Improved agar plate culture conditions for diagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis.

Strongyloides stercoralis infection causes gastrointestinal symptoms and can lead to severe disease in immunocompromised hosts. Live larvae are passed in feces, encouraging the common use of diagnosis by cultivation methods including agar plate culture (APC), the gold-standard technique. Nevertheless, APC has limitations, especially since there can be considerable day-to-day fluctuations in numbers of larvae produced.

Bactericidal efficacy of alcohol solution in community hospital and health centers.

Objective: To evaluate bactericidal efficacy of alcohol solution during actual use and typical storage conditions in community hospital and health centers.

Material And Method: The alcohol samples were collected immediately after the first bottle-opening (day 0) and on day 3, 7, 14, 21 and 30 from 10 stations in hospital and community health centers in Pone-na-kaew district, Sakon Nakhon province, Thailand, during May-July 2011. Bactericidal efficacy of these samples against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae was evaluated.

Extensive characterizations of bacteria isolated from catheterized urine and stone matrices in patients with nephrolithiasis.

Background: Urinary tract infections are generally known to be associated with nephrolithiasis, particularly struvite stone, in which the most common microbe found is urea-splitting bacterium, i.e. Proteus mirabilis.