms.

The genus includes some of the deadliest pathogens of History (), but most of the species within the genus are environmental microorganisms. Because some of these nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species can be human pathogens, the study of these mycobacterial biofilms has increased during the last decades, and the interest in this issue increased as well as the growing number of patients with diseases caused by NTM. Different molecular mechanisms have been described, being especially well known the importance of glycopeptidolipids.

Updated Review on the Mechanisms of Pathogenicity in , a Rapidly Growing Emerging Pathogen.

In recent years, has appeared as an emerging pathogen, with an increasing number of disease cases reported worldwide that mainly occur among patients with chronic lung diseases or impaired immune systems. The treatment of this pathogen represents a challenge due to the multi-drug-resistant nature of this species and its ability to evade most therapeutic approaches. However, although predisposing host factors for disease are well known, intrinsic pathogenicity mechanisms of this mycobacterium are still not elucidated.

Impact of sink removal from intensive care unit rooms on the consumption of antibiotics and on results of Zero Resistance Project.

Introduction: Due to the favourable impact of removing the sinks on isolations in bronchoaspirate samples of patients with mechanical ventilation, we now evaluate the impact on the consumption of antibiotics as well as on the results of the Zero Resistance Project (ZRP).

Patients And Methods: All the patients admitted to the unit in a quasi-experimental before-after study with a pre-intervention period between 2014 and 2016 and a post-intervention period from 2016 to 2017, to evaluate antibiotic consumption in defined daily doses, and until 2018, to evaluate the ZRP indicators. The intervention was the removal of the sinks from the rooms of the ICU.

State-of-the-art treatment strategies for nontuberculous mycobacteria infections.

Introduction: Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) are a group of organisms whose importance in medicine seems to be increasing in recent times. The increasing number of patients susceptible to these diseases make it necessary to expand our knowledge of therapeutic options and to explore future possibilities for the development of a therapeutic arsenal.

Areas Covered: In this review, the authors provide a brief introduction about the present importance of NTM and describe the present recommendations of the available guidelines for their treatment.

Non-pigmented rapidly growing mycobacteria smooth and rough colony phenotypes pathogenicity evaluated using in vitro and experimental models.

Non-pigmented rapidly growing mycobacteria (NPRGM) are widely distributed in water, soil and animals. It has been observed an increasing importance of NPRGM related-infections, particularly due to the high antimicrobial resistance. NPRGM have rough and smooth colony phenotypes, and several studies have showed that rough colony variants are more virulent than smooth ones.

Inhibition of Mycobacterium abscessus, M. chelonae, and M. fortuitum biofilms by Methylobacterium sp.

Methylobacterium sp. is isolated from water distribution systems and has been linked in the biofilms of the systems with a lower presence of Mycobacterium avium. In this study we aimed to determine the in vitro activity of Methylobacterium sp.

Impact of removing sinks from an intensive care unit on isolations by gram-negative non-fermenting bacilli in patients with invasive mechanical ventilation.

Introduction And Objective: Contamination of sinks, even due to their underuse, is associated with the transmission of non-fermenting gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB) to patients in Augmented Care Units. After previous monitoring with environmental and patient samples, we now explore the impact of removing sinks from ICU cubicles on incidental isolations related to health care in bronchoaspirate samples of patients with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).

Material And Methods: Quasi-experimental study, before-and-after, pre-intervention annuities April 2014-2016 and post-intervention April 2016-2017.

Under-utilization of taps in intensive care unit as a cause of reservoirs of nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli.

Introduction: The under-utilisation of taps is associated with the generation of reservoirs of non-fermenting gram-negative bacilli with the ability to disseminate. We describe the detection and approach of the problem in an ICU.

Methods: Observational descriptive study in an ICU with individual cubicles with their own sink.

Mycobacterium bovis and Other Uncommon Members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex.

Since its discovery by Theobald Smith, Mycobacterium bovis has been a human pathogen closely related to animal disease. At present, M. bovis tuberculosis is still a problem of importance in many countries and is considered the main cause of zoonotic tuberculosis throughout the world.

Effect of Antibiotics and Antibiofilm Agents in the Ultrastructure and Development of Biofilms Developed by Nonpigmented Rapidly Growing Mycobacteria.

We analyze the effect of amikacin, ciprofloxacin, and clarithromycin, alone and associated with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and Tween 80, at different times and concentrations in nonpigmented rapidly growing mycobacteria (NPRGM) biofilms. For this purpose, confocal laser scanning microscopy and image analysis were used to study the development and behavior of intrinsic autofluorescence, covered area, thickness, and cell viability in NPRGM biofilms after adding antibiotics alone and associated with antibiofilm agents. In this study, ciprofloxacin is the most active antibiotic against this type of biofilm and thickness is the most affected parameter.

Effect of ciprofloxacin in the ultrastructure and development of biofilms formed by rapidly growing mycobacteria.

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of ciprofloxacin at different times on the development and behavior of intrinsic autofluorescence, covered area, thickness and cell viability in a biofilm formed by non-pigmented rapidly growing mycobacteria (NPRGM).Confocal laser scanning microscopy and image analysis were used to study the behavior of ciprofloxacin on biofilms.

Results: Thickness was the most affected parameter, although some species showed changes in other parameters.

Clinical and microbiological characteristics of patients with septic arthritis: A hospital-based study.

Background: To determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics, etiology, underlying conditions, and outcomes of patients with primary septic arthritis and no prosthetic joints at a university hospital.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed between 2005 and 2012. Records from the Microbiology Department were reviewed, and patients with a positive culture of synovial fluid or biopsy were selected for the study.

Kingella kingae keratitis.

We present the first two cases of Kingella kingae keratitis in adults. This species is a rare isolate from ophthalmic samples for which final identification was obtained with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. One of the patients recovered uneventfully with topical therapy.

Autofluorescence as a tool for structural analysis of biofilms formed by nonpigmented rapidly growing mycobacteria.

The structure of biofilms formed by seven nonpigmented rapidly growing mycobacteria, including saprophytes and opportunistic species, was analyzed. Analysis included amount of covered surface, thickness, cell viability, and presence of intrinsic autofluorescence at different times using confocal laser scanning microscopy and image analysis. Autofluorescence was detected inside and outside cells of all mycobacteria.

Evidence of Muller's ratchet in herpes simplex virus type 1.

Population bottlenecks can have major effects in the evolution of RNA viruses, but their possible influence in the evolution of DNA viruses is largely unknown. Genetic and biological variation of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) has been studied by subjecting 23 biological clones of the virus to 10 plaque-to-plaque transfers. In contrast to large population passages, plaque transfers led to a decrease in replicative capacity of HSV-1.

Current treatment of nontuberculous mycobacteriosis: an update.

Introduction: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are becoming increasingly important. A growing number of patients with underlying conditions that make them prone to diseases caused by NTM. These diseases include the appearance of new syndromes, such as mesotherapy and other cosmetic-related infections, or diseases that affect patients who are being treated with tumor necrosis factor.