Comparison of Culture-Dependent and Culture-Independent Methods for Routine Identification of Airborne Microorganisms in Speleotherapeutic Caves.

The effective identification of bacterial and fungal isolates is essential for microbiological monitoring in environments like speleotherapeutic caves. This study compares MALDI-TOF MS and the OmniLog ID System, two high-throughput culture-based identification methods. MALDI-TOF MS identified 80.

Mycological Methods for Routine Air Sampling and Interpretation of Results in Operating Theaters.

Many infectious diseases are transmitted via the air and are, therefore, particularly difficult to combat. These infections include various invasive mycoses caused by molds. The usual route of infection is the inhalation of conidia.

Effects of Anthropogenic Disturbance and Seasonal Variation on Aerobiota in Highly Visited Show Caves in Slovenia.

Aerosols in caves are natural tracers and, together with climatic parameters, provide a detailed insight into atmospheric conditions, responses to climatic changes and anthropogenic influences in caves. Microbiological air monitoring in show caves is becoming increasingly useful to understand changes in cave ecosystems and to implement and review measures for sustainable cave use and tourism development. In 2017 and 2018, air along tourist trails in caves Postojnska jama and Škocjanske jame (Slovenia) was sampled before and after tourist visits.

Predictors for Prolonged Hospital Stay Solely to Complete Intravenous Antifungal Treatment in Patients with Candidemia: Results from the ECMM Candida III Multinational European Observational Cohort Study.

Background: To date, azoles represent the only viable option for oral treatment of invasive Candida infections, while rates of azole resistance among non-albicans Candida spp. continue to increase. The objective of this sub-analysis of the European multicenter observational cohort study Candida III was to describe demographical and clinical characteristics of the cohort requiring prolonged hospitalization solely to complete intravenous (iv) antifungal treatment (AF Tx).

Different BD BACTEC Blood Culture Bottle Types for the Detection of Fungi in Simulated Sterile Body Fluid Samples.

Blood culture systems are a potential alternative to classical cultivation of fungi on mycological media, but there are limited data on the suitability of these systems for culturing other sample types (e.g., sterile body fluids).

Long-Term Monitoring of Bioaerosols in an Environment without UV and Desiccation Stress, an Example from the Cave Postojnska Jama, Slovenia.

A natural cave environment subject to regular human visitation was selected for aerobiological study to minimize the effects of severe temperature fluctuations, UV radiation, and desiccation stress on the aerobiome. The longer sampling period of bioaerosols, up to 22 months, was generally not associated with a proportionally incremental and cumulative increase of microbial biomass. The culture-independent biomass indicator ATP enabled quick and reliable determination of the total microbial biomass.

Interaction between Microalgae and Bacteria sp. for Removal of Bisphenols from Conditioned Media.

We studied the efficiency of three culture series of the microalgae () and bacteria sp. (axenic microalgae, bacterial culture and co-culture of the two) in removing bisphenols (BPs) from their growth medium. Bacteria were identified by 16S ribosomal RNA polymerase chain reaction (16S rRNA PCR).

Candidaemia in Central Slovenia: A 12-year retrospective survey.

Background: Candida bloodstream infections (BSI) became an important invasive disease in the late 20th century, in particular among immunocompromised patients. Although considerable progress has been made in the management of patients with invasive mycoses, Candida BSI are still widespread among hospitalised patients and are associated with relatively high mortality.

Objectives: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate patient characteristics, incidence, species distribution and antifungal susceptibility of BSI isolates of Candida spp.

Phenotypes Associated with Pathogenicity: Their Expression in Arctic Fungal Isolates.

Around 85% of the environments on Earth are permanently or seasonally colder than 5 °C. Among those, the poles constitute unique biomes, which harbor a broad variety of microbial life, including an abundance of fungi. Many fungi have an outstanding ability to withstand extreme conditions and play vital ecosystem roles of decomposers as well as obligate or facultative symbionts of many other organisms.

Molecular Characterization and Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Sequentially Obtained Clinical Cryptococcus deneoformans and Cryptococcus neoformans Isolates from Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Aim: To retrospectively investigate the epidemiology of cryptococcosis in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Methodology: Forty-six sequentially obtained isolates from 19 patients were subjected to amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) genotyping, microsatellite typing, mating- and serotype PCRs and antifungal susceptibility testing.

Results: Majority of the isolates were Cryptococcus deneoformans (n = 29/46; 63%) followed by Cryptococcus neoformans (n = 16/46; 34.

Importance of Resolving Fungal Nomenclature: the Case of Multiple Pathogenic Species in the Genus.

Cryptococcosis is a major fungal disease caused by members of the and species complexes. After more than 15 years of molecular genetic and phenotypic studies and much debate, a proposal for a taxonomic revision was made. The two varieties within were raised to species level, and the same was done for five genotypes within .

First report of otitis externa caused by Schizophyllum commune and review of the literature.

Basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune is a widely distributed cellulolytic fungus that is a well-known pathogen. It can cause a wide range of different infections, and here we describe the first case of otitis externa and a molecularly based identification process.

Risk factors for colonization with ampicillin and high-level aminoglycoside-resistant enterococci during hospitalization in the ICU and the impact of prior antimicrobial exposure definition: a prospective cohort study.

The aim of our prospective cohort study was to determine the incidence, genetic relatedness and risk factors for colonization with ampicillin and high-level aminoglycoside-resistant enterococci (ARHLARE) among patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit. During 15-month period, we included 105 patients. The only independent risk factor for ARHLARE colonization was days of cefotaxime/ceftriaxone therapy [odds ratio (OR): 1.