Characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. africanum isolated from a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis in Brazil.

Human tuberculosis (TB) is caused by members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), including Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. tuberculosis (MTB) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. africanum (MAF).

Newly sequenced genomes of four Bacillus Calmette Guerin vaccines.

Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccines comprise a family of related strains. Whole genome sequencing has allowed the better characterisation of the differences between many of the BCG vaccines. As sequencing technologies improve, updating of publicly available sequence data becomes common practice.

Molecular epidemiology of mycobacteria among herds in Marajó Island, Brazil, reveals strains genetically related and potential zoonotic risk of clinical relevance.

Mycobacterium bovis is the main causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) being among the animal-adapted Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Herds can also be infected with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) causing a negative effect on the economy and on animal and human health through zoonotic infections. Molecular tools are required for mycobacteria identification; thus, it is laborious to determine the epidemiological information of mycobacteria among herds.

Effectiveness of current disinfection procedures against biofilm on contaminated GI endoscopes.

Background And Aims: Attention to patient safety has increased recently due to outbreaks of nosocomial infections associated with GI endoscopy. The aim of this study was to evaluate current cleaning and disinfection procedures of endoscope channels with high bioburden and biofilm analysis, including the use of resistant mycobacteria associated with postsurgical infections in Brazil.

Methods: Twenty-seven original endoscope channels were contaminated with organic soil containing 10(8) colony-forming units/mL of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, or Mycobacterium abscessus subsp bolletii.

Statins increase rifampin mycobactericidal effect.

Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis antimicrobial resistance has been followed with great concern during the last years, while the need for new drugs able to control leprosy and tuberculosis, mainly due to extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), is pressing. Our group recently showed that M. leprae is able to induce lipid body biogenesis and cholesterol accumulation in macrophages and Schwann cells, facilitating its viability and replication.

Multidrug-resistant nontuberculous mycobacteria isolated from cystic fibrosis patients.

Worldwide, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have become emergent pathogens of pulmonary infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, with an estimated prevalence ranging from 5 to 20%. This work investigated the presence of NTM in sputum samples of 129 CF patients (2 to 18 years old) submitted to longitudinal clinical supervision at a regional reference center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From June 2009 to March 2012, 36 NTM isolates recovered from 10 (7.

Characterization of non-tuberculosis mycobacteria by neutron radiography.

The genus Mycobacterium shares many characteristics with Corynebacterium and Actinomyces genera, among which the genomic guanine plus cytosine content and the production of long branched-chain fatty acids, known as mycolic acids are enhanced. Growth rate and optimal temperature of mycobacteria are variable. The genus comprises more than 140 known species; however Mycobacterium fortuitum, a fast growing nontuberculous mycobacterium, is clinically significant, because it has been associated to several lesions following surgery procedures such as liposuction, silicone breast and pacemaker implants, exposure to prosthetic materials besides sporadic lesions in the skin, soft tissues and rarely lungs.

Biofilm biomass disruption by natural substances with potential for endodontic use.

This study evaluated the in vitro effects of four natural substances on the biomass of bacterial biofilms to assess their potential use as root canal irrigants. The following substances and their combinations were tested: 0.2% farnesol; 5% xylitol; 20% xylitol; 0.

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of quinolone resistance in Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. bolletii recovered from postsurgical infections.

Several outbreaks of infections caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) were reported in many Brazilian states (2032 notified cases) from 2004 to 2010. Most of the confirmed cases were mainly associated with Mycobacterium massiliense (recently renamed as Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. bolletii) BRA100 clone, recovered from patients who had undergone invasive procedures in which medical instruments had not been properly sterilized and/or disinfected.

Epidemic of postsurgical infections caused by Mycobacterium massiliense.

An epidemic of infections after video-assisted surgery (1,051 possible cases) caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) and involving 63 hospitals in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, occurred between August 2006 and July 2007. One hundred ninety-seven cases were confirmed by positive acid-fast staining and/or culture techniques. Thirty-eight hospitals had cases confirmed by mycobacterial culture, with a total of 148 available isolates recovered from 146 patients.

A report of mycobacteriosis caused by Mycobacterium marinum in bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana).

The occurrence of mycobacteriosis caused by Mycobacterium marinum in a commercial breeding farm of bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is described. Ten animals presented skin lesions on the head and extremities. These and 38 other asymptomatic adult animals from various tanks were killed and at necropsy disseminated granulomatous lesions were observed in the 10 clinically affected animals and in 16 (42.