Comparative Efficacy of Ceftaroline with Linezolid against Staphylococcus Aureus and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hafeez, A.; Munir, T.; Rehman, S.; Najeeb, S.; Gilani, M.; Latif, M.; Ansari, M.; Saad, N.

2015-01-01

Objective:To compare the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of ceftaroline with linezolid against Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Microbiology Department, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, from January to December 2013. Methodology: Clinical samples from respiratory tract, blood, pus and various catheter tips routinely received in the Department of Microbiology, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi were innoculated on blood and MacConkey agar. Staphylococcus aureus was identified by colony morphology, Gram reaction, catalase test and coagulase test. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus detection was done by modified Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method using cefoxitin disc (30g) and the isolates were considered methicillin resistant if the zone of inhibition around cefoxitin disc was /sup 2/ 21 mm. Bacterial suspensions of 56 Staphylococcus aureus isolates and 50 MRSA isolates were prepared, which were standardized equal to 0.5 McFarland's turbidity standard and inoculated on Mueller-Hinton agar plates followed by application of ceftaroline and linezolid disc (Oxoid, UK), according to manufacturer's instructions. The plates were then incubated at 37 Degree C aerobically for 18 - 24 hours. Diameters of inhibition zone were measured and interpretated as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results: Out of 106 isolates all of the 56 Staphylococcus aureus (100%) were sensitive to ceftaroline and linezolid. However, out of 50 methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 48 (96%) were sensitive to ceftaroline whereas, 49 (98%) were sensitive to linezolid. Conclusion: Ceftaroline is equally effective as linezolid against Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. (author)

75 FR 4707 - Continuous Construction-Permanent Loan Guarantees Under the Section 538 Guaranteed Rural Rental...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-29

... permanent financing phase of a project. In addition to the proposed form of guarantee, the Agency will... financing phase of the project. This third form of guarantee is being proposed in response to input from... requests. * * * * * Lease-up period. The period of time that begins when the first unit in the project...

78 FR 63158 - Information Collection; Guaranteed Farm Loan Program

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-23

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Farm Service Agency Information Collection; Guaranteed Farm Loan Program... collection associated with the Guaranteed Farm Loan Program. The amended estimate adds the merger of the information collection for the Land Contract Guarantee Program (0560-0279) into the Guaranteed Farm Loan...

Staphylococcus aureus bacteriuria as a prognosticator for outcome of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a case-control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weinstein Robert A

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background When Staphylococcus aureus is isolated in urine, it is thought to usually represent hematogenous spread. Because such spread might have special clinical significance, we evaluated predictors and outcomes of S. aureus bacteriuria among patients with S. aureus bacteremia. Methods A case-control study was performed at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County among adult inpatients during January 2002-December 2006. Cases and controls had positive and negative urine cultures, respectively, for S. aureus, within 72 hours of positive blood culture for S. aureus. Controls were sampled randomly in a 1:4 ratio. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done. Results Overall, 59% of patients were African-American, 12% died, 56% of infections had community-onset infections, and 58% were infected with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA. Among 61 cases and 247 controls, predictors of S. aureus bacteriuria on multivariate analysis were urological surgery (OR = 3.4, p = 0.06 and genitourinary infection (OR = 9.2, p = 0.002. Among patients who died, there were significantly more patients with bacteriuria than among patients who survived (39% vs. 17%; p = 0.002. In multiple Cox regression analysis, death risks in bacteremic patients were bacteriuria (hazard ratio 2.9, CI 1.4-5.9, p = 0.004, bladder catheter use (2.0, 1.0-4.0, p = 0.06, and Charlson score (1.1, 1.1-1.3, p = 0.02. Neither length of stay nor methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA infection was a predictor of S. aureus bacteriuria or death. Conclusions Among patients with S. aureus bacteremia, those with S. aureus bacteriuria had 3-fold higher mortality than those without bacteriuria, even after adjustment for comorbidities. Bacteriuria may identify patients with more severe bacteremia, who are at risk of worse outcomes.

The pricing of bank debt guarantees

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arping, S.

2009-01-01

We analyze the optimal pricing of government-sponsored bank debt guarantees within the context of an asset substitution framework. We show that the desirability of fair pricing of guarantees depends on the degree of transparency of the banking sector: in relatively opaque banking systems, fair

22 CFR 231.04 - Guarantee eligibility.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Guarantee eligibility. 231.04 Section 231.04 Foreign Relations AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT LOAN GUARANTEES ISSUED UNDER THE EMERGENCY WARTIME SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT OF 2003, PUBLIC LAW 108-11-STANDARD TERMS AND...

Understanding consumer response to service guarantees

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, E.L.; Cole, J.M.

1999-01-01

Whether the goal is customer loyalty to a competitive energy service provider or customer satisfaction with monopoly distribution services, service guarantees must be seen as one way a company can communicate with its customers about the relationship it has (or wants) with them. In short, service guarantees must be evaluated as part of a company's overall brand management strategy. To do this, a conceptual framework within which to develop and link models of service delivery and brand management is needed. This means seeing both as examples of inference management. In this article the authors first interpret findings from their research on utility service guarantees in light of the model of service delivery proposed by Smith, Bolton, and Wagner. The authors then situate this model within their own model of utility brand management. The resulting approach can be used by a utility to evaluate whether and how to adopt service guarantees as part of its overall branding strategy

Understanding consumer response to service guarantees

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor, E.L.; Cole, J.M.

1999-10-01

Whether the goal is customer loyalty to a competitive energy service provider or customer satisfaction with monopoly distribution services, service guarantees must be seen as one way a company can communicate with its customers about the relationship it has (or wants) with them. In short, service guarantees must be evaluated as part of a company's overall brand management strategy. To do this, a conceptual framework within which to develop and link models of service delivery and brand management is needed. This means seeing both as examples of inference management. In this article the authors first interpret findings from their research on utility service guarantees in light of the model of service delivery proposed by Smith, Bolton, and Wagner. The authors then situate this model within their own model of utility brand management. The resulting approach can be used by a utility to evaluate whether and how to adopt service guarantees as part of its overall branding strategy.

Staphylococcus aureus entrance into the dairy chain: Tracking S. aureus from dairy cow to cheese

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judith Kümmel

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important contagious mastitis pathogens in dairy cattle. Due to its zoonotic potential, control of S. aureus is not only of great economic importance in the dairy industry but also a significant public health concern. The aim of this study was to decipher the potential of bovine udder associated S. aureus as reservoir for S. aureus contamination in dairy production and processing. From 18 farms, delivering their milk to an alpine dairy plant for the production of smeared semi-hard and hard cheese. 1176 quarter milk (QM samples of all cows in lactation (n = 294 and representative samples form bulk tank milk (BTM of all farms were surveyed for coagulase positive (CPS and coagulase negative Staphylococci (CNS. Furthermore, samples from different steps of the cheese manufacturing process were tested for CPS and CNS. As revealed by chemometric-assisted FTIR spectroscopy and molecular subtyping (spa typing and multi locus sequence typing, dairy cattle represent indeed an important, yet underreported, entrance point of S. aureus into the dairy chain. Our data clearly show that certain S. aureus subtypes are present in primary production as well as in the cheese processing at the dairy plant. However, although a considerable diversity of S. aureus subtypes was observed in QM and BTM at the farms, only certain S. aureus subtypes were able to enter and persist in the cheese manufacturing at the dairy plant and could be isolated from cheese until day fourteen of ripening. Farm strains belonging to the FTIR cluster B1 and B3, which show genetic characteristics (t2953, ST8, enterotoxin profile: sea/sed/sej of the recently described S. aureus genotype B, most successfully contaminated the cheese production at the dairy plant. Thus our study fosters the hypothesis that genotype B S. aureus represent a specific challenge in control of S. aureus in the dairy chain that requires effective clearance strategies and hygienic

22 CFR 231.03 - The Guarantee.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false The Guarantee. 231.03 Section 231.03 Foreign Relations AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT LOAN GUARANTEES ISSUED UNDER THE EMERGENCY WARTIME SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT OF 2003, PUBLIC LAW 108-11-STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS...

19 CFR 351.506 - Loan guarantees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Duties INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ANTIDUMPING AND COUNTERVAILING DUTIES Identification and Measurement of Countervailable Subsidies § 351.506 Loan guarantees. (a) Benefit—(1) In general. In the case of a loan guarantee, a benefit exists to the extent that the total amount a firm pays for...

77 FR 58991 - State-Level Guarantee Fee Pricing

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-25

... FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY [No. 2012-N-13] State-Level Guarantee Fee Pricing AGENCY: Federal... guarantee fee pricing by state. FHFA's proposal described here would adjust the upfront fees that the... final state-level guarantee fee pricing method, FHFA expects to direct the Enterprises to implement the...

13 CFR 107.1720 - Characteristics of SBA's guarantee.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Characteristics of SBA's guarantee. 107.1720 Section 107.1720 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION SMALL BUSINESS... Characteristics of SBA's guarantee. If SBA agrees to guarantee a Licensee's Debentures or Participating Securities...

REGIONAL RECIPROCAL GUARANTEE SOCIETIES IN VENEZUELA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orlando J. Canelones

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This research aims to describe the operation of services offered by the Regional Mutual Guarantee Societies (SGRs in Venezuela, and to present synthetically, the rudiments for constitution, as well as the legal basis that must rule them, through conducting an executive summary of the Law of the National System of Reciprocal Guarantees for Small and Medium Business and the Promotion, Constitution and Functioning Rules of National Mutual Funds and Guarantees and SGRs.  The methodology used in this research is documentary, through a literature review and exploration that allowed inferences about the importance of Regional SGRs in Venezuela, as financing alternative

Minimum Price Guarantees In a Consumer Search Model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.C.W. Janssen (Maarten); A. Parakhonyak (Alexei)

2009-01-01

textabstractThis paper is the first to examine the effect of minimum price guarantees in a sequential search model. Minimum price guarantees are not advertised and only known to consumers when they come to the shop. We show that in such an environment, minimum price guarantees increase the value of

Pricing unit-linked insurance with guaranteed benefit

Science.gov (United States)

Iqbal, M.; Novkaniza, F.; Novita, M.

2017-07-01

Unit-linked insurance is an investment-linked insurance, that is, the given benefit is the premium investment out-come. Recently, the most widely marketed insurance in the industry is unit-linked insurance with guaranteed benefit. With guaranteed benefit applied, the insurance benefits form is similar to the payoff form of European call option. Thereby, pricing European call option is involved in pricing unit-linked insurance with guaranteed benefit. The dynamics of investment outcome is assumed to follow stochastic interest rate. Hence, change of measure methods is used in pricing unit-linked insurance. The discount factor with stochastic interest rate needs to be modified as well to be zero coupon bond price. Eventually, the insurance premium is calculated by equivalence principle with guaranteed benefit and insurance period explicitly given.

NCA & Credit Guarantees

African Journals Online (AJOL)

stooppn

purposes of the National Credit Act; what the definition of a credit guarantee set out ...... Scholtz et al National Credit Act in para 8.2.4; Scott et al Law of Commerce ..... Eitelberg E "Autonomy of Documentary Credit Undertakings in South African.

Financial Management: Emergency Steel Loan Guarantee Program

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2001-01-01

In a February 1, 2001 letter, you expressed concerns about repayments of federally guaranteed loans by borrowers under the Emergency Steel Loan Guarantee Program and the effect of the program on the U.S. steel industry...

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's financial guarantee requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferch, R.

2006-01-01

The Nuclear Safety and Control Act gives the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) the legal authority to require licensees to provide financial guarantees in order to meet the purposes of the Act. CNSC policy and guidance with regard to financial guarantees is outlined, and the current status of financial guarantee requirements as applied to various CNSC licensees is described. (author)

The traceability of renewable energies: the guarantees of origin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-03-01

The guarantee of origin has been initially designed by the European Union as a mechanism of support for renewable energies. It is an electronic document which allows an electric power provider to guarantee to its client the origin of the energy it sells him. This document presents the legal background of this guarantee, briefly describes the life cycle of this guarantee, proposes a brief discussion of recent legal evolutions, and briefly discusses its future

78 FR 48135 - Information Collection; Guaranteed Farm Loan Program

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-07

... Information Collection; Guaranteed Farm Loan Program AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA. ACTION: Notice... revision of a currently approved information collection associated with the Guaranteed Farm Loan Program. This information collection is used to make and service loans guaranteed by FSA to eligible farmers and...

Financial guarantees and public debt in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ogutu Miruka

2015-09-01

Full Text Available A few years since the worst of the Euro sovereign debt crisis, many nations, from Cyprus to Ireland, including South Africa are re-visiting their public debt management to avert or lessen the impact of similar such happenings in the future. There are a number of studies on risk assessments of fiscal sustainability; however, few focus on contingent liabilities and even fewer on financial guarantees. In South Africa, financial guarantees have consistently comprised just above or below 50% of all contingent liabilities since the early days of majoritarian rule. In lieu of this, the paper analyses the risks posed by financial guarantees to fiscal sustainability in South Africa. We estimate the effect of financial guarantees on public debt in South Africa via the Engle Granger and causality model with quarterly time series data obtained from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB as well as the National Treasury. The data covers the April 1997 to December 2011 period. All econometric methods were executed using the statistical software package E-Views 7. We found that no long run relationship exists between national net loan debt and financial guarantees in South Africa. The pass rate of financial guarantees significantly affects its present value. The pass rate of financial guarantees has a predicting ability in determining the present value of national net loan debt. These findings may be contrary to what would be expected in the case of South Africa considering that the country is managing the issuance of financial guarantees prudently and that at present levels, there is no need for a radical policy shift. The study therefore offers a lesson to similar merging economies on the good governance of contingent liabilities.

10 CFR 609.10 - Loan Guarantee Agreement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... accepted accounting principles and practices. The non-guaranteed portion (if any) of any Guaranteed... examination, to any pertinent books, documents, papers, and records of the Borrower, Eligible Lender or other... transferring Eligible Lender was performing these functions and transfer such functions to the new Eligible...

A Network-Attached Storage System Supporting Guaranteed QoS

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

KONG Hua-feng; YU Sheng-sheng; LU Hong-wei

2005-01-01

We propose a network-attached storage system that can support guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS), called POPNet Storage. The special policy of date access and disk scheduling is enable users to access files quickly and directly with guaranteed QoS in the POPNet Storage. The POPNet Storage implements a measurement-based admission control algorithm (PSMBAC) to determine whether to admit a new data access request stream and admit as many requests as possible while meeting the QoS guarantees to its clients. The data reconstruction algorithms in the POPNet Storage also put more emphasis on data availability and guaranteed QoS, thus it is designed to complete the data recovery as soon as possible and at the same time provide the guaranteed QoS for high-priority data access. The experiment results show that the POPNet Storage can provide more significant performance, reliability, and guaranteed QoS than conventional storage systems.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Science.gov (United States)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA); Staph - MRSA; Staphylococcal - MRSA ... Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html . Updated ...

Genetic diversity of Staphylococcus aureus in Buruli ulcer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nana Ama Amissah

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Buruli ulcer (BU is a necrotizing skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Previous studies have shown that wounds of BU patients are colonized with M. ulcerans and several other microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus, which may interfere with wound healing. The present study was therefore aimed at investigating the diversity and topography of S. aureus colonizing BU patients during treatment.We investigated the presence, diversity, and spatio-temporal distribution of S. aureus in 30 confirmed BU patients from Ghana during treatment. S. aureus was isolated from nose and wound swabs, and by replica plating of wound dressings collected bi-weekly from patients. S. aureus isolates were characterized by multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat fingerprinting (MLVF and spa-typing, and antibiotic susceptibility was tested.Nineteen (63% of the 30 BU patients tested positive for S. aureus at least once during the sampling period, yielding 407 S. aureus isolates. Detailed analysis of 91 isolates grouped these isolates into 13 MLVF clusters and 13 spa-types. Five (26% S. aureus-positive BU patients carried the same S. aureus genotype in their anterior nares and wounds. S. aureus isolates from the wounds of seven (37% patients were distributed over two different MLVF clusters. Wounds of three (16% patients were colonized with isolates belonging to two different genotypes at the same time, and five (26% patients were colonized with different S. aureus types over time. Five (17% of the 30 included BU patients tested positive for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA.The present study showed that the wounds of many BU patients were contaminated with S. aureus, and that many BU patients from the different communities carried the same S. aureus genotype during treatment. This calls for improved wound care and hygiene.

Genetic diversity of Staphylococcus aureus in Buruli ulcer.

Science.gov (United States)

Amissah, Nana Ama; Glasner, Corinna; Ablordey, Anthony; Tetteh, Caitlin S; Kotey, Nana Konama; Prah, Isaac; van der Werf, Tjip S; Rossen, John W; van Dijl, Jan Maarten; Stienstra, Ymkje

2015-02-01

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a necrotizing skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Previous studies have shown that wounds of BU patients are colonized with M. ulcerans and several other microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus, which may interfere with wound healing. The present study was therefore aimed at investigating the diversity and topography of S. aureus colonizing BU patients during treatment. We investigated the presence, diversity, and spatio-temporal distribution of S. aureus in 30 confirmed BU patients from Ghana during treatment. S. aureus was isolated from nose and wound swabs, and by replica plating of wound dressings collected bi-weekly from patients. S. aureus isolates were characterized by multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat fingerprinting (MLVF) and spa-typing, and antibiotic susceptibility was tested. Nineteen (63%) of the 30 BU patients tested positive for S. aureus at least once during the sampling period, yielding 407 S. aureus isolates. Detailed analysis of 91 isolates grouped these isolates into 13 MLVF clusters and 13 spa-types. Five (26%) S. aureus-positive BU patients carried the same S. aureus genotype in their anterior nares and wounds. S. aureus isolates from the wounds of seven (37%) patients were distributed over two different MLVF clusters. Wounds of three (16%) patients were colonized with isolates belonging to two different genotypes at the same time, and five (26%) patients were colonized with different S. aureus types over time. Five (17%) of the 30 included BU patients tested positive for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The present study showed that the wounds of many BU patients were contaminated with S. aureus, and that many BU patients from the different communities carried the same S. aureus genotype during treatment. This calls for improved wound care and hygiene.

A Case of Childhood Lichen Aureus

OpenAIRE

Kim, Min Ji; Kim, Byung Yoon; Park, Kyung Chan; Youn, Sang Woong

2009-01-01

Lichen aureus is a rare type of chronic pigmented purpuric dermatosis. The eruptions consist of discrete or confluent golden to brownish lichenoid macules and papules, and are usually asymptomatic. Lichen aureus commonly occurs in young adults, but less frequently in children. We report the first case of multiple lichen aureus occurring in a Korean child.

Security Guarantees and Nuclear Non-Proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruno Tertrais

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the value of 'security guarantees', that is, positive security assurances that include a formal or informal defense commitment, in preventing nuclear proliferation. It demonstrates that such guarantees have proven to be a very effective instrument in preventing States from going nuclear. It would thus seem logical to reinforce or extend them. However, this path is fraught with obstacles and dilemmas

Security Guarantees and Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruno Tertrais

2011-07-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the value of 'security guarantees', that is, positive security assurances that include a formal or informal defense commitment, in preventing nuclear proliferation. It demonstrates that such guarantees have proven to be a very effective instrument in preventing States from going nuclear. It would thus seem logical to reinforce or extend them. However, this path is fraught with obstacles and dilemmas

42 CFR 417.937 - Loan and loan guarantee provisions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Loan and loan guarantee provisions. 417.937 Section... HEALTH CARE PREPAYMENT PLANS Administration of Outstanding Loans and Loan Guarantees § 417.937 Loan and loan guarantee provisions. (a) Disbursement of loan proceeds. The principal amount of any loan made or...

Assume-Guarantee Abstraction Refinement Meets Hybrid Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Bogomolov, Sergiy; Frehse, Goran; Greitschus, Marius; Grosu, Radu; Pasareanu, Corina S.; Podelski, Andreas; Strump, Thomas

2014-01-01

Compositional verification techniques in the assume- guarantee style have been successfully applied to transition systems to efficiently reduce the search space by leveraging the compositional nature of the systems under consideration. We adapt these techniques to the domain of hybrid systems with affine dynamics. To build assumptions we introduce an abstraction based on location merging. We integrate the assume-guarantee style analysis with automatic abstraction refinement. We have implemented our approach in the symbolic hybrid model checker SpaceEx. The evaluation shows its practical potential. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work combining assume-guarantee reasoning with automatic abstraction-refinement in the context of hybrid automata.

12 CFR 370.12 - Payment on the guarantee.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... TEMPORARY LIQUIDITY GUARANTEE PROGRAM § 370.12 Payment on the guarantee. (a) Claims for Deposits in... depositors for funds in a noninterest-bearing transaction account in an insured depository institution that...

13 CFR 120.400 - Loan Guarantee Agreements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Loan Guarantee Agreements. 120.400 Section 120.400 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS LOANS Lenders § 120... specific proposed loan that a Lender may submit. The existence of a Loan Guarantee Agreement does not limit...

Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in a tertiary care hospital

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CP Bhatt

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureushas emerged as one of the most important nosocomial pathogens. It invokes a tremendous financial burden and enhanced morbidity and mortality due to difficult to treat systemic infections.Aim of this study was to determine antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Materials and Methods: Different clinical specimens were collected and processed for routine culture and antibiotic sensitivity test by standard microbiology techniques. Results: Out of 1173 samples received for microbiological examination, 100 were found to be S. aureus with 19% cases were Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA. Fourteen MRSA were found from inpatient and 5 were from outpatient. MRSA was found higher in female than male and maximum number (31.5% was found in age group 0-10 years. Staphylococcus aureus was 100% sensitive to Vancomycin followed by Amikacin (90%, Gentamycin (83%, and tetracycline (81%. On urine isolates Nitrofurantoin(91.6% was drug of choice. All the isolates were resistant to Penicillin G. In case of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus showed 100% sensitive to Vancomycin followed by Amikacin (84.2%, Tetracycline (63.1%, Ciprofloxacin (42% and Gentamycin (36.8%. Among urine isolates Nitrofutantoin showed 87.5% sensitive followed by Norfloxacin (75%. Conclusion: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus was found 19% of Staphylococcus aureus isolates. It was most common in females, hospitalized patients and young age group. Vancomycin seems to be drug of choice followed by Amikacin. It would be helpful to formulating and monitoring the antibiotic policy and ensure proper empiric treatment. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jpn.v4i7.10297 Journal of Pathology of Nepal (2014 Vol. 4, 548-551   

77 FR 38015 - Community Programs Guaranteed Loans

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-26

... section. This is based upon the Agency's experience to date in financing this type of project and the... sections, in order to clarify the types of projects that are eligible for a Community Facilities Guaranteed... Program by limiting the risk to the guaranteed loan portfolio. RHS is seeking to prohibit the financing of...

Staphylococcus aureus and hand eczema severity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haslund, P; Bangsgaard, N; Jarløv, J O

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: The role of bacterial infections in hand eczema (HE) remains to be assessed. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in patients with HE compared with controls, and to relate presence of S. aureus, subtypes and toxin production to severity of HE. METHODS......: Bacterial swabs were taken at three different visits from the hand and nose in 50 patients with HE and 50 controls. Staphylococcus aureus was subtyped by spa typing and assigned to clonal complexes (CCs), and isolates were tested for exotoxin-producing S. aureus strains. The Hand Eczema Severity Index...... and in the nose in all cases, and between visits in 90% of cases. Ten different CC types were identified, no association with severity was found, and toxin-producing strains were not found more frequently in patients with HE than in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Staphylococcus aureus was present on hands in almost half...

CREDIT SYSTEM AND CREDIT GUARANTEE PROGRAMS

OpenAIRE

Turgay GECER

2012-01-01

Credit system is an integrated architecture consisted of financial information, credit rating, credit risk management, receivables and credit insurance systems, credit derivative markets and credit guarantee programs. The main purpose of the credit system is to provide the functioning of all credit channels and to make it easy to access of credit sources demanded by all of real and legal persons in any economic system. Credit guarantee program, the one of prominent elements of the credit syst...

What Guarantees Should Society Offer Its Youth?

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Chris

2014-01-01

Criticising the concept of a "youth guarantee" as it was understood by the OECD in the 1990s and recently again by the European Community, the author argues that just more schooling and training will not help, let alone guarantee a future for disadvantaged, unemployed young people. Rather any policy that wants to help youth to become…

METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS (MRSA ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nosocomial infections caused by methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus often pose therapeutic dilemma to the clinicians because of the multi resistant nature of these strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Outbreaks of both nosocomial and community acquired infections are also frequent and difficult to control.

"Financial Innovation and Risk Management: The Cross-Guarantee Solution"

OpenAIRE

Bert Ely

1995-01-01

The cross-guarantee concept, which is summarized below, will eliminate the regulatory moral hazard that electronic technology has greatly exacerbated in recent years. The paper concludes by outlining the many benefits cross-guarantees will bring to the financial system as well as the structural and international implications of using cross-guarantees to bring market-driven regulation to the financial services sector of the American economy.

Customer intentions to invoke service guarantees: Do excellence in service recovery, type of guarantee, and cultural orientation matter?

OpenAIRE

Van Vaerenbergh, Yves; De Keyser, Arne; Larivière, Bart

2014-01-01

Purpose – Many service providers feel confident about their service quality and thus offer service guarantees to their customers. Yet service failures are inevitable. As guarantees can only be invoked when customers report service failures, firms are given the opportunity to redress the original failure potentially influencing customer outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to provide the first empirical investigation of whether excellence in service recovery affects customers’ intentions to ...

Complete Genome Sequence of the Quality Control Strain Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus ATCC 25923.

Science.gov (United States)

Treangen, Todd J; Maybank, Rosslyn A; Enke, Sana; Friss, Mary Beth; Diviak, Lynn F; Karaolis, David K R; Koren, Sergey; Ondov, Brian; Phillippy, Adam M; Bergman, Nicholas H; Rosovitz, M J

2014-11-06

Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus ATCC 25923 is commonly used as a control strain for susceptibility testing to antibiotics and as a quality control strain for commercial products. We present the completed genome sequence for the strain, consisting of the chromosome and a 27.5-kb plasmid. Copyright © 2014 Treangen et al.

On the Guarantee of the Realization of the Right to Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena A. Kashtanova

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The article reveals the issues of the essence and content of the guarantee of the realization of the right to education, the system of guarantees for the implementation of constitutional and legal principles and norms, including those that consolidate the system of rights and freedoms of human and citizen. The Author examines the functions of guarantee (stimulating, law enforcement and law enforcement, analyzes types of guarantees – guarantees related to the very right to education and quality of education.​

Antimicrobial resistant coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ADEYEYE

S. aureus is associated with many clinical syndromes including tenosynovitis, omphalitis, femoral head necrosis, .... Markey, 2008) where occurrence of multidrug ... Staphylococcus aureus isolates from bovine mastitis in. Denmark. Veterinary.

Implementation of a financial guarantee policy at the CNSC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barker, R.

2011-01-01

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) was established in 2000 under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA) to replace the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB). Prior to the coming in force of the NSCA, financial guarantees associated with licensed activities were not prescribed in the Atomic Energy Control Act or its regulations. Under the NSCA, the Commission Tribunal 'the Commission' was given authority to impose conditions in licences requiring financial guarantees from licensees. Other provisions of the NSCA provided information on the application of financial guarantees and for refunds when decommissioning obligations had been met. Since 2000, the application of financial guarantees has been primarily focussed on licences issued pursuant to the Class I Nuclear Facilities Regulations and the Uranium Mines and Mills Regulations. This was to assure that the requirements for financial guarantees were initially directed at the high risk, complex facilities licensed by the CNSC. However, all licensees have not yet been required to provide a financial guarantee for all licensed facilities, activities or licence types. Additionally, CNSC expectations in relation to when financial guarantees, associated decommissioning plans and cost estimates need to be reviewed, updated and submitted, and what they should entail have been evolving, indicating a need for a clear CNSC policy on the subject. Consequently, the CNSC is proceeding with the development of a financial guarantee policy and implementation plan to assure that generators of nuclear waste will have the financial resources available to decommission nuclear facilities, operations and devices and that this activity will not fall to government as a future liability. This program will require approval by the Commission, planned for 2012. This paper will further describe this policy and its possible outcomes. (author)

Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haaber, Jakob; Penadés, José R; Ingmer, Hanne

2017-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a serious human pathogen with remarkable adaptive powers. Antibiotic-resistant clones rapidly emerge mainly by acquisition of antibiotic-resistance genes from other S. aureus strains or even from other genera. Transfer is mediated by a diverse complement of mobile genetic...... of plasmids that can be transferred by conjugation and the efficiency with which transduction occurs. Here, we review the main routes of antibiotic resistance gene transfer in S. aureus in the context of its biology as a human commensal and a life-threatening pathogen. Staphylococcus aureus cells...... are effective in exchanging mobile genetic elements, including antibiotic-resistance genes.During colonization or infection of host organisms, the exchange appears to be particularly effective.Bacteriophage-mediated transfer involves both transduction and autotransduction, which may enable lysogenic S. aureus...

13 CFR 120.613 - Secondary Participation Guarantee Agreement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Secondary Participation Guarantee Agreement. 120.613 Section 120.613 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS LOANS Secondary Market Certificates § 120.613 Secondary Participation Guarantee Agreement. When a Lender...

48 CFR 52.247-60 - Guaranteed Shipping Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... Characteristics. 52.247-60 Section 52.247-60 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION....247-60 Guaranteed Shipping Characteristics. As prescribed in 47.305-16(b)(1), insert the following clause: Guaranteed Shipping Characteristics (DEC 1989) (a) The offeror is requested to complete...

