Down regulation of vestibular balance stabilizing mechanisms to enable transition between motor states.

The neural control of transition between posture and movement encompasses the regulation of reflex-stabilizing mechanisms to enable motion. Optimal feedback theory suggests that such transitions require the disengagement of one motor control policy before the implementation of another. To test this possibility, we investigated the continuity of the vestibular control of balance during transitions between quiet standing and locomotion and between two standing postures.

Air sampling to assess potential generation of aerosolized viable bacteria during flow cytometric analysis of unfixed bacterial suspensions.

This study investigated aerosolized viable bacteria in a university research laboratory during operation of an acoustic-assisted flow cytometer for antimicrobial susceptibility testing by sampling room air before, during and after flow cytometer use. The aim was to assess the risk associated with use of an acoustic-assisted flow cytometer analyzing unfixed bacterial suspensions. Air sampling in a nearby clinical laboratory was conducted during the same period to provide context for the existing background of microorganisms that would be detected in the air.

Where Sepsis and Antimicrobial Resistance Countermeasures Converge.

The United Nations General Assembly debate on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) recognizes the global significance of AMR. Much work needs to be done on technology capability and capacity to convert the strategic intent of the debate into operational plans and tangible outcomes. Enhancement of the biomedical science-clinician interface requires better exploitation of systems biology tools for in-laboratory and point of care methods that detect sepsis and characterize AMR.

Cutaneous Melioidosis Cluster Caused by Contaminated Wound Irrigation Fluid.

Melioidosis usually occurs after environmental exposure to in the tropics. A cluster of 5 cutaneous melioidosis cases occurred in suburban southwest Australia after an earlier case in January 2012. We collected environmental samples at the first patient’s home in January 2012 and from a nearby health center in December 2013 after 2 new cases occurred in the same postal district.

Deployable Molecular Detection of Arboviruses in the Australian Outback.

The most common causes of human infection from the arboviruses that are endemic in Australia are the arthritogenic alphaviruses: Ross River virus (RRV) and Barmah Forest virus (BFV). The most serious infections are caused by the neurotropic flaviviruses, Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) and the Kunjin subtype of West Nile virus. The greatest individual risk of arbovirus infection occurs in tropical/subtropical northern Australia because of the warm, wet summer conditions from December to June, where conventional arbovirus surveillance is difficult due to a combination of low population density, large distances between population centers, poor roads, and seasonal flooding.

The implications of endemic IMP-4 carbapenemase for clinical laboratory susceptibility testing.

A local predominance of carbapenemase producing Enterobacteriaceae with low minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) to meropenem prompted a review of methods available for carbapenemase detection. We report on results using two selective media, temocillin discs, CarbaNP test, GeneXpert Carba-R assay and an in-house PCR assay.

First case of Francisella bacteraemia in Western Australia.

Francisella species are Gram-negative, nonmotile, pleomorphic coccobacilli, facultative intracellular fastidious bacteria. We report the isolation of a Francisella-like species from a blood culture collected from a 44-year-old bacteraemic patient in Perth, Western Australia. The organism was identified to species level by 16S rRNA sequencing and by fatty acid methyl esters analysis.

Sri Lankan National Melioidosis Surveillance Program Uncovers a Nationwide Distribution of Invasive Melioidosis.

The epidemiologic status of melioidosis in Sri Lanka was unclear from the few previous case reports. We established laboratory support for a case definition and started a nationwide case-finding study. Suspected Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates were collated, identified by polymerase chain reaction assay, referred for Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight analysis and multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and named according to the international MLST database.

A Review of Melioidosis Cases in the Americas.

Melioidosis is a bacterial infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a gram-negative saprophytic bacillus. Cases occur sporadically in the Americas with an increasing number of cases observed among people with no travel history to endemic countries. To better understand the incidence of the disease in the Americas, we reviewed the literature, including unpublished cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Effects of a Statewide Protocol for the Management of Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Peritonitis on Microbial Profiles and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities: A Retrospective Five-Year Review.

Unlabelled: ♦

Background: Peritonitis is a major complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD) and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Early empirical antibiotic therapy is recommended, with the choice of agents guided by local resistance patterns. As routine use of specific antimicrobial agents can drive resistance, regular assessment of causative organisms and their susceptibility to empirical therapy is essential.

Whole-Genome Sequences of 80 Environmental and Clinical Isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Here, we present the draft genome sequences of 80 isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei. The isolates represent clinical cases of melioidosis and environmental isolates from regions in Australia and Papua New Guinea where B. pseudomallei is endemic.

Volatile-sulfur-compound profile distinguishes Burkholderia pseudomallei from Burkholderia thailandensis.

Solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GCMS) was used to show that dimethyl sulfide produced by Burkholderia pseudomallei is responsible for its unusual truffle-like smell and distinguishes the species from Burkholderia thailandensis. SPME-GCMS can be safely used to detect dimethyl sulfide produced by agar-grown B. pseudomallei.

