Evaluation of the Hologic Aptima Combo 2 Assay for Detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from Joint Fluid Specimens.

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Nucleic acid amplification testing is the preferred method for routine diagnosis of gonorrhea from urogenital specimens, but culture is commonly used for diagnosis of disseminated infections, including gonococcal arthritis. The Hologic Aptima Combo 2 (AC2), a transcription-mediated amplification assay, is FDA and Health Canada licensed for detection of N.

Evaluation of three MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry libraries for the identification of filamentous fungi in three clinical microbiology laboratories in Manitoba, Canada.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is commonly used by clinical microbiology laboratories to identify bacterial pathogens and yeasts, but not for the identification of moulds. Recent progress in extraction protocols and the composition of comparative libraries support potential application of MALDI-TOF MS for mould identification in clinical microbiology laboratories. We evaluated the performance of the Bruker Microflex™ MALDI-TOF MS instrument (Billerica, MA, USA) to identify clinical isolates and reference strains of moulds using 3 libraries, the Bruker mould library, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) library and the Mass Spectrometry Identification (MSI) online library, and compared those results to conventional (morphological) and molecular (18S/ITS; gold standard) identification methods.

Bacterial presence on flexible endoscopes vs time since disinfection.

Aim: To correlate the length of endoscope hang time and number of bacteria cultured prior to use.

Methods: Prospectively, we cultured specimens from 19 gastroscopes, 24 colonoscopes and 5 side viewing duodenoscopes during the period of 2011 to 2015. A total of 164 results had complete data denoting date of cleansing, number of days stored and culture results.

Testing Hadronic Interactions at Ultrahigh Energies with Air Showers Measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory.

Ultrahigh energy cosmic ray air showers probe particle physics at energies beyond the reach of accelerators. Here we introduce a new method to test hadronic interaction models without relying on the absolute energy calibration, and apply it to events with primary energy 6-16 EeV (E_{CM}=110-170  TeV), whose longitudinal development and lateral distribution were simultaneously measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory. The average hadronic shower is 1.

Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy.

We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. Exploiting the accurate energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of 15.8±0.

Search for patterns by combining cosmic-ray energy and arrival directions at the Pierre Auger Observatory.

Energy-dependent patterns in the arrival directions of cosmic rays are searched for using data of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We investigate local regions around the highest-energy cosmic rays with [Formula: see text] eV by analyzing cosmic rays with energies above [Formula: see text] eV arriving within an angular separation of approximately 15[Formula: see text]. We characterize the energy distributions inside these regions by two independent methods, one searching for angular dependence of energy-energy correlations and one searching for collimation of energy along the local system of principal axes of the energy distribution.

Evaluation of MRSASelect (™) chromogenic medium for the early detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from blood cultures.

Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. In theory, reducing the turnaround time in reporting of methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) among patients with bactermia could assist with the rapid optimization of antimicrobial therapy.

Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of MRSASelect (Bio-Rad Laboratories, USA), a chromogenic medium, in the early detection of MRSA from blood cultures growing Gram-positive cocci in clusters, and to confirm that routine use of this medium would, in fact, reduce turnaround time for MRSA identification.

Evaluation of an algorithmic approach in comparison with the Illumigene assay for laboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection.

The following three diagnostic algorithms were evaluated in comparison with the Illumigene assay as a stand-alone test for Clostridium difficile detection: glutamate dehydrogenase antigen screen (GDH) followed by toxin A/B antigen testing (Tox A/B) with the cell cytotoxicity assay for discordant specimens (algorithm 1), GDH followed by the Illumigene (algorithm 2), and GDH followed by Tox A/B with the Illumigene for discordant specimens (algorithm 3). A total of 428 stool specimens submitted to three clinical microbiology laboratories in Manitoba, Canada, for C. difficile detection between June 2011 and April 2012 were included in the study.

Measurement of the proton-air cross section at √s=57 TeV with the Pierre Auger Observatory.

We report a measurement of the proton-air cross section for particle production at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon of 57 TeV. This is derived from the distribution of the depths of shower maxima observed with the Pierre Auger Observatory: systematic uncertainties are studied in detail. Analyzing the tail of the distribution of the shower maxima, a proton-air cross section of [505±22(stat)(-36)(+28)(syst)] mb is found.

Re-evaluation of rejection criteria for endotracheal tube (ETT) specimens from adult patients.