13 CFR 120.621 - SBA guarantee of an Individual Certificate.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false SBA guarantee of an Individual Certificate. 120.621 Section 120.621 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS LOANS Secondary Market The Sba Guarantee of A Certificate § 120.621 SBA guarantee of an Individual...

Methicillin-Susceptible, Vancomycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Brazil

OpenAIRE

Panesso , Diana; Planet , Paul J.; Diaz , Lorena; Hugonnet , Jean-Emannuel; Tran , Truc T.; Narechania , Apurva; Munita , José M.; Rincon , Sandra; Carvajal , Lina P.; Reyes , Jinnethe; Londono , Alejandra; Smith , Hannah; Sebra , Robert; Deikus , Gintaras; Weinstock , George M

2015-01-01

International audience; We report characterization of a methicillin-susceptible, vancomycin-resistant bloodstream isolate of Staphylococcus aureus recovered from a patient in Brazil. Emergence of vancomycin resistance in methicillin-susceptible S. aureus would indicate that this resistance trait might be poised to disseminate more rapidly among S. aureus and represents a major public health threat.

13 CFR 120.620 - SBA guarantee of a Pool Certificate.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false SBA guarantee of a Pool Certificate. 120.620 Section 120.620 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS LOANS Secondary Market The Sba Guarantee of A Certificate § 120.620 SBA guarantee of a Pool Certificate...

7 CFR 4279.149 - Personal and corporate guarantee.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... guarantees are part of the collateral for the loan, but are not considered in determining whether a loan is... documents to the Agency's satisfaction that collateral, equity, cashflow, and profitability indicate an... guarantee form. When warranted by an Agency assessment of potential financial risk, Agency approved...

12 CFR 370.4 - Transaction Account Guarantee Program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... GENERAL POLICY TEMPORARY LIQUIDITY GUARANTEE PROGRAM § 370.4 Transaction Account Guarantee Program. (a) In addition to the coverage afforded to depositors under 12 CFR Part 330, a depositor's funds in a noninterest... determining whether funds are in a noninterest-bearing transaction account for purposes of this section, the...

[Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among food service workers].

Science.gov (United States)

Alarcón-Lavín, María Paula; Oyarzo, Carolina; Escudero, Carlos; Cerda-Leal, Fabiola; Valenzuela, Francisco J

2017-12-01

Background Staphylococcus aureus produces 11 serotypes of endotoxins that may cause food poisoning. Aim To determine the prevalence of type A enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus carriage among food service workers in Chillan, Chile. Material and Methods Pharyngeal swabs were obtained from 100 food service workers and were cultured in Agar plates. After identifying the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, DNA was extracted to identify type A toxin by conventional PCR. Results Thirty eight percent of samples were colonized with Staphylococcus aureus. Among these, 26% were toxin A producers. Conclusions Half of the sampled workers carried Staphylococcus aureus and a quarter of these produced type A enterotoxin.

Monitoring Assumptions in Assume-Guarantee Contracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleg Sokolsky

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Pre-deployment verification of software components with respect to behavioral specifications in the assume-guarantee form does not, in general, guarantee absence of errors at run time. This is because assumptions about the environment cannot be discharged until the environment is fixed. An intuitive approach is to complement pre-deployment verification of guarantees, up to the assumptions, with post-deployment monitoring of environment behavior to check that the assumptions are satisfied at run time. Such a monitor is typically implemented by instrumenting the application code of the component. An additional challenge for the monitoring step is that environment behaviors are typically obtained through an I/O library, which may alter the component's view of the input format. This transformation requires us to introduce a second pre-deployment verification step to ensure that alarms raised by the monitor would indeed correspond to violations of the environment assumptions. In this paper, we describe an approach for constructing monitors and verifying them against the component assumption. We also discuss limitations of instrumentation-based monitoring and potential ways to overcome it.

Petrifilm rapid S. aureus Count Plate method for rapid enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus in selected foods: collaborative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Silbernagel, K M; Lindberg, K G

2001-01-01

A rehydratable dry-film plating method for Staphylococcus aureus in foods, the 3M Petrifilm Rapid S. aureus Count Plate method, was compared with AOAC Official Method 975.55 (Staphylococcus aureus in Foods). Nine foods-instant nonfat dried milk, dry seasoned vegetable coating, frozen hash browns, frozen cooked chicken patty, frozen ground raw pork, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh green beans, pasta filled with beef and cheese, and egg custard-were analyzed for S. aureus by 13 collaborating laboratories. For each food tested, the collaborators received 8 blind test samples consisting of a control sample and 3 levels of inoculated test sample, each in duplicate. The mean log counts for the methods were comparable for pasta filled with beef and cheese; frozen hash browns; cooked chicken patty; egg custard; frozen ground raw pork; and instant nonfat dried milk. The repeatability and reproducibility variances of the Petrifilm Rapid S. aureus Count Plate method were similar to those of the standard method.

14 CFR 1300.23 - Participation in guaranteed loans.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... lender may distribute the risk of a portion of a loan guaranteed under the program by sale of... transferred in whole or in part; (2) The lender remains solely responsible for the administration of the loan... loans guaranteed under the program: (1) Eligible lenders; (2) Private investment funds and insurance...

Molecular Characterization of Endocarditis-Associated Staphylococcus aureus

Science.gov (United States)

Nethercott, Cara; Mabbett, Amanda N.; Totsika, Makrina; Peters, Paul; Ortiz, Juan C.; Nimmo, Graeme R.; Coombs, Geoffrey W.

2013-01-01

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a life-threatening infection of the heart endothelium and valves. Staphylococcus aureus is a predominant cause of severe IE and is frequently associated with infections in health care settings and device-related infections. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, and virulence gene microarrays are frequently used to classify S. aureus clinical isolates. This study examined the utility of these typing tools to investigate S. aureus epidemiology associated with IE. Ninety-seven S. aureus isolates were collected from patients diagnosed with (i) IE, (ii) bloodstream infection related to medical devices, (iii) bloodstream infection not related to medical devices, and (iv) skin or soft-tissue infections. The MLST clonal complex (CC) for each isolate was determined and compared to the CCs of members of the S. aureus population by eBURST analysis. The spa type of all isolates was also determined. A null model was used to determine correlations of IE with CC and spa type. DNA microarray analysis was performed, and a permutational analysis of multivariate variance (PERMANOVA) and principal coordinates analysis were conducted to identify genotypic differences between IE and non-IE strains. CC12, CC20, and spa type t160 were significantly associated with IE S. aureus. A subset of virulence-associated genes and alleles, including genes encoding staphylococcal superantigen-like proteins, fibrinogen-binding protein, and a leukocidin subunit, also significantly correlated with IE isolates. MLST, spa typing, and microarray analysis are promising tools for monitoring S. aureus epidemiology associated with IE. Further research to determine a role for the S. aureus IE-associated virulence genes identified in this study is warranted. PMID:23616460

Molecular characterization of endocarditis-associated Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Nethercott, Cara; Mabbett, Amanda N; Totsika, Makrina; Peters, Paul; Ortiz, Juan C; Nimmo, Graeme R; Coombs, Geoffrey W; Walker, Mark J; Schembri, Mark A

2013-07-01

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a life-threatening infection of the heart endothelium and valves. Staphylococcus aureus is a predominant cause of severe IE and is frequently associated with infections in health care settings and device-related infections. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, and virulence gene microarrays are frequently used to classify S. aureus clinical isolates. This study examined the utility of these typing tools to investigate S. aureus epidemiology associated with IE. Ninety-seven S. aureus isolates were collected from patients diagnosed with (i) IE, (ii) bloodstream infection related to medical devices, (iii) bloodstream infection not related to medical devices, and (iv) skin or soft-tissue infections. The MLST clonal complex (CC) for each isolate was determined and compared to the CCs of members of the S. aureus population by eBURST analysis. The spa type of all isolates was also determined. A null model was used to determine correlations of IE with CC and spa type. DNA microarray analysis was performed, and a permutational analysis of multivariate variance (PERMANOVA) and principal coordinates analysis were conducted to identify genotypic differences between IE and non-IE strains. CC12, CC20, and spa type t160 were significantly associated with IE S. aureus. A subset of virulence-associated genes and alleles, including genes encoding staphylococcal superantigen-like proteins, fibrinogen-binding protein, and a leukocidin subunit, also significantly correlated with IE isolates. MLST, spa typing, and microarray analysis are promising tools for monitoring S. aureus epidemiology associated with IE. Further research to determine a role for the S. aureus IE-associated virulence genes identified in this study is warranted.

Switching Fuzzy Guaranteed Cost Control for Nonlinear Networked Control Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linqin Cai

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the problem of guaranteed cost control for a class of nonlinear networked control systems (NCSs with time-varying delay. A guaranteed cost controller design method is proposed to achieve the desired control performance based on the switched T-S fuzzy model. The switching mechanism is introduced to handle the uncertainties of NCSs. Based on Lyapunov functional approach, some sufficient conditions for the existence of state feedback robust guaranteed cost controller are presented. Simulation results show that the proposed method is effective to guarantee system’s global asymptotic stability and quality of service (QoS.

Subinhibitory quinupristin/dalfopristin attenuates virulence of Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Koszczol, Carmen; Bernardo, Katussevani; Krönke, Martin; Krut, Oleg

2006-09-01

The semi-synthetic streptogramin quinupristin/dalfopristin antibiotic exerts potent bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus. We investigated whether, like other bactericidal antibiotics used at subinhibitory concentrations, quinupristin/dalfopristin enhances release of toxins by Gram-positive cocci. The activity of quinupristin/dalfopristin on exotoxin release by S. aureus was investigated by 2D SDS-PAGE combined with MALDI-TOF/MS analysis and by western blotting. We show that quinupristin/dalfopristin at subinhibitory concentrations reduces the release of S. aureus factors that induce tumour necrosis factor secretion in macrophages. Furthermore, quinupristin/dalfopristin but not linezolid attenuated S. aureus-mediated killing of infected host cells. When added to S. aureus cultures at different stages of bacterial growth, quinupristin/dalfopristin reduced in a dose-dependent manner the release of specific virulence factors (e.g. autolysin, protein A, alpha- and beta-haemolysins, lipases). In contrast, other presumably non-toxic exoproteins remained unchanged. The results of the present study suggest that subinhibitory quinupristin/dalfopristin inhibits virulence factor release by S. aureus, which might be especially helpful for the treatment of S. aureus infections, where both bactericidal as well as anti-toxin activity may be advantageous.

7 CFR 2201.28 - Participation in guaranteed Loans.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Participation in guaranteed Loans. (a) Subject to paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) of this section, a Lender may distribute the risk of a portion of a Loan guaranteed under the Program by sale of participations therein if... in part as a result of the sale of such participations; (2) The Lender remains solely responsible for...

Staphylococcus aureus and healthcare-associated infections

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ekkelenkamp, M.B.

2011-01-01

Many medical procedures breach or suppress patients’ natural defences, leaving them vulnerable to infections which would not occur in healthy humans: “healthcare-associated infections”. Healthcare-associated infections caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are probably the most

The sensitivity status of community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Community acquired Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from various infectious sites in two private laboratories in Kano-city, Nigeria. A total of 247 (11%) Staphylococcu aureus isolates were recovered from all infectious sites except cerebro-spinal fluid. The least Staphylococcus aureus isolates were found in urine ...

PRICING AND ASSESSING UNIT-LINKED INSURANCE CONTRACTS WITH INVESTMENT GUARANTEES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ciumas Cristina

2014-07-01

Full Text Available One of the most interesting life insurance products to have emerged in recent years in the Romanian insurance market has been the unit-linked contract. Unit-linked insurance products are life insurance policies with investment component. A unit-linked life insurance has two important components: protection and investment. The protection component refers to the insured sum in case of the occurrence of insured risks and the investment component refers to the policyholders’ account that represents the present value of the units from the chosen investment funds. Due to the financial instability caused by the Global Crisis and the amplification of market competitiveness, insurers from international markets have started to incorporate guarantees in unit-linked products. So a unit- linked life insurance policy with an asset value guarantee is an insurance policy whose benefit payable on death or at maturity consists of the greater of some guaranteed amount and the value of the units from the investment funds. One of the most challenging issues concerns the pricing of minimum death benefit and maturity benefit guarantees and the establishing of proper reserves for these guarantees. Insurers granting guarantees of this type must estimate the cost and include the cost in the premium. An important component of the activity carried out by the insurance companies is the investment of the premiums paid by policyholders in various types of assets, in order to obtain higher yields than those guaranteed by the insurance contracts, while providing the necessary liquidity for the payment of insurance claims in case of occurrence of the assumed risks. So the guaranteed benefits can be broadly matched or immunized with various types of financial assets, especially with fixed-interest instruments. According to Romanian legislation which regulates the unit-linked life insurance market, unit-linked life insurance contracts pass most of the investment risk to the

Molecular Characterization of Endocarditis-Associated Staphylococcus aureus

OpenAIRE

Nethercott, Cara; Mabbett, Amanda N.; Totsika, Makrina; Peters, Paul; Ortiz, Juan C.; Nimmo, Graeme R.; Coombs, Geoffrey W.; Walker, Mark J.; Schembri, Mark A.

2013-01-01

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a life-threatening infection of the heart endothelium and valves. Staphylococcus aureus is a predominant cause of severe IE and is frequently associated with infections in health care settings and device-related infections. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, and virulence gene microarrays are frequently used to classify S. aureus clinical isolates. This study examined the utility of these typing tools to investigate S. aureus epidemiology associated ...

Staphylococcus aureus Central Nervous System Infections in Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Vallejo, Jesus G; Cain, Alexandra N; Mason, Edward O; Kaplan, Sheldon L; Hultén, Kristina G

2017-10-01

Central nervous system (CNS) infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus are uncommon in pediatric patients. We review the epidemiology, clinical features and treatment in 68 patients with a S. aureus CNS infection evaluated at Texas Children's Hospital. Cases of CNS infection in children with positive cerebrospinal fluid cultures or spinal epidural abscess (SEA) for S. aureus at Texas Children's Hospital from 2001 to 2013 were reviewed. Seventy cases of S. aureus CNS infection occurred in 68 patients. Forty-nine cases (70%) were secondary to a CNS device, 5 (7.1%) were postoperative meningitis, 9 (12.8%) were hematogenous meningitis and 7 (10%) were SEAs. Forty-seven (67.2%) were caused by methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and 23 (32.8%) by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Community-acquired infections were more often caused by MRSA that was clone USA300/pvl. Most patients were treated with nafcillin (MSSA) or vancomycin (MRSA) with or without rifampin. Among patients with MRSA infection, 50% had a serum vancomycin trough obtained with the median level being 10.6 μg/mL (range: 5.4-15.7 μg/mL). Only 1 death was associated with S. aureus infection. The epidemiology of invasive of S. aureus infections continues to evolve with MSSA accounting for most of the infections in this series. The majority of cases were associated with neurosurgical procedures; however, hematogenous S. aureus meningitis and SEA occurred as community-acquired infections in patients without predisposing factors. Patients with MRSA CNS infections had a favorable response to vancomycin, but the beneficial effect of combination therapy or targeting vancomycin trough concentrations of 15-20 μg/mL remains unclear.

The human nasal microbiota and Staphylococcus aureus carriage.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel N Frank

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Colonization of humans with Staphylococcus aureus is a critical prerequisite of subsequent clinical infection of the skin, blood, lung, heart and other deep tissues. S. aureus persistently or intermittently colonizes the nares of approximately 50% of healthy adults, whereas approximately 50% of the general population is rarely or never colonized by this pathogen. Because microbial consortia within the nasal cavity may be an important determinant of S. aureus colonization we determined the composition and dynamics of the nasal microbiota and correlated specific microorganisms with S. aureus colonization. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Nasal specimens were collected longitudinally from five healthy adults and a cross-section of hospitalized patients (26 S. aureus carriers and 16 non-carriers. Culture-independent analysis of 16S rRNA sequences revealed that the nasal microbiota of healthy subjects consists primarily of members of the phylum Actinobacteria (e.g., Propionibacterium spp. and Corynebacterium spp., with proportionally less representation of other phyla, including Firmicutes (e.g., Staphylococcus spp. and Proteobacteria (e.g. Enterobacter spp. In contrast, inpatient nasal microbiotas were enriched in S. aureus or Staphylococcus epidermidis and diminished in several actinobacterial groups, most notably Propionibacterium acnes. Moreover, within the inpatient population S. aureus colonization was negatively correlated with the abundances of several microbial groups, including S. epidermidis (p = 0.004. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The nares environment is colonized by a temporally stable microbiota that is distinct from other regions of the integument. Negative association between S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and other groups suggests microbial competition during colonization of the nares, a finding that could be exploited to limit S. aureus colonization.

Staphylococcus aureus shifts towards commensalism in response to Corynebacterium species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew M Ramsey

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus–human interactions result in a continuum of outcomes from commensalism to pathogenesis. S. aureus is a clinically important pathogen that asymptomatically colonizes ~25% of humans as a member of the nostril and skin microbiota, where it resides with other bacteria including commensal Corynebacterium species. Commensal Corynebacterium spp. are also positively correlated with S. aureus in chronic polymicrobial diabetic foot infections, distinct from acute monomicrobial S. aureus infections. Recent work by our lab and others indicates that microbe-microbe interactions between S. aureus and human skin/nasal commensals, including Corynebacterium species, affect S. aureus behavior and fitness. Thus, we hypothesized that S. aureus interactions with Corynebacterium spp. diminish S. aureus virulence. We tested this by assaying for changes in S. aureus gene expression during in vitro mono- versus coculture with Corynebacterium striatum, a common skin and nasal commensal. We observed a broad shift in S. aureus gene transcription during in vitro growth with C. striatum, including increased transcription of genes known to exhibit increased expression during human nasal colonization and decreased transcription of virulence genes. S. aureus uses several regulatory pathways to transition between commensal and pathogenic states. One of these, the quorum signal accessory gene regulator (agr system, was strongly inhibited in response to Corynebacterium spp. Phenotypically, S. aureus exposed to C. striatum exhibited increased adhesion to epithelial cells, reflecting a commensal state, and decreased hemolysin activity, reflecting an attenuation of virulence. Consistent with this, S. aureus displayed diminished fitness in experimental in vivo coinfection with C. striatum when compared to monoinfection. These data support a model in which S. aureus shifts from virulence towards a commensal state when exposed to commensal Corynebacterium species.

Dermoscopy of lichen aureus Dermatoscopia do liquen aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Poliana Santin Portela

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Lichen aureus (also called "lichen purpuricus" is an uncommon subtype of pigmented purpuric dermatosis. Clinically characterized by rust macules, papules or plaques, it is a chronic disease which more often affects young adults and is localized mainly on the lower extremities. The diagnosis is made on the basis of clinical and histopathological features. Dermoscopy findings are useful to confirm clinical diagnosis.O líquen aureus (também denominado "liquen purpuricus" é um subtipo pouco comum entre as dermatoses purpúricas pigmentadas. Clinicamente caracterizado por máculas, pápulas ou placas de coloração ferruginosa, é doença crônica, que acomete mais frequentemente adultos jovens e localiza-se principalmente nos membros inferiores. O diagnóstico pode ser feito a partir das características clínicas e histopatológicas, sendo os achados dermatoscópicos úteis para corroborar o diagnóstico clínico.

Population structure of Staphylococcus aureus in China

OpenAIRE

Yan, Xiaomei

2015-01-01

The present PhD research was aimed at analysing the population structure of Staphylococcus aureus in China. Between 2000 and 2005 we found that patients from a single Chinese hospital showed increasing trends in antimicrobial resistance. Among methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), resistance against rifampicin doubled to 68%. Staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) is frequent in China. Two predominant S. aureus lineages, ST6 and ST943, were identified causing outbreaks of SFP in Southern China...

Strategic design of cost savings guarantee in energy performance contracting under uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, Qianli; Jiang, Xianglin; Cui, Qingbin; Zhang, Limao

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A methodology is proposed to assist Energy Service Companies to maintain competitiveness in winning bids. • Uncertainties within the energy cost savings are modeled stochastically using the Monte-Carlo simulation. • A strategic energy savings guarantee design curve is derived, where all points return as appropriate guarantees. • A campus case is presented to demonstrate the applicability for finding appropriate guaranteed savings value. - Abstract: Among the key barriers to profit in Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) are uncertainties about attaining the realized energy cost savings and potential disputes over the guaranteed cost savings. In this paper, a methodology has been proposed to assist the Energy Service Company (ESCO): (1) to evaluate the risk threshold if the guarantee has already been made, and (2) to determine the guarantee design, if the guarantee has not been made yet, that not only promises the ESCO’s profitability from EPC but also maintains its competitiveness to win the bid. Uncertainties within the energy cost savings are modeled stochastically using Monte-Carlo simulation, taking both the energy price fluctuation and the facility performance variability into account. Based on that, a strategic energy savings guarantee design curve is derived, that all the points on it would return as appropriate guarantees. Finally, a campus case is presented to demonstrate the applicability for finding the appropriate guaranteed savings value. This method is also worth popularizing in similar performance-based projects

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus isolates in a hospital of shanghai.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaoguang; Ouyang, Lin; Luo, Lingfei; Liu, Jiqian; Song, Chiping; Li, Cuizhen; Yan, Hongjing; Wang, Ping

2017-01-24

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are now common both in the health care setting and in the community. Active surveillance is critical for MRSA control and prevention. Specimens of patients (200 patients with 1119 specimens) as well as medical staff and hospital setting (1000 specimens) were randomly sampled in a level 2 hospital in Shanghai from September 2011 to August 2012. Isolation, cultivation and identification of S. aureus were performed. Totally, 67 S. aureus strains were isolated. 32 S. aureus strains were isolated from patient samples; 13 (13/32, 40.6%) of the 32 S. aureus isolates were MRSA; sputum sample and patients in the department of general internal medicine were the most frequent specimen and patient group for S. aureus strains isolation. Remaining 35 S. aureus strains were isolated from the medical staff and hospital setting; 20 (20/35, 57.1%) of the 35 S. aureus isolates were MRSA; specimens sampled from doctors and nurses' hands and nose and hospital facilities were the most frequent samples to isolate S. aureus. Resistant and virulent genes detection showed that, all 33 MRSA strains were mecA positive which accounts for 49.3% of the 67 S. aureus strains; 38 isolates were Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene positive which accounts for 56.7% of the 67 S. aureus strains; and 17 (17/67, 25.4%) isolates are mecA and PVL genes dual positive. Multidrug-resistant strains of MRSA and PVL positive S. aureus are common in patients, medical staff and hospital setting, the potential health threat is worthy of our attention.

Prevalence and characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization among a community-based diabetes population in Foshan, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jialing; Xu, Ping; Peng, Yang; Lin, Dongxin; Ou, Qianting; Zhang, Ting; Bai, Chan; Ye, Xiaohua; Zhou, Junli; Yao, Zhenjiang

2017-05-01

Evidence suggests that diabetes might cause an increase in colonization of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in community settings. We carried out a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence and influencing factors of S. aureus and MRSA nasal colonization among a community-based diabetes population, and to identify the characteristics of the isolated strains. A total of 956 participants from 11 community settings were included in the study. Of the 529 diabetes participants, 46 were colonized with S. aureus and 22 were colonized with MRSA. Of the 427 non-diabetes participants, 25 were colonized with S. aureus and 12 were colonized with MRSA. Men (odds ratio 0.45, 95% confidence interval 0.20-0.99, P = 0.047) were less likely to have S. aureus nasal colonization, and those with well-controlled blood glucose (odds ratio 2.04, 95% confidence interval 1.01-4.13, P = 0.047) among the diabetes population were more likely to have S. aureus nasal colonization. The proportion of multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains in the diabetes population (52.17%) was higher than that in the non-diabetes population (28.00%; χ 2 = 3.848, P = 0.050). The most common clonal complex type and Staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec type of MRSA in diabetes population was clonal complex 5 (40.91%) and type IV (27.27%), respectively. The proportion of Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene in MRSA strains was 17.65%. There was great sequence type diversity in MRSA strains. The prevalence of MRSA in the community-based diabetes population was moderate, and the high proportions of multidrug-resistant S. aureus strains and diverse molecular characteristics in the diabetes population should be noticed. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Antimicrobial resistance and mecA characterization of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and non-S. aureus of beef meat origin in Egypt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamelia Mahmoud Osman

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA have been found in various farm animal species throughout the world. Yet, methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA, methicillin-susceptible non-S. aureus (MS-NSA and methicillin-resistant non-S. aureus (MR-NSA were not investigated. Therefore, we persued to determine the diversity in theirphenotypic virulence assay, phenotypic antimicrobial resistance profile and molecular characterisation in one of the food chains in Egypt. Samples were collected during 2013 from beef meat at retail. Twenty seven isolates comprising five species (S. hyicus, S. aureus, S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans, S. intermedius and S. lentus were characterized for their antibiotic resistance phenotypic profile and antibiotic resistance genes (mecA, cfr, gyrA, gyrB and grlA. Out of the 27 Staphylococcus isolates only one isolate was resistant to the 12 antibiotics representing nine classes. Raw beef meat sold across the Great Cairo zone, contains 66.7% of MRS, with highest prevalence was reported in S. aureus (66.7%, while the MRS non-S. aureus strains constituted 66.7% from which S. hyicus (60%, S. intermedius (33.3%, S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans (100% and S. lentus (100% were MRS. Seven S. aureus, six S. hyicus, four S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans, three S. intermedius and one S. lentus isolates although being resistant to oxacillin yet, 11/27 (40.7% carried the mecA gene. At the same time, the cfr gene was present in 2 of the nine S. aureus isolates, and totally undetectable in S. hyicus, S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans, S. intermedius and S. lentus. Although global researches largely focused into MRSA and MR-NSA in animals on pigs, the analysis of our results stipulates that buffaloes and cattle could be MRSA dispersers and that this theme is not specific to pigs. Detection of MSSA virulence determinants is a must, as although oxacillin resistance may be absent yet, the MSSA may carry the virulence determinants which could

Life and death of proteins: a case study of glucose-starved Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Michalik, Stephan; Bernhardt, Jörg; Otto, Andreas; Moche, Martin; Becher, Dörte; Meyer, Hanna; Lalk, Michael; Schurmann, Claudia; Schlüter, Rabea; Kock, Holger; Gerth, Ulf; Hecker, Michael

2012-09-01

The cellular amount of proteins not only depends on synthesis but also on degradation. Here, we expand the understanding of differential protein levels by complementing synthesis data with a proteome-wide, mass spectrometry-based stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture analysis of protein degradation in the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus during glucose starvation. Monitoring protein stability profiles in a wild type and an isogenic clpP protease mutant revealed that 1) proteolysis mainly affected proteins with vegetative functions, anabolic and selected catabolic enzymes, whereas the expression of TCA cycle and gluconeogenesis enzymes increased; 2) most proteins were prone to aggregation in the clpP mutant; 3) the absence of ClpP correlated with protein denaturation and oxidative stress responses, deregulation of virulence factors and a CodY repression. We suggest that degradation of redundant, inactive proteins disintegrated from functional complexes and thereby amenable to proteolytic attack is a fundamental cellular process in all organisms to regain nutrients and guarantee protein homeostasis.

Life and Death of Proteins: A Case Study of Glucose-starved Staphylococcus aureus*

Science.gov (United States)

Michalik, Stephan; Bernhardt, Jörg; Otto, Andreas; Moche, Martin; Becher, Dörte; Meyer, Hanna; Lalk, Michael; Schurmann, Claudia; Schlüter, Rabea; Kock, Holger; Gerth, Ulf; Hecker, Michael

2012-01-01

The cellular amount of proteins not only depends on synthesis but also on degradation. Here, we expand the understanding of differential protein levels by complementing synthesis data with a proteome-wide, mass spectrometry-based stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture analysis of protein degradation in the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus during glucose starvation. Monitoring protein stability profiles in a wild type and an isogenic clpP protease mutant revealed that 1) proteolysis mainly affected proteins with vegetative functions, anabolic and selected catabolic enzymes, whereas the expression of TCA cycle and gluconeogenesis enzymes increased; 2) most proteins were prone to aggregation in the clpP mutant; 3) the absence of ClpP correlated with protein denaturation and oxidative stress responses, deregulation of virulence factors and a CodY repression. We suggest that degradation of redundant, inactive proteins disintegrated from functional complexes and thereby amenable to proteolytic attack is a fundamental cellular process in all organisms to regain nutrients and guarantee protein homeostasis. PMID:22556279

Colonization of nursing professionals by Staphylococcus aureus La colonización de los profesionales de enfermería por Staphylococcus aureus A colonização dos profissionais de enfermagem por Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josely Pinto de Moura

2011-04-01

Full Text Available This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in the saliva of the nursing team of a teaching hospital in the interior of São Paulo State. Three saliva samples were collected from 351 individuals with an interval of two months between each collection. All ethical aspects were considered. In 867 (82.3% cultures there was no identification of Staphylococcus aureus in the saliva, in 88 (17.7% cultures Staphylococcus aureus was isolated, 26 (2.5% of which were resistant to methicillin. The prevalence of professionals colonized by Staphylococcus aureus was 41.0% (144/351, of which 7.1% (25/351 were characterized as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Transient carriers represented 81.2% and persistent carriers 18.8%. Resistance to mupirocin was 73.1% of MRSA and 9.3% of MSSA. The results demonstrate that it is the nurse and nursing technician that are the professional categories most susceptible to MRSA. Broader discussion on the thematic and interventions are needed.Se trata de un estudio transversal que tuvo como objetivo investigar la presencia de Staphylococcus aureus en la saliva del equipo de enfermería de un hospital escuela del interior del estado de Sao Paulo. Fueron recolectadas tres muestras de saliva de 351 individuos con intervalo de dos meses. Todos los aspectos éticos fueron contemplados. En 867 (82,3% culturas no hubo identificación de Staphylococcus aureus en la saliva, en 88 (17,7% culturas fue aislado Staphylococcus aureus, siendo 26 (2,5% resistentes a la meticilina. La prevalencia de profesionales colonizados por Staphylococcus aureus fue de 41,0% (144/351, de los cuales 7,1% (25/351 fueron caracterizados como Staphylococcus aureus resistentes a la meticilina. Los portadores transitorios representaron 81,2% y los persistentes 18,8%. La resistencia a la mupirocina fue de 73,1% entre los resistentes a la meticilina y 9,3% en los sensibles a la meticilina. Los resultados

Lysionotin attenuates Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity by inhibiting α-toxin expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Zihao; Shi, Dongxue; Liu, Huanyu; Shen, Ziying; Zha, Yonghong; Li, Wenhua; Deng, Xuming; Wang, Jianfeng

2017-09-01

α-Toxin, one of the best known pore-forming proteins produced by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), is a critical virulence factor in multiple infections. The necessity of α-toxin for S. aureus pathogenicity suggests that this toxin is an important target for the development of a potential treatment strategy. In this study, we showed that lysionotin, a natural compound, can inhibit the hemolytic activity of culture supernatants by S. aureus by reducing α-toxin expression. Using real-time PCR analysis, we showed that transcription of hla (the gene encoding α-toxin) and agr (the locus regulating hla) was significantly inhibited by lysionotin. Lactate dehydrogenase and live/dead assays indicated that lysionotin effectively protected human alveolar epithelial cells against S. aureus, and in vivo studies also demonstrated that lysionotin can protect mice from pneumonia caused by S. aureus. These findings suggest that lysionotin is an efficient inhibitor of α-toxin expression and shows significant protection against S. aureus in vitro and in vivo. This study supports a potential strategy for the treatment of S. aureus infection by inhibiting the expression of virulence factors and indicates that lysionotin may be a potential treatment for S. aureus pneumonia.