The impact of chronic kidney disease and short-term treatment with rosiglitazone on plasma cell-free DNA levels.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Circulating free nucleic acids, known as cell-free DNA (cfDNA), have been proposed as a novel biomarker of cardiovascular risk. The impact of renal impairment on cfDNA levels and whether cfDNA is associated with endothelial dysfunction and inflammation in CKD has not been systematically studied.

The lab without walls: a deployable approach to tropical infectious diseases.

The Laboratory Without Walls is a modular field application of molecular biology that provides clinical laboratory support in resource-limited, remote locations. The current repertoire arose from early attempts to deliver clinical pathology and public health investigative services in remote parts of tropical Australia, to address the shortcomings of conventional methods when faced with emerging infectious diseases. Advances in equipment platforms and reagent chemistry have enabling rapid progress, but also ensure the Laboratory Without Walls is subject to continual improvement.

Clinical, radiological, and microbiological profile of patients with autogenous cranioplasty infections.

Objective: Bone flap infections after autogenous cranioplasty can present a diagnostic and management challenge. Little is known about the clinical, radiological, and microbiological profile of these patients.

Methods: Patients who developed bone flap infective complications requiring explantation after autogenous cranioplasties between 1999 and 2009 were identified.

Microbial contamination assessment of cryostored autogenous cranial bone flaps: should bone biopsies or swabs be performed?

Background: Autogenous cranioplasty infection requiring bone flap removal is under-recognised as a major complication causing significant morbidity. Microbial contamination of stored bone flaps may be a significant contributing factor. Current infection control practices and storage procedures vary.

Use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis for rapid confirmation of Burkholderia pseudomallei in septicemic melioidosis.

Burkholderia pseudomallei was quickly identified from blood cultures collected from septicemic patients by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis using an in-house reference library. This procedure reduced the time to definitive identification by more than 24 hours. This analysis is a useful addition to laboratory methods for early recognition of septicemic melioidosis in non-endemic settings.

Antimicrobial susceptibilities of Aeromonas strains isolated from clinical and environmental sources to 26 antimicrobial agents.

We determined the susceptibilities of 144 clinical and 49 environmental Aeromonas strains representing 10 different species to 26 antimicrobial agents by the agar dilution method. No single species had a predominantly nonsusceptible phenotype. A multidrug nonsusceptible pattern was observed in three (2.

Deployable laboratory response to influenza pandemic; PCR assay field trials and comparison with reference methods.

Background: The influenza A/H1N1/09 pandemic spread quickly during the Southern Hemisphere winter in 2009 and reached epidemic proportions within weeks of the official WHO alert. Vulnerable population groups included indigenous Australians and remote northern population centres visited by international travellers. At the height of the Australian epidemic a large number of troops converged on a training area in northern Australia for an international exercise, raising concerns about their potential exposure to the emerging influenza threat before, during and immediately after their arrival in the area.

Aeromonas aquariorum is widely distributed in clinical and environmental specimens and can be misidentified as Aeromonas hydrophila.

Genotypic characterization of 215 Aeromonas strains (143 clinical, 52 environmental, and 20 reference strains) showed that Aeromonas aquariorum (60 strains, 30.4%) was the most frequently isolated species in clinical and water samples and could be misidentified as Aeromonas hydrophila by phenotypic methods.

The aftermath of the Western Australian melioidosis outbreak.

Melioidosis became a notifiable disease in Western Australia (WA) 2 years after the West Kimberley melioidosis outbreak. Two cases of melioidosis caused by the outbreak genotype of Burkholderia pseudomallei (National Collection of Type Cultures [NCTC] 13177) occurred in 1998 and 1999 in persons who visited the outbreak location at the time. No other infections caused by the outbreak strain have been recorded in WA since that time, despite an average of four culture-positive cases per year.

Phenotypic characteristics of human clinical and environmental Aeromonas in Western Australia.

Aim: To determine the phenotypic characteristics of 199 Aeromonas strains comprising 146 clinical and 53 environmental isolates.

Methods: Identification was based on a scheme consisting of 62 biochemical tests including two novel tests introduced as potential phenotypic markers.

Results: One hundred and eighty-five strains (93%) were identified to species level while eight (4%) resembled members of the Aeromonas hydrophila complex and six (3%) could not be assigned to any taxon.

Burkholderia pseudomallei antibodies in individuals living in endemic regions in Northeastern Brazil.

A seroepidemiological investigation was conducted among the population of two municipalities in Northeastern Brazil. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibodies to Burkholderia pseudomallei were positive in 51.27% (161 in 317 samples) and 58.

Decreased virulence of cystic fibrosis Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Dictyostelium discoideum.

The characteristics of clinical and environmental isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from both hospital and community settings were analyzed in a eukaryotic virulence model employing the AX2 and X22 mutants of Dictyostelium discoideum. Thirty-one strains, including two Australian epidemic strains, of P. aeruginosa were analyzed, five from environmental sources, six from clinical sources other than cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and nineteen from CF patients' respiratory secretions.