The purpose of this study was to determine optimal criteria for microbiology laboratory screening of endotracheal tube (ETT) specimens submitted for bacterial culture from adult patients. ETT specimens from adult patients that were received by two microbiology laboratories were prospectively evaluated and subdivided into one of three study arms with the following criteria: <10 squamous epithelial cells (SECs) per low-power field with bacteria seen on Gram staining (arm 1), >10 SECs per low-power field with bacteria seen on Gram staining (arm 2) and <10 SECs per low-power field with no bacteria seen on Gram staining (arm 3). A fourth study arm (>10 SECs per low-power field with no bacteria seen on Gram staining) was planned but this arm was terminated due to the paucity of specimens meeting these criteria.

Change in antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli urinary tract isolates at a single institution over a period of 10 years.

Urinary tract infections are common. Few published studies have demonstrated the change in Escherichia coli urinary isolate antimicrobial susceptibility over time within a given area and (or) population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change in susceptibility of E.

Reprocessing flexible gastrointestinal endoscopes after a period of disuse: is it necessary?

Background: Gastrointestinal endoscopy is an integral tool in the evaluation and management of many gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary conditions. Although rare, media reports of infectious complications following gastrointestinal endoscopy persist in this new millennium. With only limited data available, society guidelines continue to suggest that endoscopes undergo a reprocessing cycle before the first patient of the day.

The use of TaqMan PCR assay for detection of Bordetella pertussis infection from clinical specimens.

Objective: The routine clinical laboratory detection of Bordetella pertussis is through culture, which can require 5 to 7 days for the bacteria to grow. Using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay can shorten this detection time while increasing the sensitivity of detection with similar specificity. This study compared culture with TaqMan PCR for detection of B pertussis in clinical specimens and the turnaround time for each assay during the pertussis season.

Comparison of the ParaSight-F test and the ICT Malaria Pf test with the polymerase chain reaction for the diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in travellers.

Rapid and accurate methods are needed for the diagnosis of imported malaria. The ParaSight-F test and the ICT Malaria Pf test are commercially available kits marketed for the diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Both tests are antigen-capture assays based on the detection of P.

Antimicrobial susceptibilities of blood culture isolates obtained before and after the introduction of ciprofloxacin.

The in-vitro susceptibilities of 1658 blood culture isolates to ciprofloxacin and 13 other antimicrobial agents were determined, and compared with the results for isolates obtained before and after the availability of ciprofloxacin in 1989. Only six (0.6%) of 995 Enterobacteriaceae were resistant to the fluoroquinolones tested; all of the ciprofloxacin-resistant strains were isolated after 1989 (P = 0.

The use of bacteriophages to differentiate serologically cross-reactive isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

In serological typing of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains from human, equine and environmental sources, the capsular identity of many isolates could not be determined because of serological cross-reactivity. A panel of 91 bacteriophages able to lyse each of the 77 capsular serotypes of K. pneumoniae was isolated and tested for the ability to distinguish between strains in a collection of 17 clinical isolates of K.

[Paradoxical embolism in a patient with aneurysm of the interatrial septum].

We report a case of pulmonary embolism complicated by paradoxical cerebral embolism in a patient with atrial septal aneurysm and patent foramen ovale. The patient was a 65-year-old obese woman, admitted because of sudden development of right-sided hemiplegia and dysarthria. In the few days before hospitalization she noted painful edema of the right leg and suffered from increasing dyspnea.

[Diagnostic reliability of echography in ureteral lithiasis].

This article takes into account the diagnostic reliability of ultrasounds (US) in the ureteral lithiasis localisation. A stone has been ultrasonographically localised in 82.3% of 119 patients, this rate rising up to 89.

Aorto-caval fistula: a clinical spectrum.

Ten cases of aortocaval fistula (ACF) associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) were reviewed. In 5 cases the ACF became apparent after evacuation of the thrombus; only 5 patients presented with features of patent ACF. Four patients in addition presented with extra-caval rupture of the aneurysm.

Identification of a human erythrocyte receptor for colonization factor antigen I pili expressed by H10407 enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

We have identified a receptor for colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I) pili in human erythrocyte membranes. Erythrocyte binding assays, using whole organisms, suggested that the CFA/I receptor was a glycoprotein containing important sialic acid moieties. Subsequently, human erythrocyte membranes were extracted with lithium diiodosalicylate to obtain a soluble glycoprotein fraction from which to isolate receptors.

Location of the antigenic determinants of conjugative F-like pili.

The amino terminus of the pilin protein constitutes the major epitope of F-like conjugative pili studied to date (F, ColB2, R1-19, R100-1, and pED208). Anti-pED208 pilus antibodies were passed through a CNBr-Sepharose affinity column linked to bovine serum albumin which was conjugated to a synthetic peptide, AcP(1-12), containing the major epitope at the amino terminus of pED208 pilin. This allowed the separation of two classes of antibodies; one was specific for the amino terminus and bound to the column, while the other, which recognizes a second epitope on the pilus, did not bind to the column.