Investment Guarantees in the South African Life Insurance Industry ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper explores the risks faced by South African life insurance companies arising from the provision of investment guarantees in products sold. The current thinking and practice of the larger South African life insurance companies regarding investment guarantees is set out following their responses to a survey.

Evolution of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus towards increasing resistance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Strommenger, Birgit; Bartels, Mette Damkjær; Kurt, Kevin

2014-01-01

To elucidate the evolutionary history of Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex (CC) 8, which encompasses several globally distributed epidemic lineages, including hospital-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and the highly prevalent community-associated MRSA clone USA300.......To elucidate the evolutionary history of Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex (CC) 8, which encompasses several globally distributed epidemic lineages, including hospital-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and the highly prevalent community-associated MRSA clone USA300....

Nasal Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage among college student athletes in northern Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong-Kai Wang

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Of 259 college students in northern Taiwan surveyed, nasal carriage rate of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA was 22.4% and 1.54%, respectively and no significant difference was found between athlete students and non-athlete students. Three of four MRSA isolates belonged to sequence type 59, the endemic community clone.

Silver nanoparticles for the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Ángel Ortiz-Gila

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Existe un gran ecosistema microbiano en la cavidad oral donde Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus se puede encontrar, causando patologías orales tales como quelitis angular, las paperas y la mucositis estafilocócica. Estas enfermedades producidas por S. aureus en la cavidad oral son consecuencia de los factores de virulencia, toxinas y multiresistencia a los antibióticos, lo que contribuye a la infección. La colonización en la cavidad oral por S. aureus en pacientes sanos es de 24% a 36%. Sin embargo, la incidencia aumenta a 48% en pacientes con prótesis debido a la formación de biofilms en la superficie de las dentaduras postizas. Actualmente, no existe ningún tratamiento para infecciones orales sin el uso de antibióticos. Investigaciones recientes indican que las nanopartículas de plata (AgNPs son un material o estrategia para eliminar S. aureus debido a su efecto antibacteriano. Sin embargo, el mecanismo del efecto inhibidor de los iones de Ag sobre S. aureus es sólo parcialmente conocida y muy poco se ha informado. Por lo tanto, el propósito de la presente revisión sistemática es determinar las estrategias y retos de la utilización de biomateriales antimicrobianos con AgNPs frente a las infecciones orales de S. aureus.

Communications of Staphylococcus aureus and non-aureus Staphylococcus species from bovine intramammary infections and teat apex colonization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mahmmod, Yasser S.; Klaas, Ilka Christine; Svennesen, Line

2018-01-01

The role of non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) in the risk of acquisition of intramammary infections with Staphylococcus aureus is vague and still under debate. The objectives of this study were to (1) investigate the distribution patterns of NAS species from milk and teat skin in dairy herds with au...

Stand alone photovoltaic systems: guarantee of results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

This study aims to provide a guarantee of results for system performance for users of stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) systems, which have no back-up generator. The appropriate main performance criterion for PV systems is that a specified load is supplied with power either continuously or intermittently whenever the load requires power. A methodology to evaluate the power availability of stand-alone PV systems has been developed as part of the project, which encompasses power losses due to weather variations. The guarantee of results produced allows users to compare system designs from different manufacturers. (UK)

Self-guaranteed measurement-based quantum computation

Science.gov (United States)

Hayashi, Masahito; Hajdušek, Michal

2018-05-01

In order to guarantee the output of a quantum computation, we usually assume that the component devices are trusted. However, when the total computation process is large, it is not easy to guarantee the whole system when we have scaling effects, unexpected noise, or unaccounted for correlations between several subsystems. If we do not trust the measurement basis or the prepared entangled state, we do need to be worried about such uncertainties. To this end, we propose a self-guaranteed protocol for verification of quantum computation under the scheme of measurement-based quantum computation where no prior-trusted devices (measurement basis or entangled state) are needed. The approach we present enables the implementation of verifiable quantum computation using the measurement-based model in the context of a particular instance of delegated quantum computation where the server prepares the initial computational resource and sends it to the client, who drives the computation by single-qubit measurements. Applying self-testing procedures, we are able to verify the initial resource as well as the operation of the quantum devices and hence the computation itself. The overhead of our protocol scales with the size of the initial resource state to the power of 4 times the natural logarithm of the initial state's size.

22 CFR 231.05 - Non-impairment of the Guarantee.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Non-impairment of the Guarantee. 231.05 Section 231.05 Foreign Relations AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT LOAN GUARANTEES ISSUED UNDER THE EMERGENCY WARTIME SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT OF 2003, PUBLIC LAW 108-11-STANDARD...

7 CFR 1493.430 - Application for a payment guarantee.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... (includes upward loading tolerance, if any); (12) Guaranteed value; (13) Guarantee fee; (14) The term length... (including packaging, if any); (8) Mean quantity, contract loading tolerance and, if the exporter chooses, a request for CCC to reserve coverage up to the maximum quantity permitted by the contract loading tolerance...

76 FR 31217 - Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-31

... Farm Service Agency 7 CFR Part 1980 RIN 0575-AC83 Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program... the Rural Housing Service (RHS) Section 502 Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program (SFHGLP) by eliminating the lender's published Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) rate for first mortgage loans with no...

7 CFR 1738.30 - Rural broadband access loans and loan guarantees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... interest at a rate set by the lender consistent with the current applicable market rate for a loan of... Derivative or any Guaranteed-Amount Debt Derivative; or (B) Any holder of the Guaranteed Loan Note or any Guaranteed Loan Portion Note or any Derivative, as the case may be, having a claim to payments on the...

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Ethiopia: a meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Eshetie, Setegn; Tarekegn, Fentahun; Moges, Feleke; Amsalu, Anteneh; Birhan, Wubet; Huruy, Kahsay

2016-11-21

The burden of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a major public health concern worldwide; however the overall epidemiology of multidrug resistant strains is neither coordinated nor harmonized, particularly in developing countries including Ethiopia. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the burden of methicillin resistant Staphylococcos aureus and its antibiotic resistance pattern in Ethiopia at large. PubMed, Google Scholar, and lancet databases were searched and a total of 20 studies have been selected for meta-analysis. Six authors have independently extracts data on the prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus among clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus. Statistical analysis was achieved by using Open meta-analyst (version 3.13) and Comprehensive meta-analysis (version 3.3) softwares. The overall prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and its antibiotic resistance pattern were pooled by using the forest plot, table and figure with 95% CI. The pooled prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus was 32.5% (95% CI, 24.1 to 40.9%). Moreover, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains were found to be highly resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin, and amoxicillin, with a pooled resistance ratio of 99.1, 98.1, 97.2 and 97.1%, respectively. On the other hand, comparably low levels of resistance ratio were noted to vancomycin, 5.3%. The overall burden of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is considerably high, besides these strains showed extreme resistance to penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin and amoxicillin. In principle, appropriate use of antibiotics, applying safety precautions are the key to reduce the spread of multidrug resistant strains, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in particular.

Antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus in suppurative ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

1299, p<0.05) and Methicillin resistance was confirmed by PCR. Conclusion: Staphylococcus aureus is highly prevalent and more resistant in inpatients. There is a higher risk of acquiring drug resistant staphylococcus aureus infection in ...

Memory Th1 Cells Are Protective in Invasive Staphylococcus aureus Infection

Science.gov (United States)

Lalor, Stephen J.; Leech, John M.; O’Keeffe, Kate M.; Mac Aogáin, Micheál; O’Halloran, Dara P.; Lacey, Keenan A.; Tavakol, Mehri; Hearnden, Claire H.; Fitzgerald-Hughes, Deirdre; Humphreys, Hilary; Fennell, Jérôme P.; van Wamel, Willem J.; Foster, Timothy J.; Geoghegan, Joan A.; Lavelle, Ed C.; Rogers, Thomas R.; McLoughlin, Rachel M.

2015-01-01

Mechanisms of protective immunity to Staphylococcus aureus infection in humans remain elusive. While the importance of cellular immunity has been shown in mice, T cell responses in humans have not been characterised. Using a murine model of recurrent S. aureus peritonitis, we demonstrated that prior exposure to S. aureus enhanced IFNγ responses upon subsequent infection, while adoptive transfer of S. aureus antigen-specific Th1 cells was protective in naïve mice. Translating these findings, we found that S. aureus antigen-specific Th1 cells were also significantly expanded during human S. aureus bloodstream infection (BSI). These Th1 cells were CD45RO+, indicative of a memory phenotype. Thus, exposure to S. aureus induces memory Th1 cells in mice and humans, identifying Th1 cells as potential S. aureus vaccine targets. Consequently, we developed a model vaccine comprising staphylococcal clumping factor A, which we demonstrate to be an effective human T cell antigen, combined with the Th1-driving adjuvant CpG. This novel Th1-inducing vaccine conferred significant protection during S. aureus infection in mice. This study notably advances our understanding of S. aureus cellular immunity, and demonstrates for the first time that a correlate of S. aureus protective immunity identified in mice may be relevant in humans. PMID:26539822

Memory Th1 Cells Are Protective in Invasive Staphylococcus aureus Infection.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Brown, Aisling F

2015-01-01

Mechanisms of protective immunity to Staphylococcus aureus infection in humans remain elusive. While the importance of cellular immunity has been shown in mice, T cell responses in humans have not been characterised. Using a murine model of recurrent S. aureus peritonitis, we demonstrated that prior exposure to S. aureus enhanced IFNγ responses upon subsequent infection, while adoptive transfer of S. aureus antigen-specific Th1 cells was protective in naïve mice. Translating these findings, we found that S. aureus antigen-specific Th1 cells were also significantly expanded during human S. aureus bloodstream infection (BSI). These Th1 cells were CD45RO+, indicative of a memory phenotype. Thus, exposure to S. aureus induces memory Th1 cells in mice and humans, identifying Th1 cells as potential S. aureus vaccine targets. Consequently, we developed a model vaccine comprising staphylococcal clumping factor A, which we demonstrate to be an effective human T cell antigen, combined with the Th1-driving adjuvant CpG. This novel Th1-inducing vaccine conferred significant protection during S. aureus infection in mice. This study notably advances our understanding of S. aureus cellular immunity, and demonstrates for the first time that a correlate of S. aureus protective immunity identified in mice may be relevant in humans.

A prospective cohort study of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage in neonates: the role of maternal carriage and phenotypic and molecular characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Jialing; Wu, Chuanan; Yan, Chunrong; Ou, Qianting; Lin, Dongxin; Zhou, Junli; Ye, Xiaohua; Yao, Zhenjiang

2018-01-01

Background Staphylococcus aureus, particularly methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), in mothers can cause serious outcomes in neonates. We aimed to elucidate the associations of S. aureus and MRSA carriage between mothers and neonates. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted between August and November 2015 in two hospitals in Shenzhen, China. Chinese pregnant women and their neonates who met the inclusion criteria were included in this study; samples and relevant information were collected. We assessed maternal–neonatal associations by using Poisson regression models. Results Overall, 1834 mothers and their neonates were included in this study. The prevalence of isolate carriage among the mothers was as follows: S. aureus (nasal, 25.8%; vaginal, 7.3%; and nasal and vaginal, 3.3%) and MRSA (nasal, 5.7%; vaginal, 1.7%; and nasal and vaginal, 0.5%). The incidences of S. aureus and MRSA carriage among neonates were 3.3% and 0.8%, respectively. Of the 21 maternal–neonatal pairs with S. aureus carriage, 14 were concordant pairs with the same phenotypic and molecular characteristics. After adjustment, the relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between the S. aureus carriage of neonates and nasal S. aureus carriage, vaginal S. aureus carriage, and both nasal and vaginal S. aureus carriage of mothers were 2.8 (95% CI, 1.6–4.8), 7.1 (95% CI, 4.1–12.4), and 9.6 (95% CI, 4.2–22.4), respectively. Conclusion S. aureus carriage in mothers increases the risk for neonates. PMID:29731644

Staphylococcus aureus detection in the mouth of housekeepers Detección de Staphylococcus aureus en la boca de trabajadores de la limpieza hospitalaria Detecção de Staphylococcus aureus na boca de trabalhadores da limpeza hospitalar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elaine Drehmer de Almeida Cruz

2011-02-01

Full Text Available This study assessed the prevalence of colonization by Staphylococcus aureus in hospital housekeepers, and their knowledge and beliefs regarding this problem. Three saliva samples were collected and a questionnaire regarding knowledge and beliefs was applied. Of the 92 workers, 63 (68.5% participated in the study; 20 were not and 43 were colonized; 13 by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and 30 by methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. Persistent carrier status of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 15.4% of cases. Low knowledge and perception of occupational risk were observed. The mouth was identified as an important reservoir of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Analyzing knowledge and beliefs, as well as the state of carrier, is an important strategy to be added to educational actions for the prevention of workers' colonization.Este estudio evaluó la prevalencia de la colonización por Staphylococcus aureus en trabajadores de limpieza hospitalaria, y su conocimiento y creencias acerca de la problemática. Fueron recolectadas tres muestras de saliva y aplicado un cuestionario referente al conocimiento y creencias. De 92 trabajadores, 63 (68,5% participaron del estudio; 20 se presentaron no colonizados y 43 colonizados; 13 para Staphylococcus aureus resistente a la meticilina y 30 para Staphylococcus aureus sensibles a la meticilina. El estado de portador persistente por Staphylococcus aureus resistente a la meticilina fue detectado en 15,4% de los casos. Bajo conocimiento y percepción del riesgo ocupacional fueron observados. La boca fue identificada como importante reservatorio de Staphylococcus aureus resistente a la meticilina. Analizar el conocimiento y creencias juntamente con la investigación del estado de portador es una importante estrategia a ser agregada a las acciones educativas para la prevención de la colonización de trabajadores.Este estudo avaliou a prevalência da coloniza

Staphylococcus aureus and community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in and around therapeutic whirlpools in college athletic training rooms.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahanov, Leamor; Kim, Young Kyun; Eberman, Lindsey; Dannelly, Kathleen; Kaur, Haninder; Ramalinga, A

2015-04-01

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has become a leading cause of skin and soft tissue infection in the nonhospitalized community. Care of the athletes in athletic training rooms is specifically designed with equipment tailored to the health care needs of the athletes, yet recent studies indicate that CA-MRSA is still prevalent in athletic facilities and that cleaning methods may not be optimal. To investigate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and CA-MRSA in and around whirlpools in the athletic training room. Cross-sectional study. National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I university. Student-athletes (n = 109) consisting of 46 men (42%) and 63 women (58%) representing 6 sports. Presence of MRSA and Staphylococcus aureus in and around the whirlpool structures relative to sport and number of athletes using the whirlpools. We identified Staphylococcus aureus in 22% (n = 52/240) of the samples and MRSA in 0.8% (n = 2/240). A statistically significant difference existed between the number of athletes using the whirlpool and the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in and around the whirlpools (F(2,238) = 2.445, P = .007). However, Staphylococcus aureus was identified regardless of whether multiple athletes used a whirlpool or no athletes used a whirlpool. We did not identify a relationship between the number of athletes who used a whirlpool and Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA density (P = .134). Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA were identified in and around the whirlpools. Transmission of the bacteria can be reduced by following the cleaning and disinfecting protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Athletic trainers should use disinfectants registered by the Environmental Protection Agency to sanitize all whirlpools between uses.

Bank guarantee in Serbian and European legal systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pajtić Bojan L.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The paper analyses a bank guarantee as an institute derived from a surety contract. By issuing a bank guarantee the bank commits to the creditor that it will fulfill valid and due liabilities of a debtor, in the event of default by the debtor. This collateral demonstrates significant advantages as compared to other personal assets, particularly with regards to a higher level of protection to creditors in contractual relations. Due to the aforementioned benefit the institute has been increasingly applied in legal dealings, both in our and other legal systems. In the paper, I will point out normative solutions in terms of regulation of a bank guarantee as a specific legal activity in which there is no accessoriness, which is not the case with security. This research particularly focuses on the comparative legal analysis of this collateral.

Corporate Bond Guarantees and The Value of Financial Flexibility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Altieri, M.; Massa, M; Manconi, A

2016-01-01

We examine the effects of the decision of parent companies to guarantee bonds issued by their subsidiaries. The market value of the parent firm’s outstanding bonds drops five times more when it issues a guarantee for subsidiary debt than when it issues a new bond in its own name. This effect is

Human factor in Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.L. Nouwen (Jan); H.A.M. Boelens (Hélène); A.F. van Belkum (Alex); H.A. Verbrugh (Henri)

2004-01-01

textabstractPersistent nasal carriers and noncarriers of Staphylococcus aureus were inoculated with a mixture of different S. aureus strains. The majority of noncarriers and nearly all persistent carriers returned to their original carrier state after artificial inoculation. Furthermore, the

78 FR 79253 - CCC Export Credit Guarantee (GSM-102) Program and Facility Guarantee Program (FGP)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-27

... been worked out in advance of the exporter's application for the payment guarantee. Foreign Financial... country of domicile must provide financial statements in accordance with prevailing accounting standards... smaller U.S. exporters. Changes are also intended to improve CCC's financial management of the program...

Determinants of carriage of resistant Staphylococcus aureus among S. aureus carriers in the Indonesian population inside and outside hospitals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E.S. Lestari (Endang Sri); D.O. Duerink (Offra); U. Hadi (Usman); J.A. Severin (Juliëtte); N.J.D. Nagelkerke (Nico); K. Kuntaman (Kuntaman); H. Wahjono (Hendro); W. Gardjito (Widjoseno); A. Soejoenoes (Ariawan); P. van den Broek (Peterhans); M. Keuter (Monique); I.C. Gyssens (Inge); H.A. Verbrugh (Henri)

2010-01-01

textabstractOBJECTIVES: To identify determinants of carriage of resistant Staphylococcus aureus in both hospitalized patients and individuals from the community in two urban centres in Indonesia. METHODS: Staphylococcus aureus cultures and data on recent antibiotic use, demographic, socioeconomic,

Staphylococcus aureus in the community: colonization versus infection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maureen Miller

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections have increased dramatically in the community, yet S. aureus nasal colonization has remained stable. The objectives of this study were to determine if S. aureus colonization is a useful proxy measure to study disease transmission and infection in community settings, and to identify potential community reservoirs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Randomly selected households in Northern Manhattan, completed a structured social network questionnaire and provided nasal swabs that were typed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis to identify S. aureus colonizing strains. The main outcome measures were: 1 colonization with S. aureus; and 2 recent serious skin infection. Risk factor analyses were conducted at both the individual and the household levels; logistic regression models identified independent risks for household colonization and infection. RESULTS: 321 surveyed households contained 914 members. The S. aureus prevalence was 25% and MRSA was 0.4%. More than 40% of households were colonized. Recent antibiotic use was the only significant correlate for household colonization (p = .002. Seventy-eight (24% households reported serious skin infection. In contrast with colonization, five of the six risk factors that increased the risk of skin infection in the household at the univariate level remained independently significant in multivariable analysis: international travel, sports participation, surgery, antibiotic use and towel sharing. S. aureus colonization was not significantly associated with serious skin infection in any analysis. Among multiperson households with more than one person colonized, 50% carried the same strain. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The lack of association between S. aureus nasal colonization and serious skin infection underscores the need to explore alternative venues or body sites that may be crucial to transmission. Moreover, the magnitude of colonization and

eap Gene as novel target for specific identification of Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Muzaffar; von Eiff, Christof; Sinha, Bhanu; Joost, Insa; Herrmann, Mathias; Peters, Georg; Becker, Karsten

2008-02-01

The cell surface-associated extracellular adherence protein (Eap) mediates adherence of Staphylococcus aureus to host extracellular matrix components and inhibits inflammation, wound healing, and angiogenesis. A well-characterized collection of S. aureus and non-S. aureus staphylococcal isolates (n = 813) was tested for the presence of the Eap-encoding gene (eap) by PCR to investigate the use of the eap gene as a specific diagnostic tool for identification of S. aureus. Whereas all 597 S. aureus isolates were eap positive, this gene was not detectable in 216 non-S. aureus staphylococcal isolates comprising 47 different species and subspecies of coagulase-negative staphylococci and non-S. aureus coagulase-positive or coagulase-variable staphylococci. Furthermore, non-S. aureus isolates did not express Eap homologs, as verified on the transcriptional and protein levels. Based on these data, the sensitivity and specificity of the newly developed PCR targeting the eap gene were both 100%. Thus, the unique occurrence of Eap in S. aureus offers a promising tool particularly suitable for molecular diagnostics of this pathogen.

Duplex Identification of Staphylococcus aureus by Aptamer and Gold Nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Tianjun; Wang, Libo; Zhao, Kexu; Ge, Yu; He, Meng; Li, Gang

2016-06-01

Staphylococcus aureus is the top common pathogen causing infections and food poisoning. Identification of S. aureus is crucial for the disease diagnosis and regulation of food hygiene. Herein, we report an aptamer-AuNPs based method for duplex identification of S. aureus. Using AuNPs as an indicator, SA23, an aptamer against S. aureus, can well identify its target from Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, we find citrate-coated AuNPs can strongly bind to S. aureus, but not bind to Salmonella enterica and Proteus mirabilis, which leads to different color changes in salt solution. This colorimetric response is capable of distinguishing S. aureus from S. enteritidis and P. mirabilis. Thus, using the aptasensor and AuNPs together, S. aureus can be accurately identified from the common pathogens. This duplex identification system is a promising platform for simple visual identification of S. aureus. Additionally, in the aptasensing process, bacteria are incubated with aptamers and then be removed before the aptamers adding to AuNPs, which may avoid the interactions between bacteria and AuNPs. This strategy can be potentially applied in principle to detect other cells by AuNPs-based aptasensors.

The Risk Management of Minimum Return Guarantees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antje Mahayni

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Contracts paying a guaranteed minimum rate of return and a fraction of a positive excess rate, which is specified relative to a benchmark portfolio, are closely related to unit-linked life-insurance products and can be considered as alternatives to direct investment in the underlying benchmark. They contain an embedded power option, and the key issue is the tractable and realistic hedging of this option, in order to rigorously justify valuation by arbitrage arguments and prevent the guarantees from becoming uncontrollable liabilities to the issuer. We show how to determine the contract parameters conservatively and implement robust risk-management strategies.

Doubts raised on the validity of construction and payment guarantees

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A construction company had been liquidated and the employer had called up the guarantee .... Due to the small size of the target populations in both the quantitative and qualitative ..... contingent liability that remains in terms of the guarantee.

Staphylococcus aureus biofilm removal by targeting biofilm-associated extracellular proteins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudhir K Shukla

2017-01-01

Methods: Biofilm assay was done in 96-well microtitre plate to evaluate the effect of proteinase K on biofilms of bovine mastitis S. Aureus isolates. Extracellular polymeric substances were extracted and evaluated for their composition (protein, polysaccharides and extracellular DNA, before and after the proteinase K treatment. Results: Biofilm assay showed that 2 μg/ml proteinase K significantly inhibited biofilm development in bap-positive S. aureus V329 as well as other S. aureus isolates (SA7, SA10, SA33, SA352, but not in bap-mutant M556 and SA392 (a weak biofilm-producing strain. Proteinase K treatment on S. aureus planktonic cells showed that there was no inhibition of planktonic growth up to 32 μg/ml of proteinase K. Proteinase K treatment on 24 h old preformed biofilms showed an enhanced dispersion of bap-positive V329 and SA7, SA10, SA33 and SA352 biofilms; however, proteinase K did not affect the bap-mutant S. aureus M556 and SA392 biofilms. Biofilm compositions study before and after proteinase K treatment indicated that Bap might also be involved in eDNA retention in the biofilm matrix that aids in biofilm stability. When proteinase K was used in combination with antibiotics, a synergistic effect in antibiotic efficacy was observed against all biofilm-forming S. aureus isolates. Interpretation & conclusions: Proteinase K inhibited biofilms growth in S. aureus bovine mastitis isolates but did not affect their planktonic growth. An enhanced dispersion of preformed S. aureus biofilms was observed on proteinase K treatment. Proteinase K treatment with antibiotics showed a synergistic effect against S. aureus biofilms. The study suggests that dispersing S. aureus by protease can be of use while devising strategies againstS. aureus biofilms.

Shedding of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from adult and pediatric bathers in marine waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinigalliano Christopher D

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Staphylococcus aureus including methicillin resistant S. aureus, MRSA, are human colonizing bacteria that commonly cause opportunistic infections primarily involving the skin in otherwise healthy individuals. These infections have been linked to close contact and sharing of common facilities such as locker rooms, schools and prisons Waterborne exposure and transmission routes have not been traditionally associated with S. aureus infections. Coastal marine waters and beaches used for recreation are potential locations for the combination of high numbers of people with close contact and therefore could contribute to the exposure to and infection by these organisms. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the amount and characteristics of the shedding of methicillin sensitive S. aureus, MSSA and MRSA by human bathers in marine waters. Results Nasal cultures were collected from bathers, and water samples were collected from two sets of pools designed to isolate and quantify MSSA and MRSA shed by adults and toddlers during exposure to marine water. A combination of selective growth media and biochemical and polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to identify and perform limited characterization of the S. aureus isolated from the water and the participants. Twelve of 15 MRSA isolates collected from the water had identical genetic characteristics as the organisms isolated from the participants exposed to that water while the remaining 3 MRSA were without matching nasal isolates from participants. The amount of S. aureus shed per person corresponded to 105 to 106 CFU per person per 15-minute bathing period, with 15 to 20% of this quantity testing positive for MRSA. Conclusions This is the first report of a comparison of human colonizing organisms with bacteria from human exposed marine water attempting to confirm that participants shed their own colonizing MSSA and MRSA into their bathing milieu. These findings clearly

Characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Sequence Type 398

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Mette Theilgaard

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen that colonizes the nares and skin surfaces of several animal species, including man. S. aureus can cause a wide variety of infections ranging from superficial soft tissue and skin infections to severe and deadly systemic infections. Traditionally S....... aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been associated with hospitals, but during the past decades MRSA has emerged in the community and now a new branch of MRSA has been found in association with livestock (LA-MRSA). A specific lineage (multilocus sequence type 398 (ST398...

Research advance in rapid detection of foodborne Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xihong Zhao

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive, coccus-shaped facultative anaerobe and a member of the Staphylococcaceae family. In recent years, alimentary toxicosis caused by S. aureus is a very serious problem worldwide, which constitutes a great threat to public health. In this review, we tried to summarize the conventional methods and newly developed rapid detection techniques of S. aureus (traditional detection method, biochemical detection, immunology method, molecular biology, and biosensor method for their principles, advantages, disadvantages, and applications. Furthermore, the future perspectives of S. aureus detection methods were forecasted at last.

Population structure of Staphylococcus aureus in China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yan, Xiaomei

2015-01-01

The present PhD research was aimed at analysing the population structure of Staphylococcus aureus in China. Between 2000 and 2005 we found that patients from a single Chinese hospital showed increasing trends in antimicrobial resistance. Among methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), resistance

Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus among ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in apparently healthy ... treatment failures is vital. Keywords: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Nasal swabs, Multidrug resistance, Rational .... defined as resistance to three or more classes of antibiotics other than the ...

Staphylococcus aureus and Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in and Around Therapeutic Whirlpools in College Athletic Training Rooms

Science.gov (United States)

Kahanov, Leamor; Kim, Young Kyun; Eberman, Lindsey; Dannelly, Kathleen; Kaur, Haninder; Ramalinga, A.

