Application of Molecular Diagnostics in Primary Detection of ESBL Directly from Clinical Specimens.

The infections caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms are associated with increased mortality. The real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, which enables detection of ESBLs directly from patients' clinical material, was developed. This study focused on blaCTX-M and blaSHV determination in endotracheal aspirates.

A case of endocarditis caused by the yeast Pichia fabianii with biofilm production and developed in vitro resistance to azoles in the course of antifungal treatment.

Pichia fabianii, a yeast rarely causing human infections, was isolated from the blood of a patient with aortic valve endocarditis. The isolates were initially identified biochemically as Candida pelliculosa, but based on direct sequencing of the ITS2 region of rRNA, they were subsequently reidentified as P. fabianii.

Culture and PCR analysis of joint fluid in the diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection.

This prospective study compared PCR and culture techniques in the diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection (PJI). We obtained joint fluid samples (JFS; n=115) from patients who had failed total joint arthroplasty between January 2003 and June 2005; 49 were positive for PJI according to established strict criteria. JFS were analyzed by PCR (n=35; control n=66) or culture (n=46, control n=48).

Isolation, cultivation and identification of Borrelia burgdorferi genospecies from Ixodes ricinus ticks from the city of Brno, Czech Republic.

A total of 305 ticks (21 larvae, 243 nymphs, 19 females and 22 males) were collected by flagging of vegetation in suburban woods of Pisarky Park (city of Brno) from July to October 2002. The midgut of each tick was dissected out and transferred individually into BSK-H medium. After cultivation, all specimens were examined by dark-field microscopy (DFM) for the presence of borreliae.

Isolation of Borrelia afzelii from overwintering Culex pipiens biotype molestus mosquitoes.

A total of 662 samples (winter period: 469; summer period: 193 specimens) of female mosquitoes of the genus Culex, Aedes and Anopheles were collected during the period March 2000-April 2001 from the locality of Vysoke Myto (Eastern Bohemia, Czech Republic). They were examined by dark field microscopy for the presence of spirochetes. The motile spirochetes were observed in 4.

[Bacterial pathogens of periprosthetic infections and diagnostic possibilities].

Background: Successful treatment of patients with periprosthetic infection (PPI) requires a correct diagnosis supported by clinical, imaging, microbiological and other laboratory evidence. Equally important is to determine the causative agent of the infection as this may affect the subsequent treatment strategy. The paper aims at presenting cultivation results in a group of PPI patients and their comparison with molecular biology methods.

Molecular diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection. A review of evidence.

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) diagnosis includes several classes of verification. Among them, only a few have a stronger independent value, namely intraarticular purulence and communicating fistulas. Other diagnostic methods require careful test combinations, analysis, and interpretation.

Occurrence of Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii in Ixodes ricinus ticks from southern Moravia, Czech Republic.

During the years 1996-2000, a total of 2398 Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected in three areas of southern Moravia and eastern Bohemia, Czech Republic, and examined by dark-field microscopy for the presence of spirochetes. The prevalence of B. burgdorferi sensu lato in Ixodes ricinus ticks varied and depended upon the year.

Expression of Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia gene coding for Apx I protein in Escherichia coli.

This study presents cloning and expression of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Apx I toxin in Escherichia coli expression system to produce fusion protein for the subsequent immunological studies. The gene coding Apx I toxin was amplified from the A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 10 DNA using polymerase chain reaction and cloned to vector under the control of strong, inducible T7 promoter.

Positive findings of Borrelia burgdorferi in Culex (Culex) pipiens pipiens larvae in the surrounding of Brno city determined by the PCR method.

After first finding Borrelia in the midgut of imago mosquitoes, we concentrated on the presence of Borrelia in mosquito development stages--larvae of the third or fourth instar. In the summer season in the years of 2000-2001 a total of 439 Culex (Culex) pipiens pipiens larvae were collected from a barrel of rainwater in the Obrany holiday area of Brno city (East Moravia, Czech Republic). The larvae midgut was observed under dark-field microscopy.