2015-01-01

Context: Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) has become a leading cause of skin and soft tissue infection in the nonhospitalized community. Care of the athletes in athletic training rooms is specifically designed with equipment tailored to the health care needs of the athletes, yet recent studies indicate that CA-MRSA is still prevalent in athletic facilities and that cleaning methods may not be optimal. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and CA-MRSA in and around whirlpools in the athletic training room. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I university. Patients or Other Participants: Student-athletes (n = 109) consisting of 46 men (42%) and 63 women (58%) representing 6 sports. Main Outcome Measure(s): Presence of MRSA and Staphylococcus aureus in and around the whirlpool structures relative to sport and number of athletes using the whirlpools. Results: We identified Staphylococcus aureus in 22% (n = 52/240) of the samples and MRSA in 0.8% (n = 2/240). A statistically significant difference existed between the number of athletes using the whirlpool and the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in and around the whirlpools (F2,238 = 2.445, P = .007). However, Staphylococcus aureus was identified regardless of whether multiple athletes used a whirlpool or no athletes used a whirlpool. We did not identify a relationship between the number of athletes who used a whirlpool and Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA density (P = .134). Conclusions: Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA were identified in and around the whirlpools. Transmission of the bacteria can be reduced by following the cleaning and disinfecting protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Athletic trainers should use disinfectants registered by the Environmental Protection Agency to sanitize all whirlpools between uses. PMID:25710853

In silico analysis for identifying potential vaccine candidates against Staphylococcus aureus

OpenAIRE

Delfani, Somayeh; Imani Fooladi, Abbas Ali; Mobarez, Ashraf Mohabati; Emaneini, Mohammad; Amani, Jafar; Sedighian, Hamid

2015-01-01

Purpose Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important causes of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. The increasing incidence of multiple antibiotic-resistant S. aureus strains and the emergence of vancomycin resistant S. aureus strains have placed renewed interest on alternative means of prevention and control of infection. S. aureus produces a variety of virulence factors, so a multi-subunit vaccine will be more successful for preventing S. aureus infections than a mono-subuni...

Communications of Staphylococcus aureus and non-aureus Staphylococcus species from bovine intramammary infections and teat apex colonization.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmmod, Yasser S; Klaas, Ilka Christine; Svennesen, Line; Pedersen, Karl; Ingmer, Hanne

2018-05-16

The role of non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) in the risk of acquisition of intramammary infections with Staphylococcus aureus is vague and still under debate. The objectives of this study were to (1) investigate the distribution patterns of NAS species from milk and teat skin in dairy herds with automatic milking systems, and (2) examine if the isolated NAS influences the expression of S. aureus virulence factors controlled by the accessory gene regulator (agr) quorum sensing system. In 8 herds, 14 to 20 cows with elevated somatic cell count were randomly selected for teat skin swabbing and aseptic quarter foremilk samples from right hind and left front quarters. Teat skin swabs were collected using the modified wet-dry method and milk samples were taken aseptically for bacterial culture. Colonies from quarters with suspicion of having NAS in milk or teat skin samples (or both) were subjected to MALDI-TOF assay for species identification. To investigate the interaction between S. aureus and NAS, 81 isolates NAS were subjected to a qualitative β-galactosidase reporter plate assay. In total, 373 NAS isolates were identified representing 105 from milk and 268 from teat skin of 284 quarters (= 142 cows). Sixteen different NAS species were identified, 15 species from teat skin and 10 species from milk. The most prevalent NAS species identified from milk were Staphylococcus epidermidis (50%), Staphylococcus haemolyticus (15%), and Staphylococcus chromogenes (11%), accounting for 76%. Meanwhile, the most prevalent NAS species from teat skin were Staphylococcus equorum (43%), S. haemolyticus (16%), and Staphylococcus cohnii (14%), accounting for 73%. Using reporter gene fusions monitoring transcriptional activity of key virulence factors and regulators, we found that out of 81 supernatants of NAS isolates, 77% reduced expression of hla, encoding a-hemolysin, 70% reduced expression of RNAIII, the key effector molecule of agr, and 61% reduced expression of spa encoding

Selective biosensing of Staphylococcus aureus using chitosan quantum dots

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelhamid, Hani Nasser; Wu, Hui-Fen

2018-01-01

Selective biosensing of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) using chitosan modified quantum dots (CTS@CdS QDs) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide is reported. The method is based on the intrinsic positive catalase activity of S. aureus. CTS@CdS quantum dots provide high dispersion in aqueous media with high fluorescence emission. Staphylococcus aureus causes a selective quenching of the fluorescence emission of CTS@CdS QDs in the presence of H2O2 compared to other pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The intrinsic enzymatic character of S. aureus (catalase positive) offers selective and fast biosensing. The present method is highly selective for positive catalase species and requires no expensive reagents such as antibodies, aptamers or microbeads. It could be extended for other species that are positive catalase.

Waiting time guarantee - an update

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Socha, Karolina; Bech, Mickael

2008-01-01

The rule of extended free choice of hospital, in force since 2002, provides patients with an option to choose a private hospital if the public system is unable to provide a treatment within the guaranteed waiting time of one month. In June 2008 the Government declared in their yearly budget agree...

Public initiatives to support entrepreneurs: Credit guarantees versus co-funding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arping, S.; Lóránth, G.; Morrison, A.D.

2008-01-01

We analyze state-sponsored credit guarantees in a setting where entrepreneurs are capital-constrained and subject to moral hazard. In our model, guarantees can raise welfare because they reduce the cost of capital faced by entrepreneurs, and so potentially enhance entrepreneurial effort incentives.

42 CFR 57.1514 - Loan guarantee and interest subsidy agreements.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... GRANTS GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF TEACHING FACILITIES, EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT LOANS Loan Guarantees and Interest Subsidies to Assist in Construction of Teaching Facilities for Health Profession Personnel § 57.1514 Loan guarantee and interest subsidy agreements. For each application for a...

Building Trust in a Guarantee Fund in a Challenging Institutional Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luciano Quinto Lanz

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Difficult access to credit is a major obstacle to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs survival, especially in emerging countries, affecting their competitiveness. Lack of guarantees is a main reason why banks do not lend to MSMEs. Guarantee schemes provide partial credit guarantees, but often fail to win trust of banks and enterprises. This study analyzes the process of building trust between the Fundo Garantidor para Investimentos (Investment Guarantee Fund, FGI, created in 2009, and banks in Brazil. This trust was hampered by the failure of public guarantee funds created in the 1990’s. This created a challenging institutional environment to the new fund. The methodology employed was a case study, based on a qualitative approach with document analysis, semi-structured interviews and descriptive statistics. The analysis used models for building and repairing trust in inter-organizational relations and international benchmark for governance and effectiveness of guarantee schemes. The analysis showed that the FGI used other emerging countries and developed countries experience to construct adequate governance and succeeded in establishing trust with the banks. The results show that by 2017, 26 banks contract more than 32,000 operations worth 1.9 billion dollars, with additionalities comparable to the international benchmark.

Guaranteed Cost Finite-Time Control of Discrete-Time Positive Impulsive Switched Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leipo Liu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper considers the guaranteed cost finite-time boundedness of discrete-time positive impulsive switched systems. Firstly, the definition of guaranteed cost finite-time boundedness is introduced. By using the multiple linear copositive Lyapunov function (MLCLF and average dwell time (ADT approach, a state feedback controller is designed and sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee that the corresponding closed-loop system is guaranteed cost finite-time boundedness (GCFTB. Such conditions can be solved by linear programming. Finally, a numerical example is provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Guaranteed cost control of time-delay chaotic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Ju H.; Kwon, O.M.

2006-01-01

This article studies a guaranteed cost control problem for a class of time-delay chaotic systems. Attention is focused on the design of memory state feedback controllers such that the resulting closed-loop system is asymptotically stable and an adequate level of performance is also guaranteed. Using the Lyapunov method and LMI (linear matrix inequality) framework, two criteria for the existence of the controller are derived in terms of LMIs. A numerical example is given to illustrate the proposed method

Dissemination of antibiotic resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant S aureus strains isolated from hospital effluents.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Santi M; Ghosh, Ananta K; Pati, Bikas R

2015-12-01

Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) and methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) strains were examined in hospital effluents. Most S aureus strains are resistant to methicillin (MRSA), followed by tetracycline. Approximately 15% of MRSA strains are also resistant to vancomycin (VRSA). All VRSA strains developed a VanR/VanS-regulated 2-component system of VanA-type resistance in their genome. Results indicate that there is a possibility of developing resistance to aminoglycosides by VRSA strains in the near future. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Probabilistic double guarantee kidnapping detection in SLAM.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Yang; Ma, Shugen

2016-01-01

For determining whether kidnapping has happened and which type of kidnapping it is while a robot performs autonomous tasks in an unknown environment, a double guarantee kidnapping detection (DGKD) method has been proposed. The good performance of DGKD in a relative small environment is shown. However, a limitation of DGKD is found in a large-scale environment by our recent work. In order to increase the adaptability of DGKD in a large-scale environment, an improved method called probabilistic double guarantee kidnapping detection is proposed in this paper to combine probability of features' positions and the robot's posture. Simulation results demonstrate the validity and accuracy of the proposed method.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in palliative care: A prospective study of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prevalence in a hospital-based palliative care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmalz, Oliver; Strapatsas, Tobias; Alefelder, Christof; Grebe, Scott Oliver

2016-07-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a common organism in hospitals worldwide and is associated with morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the prevalence in palliative care patients. Furthermore, there is no standardized screening protocol or treatment for patients for whom therapy concentrates on symptom control. Examining the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in palliative care patients as well as the level of morbidity and mortality. We performed a prospective study where methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening was undertaken in 296 consecutive patients within 48 h after admission to our palliative care unit. Medical history was taken, clinical examination was performed, and the Karnofsky Performance Scale and Palliative Prognostic Score were determined. Prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was compared to data of general hospital patients. In total, 281 patients were included in the study having a mean age of 69.7 years (standard deviation = 12.9 years) and an average Karnofsky Performance Scale between 30% and 40%. The mean length of stay was 9.7 days (standard deviation = 7.6 days). A total of 24 patients were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus positive on the first swab. Median number of swabs was 2. All patients with a negative methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus swab upon admission remained Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus negative in all subsequent swabs. Our study suggests that the prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among patients in an in-hospital palliative care unit is much higher than in other patient populations. © The Author(s) 2016.

Bovine origin Staphylococcus aureus: A new zoonotic agent?

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Relangi Tulasi; Jayakumar, Kannan; Kumar, Pavitra

2017-10-01

The study aimed to assess the nature of animal origin Staphylococcus aureus strains. The study has zoonotic importance and aimed to compare virulence between two different hosts, i.e., bovine and ovine origin. Conventional polymerase chain reaction-based methods used for the characterization of S. aureus strains and chick embryo model employed for the assessment of virulence capacity of strains. All statistical tests carried on R program, version 3.0.4. After initial screening and molecular characterization of the prevalence of S. aureus found to be 42.62% in bovine origin samples and 28.35% among ovine origin samples. Meanwhile, the methicillin-resistant S. aureus prevalence is found to be meager in both the hosts. Among the samples, only 6.8% isolates tested positive for methicillin resistance. The biofilm formation quantified and the variation compared among the host. A Welch two-sample t -test found to be statistically significant, t=2.3179, df=28.103, and p=0.02795. Chicken embryo model found effective to test the pathogenicity of the strains. The study helped to conclude healthy bovines can act as S. aureus reservoirs. Bovine origin S. aureus strains are more virulent than ovine origin strains. Bovine origin strains have high probability to become zoonotic pathogen. Further, gene knock out studies may be conducted to conclude zoonocity of the bovine origin strains.

Variation among Staphylococcus aureus membrane vesicle proteomes affects cytotoxicity of host cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Hyejin; Oh, Man Hwan; Jun, So Hyun; Kim, Seung Il; Choi, Chi Won; Kwon, Hyo Il; Na, Seok Hyeon; Kim, Yoo Jeong; Nicholas, Asiimwe; Selasi, Gati Noble; Lee, Je Chul

2016-04-01

Staphylococcus aureus secretes membrane-derived vesicles (MVs), which can deliver virulence factors to host cells and induce cytopathology. However, the cytopathology of host cells induced by MVs derived from different S. aureus strains has not yet been characterized. In the present study, the cytotoxic activity of MVs from different S. aureus isolates on host cells was compared and the proteomes of S. aureus MVs were analyzed. The MVs purified from S. aureus M060 isolated from a patient with staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome showed higher cytotoxic activity toward host cells than that shown by MVs from three other clinical S. aureus isolates. S. aureus M060 MVs induced HEp-2 cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, but the cytotoxic activity of MVs was completely abolished by treatment with proteinase K. In a proteomic analysis, the MVs from three S. aureus isolates not only carry 25 common proteins, but also carry ≥60 strain-specific proteins. All S. aureus MVs contained δ-hemolysin (Hld), γ-hemolysin, leukocidin D, and exfoliative toxin C, but exfoliative toxin A (ETA) was specifically identified in S. aureus M060 MVs. ETA was delivered to HEp-2 cells via S. aureus MVs. Both rETA and rHld induced cytotoxicity in HEp-2 cells. In conclusion, MVs from clinical S. aureus isolates differ with respect to cytotoxic activity in host cells, and these differences may result from differences in the MV proteomes. Further proteogenomic analysis or mutagenesis of specific genes is necessary to identify cytotoxic factors in S. aureus MVs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Molecular typing of Staphylococcus aureus based on coagulase gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Javid, Faizan; Taku, Anil; Bhat, Mohd Altaf; Badroo, Gulzar Ahmad; Mudasir, Mir; Sofi, Tanveer Ahmad

2018-04-01

This study was conducted to study the coagulase gene-based genetic diversity of Staphylococcus aureus , isolated from different samples of cattle using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and their sequence-based phylogenetic analysis. A total of 192 different samples from mastitic milk, nasal cavity, and pus from skin wounds of cattle from Military Dairy Farm, Jammu, India, were screened for the presence of S. aureus . The presumptive isolates were confirmed by nuc gene-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The confirmed S. aureus isolates were subjected to coagulase ( coa ) gene PCR. Different coa genotypes observed were subjected to RFLP using restriction enzymes Hae111 and Alu1 , to obtain the different restriction patterns. One isolate from each restriction pattern was sequenced. These sequences were aligned for maximum homology using the Bioedit softwareandsimilarity in the sequences was inferred with the help of sequence identity matrix. Of 192 different samples,39 (20.31%) isolates of S. aureus were confirmed by targeting nuc gene using PCR. Of 39 S. aureus isolates, 25 (64.10%) isolates carried coa gene. Four different genotypes of coa gene, i.e., 514 bp, 595 bp, 757 bp, and 802 bp were obtained. Two coa genotypes, 595 bp (15 isolates) and 802 bp (4 isolates), were observed in mastitic milk. 514 bp (2 isolates) and 757 bp (4 isolates) coa genotypes were observed from nasal cavity and pus from skin wounds, respectively. On RFLP using both restriction enzymes, four different restriction patterns P1, P2, P3, and P4 were observed. On sequencing, four different sequences having unique restriction patterns were obtained. The most identical sequences with the value of 0.810 were found between isolate S. aureus 514 (nasal cavity) and S. aureus 595 (mastitic milk), and thus, they are most closely related. While as the most distant sequences with the value of 0.483 were found between S. aureus 514 and S. aureus 802 isolates. The study, being localized

16 CFR 239.2 - Disclosures in warranty or guarantee advertising.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... warranty coverage. These examples are for both print and broadcast advertising. These examples are... advertising. 239.2 Section 239.2 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION GUIDES AND TRADE PRACTICE RULES GUIDES FOR THE ADVERTISING OF WARRANTIES AND GUARANTEES § 239.2 Disclosures in warranty or guarantee...

Financial guarantee for decommissioning and nuclear waste management activities at OPG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van den Hengel, J.

2006-01-01

This paper provides an overview on the establishment and maintenance of a financial guarantee for decommissioning and nuclear waste management activities at Ontario Power Generation (OPG) in accordance with CNSC requirements. The process and timelines are documented leading to the establishment of the guarantee effective July 31, 2003. Reference plans, cost estimates, funding mechanisms and reporting mechanisms are summarized. The renewal process projected at the end of the 5-year initial financial guarantee period is also included. (author)

A pig model of acute Staphylococcus aureus induced pyemia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, O. L.; Iburg, T.; Aalbæk, B.

2009-01-01

Background: Sepsis caused by Staphylococcus aureus constitutes an important cause of morbidity and mortality in humans, and the incidence of this disease-entity is increasing. In this paper we describe the initial microbial dynamics and lesions in pigs experimentally infected with S. aureus....... aureus isolated from man and an extension of the timeframe aiming at inducing sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock....

Several Guaranteed Descent Conjugate Gradient Methods for Unconstrained Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

San-Yang Liu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates a general form of guaranteed descent conjugate gradient methods which satisfies the descent condition gkTdk≤-1-1/4θkgk2  θk>1/4 and which is strongly convergent whenever the weak Wolfe line search is fulfilled. Moreover, we present several specific guaranteed descent conjugate gradient methods and give their numerical results for large-scale unconstrained optimization.

The pricing of bank debt guarantees

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arping, S.

2010-01-01

We analyze the desirability of fair pricing of government guarantees for bank liabilities. Fair pricing is desirable only if the banking sector is sufficiently transparent. In opaque banking systems, fair pricing may exacerbate banks' incentive to take excessive risks.

ACCESS TO FINANCE FOR SMEs BY CREDIT GUARANTEE SCHEMES IN TURKEY

OpenAIRE

Sarigul, Hasmet

2013-01-01

Credit guarantee schemes assist banks in lending to SMEs by overcoming collateral problems. The guarantees are used to share the risk between the bank and the guarantee institution in an agreed ratio. Thus, the bank’s risk and operation costs are lowered and its returns increased. This encourages banks to lend to SMEs who are unable to provide adequate collateral. In our study, we investigate the relationship between SMEs, banks and CGSs. We also aimed to explain the functioning of CGSs...

Prevalence and resistance of commensal Staphylococcus aureus, including meticillin-resistant S aureus, in nine European countries: a cross-sectional study.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heijer, C.D.J. den; Bijnen, E.M.E. van; Paget, W.J.; Pringle, M.; Goossen, H.; Bruggeman, C.A.; Schellevis, F.G.; Stobberingh, E.E.

2013-01-01

Background: Information about the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus resistance to antimicrobial drugs has mainly been obtained from invasive strains, although the commensal microbiota is thought to be an important reservoir of resistance. We aimed to compare the prevalence of nasal S aureus

12 CFR 370.6 - Assessments under the Debt Guarantee Program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... OF GENERAL POLICY TEMPORARY LIQUIDITY GUARANTEE PROGRAM § 370.6 Assessments under the Debt Guarantee... participating entity shall ensure that funds in an amount at least equal to the amount of the assessment are... institution shall provide the necessary funds for payment of its assessments. (3) Failure to take all...

Protective effects of tenuigenin on Staphylococcus aureus-induced pneumonia in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Bin; Qiao, Jiutao; Shen, Yongbin; Li, Lianyong

2017-09-01

Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in infants and young children. Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) is one of the most important bacteria that leads to pneumonia. Tenuigenin (TGN), a major active component isolated from the root of the Chinese herb Polygala tenuifolia, has been known to have anti-inflammatory effect. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of TGN on S.aureus-induced pneumonia in mice. The results showed that TGN significantly attenuated S.aureus-induced lung histopathological changes. TGN also inhibited lung wet/dry (W/D) ratio, and inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β production. Furthermore, S.aureus-induced NF-κB activation was significantly inhibited by the treatment of TGN. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that TGN protected against S.aureus-induced pneumonia by inhibiting NF-κB activation. TGN might be a potential agent in the treatment of pneumonia induced by S.aureus. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Survey and properties of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Japanese-style desserts.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimamura, Yuko; Kidokoro, Shiho; Murata, Masatsune

2006-07-01

We surveyed the contamination of 315 Japanese- and western-style desserts and 247 human hands by Staphylococcus aureus and other staphylococcal bacteria. The most frequently isolated staphylococcal bacterium was S. warneri, followed by S. aureus. Only 1.9% of western-style desserts were contaminated by S. aureus strains, while 19.4% and 13.0% of Japanese-style desserts and human hands respectively were contaminated. Ninety-four isolates of S. aureus were characterized as to their biological properties and enterotoxigenicity. Although staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the cultured broth of all S. aureus isolates, the reversed passive latex agglutination method and the polymerase chain reaction showed only 39 (41.5%) and 40 (42.6%) samples respectively as SE-positive. The predominant type of SE was SEB (67.5%), and eight strains produced SEA. None of the S. aureus strains had penicillin-binding protein 2', showing that methicillin-resistant S. aureus was not present in the samples.

Root cause analysis of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Aslam, Nadia; Mehdi, Naima; Izhar, Mateen

2015-10-01

To find the important risk factors and sources of bacteraemia in patients suffering from methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia. The descriptive study was carried out at Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, from October 2010 to August 2011. Blood cultures were processed to isolate methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. A questionnaire was completed by the participating patients suffering from bacteraemia. Information about risk factors present at the time and risk factors that served as the source of bacteraemia were noted. Total 4058 blood cultures were processed and 669(16.5%) were positive. Of them, 194(29%) cultures were found to be positive for staphylococci. Out of these 194 blood cultures, coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated from 117(60%), and 77(40%) were positive for S. aureus. Out of these 77 samples, 26(34%) were found to be methicillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus and 51(66%) were methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. The overall frequency of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus was 1.25%; 7.62% out of positive blood culture; 26.28% out of total staphylococci; and 66% out of total S. aureus. As for the source of infection, central venous pressure line 11(21.6%), post-influenza pneumonia 9(17.6%), peripheral intravenous line 8(15.7%) and dialysis line 7(13.7%) were major reasons. Taking care of aseptic measures while insertion, frequent change and early removal of the central venous and dialysis lines is of critical significance.

Targeting Staphylococcus aureus Toxins: A Potential form of Anti-Virulence Therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cin Kong

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen and the leading cause of a wide range of severe clinical infections. The range of diseases reflects the diversity of virulence factors produced by this pathogen. To establish an infection in the host, S. aureus expresses an inclusive set of virulence factors such as toxins, enzymes, adhesins, and other surface proteins that allow the pathogen to survive under extreme conditions and are essential for the bacteria’s ability to spread through tissues. Expression and secretion of this array of toxins and enzymes are tightly controlled by a number of regulatory systems. S. aureus is also notorious for its ability to resist the arsenal of currently available antibiotics and dissemination of various multidrug-resistant S. aureus clones limits therapeutic options for a S. aureus infection. Recently, the development of anti-virulence therapeutics that neutralize S. aureus toxins or block the pathways that regulate toxin production has shown potential in thwarting the bacteria’s acquisition of antibiotic resistance. In this review, we provide insights into the regulation of S. aureus toxin production and potential anti-virulence strategies that target S. aureus toxins.

Photoreactivation of ultraviolet-irradiation damage in Staphylococcus aureus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adkins, B. Jr.; Allen, W.E.

1982-01-01

This study reports the capacity of Staphylococcus aureus strain 7 - 8 to undergo photoenzymatic repair of UV-irradiation induced damage and compares it to the photoreactivation (PR) response of Escherichia coli strain B. Staphylococcus aureaus showed greater inhibition by UV irradiation than E. coli, consistent with its higher adenine and thymine content of DNA. Staphylococcus aureus showed an enhanced rate of photoreactivation with no lag in initiation of the PR response at low PR doses compared to E. coli. Maximum PR capacity of both cultures was about equal and occurred in cultures incubated at 23 - 25 0 . The PR responses at 11 - 12 and 35 - 37 0 for S. aureus and E. coli differed although both were capable of PR at each of these temperatures. The PR response of E. coli was directly related to the dosage of PR light (J/m 2 ); however, the photoenzymatic capacity of S. aureus was not directly responsive to continued decrease in light intensity. The capacity of S. aureus to undergo liquid holding recovery (LHR) occurred at 23 - 25 0 (not at 11 - 12 0 or 35 - 37 0 ), whereas E. coli underwent LHR at 11 - 12 0 and 23 - 25 0 but not at 35 - 37 0 . The LHR response of S. aureus was somewhat more effective than E. coli and did not show the direct response to increased liquid-holding period as did E. coli. (author)

Antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from fresh ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from fresh cow milk in settled ... produced alpha haemolysin, 45.5% (n=25) produced beta haemolysin and ... resistant strains of S. aureus of animal and human biotypes and can serve as ...

Simple method for correct enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haaber, J.; Cohn, M. T.; Petersen, A.

2016-01-01

culture. When grown in such liquid cultures, the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is characterized by its aggregation of single cells into clusters of variable size. Here, we show that aggregation during growth in the laboratory standard medium tryptic soy broth (TSB) is common among clinical...... and laboratory S. aureus isolates and that aggregation may introduce significant bias when applying standard enumeration methods on S. aureus growing in laboratory batch cultures. We provide a simple and efficient sonication procedure, which can be applied prior to optical density measurements to give...

Research advance in rapid detection of foodborne Staphylococcus aureus

OpenAIRE

Xihong Zhao; Caijiao Wei; Junliang Zhong; Shiwei Jin

2016-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive, coccus-shaped facultative anaerobe and a member of the Staphylococcaceae family. In recent years, alimentary toxicosis caused by S. aureus is a very serious problem worldwide, which constitutes a great threat to public health. In this review, we tried to summarize the conventional methods and newly developed rapid detection techniques of S. aureus (traditional detection method, biochemical detection, immunology method, molecular biology, and biosensor...

Active immunization with an octa-valent Staphylococcus aureus antigen mixture in models of S. aureus bacteremia and skin infection in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanne van den Berg

Full Text Available Proteomic studies with different Staphylococcus aureus isolates have shown that the cell surface-exposed and secreted proteins IsaA, LytM, Nuc, the propeptide of Atl (pro-Atl and four phenol-soluble modulins α (PSMα are invariantly produced by this pathogen. Therefore the present study was aimed at investigating whether these proteins can be used for active immunization against S. aureus infection in mouse models of bacteremia and skin infection. To this end, recombinant His-tagged fusions of IsaA, LytM, Nuc and pro-Atl were isolated from Lactococcus lactis or Escherichia coli, while the PSMα1-4 peptides were chemically synthesized. Importantly, patients colonized by S. aureus showed significant immunoglobulin G (IgG responses against all eight antigens. BALB/cBYJ mice were immunized subcutaneously with a mixture of the antigens at day one (5 μg each, and boosted twice (25 μg of each antigen with 28 days interval. This resulted in high IgG responses against all antigens although the response against pro-Atl was around one log lower compared to the other antigens. Compared to placebo-immunized mice, immunization with the octa-valent antigen mixture did not reduce the S. aureus isolate P load in blood, lungs, spleen, liver, and kidneys in a bacteremia model in which the animals were challenged for 14 days with a primary load of 3 × 10(5 CFU. Discomfort scores and animal survival rates over 14 days did not differ between immunized mice and placebo-immunized mice upon bacteremia with S. aureus USA300 (6 × 10(5 CFU. In addition, this immunization did not reduce the S. aureus isolate P load in mice with skin infection. These results show that the target antigens are immunogenic in both humans and mice, but in the used animal models do not result in protection against S. aureus infection.

Assessing the potential for raw meat to influence human colonization with Staphylococcus aureus

OpenAIRE

Carrel, Margaret; Zhao, Chang; Thapaliya, Dipendra; Bitterman, Patrick; Kates, Ashley E.; Hanson, Blake M.; Smith, Tara C.

2017-01-01

The role of household meat handling and consumption in the transfer of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) from livestock to consumers is not well understood. Examining the similarity of S. aureus colonizing humans and S. aureus in meat from the stores in which those individuals shop can provide insight into the role of meat in human S. aureus colonization. S. aureus isolates were collected from individuals in rural and urban communities in Iowa (n?=?3347) and contemporaneously from meat produc...

An Electronic Commerce Strategy for MTMC’s Guaranteed Traffic Program

Science.gov (United States)

1992-10-01

AD-A264 299 SELECTE October 1992 S MAY1 4 1993U C An Electronic Commerce Strategy for MTMC’s Guaranteed Traffic Program MT901R I N1. Augustine...NUMBERS An Electronic Commerce Strategy for MTMC’s Guaranteed Traffic Program C MDA903-85-C -0139 M DA903-90-C-0006 PE 0902198D 6. AUTHOR(S) M...239-1L 299-01 LMI Executive Summary AN ELECTRONIC COMMERCE STRATEGY FOR MTMC’S GUARANTEED TRAFFIC PROGRAM In 1979, the Military Traffic Management

Intercenter reproducibility of binary typing for Staphylococcus aureus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Leeuwen, Willem B.; Snoeijers, Sandor; van der Werken-Libregts, Christel; Tuip, Anita; van der Zee, Anneke; Egberink, Diane; de Proost, Monique; Bik, Elisabeth; Lunter, Bjorn; Kluytmans, Jan; Gits, Etty; van Duyn, Inge; Heck, Max; van der Zwaluw, Kim; Wannet, Wim; Noordhoek, Gerda T.; Mulder, Sije; Renders, Nicole; Boers, Miranda; Zaat, Sebastiaan; van der Riet, Daniëlle; Kooistra, Mirjam; Talens, Adriaan; Dijkshoorn, Lenie; van der Reyden, Tanny; Veenendaal, Dick; Bakker, Nancy; Cookson, Barry; Lynch, Alisson; Witte, Wolfgang; Cuny, Christa; Blanc, Dominique; Vernez, Isabelle; Hryniewicz, Waleria; Fiett, Janusz; Struelens, Marc; Deplano, Ariane; Landegent, Jim; Verbrugh, Henri A.; van Belkum, Alex

2002-01-01

The reproducibility of the binary typing (BT) protocol developed for epidemiological typing of Staphylococcus aureus was analyzed in a biphasic multicenter study. In a Dutch multicenter pilot study, 10 genetically unique isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were characterized by the BT

The changing epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laupland, K.B.; Lyytikäinen, O.; Søgaard, Mette

2013-01-01

Clin Microbiol Infect ABSTRACT: Although the epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (BSI) has been changing, international comparisons are lacking. We sought to determine the incidence of S. aureus BSI and assess trends over time and by region. Population-based surveillance w...

Staphylococcus aureus small colony variants in diabetic foot infections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Estrella Cervantes-García

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus is one of the major pathogens causing chronic infections. The ability of S. aureus to acquire resistance to a diverse range of antimicrobial compounds results in limited treatment options, particularly in methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA. A mechanism by which S. aureus develops reduced susceptibility to antimicrobials is through the formation of small colony variants (SCVs. Infections by SCVs of S. aureus are an upcoming problem due to difficulties in laboratory diagnosis and resistance to antimicrobial therapy. Methods: A prospective study was performed on 120 patients diagnosed with both type 2 diabetes mellitus and infected diabetic foot ulcers. The study was carried out from July 2012 to December 2013 in Hospital General de Mexico. The samples were cultured in blood agar, mannitol salt agar, and MacConkey agar media, and incubated at 37°C in aerobic conditions. Results: We describe the first known cases of diabetic foot infections caused by MRSA-SCVs in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and infected diabetic foot ulcers. In all of our cases, the patients had not received any form of gentamicin therapy. Conclusions: The antibiotic therapy commonly used in diabetic patients with infected diabetic foot ulcers fails in the case of MRSA-SCVs because the intracellular location protects S. aureus-SCVs from the host's defenses and also helps them resist antibiotics. The cases studied in this article add to the spectrum of persistent and relapsing infections attributed to MRSA-SCVs and emphasizes that these variants may also play a relevant role in diabetic foot infections.

A meta-analysis of the rates of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S aureus contamination on the surfaces of environmental objects that health care workers frequently touch.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Dongxin; Ou, Qianting; Lin, Jialing; Peng, Yang; Yao, Zhenjiang

2017-04-01

Health care workers may potentially spread Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) to patients by contaminated high-touch items. We aimed to determine the pooled rates of S aureus and MRSA contamination and influencing factors. A literature search of the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, Ovid, and Scopus databases was performed. Pooled contamination rates were determined using random effect models. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were conducted to identify factors potentially influencing the rates of S aureus and MRSA contamination. Sensitivity and publication bias analyses were performed. Thirty-eight studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled contamination rates were 15.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.8%-21.1%) for S aureus and 5.0% (95% CI, 2.7%-7.7%) for MRSA. The subgroup analyses indicated that the pooled rate of S aureus contamination was significantly higher for studies conducted in South America, in developing countries, and during 2010-2015. The pooled rate of MRSA contamination was significantly higher for studies conducted in Africa. The meta-regression analysis suggested that the pooled rate of S aureus contamination was lower for studies conducted in developed countries (odds ratio, 0.664; 95% CI, 0.509-0.867; P = .004). No bias was found in the publication of the rates of S aureus and MRSA contamination. S aureus and MRSA contamination statuses of high-touch items are worrisome and should be paid greater attention. Developing country status was a risk factor for S aureus contamination. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nasal carriage of methicilli-resistant staphylococcus aureus with ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Staphylococcus aureus isolates were collected from anterior nares of fifty healthy adults in Zaria and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns determined. Seventy-two percent (72%) of the isolates were methicillin-resistant S. aureus, while 20% were methicillin-susceptible. The isolates were generally resistant to multiple ...

Breast Milk Is a Potential Reservoir for Livestock-Associated Staphylococcus aureus and Community-Associated Staphylococcus aureus in Shanghai, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoliang Li

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Breast milk is the first choice in feeding newborn infants and provides multiple benefits for their growth and development. Staphylococcus aureus usually exists in breast milk and is considered one of the most important causative infective agents. To be effective in preventing and controlling S. aureus infections among infants, the aim of this study was to determine the occurrence and molecular characteristics of S. aureus isolated from 1102 samples of breast milk between 2015 and 2016 in Shanghai, China. Out of 71 S. aureus strains isolated, 15 (21.1%, 15/71 were MRSA and all the strains were characterized by spa typing, Multi-Locus Sequence Typing, SCCmec typing, antibiotic resistance testing and virulence-associated genes. A total of 18 distinct sequence types (STs and 36 spa types were identified within the 71 isolates, among which the most frequently represented was ST398 (19.7%, 14/71, followed by ST7 (18.3%, 13/71, ST59 (16.9%, 12/71. The three predominant STs accounted for more than one half of all S. aureus isolates. The most prevalent spa types were t091 (12.7%, 9/71, followed by t571 (8.5%, 6/71, t189 (7.0%, 5/71, t034 (5.6%, 4/71, t437 (5.6%, 4/71, and t701 (4.2%, 3/71. All MRSA isolates belonged to SCCmec IV and V, accounting for 66.7 and 33.3% respectively. Notably, 23 (32.4% S. aureus strains were multidrug resistance (MDR, including 4 (5.6% MRSA and 19 (26.8% MSSA strains, and MDR isolates were mostly resistant to penicillin, erythromycin and clindamycin. All isolates exhibited simultaneous carriage of at least 5 of 33 possible virulence genes and the most prevalent genes detected were icaA (100%, clfA (100%, hla (100%, sdrC (94.4%, hlg2 (88.7%, lukE (57.8%. 39 (54.9%, 39/71 isolates, including 9 (12.7% of MRSA isolates, harbored ≥10 tested virulence genes evaluated in this study. The pvl gene was detected in 8 strains, which represented 5 different STs, with ST59 being the most one. Overall, our findings showed that S. aureus

78 FR 64175 - Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Loan Guarantees Issued Under the Further Continuing Appropriations...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-28

... procedures and standard terms and conditions applicable to loan guarantees to be issued for the benefit of... Definitions. 233.03 The Guarantee. 233.04 Guarantee eligibility. 233.05 Non-impairment of the Guarantee. 233... Default; Application for Compensation; payment. 233.09 No acceleration of Eligible Notes. [[Page 64176...

Environmental contamination with Staphylococcus aureus at a large, Midwestern university campus.

Science.gov (United States)

Thapaliya, Dipendra; Taha, Mohammed; Dalman, Mark R; Kadariya, Jhalka; Smith, Tara C

2017-12-01

Staphylococcus aureus can cause minor to severe life-threatening infections. The changing epidemiology of S. aureus is of public health concern due to the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains. Environmental surfaces play a crucial role in the transmission of S. aureus. The objective of this study was to examine environmental contamination and molecular characteristics of S. aureus in health professional-associated (HPA) and non-health professional-associated (NHPA) buildings at a large university. A total of 152 environmental surface samples were collected from two HPA and two NHPA campus buildings. Bacterial culture and diagnostics were done using standard microbiology methods. Polymerase chain reaction was conducted to detect mecA and PVL genes. All isolates were spa typed. A subset of isolates was characterized via multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). All S. aureus isolates were tested for antibiotic susceptibility. The overall contamination of S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was 22.4% (34/152) and 5.9% (9/152) respectively. Similar prevalence of contamination was found in HPA and NHPA buildings. A total of 17 different spa types were detected among 34 S. aureus isolates. The majority of the MRSA isolates belonged to clonal complex (CC) 8. One isolate was positive for PVL. Eleven different sequence types (STs) were detected from 17 tested isolates. ST8 was the most common. Twelve isolates (35.3%) were MDR. Almost 27% (9/34) of the isolates were MRSA. The highest contamination of S. aureus was found in high hand-touch areas such as door knobs, suggesting that human interaction in crowded environments such as academic institutions plays a crucial role in S. aureus/MRSA transmission via inanimate objects. Additionally, more than one-third of the isolates were MDR. These data reinforce the need to implement effective prevention strategies outside the healthcare setting to decrease the incidence of drug-resistant S. aureus infections

Genetic and Virulent Difference Between Pigmented and Non-pigmented Staphylococcus aureus

OpenAIRE

Jing Zhang; Yujuan Suo; Daofeng Zhang; Fangning Jin; Hang Zhao; Chunlei Shi

2018-01-01

Staphyloxanthin (STX), a golden carotenoid pigment produced by Staphylococcus aureus, is suggested to act as an important virulence factor due to its antioxidant properties. Restraining biosynthesis of STX was considered as an indicator of virulence decline in pigmented S. aureus isolates. However, it is not clear whether natural non-pigmented S. aureus isolates have less virulence than pigmented ones. In this study, it is aimed to compare the pigmented and non-pigmented S. aureus isolates to...

Epithelial Cell Gene Expression Induced by Intracellular Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xianglu Li

2009-01-01

Full Text Available HEp-2 cell monolayers were cocultured with intracellular Staphylococcus aureus, and changes in gene expression were profiled using DNA microarrays. Intracellular S. aureus affected genes involved in cellular stress responses, signal transduction, inflammation, apoptosis, fibrosis, and cholesterol biosynthesis. Transcription of stress response and signal transduction-related genes including atf3, sgk, map2k1, map2k3, arhb, and arhe was increased. In addition, elevated transcription of proinflammatory genes was observed for tnfa, il1b, il6, il8, cxcl1, ccl20, cox2, and pai1. Genes involved in proapoptosis and fibrosis were also affected at transcriptional level by intracellular S. aureus. Notably, intracellular S. aureus induced strong transcriptional down-regulation of several cholesterol biosynthesis genes. These results suggest that epithelial cells respond to intracellular S. aureus by inducing genes affecting immunity and in repairing damage caused by the organism, and are consistent with the possibility that the organism exploits an intracellular environment to subvert host immunity and promote colonization.

Guaranteed Cost Finite-Time Control of Fractional-Order Positive Switched Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leipo Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The problem of guaranteed cost finite-time control of fractional-order positive switched systems (FOPSS is considered in this paper. Firstly, a new cost function is defined. Then, by constructing linear copositive Lyapunov functions and using the average dwell time (ADT approach, a state feedback controller and a static output feedback controller are constructed, respectively, and sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee that the corresponding closed-loop systems are guaranteed cost finite-time stable (GCFTS. Such conditions can be easily solved by linear programming. Finally, two examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in children: a formidable foe ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Staphylococcus aureus remains one of the most common causes of bacteraemia in children. In order to evade and overcome the immune responses of its host and any antimicrobial therapies aimed at destroying it, this organism, through various mechanisms, continues to evolve. Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia is a ...

Antibiotic sensitivity pattern of Staphylococcus aureus from clinical

African Journals Online (AJOL)

raoul

2011-01-26

Jan 26, 2011 ... Key words: Staphylococcus aureus, antibiotic sensitivity, Nigeria, Kano ... infection have an increased colonization risks [8]. ... confirmed Staphylococcus aureus isolates was prepared in peptone water to ... 5 g methicillin discs (oxoid, USA) were aseptically placed on the surface of the inoculated plates and ...

Detection of some virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

2010-06-21

Jun 21, 2010 ... Mastitis is one of the common diseases of dairy cattle and an inflammatory ... Key words: Bovine mastitis, Staphylococcus aureus, virulence factors, ... frequent cause of subclinical intramammary infections in ... genotypes has not been investigated. ... genes in S. aureus, we were particularly interested in the.

On QoS guarantee in MPLS network with software deadline awareness

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Yu; Jin, Yaohui; Cheng, Hong; Yu, Yingdi; Sun, Weiqiang; Guo, Wei; Hu, Weisheng

2007-11-01

With the increasing number of internet users, more and more real-time services are added into the network, such as IPTV, online-video, Voice over IP, etc. As we know, throughput is a highly important performance criterion for scheduling algorithms of networks. Besides throughput, these growing real-time services are very sensitive to delay variance termed as jitter. Therefore, high performance scheduling algorithm should achieve good performance in terms of throughput, delay, jitter and fairness together. Scheduling algorithm with deadline-awareness employed in packet switching plays a key role in QoS guarantees. Although traditional hard-deadline can provide guarantee on in-node delay-deadline criteria, the end-to-end delay-deadline criteria cannot be guaranteed due to the characteristic of hard-deadline, while the delay-deadline guaranteed throughput is low. Thus, soft-deadline scheduling algorithm has been proposed. In this paper, we investigate and compare the classical hard-deadline and soft-deadline switching algorithm. A new scheme "Bonus System" is proposed in order to realize the idea of soft-deadline switching algorithm. Bonus System based on soft-deadline is compared with classical Early-Deadline First scheme based on hard-deadline, which shows that Bonus System has better performance in End-to-End deadline guarantee.

Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Pantosti, Annalisa; Sanchini, Andrea; Monaco, Monica

2007-06-01

Staphylococcus aureus can exemplify better than any other human pathogen the adaptive evolution of bacteria in the antibiotic era, as it has demonstrated a unique ability to quickly respond to each new antibiotic with the development of a resistance mechanism, starting with penicillin and methicillin, until the most recent, linezolid and daptomycin. Resistance mechanisms include enzymatic inactivation of the antibiotic (penicillinase and aminoglycoside-modification enzymes), alteration of the target with decreased affinity for the antibiotic (notable examples being penicillin-binding protein 2a of methicillin-resistant S. aureus and D-Ala-D-Lac of peptidoglycan precursors of vancomycin-resistant strains), trapping of the antibiotic (for vancomycin and possibly daptomycin) and efflux pumps (fluoroquinolones and tetracycline). Complex genetic arrays (staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec elements or the vanA operon) have been acquired by S. aureus through horizontal gene transfer, while resistance to other antibiotics, including some of the most recent ones (e.g., fluoroquinolones, linezolid and daptomycin) have developed through spontaneous mutations and positive selection. Detection of the resistance mechanisms and their genetic basis is an important support to antibiotic susceptibility surveillance in S. aureus.

Optimal design of uptime-guarantee contracts under IGFR valuations and convex costs

OpenAIRE

Hezarkhni, Behzad

2016-01-01

An uptime-guarantee contract commits a service provider to maintain the functionality of a customer’s equipment at least for certain fraction of working time during a contracted period. This paper addresses the optimal design of uptime-guarantee contracts for the service provider when the customer’s valuation of a contract with a given guaranteed uptime level has an Increasing Generalized Failure Rate (IGFR) distribution. We first consider the case where the service provider proposes only one...

13 CFR 115.18 - Refusal to issue further guarantees; suspension and termination of PSB status.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Refusal to issue further guarantees; suspension and termination of PSB status. 115.18 Section 115.18 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION SURETY BOND GUARANTEE Provisions for All Surety Bond Guarantees § 115.18 Refusal to issue further guarantees; suspension...

Staphylococcus aureus CC398

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Price, Lance B.; Stegger, Marc; Hasman, Henrik

2012-01-01

Since its discovery in the early 2000s, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal complex 398 (CC398) has become a rapidly emerging cause of human infections, most often associated with livestock exposure. We applied whole-genome sequence typing to characterize a diverse collection...... of CC398 isolates (n = 89), including MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) from animals and humans spanning 19 countries and four continents. We identified 4,238 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among the 89 core genomes. Minimal homoplasy (consistency index = 0.9591) was detected...... among parsimony-informative SNPs, allowing for the generation of a highly accurate phylogenetic reconstruction of the CC398 clonal lineage. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that MSSA from humans formed the most ancestral clades. The most derived lineages were composed predominantly of livestock...

12 CFR 370.7 - Assessment for the Transaction Account Guarantee Program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Assessment for the Transaction Account Guarantee Program. 370.7 Section 370.7 Banks and Banking FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION REGULATIONS AND STATEMENTS OF GENERAL POLICY TEMPORARY LIQUIDITY GUARANTEE PROGRAM § 370.7 Assessment for the...

Population structure analyses of Staphylococcus aureus at Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa, reveals a diverse population, a high prevalence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes, and unique local methicillin-resistant S. aureus clones

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oosthuysen, W. F.; Orth, H.; Lombard, C. J.; Sinha, B.; Wasserman, E.

Studies reporting on the population structure of Staphylococcus aureus in South Africa have focused only on methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). This study describes the population structure of S. aureus, including methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolated from patients at Tygerberg

Invasive Staphylococcus aureus infection in an African adolescent ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Staphylococcus aureus remains an important cause of mortality, in the community and health care set-ups. S. aureus strains with genes encoding lethal toxins and culture negative sepsis augment the diagnostic challenge in resource limited settings. With a growing rate of resistance to the causative bacteria and atypical ...

Prevalence and risk factors for Staphylococcus aureus and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Prevalence and risk factors for Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage inpatients in a tertiary care hospital's chest clinic in Turkey. ... of the participants and risk factors for carriage. Fisher's exact test, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used. A P < 0.05 ...

Dehydrosqualene Desaturase as a Novel Target for Anti-Virulence Therapy against Staphylococcus aureus

OpenAIRE

Gao, Peng; Davies, Julian; Kao, Richard Yi Tsun

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus, especially methicillin-resistant S.?aureus (MRSA), is a life-threatening pathogen in hospital- and community-acquired infections. The golden-colored carotenoid pigment of S.?aureus, staphyloxanthin, contributes to the resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and host neutrophil-based killing. Here, we describe a novel inhibitor (NP16) of S.?aureus pigment production that reduces the survival of S.?aureus under oxidative stress conditions. Carotenoid componen...

Portación y caracterización de Staphylococcus aureus en manipuladores de alimentos Carriage and characterization of Staphylococcus aureus in food handlers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Graciela B Jordá

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus es una causa de intoxicaciones alimentarias por su capacidad de producir enterotoxinas. Los manipuladores de alimentos que portan S. aureus productores de enterotoxinas pueden provocar intoxicaciones alimentarias. Se estudiaron muestras tomadas de fosas nasales de 88 manipuladores de alimentos en la provincia de Misiones. El 37,5 % de los individuos analizados eran portadores de S. aureus. Mediante técnicas de amplificación (PCR, se detectaron genes que codifican la producción de enterotoxinas en 13 de los 33 aislamientos obtenidos (39,4 % y en el 14,7 % de los manipuladores. De estos aislamientos, 10 portaban el gen sea y 3 el gen sec. El estudio de sensibilidad a los antibióticos mostró un 100 % de sensibilidad a teicoplanina, gentamiclna y rifampicina; 2 aislamientos fueron resistentes a clindamicina y a eritromicina y 4 resultaron resistentes a la meticilina. Estos resultados son un alerta e indicarían la necesidad de desarrollar medidas racionales para reducir el riesgo potencial de intoxicaciones alimentarias.Staphylococcus aureus causes food poisoning due to its ability to produce enterotoxins. Food handlers carrying enterotoxin-producing S. aureus can contaminate food, thus leading to food poisoning. Samples were obtained from 88 food handlers in the Province of Misiones, Argentina. S. aureus was isolated from nasal swaps and PCR amplification was performed for genes encoding staphylococcal enterotoxins. A total of 37.5 % food handlers were positive for S. aureus. Expression of enterotoxin genes was found in 13 of the 33 (39.4 % S. aureus isolates studied, accounting for 14.7 % of food handlers. Gene sea was detected in 10 isolates followed by gene sec in 3 isolates. All isolates were susceptible to teicoplanin, gentamicin and rifampicin. Four isolates were resistant to methicillin whereas 2 isolates were resistant to clindamycin and erythromycin. These results constitute a critical alert and indicate the need

14 CFR 272.3 - Places eligible for guaranteed essential air service.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... TRANSPORTATION (AVIATION PROCEEDINGS) ECONOMIC REGULATIONS ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE TO THE FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES § 272.3 Places eligible for guaranteed essential air service. (a) Subject to the provisions of this part... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Places eligible for guaranteed essential...

Gene expression-based classifiers identify Staphylococcus aureus infection in mice and humans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sun Hee Ahn

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus causes a spectrum of human infection. Diagnostic delays and uncertainty lead to treatment delays and inappropriate antibiotic use. A growing literature suggests the host's inflammatory response to the pathogen represents a potential tool to improve upon current diagnostics. The hypothesis of this study is that the host responds differently to S. aureus than to E. coli infection in a quantifiable way, providing a new diagnostic avenue. This study uses Bayesian sparse factor modeling and penalized binary regression to define peripheral blood gene-expression classifiers of murine and human S. aureus infection. The murine-derived classifier distinguished S. aureus infection from healthy controls and Escherichia coli-infected mice across a range of conditions (mouse and bacterial strain, time post infection and was validated in outbred mice (AUC>0.97. A S. aureus classifier derived from a cohort of 94 human subjects distinguished S. aureus blood stream infection (BSI from healthy subjects (AUC 0.99 and E. coli BSI (AUC 0.84. Murine and human responses to S. aureus infection share common biological pathways, allowing the murine model to classify S. aureus BSI in humans (AUC 0.84. Both murine and human S. aureus classifiers were validated in an independent human cohort (AUC 0.95 and 0.92, respectively. The approach described here lends insight into the conserved and disparate pathways utilized by mice and humans in response to these infections. Furthermore, this study advances our understanding of S. aureus infection; the host response to it; and identifies new diagnostic and therapeutic avenues.

Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta are natural hosts of specific Staphylococcus aureus lineages.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanne van den Berg

Full Text Available Currently, there is no animal model known that mimics natural nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus in humans. We investigated whether rhesus macaques are natural nasal carriers of S. aureus. Nasal swabs were taken from 731 macaques. S. aureus isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE, spa repeat sequencing and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST, and compared with human strains. Furthermore, the isolates were characterized by several PCRs. Thirty-nine percent of 731 macaques were positive for S. aureus. In general, the macaque S. aureus isolates differed from human strains as they formed separate PFGE clusters, 50% of the isolates were untypeable by agr genotyping, 17 new spa types were identified, which all belonged to new sequence types (STs. Furthermore, 66% of macaque isolates were negative for all superantigen genes. To determine S. aureus nasal colonization, three nasal swabs from 48 duo-housed macaques were taken during a 5 month period. In addition, sera were analyzed for immunoglobulin G and A levels directed against 40 staphylococcal proteins using a bead-based flow cytometry technique. Nineteen percent of the animals were negative for S. aureus, and 17% were three times positive. S. aureus strains were easily exchanged between macaques. The antibody response was less pronounced in macaques compared to humans, and nasal carrier status was not associated with differences in serum anti-staphylococcal antibody levels. In conclusion, rhesus macaques are natural hosts of S. aureus, carrying host-specific lineages. Our data indicate that rhesus macaques are useful as an autologous model for studying S. aureus nasal colonization and infection prevention.

Identification of the ClpX Regulon in Staphylococcus aureus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jelsbak, Lotte; Thomsen, Line Elnif; Ingmer, Hanne

Staphyloccous aureus is a major human pathogen capable of causing a wide spectrum of infections ranging from superficial wound infections to life-threatening endocarditis and toxic shock syndrome. Essential for S. aureus virulence is a large number of cell-surface-associated proteins and secreted...... we show here that almost 400 genes (15%) are influenced by the clpX deletion. Furthermore, ClpX not only regulates many virulence factors, but rather serves as a global regulator of central functions for S. aureus lifestyle and pathogenicity....

Genetic and Virulent Difference Between Pigmented and Non-pigmented Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing; Suo, Yujuan; Zhang, Daofeng; Jin, Fangning; Zhao, Hang; Shi, Chunlei

2018-01-01

Staphyloxanthin (STX), a golden carotenoid pigment produced by Staphylococcus aureus , is suggested to act as an important virulence factor due to its antioxidant properties. Restraining biosynthesis of STX was considered as an indicator of virulence decline in pigmented S. aureus isolates. However, it is not clear whether natural non-pigmented S. aureus isolates have less virulence than pigmented ones. In this study, it is aimed to compare the pigmented and non-pigmented S. aureus isolates to clarify the genetic and virulent differences between the two groups. Here, 132 S. aureus isolates were divided into two phenotype groups depending on the absorbance (OD 450 ) of the extracted carotenoids. Then, all isolates were subjected to spa typing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and then the detection of presence of 30 virulence factors and the gene integrity of crtN and crtM . Furthermore, 24 typical S. aureus isolates and 4 S. argenteus strains were selected for the murine infection assay of in vivo virulence, in which the histological observation and enumeration of CFUs were carried out. These isolates were distributed in 26 sequence types (STs) and 49 spa types. The pigmented isolates were scattered in 25 STs, while the non-pigmented isolates were more centralized, which mainly belonged to ST20 (59%) and ST25 (13%). Among the 54 non-pigmented isolates, about 20% carried intact crtN and crtM genes. The in vivo assay suggested that comparing with pigmented S. aureus , non-pigmented S. aureus and S. argenteus strains did not show a reduced virulence in murine sepsis models. Therefore, it suggested that there were no significant genetic and virulent differences between pigmented and non-pigmented S. aureus .

Dehydrosqualene Desaturase as a Novel Target for Anti-Virulence Therapy against Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Gao

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus, especially methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA, is a life-threatening pathogen in hospital- and community-acquired infections. The golden-colored carotenoid pigment of S. aureus, staphyloxanthin, contributes to the resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS and host neutrophil-based killing. Here, we describe a novel inhibitor (NP16 of S. aureus pigment production that reduces the survival of S. aureus under oxidative stress conditions. Carotenoid components analysis, enzyme inhibition, and crtN mutational studies indicated that the molecular target of NP16 is dehydrosqualene desaturase (CrtN. S. aureus treated with NP16 showed increased susceptibility to human neutrophil killing and to innate immune clearance in a mouse infection model. Our study validates CrtN as a novel druggable target in S. aureus and presents a potent and effective lead compound for the development of virulence factor-based therapy against S. aureus.

Robust guaranteed cost tracking control of quadrotor UAV with uncertainties.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhiwei; Nian, Xiaohong; Wang, Haibo; Chen, Yinsheng

2017-07-01

In this paper, a robust guaranteed cost controller (RGCC) is proposed for quadrotor UAV system with uncertainties to address set-point tracking problem. A sufficient condition of the existence for RGCC is derived by Lyapunov stability theorem. The designed RGCC not only guarantees the whole closed-loop system asymptotically stable but also makes the quadratic performance level built for the closed-loop system have an upper bound irrespective to all admissible parameter uncertainties. Then, an optimal robust guaranteed cost controller is developed to minimize the upper bound of performance level. Simulation results verify the presented control algorithms possess small overshoot and short setting time, with which the quadrotor has ability to perform set-point tracking task well. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Colonization and biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus on endothelial cell layers under flow

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grønnemose, Rasmus Birkholm; Antoinette Asferg, Cecilie; Kolmos, Hans Jørn

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen and known for causing vascular infections such as sepsis and infective endocarditis. It has previously been proposed that S. aureus succeed in colonization of the endothelial wall by specific surface attachment likely followed by biofilm formation....... Furthermore, S. aureus is known to invade human cells, which has been proposed to promote persistence through immune and antibiotic evasion. In the current study, we sought to investigate endothelial colonization, invasion, and biofilm formation by S. aureus using a newly developed in vitro flow chamber model....... We show that under physiological shear rates, S. aureus utilizes cellular invasion to enable the following surface colonization and biofilm formation. These observations might help explain the success of S. aureus as a bloodstream pathogen and guide further studies in S. aureus pathogenesis...

Antimicrobial activity of Lactobacillus salivarius and Lactobacillus fermentum against Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Mi-Sun; Lim, Hae-Soon; Oh, Jong-Suk; Lim, You-Jin; Wuertz-Kozak, Karin; Harro, Janette M; Shirtliff, Mark E; Achermann, Yvonne

2017-03-01

The increasing prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has become a major public health threat. While lactobacilli were recently found useful in combating various pathogens, limited data exist on their therapeutic potential for S. aureus infections. The aim of this study was to determine whether Lactobacillus salivarius was able to produce bactericidal activities against S. aureus and to determine whether the inhibition was due to a generalized reduction in pH or due to secreted Lactobacillus product(s). We found an 8.6-log10 reduction of planktonic and a 6.3-log10 reduction of biofilm S. aureus. In contrast, the previously described anti-staphylococcal effects of L. fermentum only caused a 4.0-log10 reduction in planktonic S. aureus cells, with no effect on biofilm S. aureus cells. Killing of S. aureus was partially pH dependent, but independent of nutrient depletion. Cell-free supernatant that was pH neutralized and heat inactivated or proteinase K treated had significantly reduced killing of L. salivarius than with pH-neutralized supernatant alone. Proteomic analysis of the L. salivarius secretome identified a total of five secreted proteins including a LysM-containing peptidoglycan binding protein and a protein peptidase M23B. These proteins may represent potential novel anti-staphylococcal agents that could be effective against S. aureus biofilms. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Comparison of five tests for identification of Staphylococcus aureus from clinical samples

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. Luijendijk (Ad); A.F. van Belkum (Alex); J.A.J.W. Kluytmans (Jan); H.A. Verbrugh (Henri)

1996-01-01

textabstractFive different laboratory tests for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus were compared. Analyses of 271 presumptive S. aureus strains, supplemented with 59 well-defined methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates, were performed. Only the

Antibiotic tolerance and the alternative lifestyles of Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Bui, Long M G; Conlon, Brian P; Kidd, Stephen P

2017-02-28

Staphylococcus aureus has an incredible ability to survive, either by adapting to environmental conditions or defending against exogenous stress. Although there are certainly important genetic traits, in part this ability is provided by the breadth of modes of growth S. aureus can adopt. It has been proposed that while within their host, S. aureus survives host-generated and therapeutic antimicrobial stress via alternative lifestyles: a persister sub-population, through biofilm growth on host tissue or by growing as small colony variants (SCVs). Key to an understanding of chronic and relapsing S. aureus infections is determining the molecular basis for its switch to these quasi-dormant lifestyles. In a multicellular biofilm, the metabolically quiescent bacterial community additionally produces a highly protective extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Furthermore, there are bacteria within a biofilm community that have an altered physiology potentially equivalent to persister cells. Recent studies have directly linked the cellular ATP production by persister cells as their key feature and the basis for their tolerance of a range of antibiotics. In clinical settings, SCVs of S. aureus have been observed for many years; when cultured, these cells form non-pigmented colonies and are approximately ten times smaller than their counterparts. Various genotypic factors have been identified in attempts to characterize S. aureus SCVs and different environmental stresses have been implicated as important inducers. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

A porcine model of haematogenous brain infectionwith staphylococcus aureus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Astrup, Lærke Boye; Agerholm, Jørgen Steen; Nielsen, Ole Lerberg

2012-01-01

A PORCINE MODEL OF HAEMATOGENOUS BRAIN INFECTION WITH STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS Astrup Lærke1, Agerholm Jørgen1, Nielsen Ole1, Jensen Henrik1, Leifsson Páll1, Iburg Tine2. 1: Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark boye@life.ku.dk 2: National Veterinary Institute......, Uppsala, Sweden Introduction Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) is a common cause of sepsis and brain abscesses in man and a frequent cause of porcine pyaemia. Here we present a porcine model of haematogenous S. aureus-induced brain infection. Materials and Methods Four pigs had two intravenous catheters...... thromboemboli (two pigs). The venous catheter was used for blood sampling before, during and after inoculation. The pigs were euthanized either 24 or 48 hours after inoculation. The brains were collected and examined histologically. Results We describe unifocal suppurative encephalitis 48 hours after...

Staphylococcus aureus produces membrane-derived vesicles that induce host cell death.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mamata Gurung

Full Text Available Gram-negative bacteria produce outer membrane vesicles that play a role in the delivery of virulence factors to host cells. However, little is known about the membrane-derived vesicles (MVs produced by gram-positive bacteria. The present study examined the production of MVs from Staphylococcus aureus and investigated the delivery of MVs to host cells and subsequent cytotoxicity. Four S. aureus strains tested, two type strains and two clinical isolates, produced spherical nanovesicles during in vitro culture. MVs were also produced during in vivo infection of a clinical S. aureus isolate in a mouse pneumonia model. Proteomic analysis showed that 143 different proteins were identified in the S. aureus-derived MVs. S. aureus MVs were interacted with the plasma membrane of host cells via a cholesterol-rich membrane microdomain and then delivered their component protein A to host cells within 30 min. Intact S. aureus MVs induced apoptosis of HEp-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner, whereas lysed MVs neither delivered their component into the cytosol of host cells nor induced cytotoxicity. In conclusion, this study is the first report that S. aureus MVs are an important vehicle for delivery of bacterial effector molecules to host cells.

Dehydrosqualene Desaturase as a Novel Target for Anti-Virulence Therapy against Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Peng; Davies, Julian; Kao, Richard Yi Tsun

2017-09-05

Staphylococcus aureus , especially methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), is a life-threatening pathogen in hospital- and community-acquired infections. The golden-colored carotenoid pigment of S. aureus , staphyloxanthin, contributes to the resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and host neutrophil-based killing. Here, we describe a novel inhibitor (NP16) of S. aureus pigment production that reduces the survival of S. aureus under oxidative stress conditions. Carotenoid components analysis, enzyme inhibition, and crtN mutational studies indicated that the molecular target of NP16 is dehydrosqualene desaturase (CrtN). S. aureus treated with NP16 showed increased susceptibility to human neutrophil killing and to innate immune clearance in a mouse infection model. Our study validates CrtN as a novel druggable target in S. aureus and presents a potent and effective lead compound for the development of virulence factor-based therapy against S. aureus IMPORTANCE S. aureus staphyloxanthin contributes substantially to pathogenesis by interfering with host immune clearance mechanisms, but it has little impact on ex vivo survival of the bacterium. Agents blocking staphyloxanthin production may discourage the establishment and maintenance of bacterial infection without exerting selective pressure for antimicrobial resistance. Our newly discovered CrtN inhibitor, NP16, may offer an effective strategy for combating S. aureus infections. Copyright © 2017 Gao et al.

New epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus infection in Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, C-J; Huang, Y-C

2014-07-01

Not only is Asia the most populous region in the world, but inappropriate therapy, including self-medication with over-the-counter antimicrobial agents, is a common response to infectious diseases. The high antibiotic selective pressure among the overcrowded inhabitants creates an environment that is suitable for the rapid development and efficient spread of numerous multidrug-resistant pathogens. Indeed, Asia is among the regions with the highest prevalence rates of healthcare-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) and community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) in the world. Most hospitals in Asia are endemic for multidrug-resistant methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), with an estimated proportion from 28% (in Hong Kong and Indonesia) to >70% (in Korea) among all clinical S. aureus isolates in the early 2010s. Isolates with reduced susceptibility or a high level of resistance to glycopeptides have also been increasingly identified in the past few years. In contrast, the proportion of MRSA among community-associated S. aureus infections in Asian countries varies markedly, from 35%. Two pandemic HA-MRSA clones, namely multilocus sequence type (ST) 239 and ST5, are disseminated internationally in Asia, whereas the molecular epidemiology of CA-MRSA in Asia is characterized by clonal heterogeneity, similar to that in Europe. In this review, the epidemiology of S. aureus in both healthcare facilities and communities in Asia is addressed, with an emphasis on the prevalence, clonal structure and antibiotic resistant profiles of the MRSA strains. The novel MRSA strains from livestock animals have been considered to constitute a public health threat in western countries. The emerging livestock-associated MRSA strains in Asia are also included in this review. © 2014 The Authors Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2014 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

13 CFR 120.521 - What interest rate applies after SBA purchases its guaranteed portion?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false What interest rate applies after... 504 Loans Sba's Purchase of A Guaranteed Portion § 120.521 What interest rate applies after SBA purchases its guaranteed portion? When SBA purchases the guaranteed portion of a fixed interest rate loan...

Molecular basis of virulence in Staphylococcus aureus mastitis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Le Maréchal

Full Text Available S. aureus is one of the main pathogens involved in ruminant mastitis worldwide. The severity of staphylococcal infection is highly variable, ranging from subclinical to gangrenous mastitis. This work represents an in-depth characterization of S. aureus mastitis isolates to identify bacterial factors involved in severity of mastitis infection.We employed genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to comprehensively compare two clonally related S. aureus strains that reproducibly induce severe (strain O11 and milder (strain O46 mastitis in ewes. Variation in the content of mobile genetic elements, iron acquisition and metabolism, transcriptional regulation and exoprotein production was observed. In particular, O11 produced relatively high levels of exoproteins, including toxins and proteases known to be important in virulence. A characteristic we observed in other S. aureus strains isolated from clinical mastitis cases.Our data are consistent with a dose-dependant role of some staphylococcal factors in the hypervirulence of strains isolated from severe mastitis. Mobile genetic elements, transcriptional regulators, exoproteins and iron acquisition pathways constitute good targets for further research to define the underlying mechanisms of mastitis severity.

Metastatic Spreading of Community Acquired Staphylococcus aureus Bacteraemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanna Fabio

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A 29-year-old woman presented to the Fondazione IRCCS “Cà Granda” Ospedale Maggiore, a tertiary care university hospital in Milan (Italy, with skin lesions, fever, myalgia, joint pain and swelling, and a one-week history of low back pain. The diagnosis was Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus bacteraemia spreading to skin, bones, and joints and a lumbosacral epidural abscess L5-S2. Neither initial focus nor predisposing conditions were apparent. The antibiotic therapy was prolonged for six-weeks with the resolution of fever, skin lesions, articular inflammation, and the epidural abscess. Community-acquired S. aureus infections can affect patients without traditional healthcare-associated risk factors, and community acquisition is a risk-factor for the development of complications. Raised awareness of S. aureus bacteraemia, also in patients without healthcare-associated risk factors, is important in the diagnosis, management, and control of this infection, because failure to recognise patients with serious infection and lack of understanding of empirical antimicrobial selection are associated with a high mortality rate in otherwise healthy people.

Genetic and Virulent Difference Between Pigmented and Non-pigmented Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Zhang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Staphyloxanthin (STX, a golden carotenoid pigment produced by Staphylococcus aureus, is suggested to act as an important virulence factor due to its antioxidant properties. Restraining biosynthesis of STX was considered as an indicator of virulence decline in pigmented S. aureus isolates. However, it is not clear whether natural non-pigmented S. aureus isolates have less virulence than pigmented ones. In this study, it is aimed to compare the pigmented and non-pigmented S. aureus isolates to clarify the genetic and virulent differences between the two groups. Here, 132 S. aureus isolates were divided into two phenotype groups depending on the absorbance (OD450 of the extracted carotenoids. Then, all isolates were subjected to spa typing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST, and then the detection of presence of 30 virulence factors and the gene integrity of crtN and crtM. Furthermore, 24 typical S. aureus isolates and 4 S. argenteus strains were selected for the murine infection assay of in vivo virulence, in which the histological observation and enumeration of CFUs were carried out. These isolates were distributed in 26 sequence types (STs and 49 spa types. The pigmented isolates were scattered in 25 STs, while the non-pigmented isolates were more centralized, which mainly belonged to ST20 (59% and ST25 (13%. Among the 54 non-pigmented isolates, about 20% carried intact crtN and crtM genes. The in vivo assay suggested that comparing with pigmented S. aureus, non-pigmented S. aureus and S. argenteus strains did not show a reduced virulence in murine sepsis models. Therefore, it suggested that there were no significant genetic and virulent differences between pigmented and non-pigmented S. aureus.

Guaranteed convergence of the Hough transform

Science.gov (United States)

Soffer, Menashe; Kiryati, Nahum

1995-01-01

The straight-line Hough Transform using normal parameterization with a continuous voting kernel is considered. It transforms the colinearity detection problem to a problem of finding the global maximum of a two dimensional function above a domain in the parameter space. The principle is similar to robust regression using fixed scale M-estimation. Unlike standard M-estimation procedures the Hough Transform does not rely on a good initial estimate of the line parameters: The global optimization problem is approached by exhaustive search on a grid that is usually as fine as computationally feasible. The global maximum of a general function above a bounded domain cannot be found by a finite number of function evaluations. Only if sufficient a-priori knowledge about the smoothness of the objective function is available, convergence to the global maximum can be guaranteed. The extraction of a-priori information and its efficient use are the main challenges in real global optimization problems. The global optimization problem in the Hough Transform is essentially how fine should the parameter space quantization be in order not to miss the true maximum. More than thirty years after Hough patented the basic algorithm, the problem is still essentially open. In this paper an attempt is made to identify a-priori information on the smoothness of the objective (Hough) function and to introduce sufficient conditions for the convergence of the Hough Transform to the global maximum. An image model with several application dependent parameters is defined. Edge point location errors as well as background noise are accounted for. Minimal parameter space quantization intervals that guarantee convergence are obtained. Focusing policies for multi-resolution Hough algorithms are developed. Theoretical support for bottom- up processing is provided. Due to the randomness of errors and noise, convergence guarantees are probabilistic.

Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and of methicillin-resistant S. aureus clonal complexes in bulk tank milk from dairy cattle herds in Lombardy Region (Northern Italy).

Science.gov (United States)

Cortimiglia, C; Luini, M; Bianchini, V; Marzagalli, L; Vezzoli, F; Avisani, D; Bertoletti, M; Ianzano, A; Franco, A; Battisti, A

2016-10-01

Staphylococcus aureus is the most important causative agent of subclinical mastitis in cattle resulting in reduced milk production and quality. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains has a clear zoonotic relevance, especially in the case of occupational exposure. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA in bulk tank milk (BTM) from dairy cattle herds in the Lombardy Region (Northern Italy) and to identify the main MRSA circulating genotypes. MRSA strains were characterized by susceptibility testing, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing and SCCmec typing. A total 844 BTM samples were analysed and S. aureus and MRSA were detected in 47·2% and 3·8% of dairy herds, respectively. MLST showed that the majority (28/32) of isolates belonged to the typical livestock-associated lineages: ST398, ST97 and ST1. Interestingly, in this study we report for the first time the new ST3211, a single locus variant of ST(CC)22, with the newly described 462 aroE allele. Our study indicates high diffusion of S. aureus mastitis and low, but not negligible, prevalence of MRSA in the considered area, suggesting the need for planning specific control programmes for bovine mastitis caused by S. aureus, especially when MRSA is implicated.

Lucky number seven: RNase 7 can prevent Staphylococcus aureus skin colonization.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, John S; Xuan, Caiyun; Miller, Lloyd S

2010-12-01

Staphylococcus aureus colonization is a major risk factor for infection. In this issue, Simanski et al. demonstrate that the antimicrobial peptide RNase 7 is essential for preventing S. aureus colonization in human skin. These findings suggest that therapeutic interventions aimed at targeting RNase 7 production in the skin may be a novel strategy to protect against S. aureus infections.

Nasal carriage of multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Nasal Staphylococcus aureus is a major source of community and hospital associated staphylococcal infections. This study determined the prevalence of nasal S. aureus isolates and investigated their antimicrobial resistance profile in healthy volunteers. Methods: Nasal specimens of healthy volunteers in ...

Certain aspects of the accounting of the bank guarantee at the principal and the beneficiary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. A. Zimakova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available For any kind of business such category as risks is peculiar. The research of this category was conducted by scientists from the different sides, certain approaches of protection against risks were developed and instruments of decrease in financial risks are offered. The bank guarantee is one of the most demanded instruments of additional financial protection today. Its active using of the commercial organizations courses questions of the organization of the detailed accounting of guarantees at the principal and the beneficiary. A little concerning the historical aspect of the bank guarantee, authors provided the overview of the determinations of "bank guarantee" characterizing it as the banking service providing distribution of responsibility between the guarantor and the principal under certain conditions. Having considered the essence of the legal nature and features of the bank guarantee recommendations about the organization of the disaggregated financial accounting on off-balance accounts were developed. In particular, need of allocation of a currency type as the directions of conducting the analytics providing correctness of reflection of cost criterion is proved. For the purpose of control of timeliness of carrying out calculations it is recommended to allocate guarantees: coincident and in coincident with primary obligation; short-term and long-term. From the point of view of nature of guarantees payment guarantees and guarantees of obligation fulfilment were allocated. These recommendations concern the beneficiary, and lack of accounting entries at a principal generates need of creation of additional registers and analytical reports which forms were offered by authors. The provided recommendations will allow obtaining transparent information on bank guarantees for the purpose of its full disclosure in the financial reporting.

Staphylococcus aureus colonization in atopic eczema and its association with filaggrin gene mutations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, M. L.; Edslev, S. M.; Andersen, P. S.

2017-01-01

was to assess differences in S. aureus colonization in patients with AD with and without filaggrin gene mutations. The secondary aim was to assess disease severity in relation to S. aureus colonization. Exploratory analyses were performed to investigate S. aureus genetic lineages in relation to filaggrin gene...... were characterized with respect to disease severity (Scoring Atopic Dermatitis) and FLG mutations (n = 88). Fisher's exact test was used to analyse differences in S. aureus colonization in relation to FLG mutations. Results: Of the 101 patients included, 74 (73%) were colonized with S. aureus....... Of the colonized patients, 70 (95%) carried only one CC type in all three different sampling sites. In lesional skin, S. aureus was found in 24 of 31 patients with FLG mutations vs. 24 of 54 wild-type patients (P = 0·0004). Staphylococcus aureusCC1 clonal lineage was more prevalent in patients with FLG mutations...

GUARANTEES OF THE RIGHT TO A FAIR CIVIL TRIAL

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Diana-Loredana Jalbă

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In order to ensure the effective protection of human rights and provide for more than theoretical and illusory substantive rights, the need to define the right to a fair trial is emerging, along with the necessity that litigants become aware of the guarantees established by article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Thus, the article aims to approach the ample issue regarding the litigants’ right to a fair civil trial in light of current legal regulations, and in particular, in light of the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. Given the fact that the right to a fair civil trial involves establishing, throughout the trial, a set of rules of procedure aimed at creating a balance between the parties in the process - the so-called guarantees of a fair trial - in her scientific pursuits, the author analyzes both explicit and implicit guarantees of fair trial, highlighting relevant European standards as well as their degree of implementation in the national (procedural law.

The molecular changing mechanism of Ampicillin-Sulbactam resistant Staphylococcus aureus towards Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

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Mieke Hemiawati Satari

2005-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine the molecular changing of S.aureus, which is resistant to Ampicillin-Sulbactam and then become resistant to Methicillin as a result of improper dosage. The study was conducted by isolating Ampicillin-Sulbactam resistant and Methicillin Resistant S.aureus (MRSA, afterwards an amplification process was performed by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction. to isolate the betalactamase enzyme regulator and PBP 2a genes. The result of this research showed that there were a deletion of few amino acids from the regulator gene, and a suspicion that the DNA sequence had been substituted from PBP 2 gene into PBP 2a (gen mec. This process had formed MRSA.

Molecular Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Transmitted between Patients with Buruli Ulcer.

Science.gov (United States)

Amissah, Nana Ama; Chlebowicz, Monika A; Ablordey, Anthony; Sabat, Artur J; Tetteh, Caitlin S; Prah, Isaac; van der Werf, Tjip S; Friedrich, Alex W; van Dijl, Jan Maarten; Rossen, John W; Stienstra, Ymkje

2015-01-01

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a skin infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. The wounds of most BU patients are colonized with different microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus. This study investigated possible patient-to-patient transmission events of S. aureus during wound care in a health care center. S. aureus isolates from different BU patients with overlapping visits to the clinic were whole-genome sequenced and analyzed by a gene-by-gene approach using SeqSphere(+) software. In addition, sequence data were screened for the presence of genes that conferred antibiotic resistance. SeqSphere(+) analysis of whole-genome sequence data confirmed transmission of methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin susceptible S. aureus among patients that took place during wound care. Interestingly, our sequence data show that the investigated MRSA isolates carry a novel allele of the fexB gene conferring chloramphenicol resistance, which had thus far not been observed in S. aureus.

Low Efficacy of Antibiotics Against Staphylococcus aureus Airway Colonization in Ventilated Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Stulik, Lukas; Hudcova, Jana; Craven, Donald E; Nagy, Gabor; Nagy, Eszter

2017-04-15

Airway-colonization by Staphylococcus aureus predisposes to the development of ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis (VAT) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Despite extensive antibiotic treatment of intensive care unit patients, limited data are available on the efficacy of antibiotics on bacterial airway colonization and/or prevention of infections. Therefore, microbiologic responses to antibiotic treatment were evaluated in ventilated patients. Results of semiquantitative analyses of S. aureus burden in serial endotracheal-aspirate (ETA) samples and VAT/VAP diagnosis were correlated to antibiotic treatment. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of relevant antibiotics using serially collected isolates were evaluated. Forty-eight mechanically ventilated patients who were S. aureus positive by ETA samples and treated with relevant antibiotics for at least 2 consecutive days were included in the study. Vancomycin failed to reduce methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) or methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) burden in the airways. Oxacillin was ineffective for MSSA colonization in approximately 30% of the patients, and responders were typically coadministered additional antibiotics. Despite antibiotic exposure, 15 of the 39 patients (approximately 38%) colonized only by S. aureus and treated with appropriate antibiotic for at least 2 days still progressed to VAP. Importantly, no change in antibiotic susceptibility of S. aureus isolates was observed during treatment. Staphylococcus aureus colonization levels inversely correlated with the presence of normal respiratory flora. Antibiotic treatment is ineffective in reducing S. aureus colonization in the lower airways and preventing VAT or VAP. Staphylococcus aureus is in competition for colonization with the normal respiratory flora. To improve patient outcomes, alternatives to antibiotics are urgently needed. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of

Persistent environmental contamination with USA300 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and other pathogenic strain types in households with S. aureus skin infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Eells, Samantha J; David, Michael Z; Taylor, Alexis; Ortiz, Nancy; Kumar, Neha; Sieth, Julia; Boyle-Vavra, Susan; Daum, Robert S; Miller, Loren G

2014-11-01

To understand the genotypic spectrum of environmental contamination of Staphylococcus aureus in households and its persistence. Prospective longitudinal cohort investigation. Index participants identified at 2 academic medical centers. Adults and children with S. aureus skin infections and their household contacts in Los Angeles and Chicago. Household fomites were surveyed for contamination at baseline and 3 months. All isolates underwent genetic typing. We enrolled 346 households, 88% of which completed the 3-month follow-up visit. S. aureus environmental contamination was 49% at baseline and 51% at 3 months. Among households with a USA300 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) body infection isolate, environmental contamination with an indistinguishable MRSA strain was 58% at baseline and 63% at 3 months. Baseline factors associated with environmental contamination by the index subject's infection isolate were body colonization by any household member with the index subject's infection isolate at baseline (odds ratio [OR], 10.93 [95% confidence interval (CI), 5.75-20.79]), higher housing density (OR, 1.47 [95% CI, 1.10-1.96]), and more frequent household fomite cleaning (OR, 1.62 [95% CI, 1.16-2.27]). Household environmental contamination with the index subject's infection strain at 3 months was associated with USA300 MRSA and a synergistic interaction between baseline environmental contamination and body colonization by any household member with the index subject's infection strain. We found that infecting S. aureus isolates frequently persisted environmentally in households 3 months after skin infection. Presence of pathogenic S. aureus strain type in the environment in a household may represent a persistent reservoir that places household members at risk of future infection.

Low-cost guaranteed-throughput communication ring for real-time streaming MPSoCs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dekens, B.H.J.; Kurtin, Philip Sebastian; Bekooij, Marco Jan Gerrit; Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria

2013-01-01

Connection-oriented guaranteed-throughput mesh-based networks on chip have been proposed as a replacement for buses in real-time embedded multiprocessor systems such as software defined radios. Even with attractive features like throughput and latency guarantees they are not always used because

Antimicrobial activity of some sulfonamide derivatives on clinical isolates of Staphylococus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bekdemir Yunus

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Staphylococcus aureus is a non-motile, gram positive, non-sporforming, facultative anaerobic microorganism. It is one of the important bacteria as a potential pathogen specifically for nosocomial infections. The sulfonamide derivative medicines are preferred to cure infection caused by S. aureus due to methicillin resistance. Methods Antimicrobial activity of four sulfonamide derivatives have been investigated against 50 clinical isolates of S. aureus and tested by using MIC and disc diffusion methods. 50 clinical isolate which collected from specimens of patients who are given medical treatment in Ondokuz Mayis University Medical School Hospital. A control strain of S. aureus ATCC 29213 was also tested. Results The strongest inhibition was observed in the cases of I [N-(2-hydroxy-4-nitro-phenyl-4-methyl-benzensulfonamid], and II [N-(2-hydroxy-5-nitro-phenyl-4-methyl-benzensulfonamid] against S. aureus. Compound I [N-(2-hydroxy-4-nitro-phenyl-4-methyl-benzensulfonamid] showed higher effect on 21 S. aureus MRSAisolates than oxacillin antibiotic. Introducing an electron withdrawing on the ring increased the antimicrobial activity remarkably. Conclusion This study may help to suggest an alternative possible leading compound for development of new antimicrobial agents against MRSA and MSSA resistant S. aureus. It was also shown here that that clinical isolates of 50 S. aureus have various resistance patterns against to four sulfonamide derivatives. It may also be emphasized here that in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing results for S. aureus need standardization with further studies and it should also have a correlation with in vivo therapeutic response experiments.

Staphylococcus aureus and the ecology of the nasal microbiome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Cindy M; Price, Lance B; Hungate, Bruce A

2015-01-01

The human microbiome can play a key role in host susceptibility to pathogens, including in the nasal cavity, a site favored by Staphylococcus aureus. However, what determines our resident nasal microbiota-the host or the environment-and can interactions among nasal bacteria determine S. aureus...

Effect of temperature on antibacterial activity of lidocaine to Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Taki, Y; Seki, K; Ikigai, H; Nishihara, S; Ueno, H; Murota, K; Masuda, S

1988-01-01

The effect of temperature on the antibacterial activity of lidocaine to Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was investigated in vitro. At 10 C at which S. aureus organisms do not grow and might be metabolically inactive, the antibacterial activity of lidocaine to S. aureus was not observed in a concentration of 1%, which was quite antibacterial to S. aureus at 37 C. On the other hand, at 40 C a conspicuously increased antibacterial activity to S. aureus of lidocaine was observed in a concentration of 0.25% which was not antibacterial to S. aureus organisms at 37 C. Similar results were obtained when P. aeruginosa organisms were examined in place of S. aureus, although P. aeruginosa was found to be less susceptible to lidocaine than S. aureus. The clinical significance of the thermal effect on the antibacterial activity of lidocaine was discussed in brief.

Risk factors for Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in Danish middle-aged and elderly twins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, P S; Larsen, Lisbeth Aagaard; Fowler, V G

2013-01-01

on S. aureus carriage in Danish middle-aged and elderly twins, which indicated no significant heritability that could account for the observed S. aureus carriage. In the present study, we performed a questionnaire-based study of S. aureus colonization on the same cohort of 2,196 Danish middle......-aged and elderly twins to identify specific risk factors for S. aureus nasal colonization, including analyzing the paired twins (n = 478) that were discordant for S. aureus colonization. We found associations between risk factors and S. aureus nasal colonization among middle-aged and elderly twins, including age......, male gender, psoriasis, and atopic diseases. Also, present living on a farm is clearly associated with S. aureus colonization, while smoking had a borderline statistically significant protective effect....

Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in Shrimps in Tehran during 2013

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Mohammad Mehdi Soltan Dallal

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background During fishing and transport, preservation and quality of fish products are importantas well as storage to prevent the growth of pathogenic and toxin producing bacteria.Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of sea food-borne diseases worldwidedue to contamination of food by preformed enterotoxins. The aim of this study was to compare theprevalence and contamination of S. aureus in marine and farmed shrimps in Tehran fishery center.Methods: A total of 300 samples, including 150 marine, 150 farmed shrimps were selected duringSeptember 2013 to December 2013. Isolation and identification of S. aureus from isolated sampleswere carried out according to conventional methods, and antibiotic susceptibility test wasperformed by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion methodResults: The results of this study showed that 30% of marine and 20% off armed shrimps werecontaminated with S. aureus. The highest resistance was observed with penicillin and ampicillin,whereas 100% were sensitive to vancomycin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, and rifampin.Conclusions: Due to relatively high contamination of shrimp by S. aureus more attention shouldbe given during processing and manufacturing.

Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in Shrimps in Tehran during 2013

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Mohammad Mehdi Soltan Dallal

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background During fishing and transport, preservation and quality of fish products are importantas well as storage to prevent the growth of pathogenic and toxin producing bacteria.Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of sea food-borne diseases worldwidedue to contamination of food by preformed enterotoxins. The aim of this study was to compare theprevalence and contamination of S. aureus in marine and farmed shrimps in Tehran fishery center.Methods: A total of 300 samples, including 150 marine, 150 farmed shrimps were selected duringSeptember 2013 to December 2014. Isolation and identification of S. aureus from isolated sampleswere carried out according to conventional methods, and antibiotic susceptibility test wasperformed by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method.Results: The results of this study showed that 30% of marine and 20% off armed shrimps werecontaminated with S. aureus. The highest resistance was observed with penicillin and ampicillin,whereas 100% were sensitive to vancomycin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, and rifampin.Conclusions: Due to relatively high contamination of shrimp by S. aureus more attention shouldbe given during processing and manufacturing.

Antibacterial Action of Curcumin against Staphylococcus aureus: A Brief Review

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Sin-Yeang Teow

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Curcumin, the major constituent of Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae family or turmeric, commonly used for cooking in Asian cuisine, is known to possess a broad range of pharmacological properties at relatively nontoxic doses. Curcumin is found to be effective against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus. As demonstrated by in vitro experiment, curcumin exerts even more potent effects when used in combination with various other antibacterial agents. Hence, curcumin which is a natural product derived from plant is believed to have profound medicinal benefits and could be potentially developed into a naturally derived antibiotic in the future. However, there are several noteworthy challenges in the development of curcumin as a medicine. S. aureus infections, particularly those caused by the multidrug-resistant strains, have emerged as a global health issue and urgent action is needed. This review focuses on the antibacterial activities of curcumin against both methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA. We also attempt to highlight the potential challenges in the effort of developing curcumin into a therapeutic antibacterial agent.

A sensitive gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric aptasensor for Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Jinglei; Wu, Shijia; Duan, Nuo; Ma, Xiaoyuan; Xia, Yu; Chen, Jie; Ding, Zhansheng; Wang, Zhouping

2014-09-01

In this study, a gold nanoparticle-based colorimetric aptasensor for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) using tyramine signal amplification (TSA) technology has been developed. First, the biotinylated aptamer specific for S. aureus was immobilized on the surface of the wells of the microtiter plate via biotin-avidin binding. Then, the target bacteria (S. aureus), biotinylated-aptamer-streptavidin-HRP conjugates, biotinylated tyramine, hydrogen peroxide and avidin-catalase were successively introduced into the wells of the microtiter plate. After that, the existing catalase consumed the hydrogen peroxide. Finally, the freshly prepared gold (III) chloride trihydrate was added, the color of the reaction production would be changed and the absorbance at 550 nm could be measured with a plate reader. Under optimized conditions, there was a linear relationship between the absorbance at 550 nm and the concentration of S. aureus over the range from 10 to 10(6) cfu mL(-1) (with an R² of 0.9947). The limit of the developed method was determined to be 9 cfu mL(-1). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cross-Talk between Staphylococcus aureus and Other Staphylococcal Species via the agr Quorum Sensing System

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Jaime Canovas

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Staphylococci are associated with both humans and animals. While most are non-pathogenic colonizers, Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen capable of causing severe infections. S. aureus virulence is controlled by the agr quorum sensing system responding to secreted auto-inducing peptides (AIPs sensed by AgrC, a two component histidine kinase. agr loci are found also in other staphylococcal species and for Staphylococcus epidermidis, the encoded AIP represses expression of agr regulated virulence genes in S. aureus. In this study we aimed to better understand the interaction between staphylococci and S. aureus, and show that this interaction may eventually lead to the identification of new anti-virulence candidates to target S. aureus infections. Here we show that culture supernatants of 37 out of 52 staphylococcal isolates representing 17 different species inhibit S. aureus agr. The dog pathogen, Staphylococcus schleiferi, expressed the most potent inhibitory activity and was active against all four agr classes found in S. aureus. By employing a S. aureus strain encoding a constitutively active AIP receptor we show that the activity is mediated via agr. Subsequent cloning and heterologous expression of the S. schleiferi AIP in S. aureus demonstrated that this molecule was likely responsible for the inhibitory activity, and further proof was provided when pure synthetic S. schleiferi AIP was able to completely abolish agr induction of an S. aureus reporter strain. To assess impact on S. aureus virulence, we co-inoculated S. aureus and S. schleiferi in vivo in the Galleria mellonella wax moth larva, and found that expression of key S. aureus virulence factors was abrogated. Our data show that the S. aureus agr locus is highly responsive to other staphylococcal species suggesting that agr is an inter-species communication system. Based on these results we speculate that interactions between S. aureus and other colonizing staphylococci

Staphylococcus aureus spa type t437

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glasner, C; Pluister, G; Westh, H

2015-01-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) belonging to the multilocus sequence type clonal complex 59 (MLST CC59) is the predominant community-associated MRSA clone in Asia. This clone, which is primarily linked with the spa type t437, has so far only been reported in low numbers among...... included. Most isolates were shown to be monophyletic with 98% of the isolates belonging to the single MLVA complex 621, to which nearly all included isolates from China also belonged. More importantly, all MLST-typed isolates belonged to CC59. Our study implies that the European S. aureus t437 population...

Incidence, trends and demographics of Staphylococcus aureus infections in Auckland, New Zealand, 2001-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Deborah A; Lim, Alwin; Thomas, Mark G; Baker, Michael G; Roberts, Sally A; Fraser, John D; Ritchie, Stephen R

2013-12-03

New Zealand has a higher incidence of Staphylococcus aureus disease than other developed countries, with significant sociodemographic variation in incidence rates. In contrast to North America, the majority of disease is due to methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), although relatively little is known about the comparative demographics of MSSA and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections in New Zealand. Our objectives were to describe the trends, incidence and patient demographics of all S. aureus infections in patients presenting to our institution between 2001 and 2011, and compare the epidemiology of MSSA and MRSA infections. We identified all patients with S. aureus infections over the study period. A unique S. aureus infection was defined as the first positive S. aureus culture taken from the same patient within a thirty-day period. Standard definitions were used to classify episodes into community- or healthcare-associated S. aureus infection. There were 16,249 S. aureus infections over the study period. The incidence increased significantly over the study period from 360 to 412 per 100,000 population (P New Zealand. The significant increase in community-associated S. aureus infections is of public health importance. Future studies should investigate the reasons underlying this concerning trend.

Do not pay for a Danish interest guarantee. The law of the triple blow

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guillén, Montserrat; Konicz, Agnieszka Karolina; Perch Nielsen, Jens

2013-01-01

We have investigated the performance of pension schemes of with-profit policies containing a guaranteed minimum rate of return and we have found that the price of the guarantee measured in terms of lost returns is enormous. We use simple simulations rather than complex pricing methods to illustrate...... that the price of an interest guarantee is high in pension products that are currently commercialised in the market. We have found that the customer loses up to about 0.75% yearly in the rate of return when an interest guarantee is purchased, compared to the return of an equivalent saving strategy with the same...... risk at the level 95%. This can explain why such arrangements are not widely popular. Our approach can be used to inform clients, who are not experts in modern financial models, the impact of paying for an interest guarantee....

Molecular characterization of vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Tehran

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Shahin Najar-Peerayeh

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: To determine the prevalence and some genetic characteristics of clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin. Methods: A total of 414 isolates of S. aureus were collected from clinical specimens from hospitals in Tehran. Vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA was determined by brain heart infusion agar containing 4 μg/mL vancomycin screening plate and confirmed via E-test. VISA isolates were analysed for vanA, vanB, mecA, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec types, surface protein A (Spa types and agr specific groups. Results: Brain heart infusion agar containing 4 μg/mL vancomycin screening tests revealed that 17.14% (n = 71 of S. aureus isolates were VISA phenotype. Ten of the 71 isolates were confirmed by E-test method (minimal inhibitory concentration was 4 to 8 μg/mL. All VISA isolates were susceptible to linezolid and 6 isolates (60% were methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Five isolates belonged to agr Group II, 4 belonged to agr Group I and 1 belonged to agr Group III. Spa type t030, and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec Type III were dominant among VISA isolates. Conclusions: This study provides further evidence of the global dissemination of VISA isolates and emphasizes to vancomycin susceptibility testing prior to antibiotic therapy.

7 CFR 1720.8 - Issuance of the guarantee.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... accounting firm or federal banking regulator, annual consolidated financial statements audited by an... financial covenants, and events of default and remedies; (3) Prior to the issuance of the guarantee, the...

Molecular Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Transmitted between Patients with Buruli Ulcer.

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Nana Ama Amissah

Full Text Available Buruli ulcer (BU is a skin infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. The wounds of most BU patients are colonized with different microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus.This study investigated possible patient-to-patient transmission events of S. aureus during wound care in a health care center. S. aureus isolates from different BU patients with overlapping visits to the clinic were whole-genome sequenced and analyzed by a gene-by-gene approach using SeqSphere(+ software. In addition, sequence data were screened for the presence of genes that conferred antibiotic resistance.SeqSphere(+ analysis of whole-genome sequence data confirmed transmission of methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA and methicillin susceptible S. aureus among patients that took place during wound care. Interestingly, our sequence data show that the investigated MRSA isolates carry a novel allele of the fexB gene conferring chloramphenicol resistance, which had thus far not been observed in S. aureus.

Modelling the guaranteed QoS for wireless sensor networks: a network calculus approach

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Yu Jianping

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Wireless sensor networks (WSNs became one of the high technology domains during the last 10 years. Real-time applications for them make it necessary to provide the guaranteed quality of service (QoS. The main contributions of this article are a system skeleton and a guaranteed QoS model that are suitable for the WSNs. To do it, we develop a sensor node model based on virtual buffer sharing and present a two-layer scheduling model using the network calculus. With the system skeleton, we develop a guaranteed QoS model, such as the upper bounds on buffer queue length/delay/effective bandwidth, and single-hop/multi-hops delay/jitter/effective bandwidth. Numerical results show the system skeleton and the guaranteed QoS model are scalable for different types of flows, including the self-similar traffic flows, and the parameters of flow regulators and service curves of sensor nodes affect them. Our proposal leads to buffer dimensioning, guaranteed QoS support and control in the WSNs.

Brain infection following experimental Staphylococcus aureus sepsis in pigs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Astrup, Lærke Boye; Iburg, Tine Moesgaard; Nielsen, Ole Lerberg

2010-01-01

Introduction: Sepsis is a major problem in humans and both the incidence and mortality is increasing. Multiple microabcesses can be found in the brain of septic patients. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of sepsis and brain abscesses. S. aureus is also a frequent cause...... of spontaneous porcine pyemia including endocarditis and associated brain lesions. We present a porcine model of haematogenous S. aureus induced brain infection. Materials and Methods: Twelve pigs received an intravenous injection of S. aureus of 108 CFU/kg body weight once at 0h or twice at 0h and 12h. Four...... pigs were kept as controls. The pigs were euthanized in groups of four at either 6, 12, 24 or 48 h post infection. The brain was collected from all the animals and examined histologically. Results: All the inoculated pigs developed sepsis and 7 out of 12 animals had microabscesses in the prosencephalon...

Resistência à mupirocina entre isolados de Staphylococcus aureus de profissionais de enfermagem Resistencia al mupirocin en cepas aisladas de Staphylococcus aureus de profesionales de enfermería Mupirocin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in samples belonging to professional nurses

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Josely Pinto de Moura

2010-06-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: Avaliar a colonização por Staphylococcus aureus sensíveis e resistentes à meticilina na saliva de profissionais de enfermagem e o perfil de resistência à mupirocina. MÉTODOS: Foram coletadas três amostras da saliva de 356 (94,2% profissionais participantes da pesquisa, totalizando 1.068 amostras processadas. Todos os aspectos éticos foram contemplados. A análise microbiológica compreendeu a identificação fenotípica, segundo normas do Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. RESULTADOS: Foram obtidos 73 indivíduos colonizados por Staphylococcus aureus na primeira coleta, 48 na segunda e 37 na terceira, somando 158 isolados de Staphylococcus aureus. Desses, 24 (15,2% eram resistentes à oxacilina e 30 resistentes à mupirocina (18,9%. A resistência à mupirocina foi observada de forma pronunciada nos Staphylococcus aureus metacilina resistente (MRSA; dos 24 MRSA, 17 (70,8% apresentaram-se resistentes a este antimicrobiano. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados indicaram que a resistência à mupirocina é um importante problema, pois esse antibiótico é um excelente aliado nas medidas de controle das infecções de serviços de saúde.OBJETIVOS: Evaluar la colonización por Staphylococcus aureus sensibles y resistentes al meticilín en la saliva de profesionales de enfermería y, reconocer el perfil de resistencia a la mupirocina. MÉTODOS: Fueron recolectadas tres muestras de saliva de 356 (94,2% profesionales participantes de la investigación, totalizando 1.068 muestras procesadas. Todos los aspectos éticos fueron contemplados. El análisis microbiológico comprendió la identificación fenotípica, según normas del Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. RESULTADOS: Fueron obtenidos 73 individuos colonizados por Staphylococcus aureus en la primera recolección, 48 en la segunda y 37 en la tercera, sumando 158 muestras aisladas de Staphylococcus aureus. De esas, 24 (15,2% eran resistentes a la oxacilina y 30

Bacteriocins of Non-aureus Staphylococci Isolated from Bovine Milk

Science.gov (United States)

Carson, Domonique A.; Barkema, Herman W.; Naushad, Sohail

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Non-aureus staphylococci (NAS), the bacteria most commonly isolated from the bovine udder, potentially protect the udder against infection by major mastitis pathogens due to bacteriocin production. In this study, we determined the inhibitory capability of 441 bovine NAS isolates (comprising 26 species) against bovine Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, inhibiting isolates were tested against a human methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolate using a cross-streaking method. We determined the presence of bacteriocin clusters in NAS whole genomes using genome mining tools, BLAST, and comparison of genomes of closely related inhibiting and noninhibiting isolates and determined the genetic organization of any identified bacteriocin biosynthetic gene clusters. Forty isolates from 9 species (S. capitis, S. chromogenes, S. epidermidis, S. pasteuri, S. saprophyticus, S. sciuri, S. simulans, S. warneri, and S. xylosus) inhibited growth of S. aureus in vitro, 23 isolates of which, from S. capitis, S. chromogenes, S. epidermidis, S. pasteuri, S. simulans, and S. xylosus, also inhibited MRSA. One hundred five putative bacteriocin gene clusters encompassing 6 different classes (lanthipeptides, sactipeptides, lasso peptides, class IIa, class IIc, and class IId) in 95 whole genomes from 16 species were identified. A total of 25 novel bacteriocin precursors were described. In conclusion, NAS from bovine mammary glands are a source of potential bacteriocins, with >21% being possible producers, representing potential for future characterization and prospective clinical applications. IMPORTANCE Mastitis (particularly infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus) costs Canadian dairy producers $400 million/year and is the leading cause of antibiotic use on dairy farms. With increasing antibiotic resistance and regulations regarding use, there is impetus to explore bacteriocins (bacterially produced antimicrobial peptides) for treatment and prevention of bacterial infections

Decrease of Staphylococcus aureus Virulence by Helcococcus kunzii in a Caenorhabditis elegans Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Ngba Essebe, Christelle; Visvikis, Orane; Fines-Guyon, Marguerite; Vergne, Anne; Cattoir, Vincent; Lecoustumier, Alain; Lemichez, Emmanuel; Sotto, Albert; Lavigne, Jean-Philippe; Dunyach-Remy, Catherine

2017-01-01

Social bacterial interactions are considered essential in numerous infectious diseases, particularly in wounds. Foot ulcers are a common complication in diabetic patients and these ulcers become frequently infected. This infection is usually polymicrobial promoting cell-to-cell communications. Staphylococcus aureus is the most prevalent pathogen isolated. Its association with Helcococcus kunzii , commensal Gram-positive cocci, is frequently described. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of co-infection on virulence of both H. kunzii and S. aureus strains in a Caenorhabditis elegans model. To study the host response, qRT-PCRs targeting host defense genes were performed. We observed that H. kunzii strains harbored a very low (LT50: 5.7 days ± 0.4) or an absence of virulence (LT50: 6.9 days ± 0.5). In contrast, S. aureus strains (LT50: 2.9 days ± 0.4) were significantly more virulent than all H. kunzii ( P aureus strains were associated, H. kunzii significantly reduced the virulence of the S. aureus strain in nematodes (LT50 between 4.4 and 5.2 days; P aureus led to a strong induction of defense genes ( lys-5, sodh-1 , and cyp-37B1 ) while H. kunzii did not. No statistical difference of host response genes expression was observed when C. elegans were infected with either S. aureus alone or with S. aureus + H. kunzii . Moreover, two well-characterized virulence factors ( hla and agr ) present in S. aureus were down-regulated when S. aureus were co-infected with H. kunzii . This study showed that H. kunzii decreased the virulence of S. aureus without modifying directly the host defense response. Factor(s) produced by this bacterium modulating the staphylococci virulence must be investigated.

Staphylococcus aureus Transcriptome Architecture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mäder, Ulrike; Nicolas, Pierre; Depke, Maren

2016-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen that colonizes about 20% of the human population. Intriguingly, this Gram-positive bacterium can survive and thrive under a wide range of different conditions, both inside and outside the human body. Here, we investigated the transcriptional adaptation of...

Construction of Stable Fluorescent Reporter Plasmids for Use in Staphylococcus aureus

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Michelle D. Rodriguez

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Here, the genes encoding three different fluorescent proteins were cloned into the stably maintained Staphylococcus aureus shuttle vector pKK30. The resulting plasmids were transformed into two S. aureus strains; SH1000 and RN4220. Stability assays illustrated that the three recombinant plasmids retained near 100% maintenance in vitro for 160 generations. S. aureus strain SH1000 expressing green fluorescent protein was then inoculated in an ovine model and in vivo stability for 6 days was demonstrated. In essence, these reporter plasmids represent a useful set of tools for dynamic imaging studies in S. aureus. These three reporter plasmids are available through BEI Resources.

Construction of Stable Fluorescent Reporter Plasmids for Use in Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Michelle D; Paul, Zubin; Wood, Charles E; Rice, Kelly C; Triplett, Eric W

2017-01-01

Here, the genes encoding three different fluorescent proteins were cloned into the stably maintained Staphylococcus aureus shuttle vector pKK30. The resulting plasmids were transformed into two S. aureus strains; SH1000 and RN4220. Stability assays illustrated that the three recombinant plasmids retained near 100% maintenance in vitro for 160 generations. S. aureus strain SH1000 expressing green fluorescent protein was then inoculated in an ovine model and in vivo stability for 6 days was demonstrated. In essence, these reporter plasmids represent a useful set of tools for dynamic imaging studies in S. aureus . These three reporter plasmids are available through BEI Resources.

One-year mortality in coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Staphylococcus aureus infective endocarditis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Rasmus V; Snygg-Martin, Ulrika; Olaison, Lars

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate in-hospital mortality and 12-month mortality in patients with coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) compared to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infective endocarditis (IE). We used a prospective cohort study of 66 consecutive CoNS and 170 S. aureus IE...

Antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Abia State of Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The S. aureus. isolates varied in their antibiotic susceptibility pattern when tested for their sensitivity to 16 antibiotics. Eighty percent of the isolates were resistant to more than one antimicrobial agent. All the isolates showed resistance to nalidixic acid and 100% sensitivity to rifampicin. Key words: Staphylococcus aureus, ...

7 CFR 1779.73 - Replacement of loss, theft, destruction, mutilation, or defacement of Loan Note Guarantee or...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 12 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Replacement of loss, theft, destruction, mutilation..., theft, destruction, mutilation, or defacement of Loan Note Guarantee or Assignment Guarantee Agreement... circumstances of the loss, theft, or destruction of the Loan Note Guarantee or Assignment Guarantee Agreement...

Concomitant genotyping revealed diverse spreading between methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in central Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Cheng-Mao; Lin, Chien-Yu; Ho, Mao-Wang; Lin, Hsiao-Chuan; Peng, Ching-Tien; Lu, Jang-Jih

2016-06-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile bacterium, which can lead to various infectious diseases. Various molecular typing methods are applied to the evolution and epidemiology surveys of S. aureus, mostly for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). However, methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) is still an important pathogen, but their molecular typing is evaluated infrequently. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), spa typing, and detection of five virulent genes for 95 MRSA and 56 MSSA isolates (July-December 2008 and July 2008-December 2009, respectively) during an overlapping period were performed. More diversity was found in MSSA isolates (23 pulsotypes and 25 spa types, excluding 4 new-type and 1 nontypable isolates for spa typing) than in MRSA isolates (19 pulsotypes and 16 spa types, excluding 1 new-type and 1 nontypable isolates for spa typing). By spa typing, t002 (n = 30), t037 (n = 23), t437 (n = 21), t234 (n = 3), t1081 (n = 3), and t1094 (n = 3) were the six major MRSA clones. For MSSA isolates, t189 (n = 13), t437 (n = 4), t084 (n = 3), t213 (n = 3), t701 (n = 3), and t7200 (n = 3) were the six major types. Combining PFGE and spa typing, there were five combinations (pulsotype + spa type) that contained both MRSA and MSSA isolates (pulsotype 9-t437, pulsotype 15-t037, pulsotype 19-t002, pulsotype 21-t002, and pulsotype 28-t1081). For all 151 S. aureus or 95 MRSA isolates, the PFGE typing had more discrimination power, but spa typing had larger discrimination index for 56 MSSA isolates. In conclusion, there were different predominant MRSA and MSSA clones clinically. Continuing longitudinal tracking of molecular typing is necessary for elucidating the evolution of this important clinical pathogen. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Incentive-compatible guaranteed renewable health insurance premiums.

Science.gov (United States)

Herring, Bradley; Pauly, Mark V

2006-05-01

Theoretical models of guaranteed renewable insurance display front-loaded premium schedules. Such schedules both cover lifetime total claims of low-risk and high-risk individuals and provide an incentive for those who remain low-risk to continue to purchase the policy. Questions have been raised of whether actual individual insurance markets in the US approximate the behavior predicted by these models, both because young consumers may not be able to "afford" front-loading and because insurers may behave strategically in ways that erode the value of protection against risk reclassification. In this paper, the optimal competitive age-based premium schedule for a benchmark guaranteed renewable health insurance policy is estimated using medical expenditure data. Several factors are shown to reduce the amount of front-loading necessary. Indeed, the resulting optimal premium path increases with age. Actual premium paths exhibited by purchasers of individual insurance are close to the optimal renewable schedule we estimate. Finally, consumer utility associated with the feature is examined.

Immunological role of nasal staphylococcus aureus carriage in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis

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Mohamed Yousif Atia

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Nasal carriage of staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus exerts immunomodulatory effect in patients with atopic dermatitis and it may contribute to airway inflammation and allergic response in patients with allergic rhinitis. We Aim to investigate the frequency of nasal S.aureus carriage in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis and its possible influence on their symptoms and immune markers. We chosed 20 non smoker patients with house dust mite (HDM allergy causing allergic rhinitis and 20 non smoker healthy subjects matched for age and sex. For all subjects rhinoscopy was done, skin prick test, nasal culture for S.aureus, nasal interleukin 4,nasal total IgE, serum total IgE and serum specific IgE(SSIgE for HDM. Nasal S.aureus was detected in 16/20 patients (80% and 5/20 (25% in healthy subjects with highly significant statistical difference plt0.01. Correlation of nasal staph.aureus count and different systemic and local immune markers revealed highly significant positive correlation between nasal S.aureus count and serum total IgE (r = 0.78, plt0.01 and significant positive correlation with SSIgE (HDM (r = 0.53, plt0.05, nasal total IgE (r = 0.39, plt0.05 and nasal IL-4 (r = 0.55, plt0.05. Nasal staph.aureus actively modulated the immune reaction in persistent allergic rhinitis patients by promoting local IgE production, so we recommend early detection and treatment of S.aureus carriage in patients

Frequency of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in health care

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Somayeh Rahimi-Alang

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA is one of the most important pathogen in hospitals. Healthcare personnel are the main source of nosocomial infections and identification and control of MRSA carriers can reduce incidence of infections. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of MRSA and their antibiotic susceptibility profile among healthcare workers in Gorgan.Materials and Method: 333 healthcare workers were participated in this cross-sectional study in 2009. Samples were taken with sterile cotton swabs from both anterior nares and hands. Swabs were plated immediately on to the mannitol salt agar. Suspected colonies were confirmed as S. aureus by Gram staining, catalase, coagulase and DNase tests. Minimum inhibition concentration by micro dilution broth method was used to determine methicillin resistant strains. Antimicrobial susceptibility to other antibiotics was performed according to NCCLS guidelines by disc diffusion method.Result: Frequency of S.aureus and MRSA carriers among healthcare workers was 24% and 3% respectively. The highest rate of S. aureus and MRSA carriers were observed in operating room staff. Resistance to penicillin was seen in 97.5% of isolates and all strains were sensitive to vancomycin.Conclusions: Frequency of S. aureus and MRSA in healthcare workers was median and rather low respectively. Continual monitoring and control of carriers can reduce distribution of this organism and their infections

Prevalence of nasal portal of Staphylococcus aureus in disabled children.

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Clotilde Molin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Colonization of the nasal mucosa by Staphylococcus aureus set a carrier state. Which is recognized as a potential source of infection and a high risk factor for subsequent invasive infections. The prevalence of nasal carriage of this germ in disabled children in Paraguay is not known, thus contributing to the knowledge of their frequency and evaluate the profile of sensitivity to common antimicrobials was conducted this study, from May to July 2015.  Objective: to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage and profile of antimicrobial resistance in disabled children. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study in which 80 nasal swabs of children, who attended the service laboratory of SENADIS (Secretaria Nacional por los Derechos Humanos de las Personas con Discapacidad. The identification and sensitivity of germ was accomplished by conventional testing.  Results: 80 pediatric patients, 46 boys and 34 girls. 18 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus were obtained, corresponding to a prevalence of 22,5%. Susceptibility testing indicated that 14 strains were MSSA (Methicillin – Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and 4 RMSA ( Methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusion: The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in a population with its own characteristics provides valuable data for the epidemiology, reflecting the need for continued vigilance and take steps to reduce associated infections. The detection of RMAR evidences their progress; it is important to evaluate the empirical treatment to primary care.

Mode of action of Buddleja cordata verbascoside against Staphylococcus aureus.

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Avila, J G; de Liverant, J G; Martínez, A; Martínez, G; Muñoz, J L; Arciniegas, A; Romo de Vivar, A

1999-07-01

We evaluate the mode of action of verbascoside obtained from Buddleja cordata against Staphylococcus aureus by killing kinetics and incorporation of precursors methods. Verbascoside induced lethal effect on S. aureus, by affecting protein synthesis and inhibiting leucine incorporation.

Virulence potential of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Buruli ulcer patients.

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Amissah, Nana Ama; Chlebowicz, Monika A; Ablordey, Anthony; Tetteh, Caitlin S; Prah, Isaac; van der Werf, Tjip S; Friedrich, Alex W; van Dijl, Jan Maarten; Stienstra, Ymkje; Rossen, John W

2017-06-01

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a necrotizing infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. BU wounds may also be colonized with other microorganisms including Staphylococcus aureus. This study aimed to characterize the virulence factors of S. aureus isolated from BU patients. Previously sequenced genomes of 21 S. aureus isolates from BU patients were screened for the presence of virulence genes. The results show that all S. aureus isolates harbored on their core genomes genes for known virulence factors like α-hemolysin, and the α- and β-phenol soluble modulins. Besides the core genome virulence genes, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), i.e. prophages, genomic islands, pathogenicity islands and a Staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) were found to carry different combinations of virulence factors, among them genes that are known to encode factors that promote immune evasion, superantigens and Panton-Valentine Leucocidin. The present observations imply that the S. aureus isolates from BU patients harbor a diverse repertoire of virulence genes that may enhance bacterial survival and persistence in the wound environment and potentially contribute to delayed wound healing. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.

Occurrence and distribution of Staphylococcus aureus lineages among zoo animals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gongora, Carmen Espinosa; Chrobak, Dorota; Moodley, Arshnee

2012-01-01

The current knowledge of the occurrence and diversity of Staphylococcus aureus in animals is largely biased in favour MRSA and domestic animals. In order to generate novel information on the ecology and population structure of this bacterial species in the animal kingdom, we investigated...... the occurrence and genotypic diversity of S. aureus in a range of animal species kept at the Copenhagen Zoo. We sampled 146 animals belonging to 25 mammalian species and 21 reptiles belonging to six species. A total of 59 S. aureus isolates were found in 10 of the 25 mammalian species tested. All isolates were...... MSSA belonging to fourteen spa types, including three novel spa types. MLST revealed the occurrence of seven STs. The study of the ecology of commensal S. aureus in captive wild animals revealed that ST133 has a broader host range than previously thought....

Evaluation of Approaches to Monitor Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Factor Expression during Human Disease

OpenAIRE

Rozemeijer, Wouter; Fink, Pamela; Rojas, Eduardo; Jones, C. Hal; Pavliakova, Danka; Giardina, Peter; Murphy, Ellen; Liberator, Paul; Jiang, Qin; Girgenti, Douglas; Peters, Remco P. H.; Savelkoul, Paul H. M.; Jansen, Kathrin U.; Anderson, Annaliesa S.; Kluytmans, Jan

2015-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile pathogen of medical significance, using multiple virulence factors to cause disease. A prophylactic S. aureus 4-antigen (SA4Ag) vaccine comprising capsular polysaccharide (types 5 and 8) conjugates, clumping factor A (ClfA) and manganese transporter C (MntC) is under development. This study was designed to characterize S. aureus isolates recovered from infected patients and also to investigate approaches for examining expression of S. aureus vaccine candid...

European beef consumers' interest in a beef eating-quality guarantee

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Verbeke, Wim; Van Wezemael, Lyn; de Barcellos, Marcia Dutra

2010-01-01

and Germany to assess their opinions about beef muscle profiling and their interest in a beef eating-quality guarantee. Findings indicate that both concepts are well accepted by European beef consumers, although not unconditional. Besides acknowledging the opportunity to purchase beef with guaranteed...... tenderness, consumers express some reserve related to the possible upgrading of lower value cuts, too much standardisation, and the fact that tenderness is to some extent subjective. They further require the system to be simple, sufficiently documented and independent-party controlled. The insights obtained...

Study of nosocomial isolates of Staphylococcus aureus with special reference to methicillin resistant S. aureus in a tertiary care hospital in Nepal.

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Shrestha, B; Pokhrel, B; Mohapatra, T

2009-06-01

To find out the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus nosocomial infection and methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA), clinical samples from nosocomially infected patients were processed by following standard methodology in microbiology laboratory, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. Of 149 S. aureus isolates, skin infection isolates contributed a major part 72.5% making nosocomial infection by S. aureus most prevalent in skin infection followed by lower respiratory tract infection 11.41% and urinary tract infection 8.7%. Overall MRSA prevalence was 45.0%. MRSA prevalence was 42.6% in skin infection, 82.3% in lower respiratory tract infection and 30.8% in urinary tract infection. MRSA infection was found associated with lower respiratory tract infection only. Highest occurrence of nosocomial infection was observed in female surgical ward, surgical out patient department, orthopedic ward, male surgical ward and maternity ward. MRSA isolation was high from lower respiratory tract of patients admitted in intensive care unit, coronary care unit, Sub-acute intensive care unit, intermediate coronary care unit, neurology ward and post-operative ward. Whereas methicillin sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) occurrence was higher in patients admitted in orthopedic, Surgical out patient department, and female surgical ward. The occurrence of MRSA did not differ with age but MRSA was found associated with male patients and MSSA was associated with female patients. Since MRSA prevalence was high, regular surveillance of MRSA and nosocomial infections should be done and universal precautions to control nosocomial infections should be followed.

UJI ZONA HAMBAT EKSTRAK DAUN PUTRI MALU (Mimosa pudica TERHADAP BAKTERI Staphylococcus aureus DAN Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA SECARA IN VITRO

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Nyoman Ririn Chandrika Sari

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Resistensi Staphylococcus aureus dan MRSA terhadap antibiotika spektrum luas mendorong berbagai penelitian untuk menemukan senyawa aktif yang sensitif dan efektif dalam menghambat pertumbuhan bakteri.Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efek penghambatan ekstrak daun putri malu (Mimosa pudica terhadap pertumbuhan bakteri Staphylococcus aureus dan MRSA.Penelitian terhadap aktivitas antimikrobial ekstrak daun putri malu dilakukan dengan metode agar difusi cakram dengan menggunakan metode Kirby-Bauer.Suspensi bakteri disesuaikan dengan standar kekeruhan Mc Farland 0.5. Biakan bakteri dalam cawan petri masing-masing diberikan 6 perlakuan, yaitu kontrol positif (amoxicillin atau vancomycin, kontrol negatif (alkohol, serta ekstrak daun putri malu dengan konsentrasi 25 mcg/ml, 50 mcg/ml, 75 mcg/ml dan 100 mcg/ml. Pertumbuhan Staphylococcus aureus dihambat secara signifikan oleh ekstrak daun putri malu, dengan efek inhibisi pada semua konsentrasi secara signifikan lebih baik dibandingkan dengan kontrol positif (p<0.05. Zona inhibisi Staphylococcus aureus pada konsentrasi 25 mcg/ml adalah 28.86 mm dan telah memenuhi kriteria sebagai antimikrobial sensitif berdasarkan Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI. Inhibisi pertumbuhan MRSA secara signifikan terjadi pada semua konsentrasi ekstrak daun putri malu dibandingkan dengan kontrol negatif (p=0.00. Zona inhibisi terbesar ditemukan pada konsentrasi 100 mcg/ml dengan diameter sebesar 14.16 mm dan memiliki efek antimikrobial sebanding dengan vancomycin dalam menghambat pertumbuhan MRSA (p=0.186. Hasil uji agar difusi cakram menunjukkan bahwa senyawa aktif dalam ekstrak daun putri malu memiliki aktivitas antimikrobial yang tinggi terhadap Staphylococcus aureus dan MRSA secara in vitro.

PRODUKSI IGY SPESIFIK STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS DARI ISOLAT ASAL KASUS STAPHYLOCOCCOSIS PADA KELINCI

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Triwardhani Cahyaningsih

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This experiment aims to produce immunoglobulin Y (Ig-Y Staphylococcus aureus isolates origin staphylococcosis case in rabbits. Vaccination is done several times using Staphylococcus aureus active in 109 cfu/ml. Injecting the chicken is done four weeks in a row, the first week is done by intravenous injection of S. aureus antigens, the second week of the injection sub cutan S. aureus emulsified with Freund's complete adjuvant, followed by the third and fourth week of the injection of S. aureus antigen emulsified with incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Egg samples were taken after four weeks of the last injection for identification, purification, and determination of specific IgY against S. aureus in egg yolk. IgY specificity qualitatively tests performed by the AGP test (To Gel Precipitation. IgY extraction is done using PEG - Ammonium sulfate, purified IgY concentration calculated by the method of Bradford. The results showed that IgY began to be detected in egg yolk at week six after immunization, with the average levels of IgY is 1.7 mg/ml.

Study on biofilm-forming properties of clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus.

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Taj, Yasmeen; Essa, Farhan; Aziz, Faisal; Kazmi, Shahana Urooj

2012-05-14

The purpose of this study was to observe the formation of biofilm, an important virulence factor, by isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in Pakistan by different conventional methods and through electron microscopy. We screened 115 strains of S. aureus isolated from different clinical specimens by tube method (TM), air-liquid interface coverslip assay method, Congo red agar (CRA) method, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Out of 115 S. aureus isolates, 63 (54.78%) showed biofilm formation by tube method. Biofilm forming bacteria were further categorized as high producers (n = 23, 20%) and moderate producers (n = 40, 34.78%). TM coordinated well with the coverslip assay for strong biofilm-producing strains in 19 (16.5%) isolates. By coverslip method, weak producers were difficult to differentiate from biofilm negative isolates. Screening on CRA showed biofilm formation only in four (3.47%) strains. Scanning electron micrographs showed the biofilm-forming strains of S. aureus arranged in a matrix on the propylene surface and correlated well with the TM. Biofilm production is a marker of virulence for clinically relevant staphylococcal infections. It can be studied by various methods but screening on CRA is not recommended for investigation of biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus. Electron micrograph images correlate well with the biofilm production as observed by TM.

Occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in bulk tank milk and milk filters

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Kateřina Bogdanovičová

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This work is focused on the monitoring of Staphylococcus aureus prevalence in raw milk and milk filters, its antibiotic resistance and detection of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA. Samples of raw cow´s milk and milk filters were collected in the period from 2012 till 2014, from 50 dairy farms in the Czech Republic. The total of 261 samples (164 samples of raw milk and 97 milk filters were cultivated on Baird-Parker agar. Both the typical and atypical colonies were examined by plasmacoagulase test and PCR method was used for detection of species specific fragment SA442 and mecA gene. Standard disk diffusion method was used to determinate resistance to antimicrobial agents. The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus was detected on 25 farms (50%. The antimicrobial resistance showed differences between the farms. Total of 58 samples were positive for Staphylococcus aureus, of which were 37 (14.2% isolated from raw milk samples and 21 (8.1% from milk filters. From these samples we isolated 62 Staphylococcus aureus strains, 41 isolates bacteria S. aureus from raw milk (66.1% and 21 isolates S. aureus from milk filters (33.9%. The presence of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus isolates was low, most of them were resistant to amoxicilin. According to the results obtained by the PCR method for the methicillin - resistant S. aureus (MRSA, the mecA gene was present in 6 strains (9.7%, 4 isolates obtained from milk samples (6.5% and 2 isolates from milk filters (3.2%.  These isolates can be considered as a possible source of resistance genes, which can be spread through the food chain. Nowadays, a globally unfavourable increasing trend of prevalence of methicillin resistant staphylococci strains especially Staphylococcus aureus is being observed worldwide. The improper hygiene and poor farm management practices contributed to the presence of S. aureus in the milk. This may have contributed to the high level of S. aureus isolated

Staphylococcus aureus ST398 from slaughter pigs in northeast China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yan, Xiaomei; Yu, Xiaojie; Tao, Xiaoxia; Zhang, Jianfeng; Zhang, Binghua; Dong, Rui; Xue, Chengyu; Grundmann, Hajo; Zhang, Jianzhong

To describe the prevalence and population structure of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that colonize pigs at slaughterhouses in northeastern China, nose swabs were collected from pigs in two slaughterhouses in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China in 2009.S. aureus isolates were characterized by

Calcium and Magnesium Ions Are Membrane-Active against Stationary-Phase Staphylococcus aureus with High Specificity

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Xie, Yuntao; Yang, Lihua

2016-02-01

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is notorious for its ability to acquire antibiotic-resistance, and antibiotic-resistant S. aureus has become a wide-spread cause of high mortality rate. Novel antimicrobials capable of eradicating S. aureus cells including antibiotic-resistant ones are thus highly desired. Membrane-active bactericides and species-specific antimicrobials are two promising sources of novel anti-infective agents for fighting against bacterial antibiotic-resistance. We herein show that Ca2+ and Mg2+, two alkaline-earth-metal ions physiologically essential for diverse living organisms, both disrupt model S. aureus membranes and kill stationary-phase S. aureus cells, indicative of membrane-activity. In contrast to S. aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis exhibit unaffected survival after similar treatment with these two cations, indicative of species-specific activity against S. aureus. Moreover, neither Ca2+ nor Mg2+ lyses mouse red blood cells, indicative of hemo-compatibility. This works suggests that Ca2+ and Mg2+ may have implications in targeted eradication of S. aureus pathogen including the antibiotic-resistant ones.

Sepse por Staphylococus aureus resistente à meticilina adquirida na comunidade no sul do Brasil Sepsis due to community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in southern Brazil

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Luciane Cristina Gelatti

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus resistente à meticilina foi inicialmente descrito como um típico microrganismo adquirido em infecções nosocomiais. No entanto, nos últimos anos Staphylococcus aureus resistente à meticilina adquirido na comunidade é causa de infecções de pele e tecidos moles, mas infecções graves como pneumonia e sepse podem ocorrer. Este relato descreve um caso de sepse em criança, complicado com pneumonia secundária a lesão em partes moles por Staphylococcus aureus resistente à meticilina adquirido na comunidade no Sul do Brasil. O paciente foi atendido em Unidade de Emergência com história de ferimento provocado por trauma em membro inferior que evoluiu para celulite, pneumonia e sepse.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was initially described as a typical microorganism acquired in nosocomial infections. However, over recent years, community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has been a cause of skin and soft-tissue infections. Serious infections such as pneumonia and sepsis can also occur. This report describes a case of sepsis in a child that was complicated by pneumonia secondary to soft tissue lesions that were due to community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in southern Brazil. The patient was attended at the Emergency Unit with a history of injury caused by lower-limb trauma that evolved to cellulitis, pneumonia and sepsis.

Health and economic burden of post-partum Staphylococcus aureus breast abscess.

Science.gov (United States)

Branch-Elliman, Westyn; Lee, Grace M; Golen, Toni H; Gold, Howard S; Baldini, Linda M; Wright, Sharon B

2013-01-01

To determine the health and economic burdens of post-partum Staphylococcus aureus breast abscess. We conducted a matched cohort study (N = 216) in a population of pregnant women (N = 32,770) who delivered at our center during the study period from 10/1/03-9/30/10. Data were extracted from hospital databases, or via chart review if unavailable electronically. We compared cases of S. aureus breast abscess to controls matched by delivery date to compare health services utilization and mean attributable medical costs in 2012 United States dollars using Medicare and hospital-based estimates. We also evaluated whether resource utilization and health care costs differed between cases with methicillin-resistant and -susceptible S. aureus isolates. Fifty-four cases of culture-confirmed post-partum S. aureus breast abscess were identified. Breastfeeding cessation (41%), milk fistula (11.1%) and hospital readmission (50%) occurred frequently among case patients. Breast abscess case patients had high rates of health services utilization compared to controls, including high rates of imaging and drainage procedures. The mean attributable cost of post-partum S. aureus breast abscess ranged from $2,340-$4,012, depending on the methods and data sources used. Mean attributable costs were not significantly higher among methicillin-resistant vs. -susceptible S. aureus cases. Post-partum S. aureus breast abscess is associated with worse health and economic outcomes for women and their infants, including high rates of breastfeeding cessation. Future study is needed to determine the optimal treatment and prevention of these infections.

Health and economic burden of post-partum Staphylococcus aureus breast abscess.

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Westyn Branch-Elliman

Full Text Available To determine the health and economic burdens of post-partum Staphylococcus aureus breast abscess.We conducted a matched cohort study (N = 216 in a population of pregnant women (N = 32,770 who delivered at our center during the study period from 10/1/03-9/30/10. Data were extracted from hospital databases, or via chart review if unavailable electronically. We compared cases of S. aureus breast abscess to controls matched by delivery date to compare health services utilization and mean attributable medical costs in 2012 United States dollars using Medicare and hospital-based estimates. We also evaluated whether resource utilization and health care costs differed between cases with methicillin-resistant and -susceptible S. aureus isolates.Fifty-four cases of culture-confirmed post-partum S. aureus breast abscess were identified. Breastfeeding cessation (41%, milk fistula (11.1% and hospital readmission (50% occurred frequently among case patients. Breast abscess case patients had high rates of health services utilization compared to controls, including high rates of imaging and drainage procedures. The mean attributable cost of post-partum S. aureus breast abscess ranged from $2,340-$4,012, depending on the methods and data sources used. Mean attributable costs were not significantly higher among methicillin-resistant vs. -susceptible S. aureus cases.Post-partum S. aureus breast abscess is associated with worse health and economic outcomes for women and their infants, including high rates of breastfeeding cessation. Future study is needed to determine the optimal treatment and prevention of these infections.

Fresh garlic extract inhibits Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation under chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic conditions

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Panan Ratthawongjirakul

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA are the leading aetiological pathogens of nosocomial infections worldwide. These bacteria form biofilms on both biotic and abiotic surfaces causing biofilm-associated infections. Within the biofilm, these bacteria might develop persistent and antimicrobial resistant characteristics resulting in chronic infections and treatment failures. Garlic exhibits broad pharmaceutical properties and inhibitory activities against S. aureus. We investigated the effects of aqueous fresh garlic extract on biofilm formation in S. aureus ATCC25923 and MRSA strains under chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic conditions. The viable bacteria and biofilm levels were quantified through colony count and crystal violet staining, respectively. The use of fresh garlic extract under both conditions significantly inhibited biofilm formation in S. aureus strains ATCC25923 and MRSA. Garlic could be developed as either a prophylactic or therapeutic agent to manage S. aureus biofilm-associated infections.

Evaluation of approaches to monitor Staphylococcus aureus virulence factor expression during human disease.

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Wouter Rozemeijer

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile pathogen of medical significance, using multiple virulence factors to cause disease. A prophylactic S. aureus 4-antigen (SA4Ag vaccine comprising capsular polysaccharide (types 5 and 8 conjugates, clumping factor A (ClfA and manganese transporter C (MntC is under development. This study was designed to characterize S. aureus isolates recovered from infected patients and also to investigate approaches for examining expression of S. aureus vaccine candidates and the host response during human infection. Confirmation of antigen expression in different disease states is important to support the inclusion of these antigens in a prophylactic vaccine. Hospitalized patients with diagnosed S. aureus wound (27 or bloodstream (24 infections were enrolled. Invasive and nasal carriage S. aureus isolates were recovered and characterized for genotypic diversity. S. aureus antigen expression was evaluated directly by real-time, quantitative, reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR analysis and indirectly by serology using a competitive Luminex immunoassay. Study isolates were genotypically diverse and all had the genes encoding the antigens present in the SA4Ag vaccine. S. aureus nasal carriage was detected in 55% of patients, and in those subjects 64% of the carriage isolates matched the invasive strain. In swab samples with detectable S. aureus triosephosphate isomerase housekeeping gene expression, RNA transcripts encoding the S. aureus virulence factors ClfA, MntC, and capsule polysaccharide were detected by qRT-PCR. Antigen expression was indirectly confirmed by increases in antibody titer during the course of infection from acute to convalescent phase. Demonstration of bacterial transcript expression together with immunological response to the SA4Ag antigens in a clinically relevant patient population provides support for inclusion of these antigens in a prophylactic vaccine.

Evaluation of approaches to monitor Staphylococcus aureus virulence factor expression during human disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Rozemeijer, Wouter; Fink, Pamela; Rojas, Eduardo; Jones, C Hal; Pavliakova, Danka; Giardina, Peter; Murphy, Ellen; Liberator, Paul; Jiang, Qin; Girgenti, Douglas; Peters, Remco P H; Savelkoul, Paul H M; Jansen, Kathrin U; Anderson, Annaliesa S; Kluytmans, Jan

2015-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile pathogen of medical significance, using multiple virulence factors to cause disease. A prophylactic S. aureus 4-antigen (SA4Ag) vaccine comprising capsular polysaccharide (types 5 and 8) conjugates, clumping factor A (ClfA) and manganese transporter C (MntC) is under development. This study was designed to characterize S. aureus isolates recovered from infected patients and also to investigate approaches for examining expression of S. aureus vaccine candidates and the host response during human infection. Confirmation of antigen expression in different disease states is important to support the inclusion of these antigens in a prophylactic vaccine. Hospitalized patients with diagnosed S. aureus wound (27) or bloodstream (24) infections were enrolled. Invasive and nasal carriage S. aureus isolates were recovered and characterized for genotypic diversity. S. aureus antigen expression was evaluated directly by real-time, quantitative, reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis and indirectly by serology using a competitive Luminex immunoassay. Study isolates were genotypically diverse and all had the genes encoding the antigens present in the SA4Ag vaccine. S. aureus nasal carriage was detected in 55% of patients, and in those subjects 64% of the carriage isolates matched the invasive strain. In swab samples with detectable S. aureus triosephosphate isomerase housekeeping gene expression, RNA transcripts encoding the S. aureus virulence factors ClfA, MntC, and capsule polysaccharide were detected by qRT-PCR. Antigen expression was indirectly confirmed by increases in antibody titer during the course of infection from acute to convalescent phase. Demonstration of bacterial transcript expression together with immunological response to the SA4Ag antigens in a clinically relevant patient population provides support for inclusion of these antigens in a prophylactic vaccine.

Staphylococcus aureus in Some Brazilian Dairy Industries: Changes of Contamination and Diversity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dittmann, Karen Kiesbye; Chaul, Luiza T.; Lee, Sarah H. I.

2017-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus, a major food-poisoning pathogen, is a common contaminant in dairy industries worldwide, including in Brazil. We determined the occurrence of S. aureus in five dairies in Brazil over 8 months. Of 421 samples, 31 (7.4%) were positive for S. aureus and prevalence varied from 0.......8% of strains being sensitive to all antibiotic classes and no Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains were found. The enterotoxin-encoding genes involved in food-poisoning, e.g., sea, sed, see, and seg were targeted by PCR. The two toxin-encoding genes, sed and see, were not detected. Only three strains...... contamination....

Heme Recognition By a Staphylococcus Aureus IsdE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grigg, J.C.; Vermeiren, C.L.; Heinrichs, D.E.; Murphy, M.E.P.

2009-06-03

Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterial pathogen and a leading cause of hospital acquired infections. Because the free iron concentration in the human body is too low to support growth, S. aureus must acquire iron from host sources. Heme iron is the most prevalent iron reservoir in the human body and a predominant source of iron for S. aureus. The iron-regulated surface determinant (Isd) system removes heme from host heme proteins and transfers it to IsdE, the cognate substrate-binding lipoprotein of an ATP-binding cassette transporter, for import and subsequent degradation. Herein, we report the crystal structure of the soluble portion of the IsdE lipoprotein in complex with heme. The structure reveals a bi-lobed topology formed by an N- and C-terminal domain bridged by a single {alpha}-helix. The structure places IsdE as a member of the helical backbone metal receptor superfamily. A six-coordinate heme molecule is bound in the groove established at the domain interface, and the heme iron is coordinated in a novel fashion for heme transporters by Met{sup 78} and His{sup 229}. Both heme propionate groups are secured by H-bonds to IsdE main chain and side chain groups. Of these residues, His{sup 299} is essential for IsdE-mediated heme uptake by S. aureus when growth on heme as a sole iron source is measured. Multiple sequence alignments of homologues from several other Gram-positive bacteria, including the human pathogens pyogenes, Bacillus anthracis, and Listeria monocytogenes, suggest that these other systems function equivalently to S. aureus IsdE with respect to heme binding and transport.

Characterization of a mouse-adapted Staphylococcus aureus strain.

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Silva Holtfreter

Full Text Available More effective antibiotics and a protective vaccine are desperately needed to combat the 'superbug' Staphylococcus aureus. While in vivo pathogenicity studies routinely involve infection of mice with human S. aureus isolates, recent genetic studies have demonstrated that S. aureus lineages are largely host-specific. The use of such animal-adapted S. aureus strains may therefore be a promising approach for developing more clinically relevant animal infection models. We have isolated a mouse-adapted S. aureus strain (JSNZ which caused a severe outbreak of preputial gland abscesses among male C57BL/6J mice. We aimed to extensively characterize this strain on a genomic level and determine its virulence potential in murine colonization and infection models. JSNZ belongs to the MLST type ST88, rare among human isolates, and lacks an hlb-converting phage encoding human-specific immune evasion factors. Naive mice were found to be more susceptible to nasal and gastrointestinal colonization with JSNZ than with the human-derived Newman strain. Furthermore, naïve mice required antibiotic pre-treatment to become colonized with Newman. In contrast, JSNZ was able to colonize mice in the absence of antibiotic treatment suggesting that this strain can compete with the natural flora for space and nutrients. In a renal abscess model, JSNZ caused more severe disease than Newman with greater weight loss and bacterial burden. In contrast to most other clinical isolates, JSNZ can also be readily genetically modified by phage transduction and electroporation. In conclusion, the mouse-adapted strain JSNZ may represent a valuable tool for studying aspects of mucosal colonization and for screening novel vaccines and therapies directed at preventing colonization.

12 CFR 370.3 - Debt Guarantee Program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... convertible debt to be issued, (C) The mandatory conversion date, (D) The conversion rate (i.e., the total... exchange rate in effect on the date that the debt is funded. (c) Calculation and reporting responsibility... guarantee expires on the earliest of the mandatory conversion date for mandatory convertible debt, the...

48 CFR 52.228-1 - Bid Guarantee.

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2010-10-01

... as accepted. (c) The amount of the bid guarantee shall be ____ percent of the bid price or $____, whichever is less. (d) If the successful bidder, upon acceptance of its bid by the Government within the period specified for acceptance, fails to execute all contractual documents or furnish executed bond(s...

78 FR 46528 - Surety Bond Guarantee Program

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2013-08-01

... 2013, Public Law 112-239, 126 Stat. 1632: (1) Increasing the contract amount for which SBA is... remedies under contract law, the Act, and the regulations in this part, SBA is relieved of liability in...), including the provisions that increase the contract amounts for which SBA is authorized to guarantee bonds...

Incidence, trends and demographics of Staphylococcus aureus infections in Auckland, New Zealand, 2001–2011

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background New Zealand has a higher incidence of Staphylococcus aureus disease than other developed countries, with significant sociodemographic variation in incidence rates. In contrast to North America, the majority of disease is due to methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), although relatively little is known about the comparative demographics of MSSA and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections in New Zealand. Methods Our objectives were to describe the trends, incidence and patient demographics of all S. aureus infections in patients presenting to our institution between 2001 and 2011, and compare the epidemiology of MSSA and MRSA infections. We identified all patients with S. aureus infections over the study period. A unique S. aureus infection was defined as the first positive S. aureus culture taken from the same patient within a thirty-day period. Standard definitions were used to classify episodes into community- or healthcare-associated S. aureus infection. Results There were 16,249 S. aureus infections over the study period. The incidence increased significantly over the study period from 360 to 412 per 100,000 population (P New Zealand. The significant increase in community-associated S. aureus infections is of public health importance. Future studies should investigate the reasons underlying this concerning trend. PMID:24299298

Detection and identification of Staphylococcus aureus in raw milk by ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Staphylococcus aureus causes foodborne diseases if consumed in contaminated milk products. Rapid detection and characterization of foodborne pathogen S. aureus is crucial for epidemiological investigations and food safety surveillance. It is still a challenge to detect and identify bacterial pathogens quickly and ...

Towards an integral analysis of stereotypes: Challenging the standard guarantee of impartiality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Clérico

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The use of stereotypes to the detriment of the discriminated group should imply questioning the standard guarantee of judicial impartiality. Even taking the analysis of stereotypes seriously, the depth of its consequences has not been sufficiently taken into account in the constitutional and human rights argumentation because it has not challenged with all intensity the standard way in which the guarantee of impartiality is conceived and applied in legal practice and even by the regional court for the protection of human rights. I will defend two central theses: (1 the use of stereotypes necessarily impacts on the analysis of the guarantee of impartiality and (2 impartiality must get rid of the presumption of impartiality.

Staphylococcus aureus biofilms: recent developments in biofilm dispersal.

Science.gov (United States)

Lister, Jessica L; Horswill, Alexander R

2014-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infections and represents a significant burden on the healthcare system. S. aureus attachment to medical implants and host tissue, and the establishment of a mature biofilm, play an important role in the persistence of chronic infections. The formation of a biofilm, and encasement of cells in a polymer-based matrix, decreases the susceptibility to antimicrobials and immune defenses, making these infections difficult to eradicate. During infection, dispersal of cells from the biofilm can result in spread to secondary sites and worsening of the infection. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the pathways behind biofilm dispersal in S. aureus, with a focus on enzymatic and newly described broad-spectrum dispersal mechanisms. Additionally, we explore potential applications of dispersal in the treatment of biofilm-mediated infections.

Reversible antibiotic tolerance induced in Staphylococcus aureus by concurrent drug exposure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haaber, Jakob Krause; Friberg, Cathrine; McCreary, Mark

2015-01-01

UNLABELLED: Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to beta-lactam antibiotics has led to increasing use of the glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin as a life-saving treatment for major S. aureus infections. Coinfection by an unrelated bacterial species may necessitate concurrent treatment with a second...... antibiotic that targets the coinfecting pathogen. While investigating factors that affect bacterial antibiotic sensitivity, we discovered that susceptibility of S. aureus to vancomycin is reduced by concurrent exposure to colistin, a cationic peptide antimicrobial employed to treat infections by Gram......-negative pathogens. We show that colistin-induced vancomycin tolerance persists only as long as the inducer is present and is accompanied by gene expression changes similar to those resulting from mutations that produce stably inherited reduction of vancomycin sensitivity (vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus [VISA...

Bacteriocins of Non-aureus Staphylococci Isolated from Bovine Milk.

Science.gov (United States)

Carson, Domonique A; Barkema, Herman W; Naushad, Sohail; De Buck, Jeroen

2017-09-01

Non- aureus staphylococci (NAS), the bacteria most commonly isolated from the bovine udder, potentially protect the udder against infection by major mastitis pathogens due to bacteriocin production. In this study, we determined the inhibitory capability of 441 bovine NAS isolates (comprising 26 species) against bovine Staphylococcus aureus Furthermore, inhibiting isolates were tested against a human methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolate using a cross-streaking method. We determined the presence of bacteriocin clusters in NAS whole genomes using genome mining tools, BLAST, and comparison of genomes of closely related inhibiting and noninhibiting isolates and determined the genetic organization of any identified bacteriocin biosynthetic gene clusters. Forty isolates from 9 species ( S. capitis , S. chromogenes , S. epidermidis , S. pasteuri , S. saprophyticus , S. sciuri , S. simulans , S. warneri , and S. xylosus ) inhibited growth of S. aureus in vitro , 23 isolates of which, from S. capitis , S. chromogenes , S. epidermidis , S. pasteuri , S. simulans , and S. xylosus , also inhibited MRSA. One hundred five putative bacteriocin gene clusters encompassing 6 different classes (lanthipeptides, sactipeptides, lasso peptides, class IIa, class IIc, and class IId) in 95 whole genomes from 16 species were identified. A total of 25 novel bacteriocin precursors were described. In conclusion, NAS from bovine mammary glands are a source of potential bacteriocins, with >21% being possible producers, representing potential for future characterization and prospective clinical applications. IMPORTANCE Mastitis (particularly infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus ) costs Canadian dairy producers $400 million/year and is the leading cause of antibiotic use on dairy farms. With increasing antibiotic resistance and regulations regarding use, there is impetus to explore bacteriocins (bacterially produced antimicrobial peptides) for treatment and prevention of bacterial

42 CFR 57.1507 - Limitations applicable to loan guarantee.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... FOR CONSTRUCTION OF TEACHING FACILITIES, EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT LOANS Loan Guarantees and Interest Subsidies to Assist in Construction of Teaching Facilities for Health Profession...

Virulence potential of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Buruli ulcer patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Amissah, Nana Ama; Chlebowicz, Monika A.; Ablordey, Anthony; Tetteh, Caitlin S.; Prah, Isaac; van der Werf, Tjip S.; Friedrich, Alex W.; van Dijl, Jan Maarten; Stienstra, Ymkje; Rossen, John W.

Buruli ulcer (BU) is a necrotizing infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. BU wounds may also be colonized with other microorganisms including Staphylococcus aureus. This study aimed to characterize the virulence factors of S. aureus isolated from BU patients.

32 CFR 151.7 - Fair trial guarantees.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... MILITARY JUSTICE STATUS OF FORCES POLICIES AND INFORMATION § 151.7 Fair trial guarantees. The following is... competent interpreter when the accused does not understand the language in which the trial is conducted and does not have counsel proficient in the language both of the court and of the accused. (p) Accused is...

Cemaran Staphylococcus aureus dan Pseudomonas aerogenosa Pada Stetoskop dirumah Sakit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

leka lutpiatina

2017-10-01

The result of the research was found contamination of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aerogenosa on steteskop. The site home condition of the research data was 66.7% cleaned daily, the storage method was placed on the table 70% and the duration of using the set home more than 1 year as much as 70%. The conclusion of stethoscope at Banjarbaru Hospital was contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus by 70% and Pseudomonas aerogenosa by 17%. The suggestion of research can be continued by knowing the existence of Staphylococcus aureus resistant antibiotic and Pseudomonas aerogenous antibiotic resistant at steteskop at Hospital.

Humanized Mouse Models of Staphylococcus aureus Infection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dane Parker

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is a successful human pathogen that has adapted itself in response to selection pressure by the human immune system. A commensal of the human skin and nose, it is a leading cause of several conditions: skin and soft tissue infection, pneumonia, septicemia, peritonitis, bacteremia, and endocarditis. Mice have been used extensively in all these conditions to identify virulence factors and host components important for pathogenesis. Although significant effort has gone toward development of an anti-staphylococcal vaccine, antibodies have proven ineffective in preventing infection in humans after successful studies in mice. These results have raised questions as to the utility of mice to predict patient outcome and suggest that humanized mice might prove useful in modeling infection. The development of humanized mouse models of S. aureus infection will allow us to assess the contribution of several human-specific virulence factors, in addition to exploring components of the human immune system in protection against S. aureus infection. Their use is discussed in light of several recently reported studies.

How a Guaranteed Annual Income Could Put Food Banks Out of Business

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.C. Herbert Emery

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The federal Conservative government recently began phasing in a plan to raise the age of eligibility for Old Age Security from 65 to 67. But a more sensible move for improving the effectiveness of Canada’s social safety-net system may be to actually lower the age below 65 and rely strictly on an income test instead, regardless of age. The government could go a lot further toward the reduction of poverty in Canada by building on the success of its income supports for seniors, and making them available to poor Canadians of all ages. Canada can boast of having one of the lowest rates for poverty among seniors in the world, largely due to its guaranteed income programs for those 65 years and older. When low-income Canadians turn 65 years old and leave behind low-paying, often unstable jobs, their poverty levels drop substantially. What a guaranteed income provides, that their vulnerable job situation did not, is a form of protection against budget shocks — a sudden volatility in income or expenses without the access to savings or credit to smooth things out until stability returns. A guaranteed income provides a kind of “disaster insurance” that can protect someone in a crisis situation from going without necessities such as food or even shelter. Statistics show that the rate of Canadians experiencing “food insecurity” — that is, lack of access to food because of financial constraints — is half that among Canadians aged 65 to 69 years than it is among those aged 60 to 64. Self-reported rates of physical and mental health improve markedly as well after lowincome Canadians move from low-wage, insecure employment to a guaranteed income at the age of 65. That dramatic shift in physical and mental health indicates that expanding guaranteed income programs to younger Canadians is more than a simple cost calculation: there are potential savings to be found as poorer Canadians, given a guaranteed income, become healthier and therefore reduce

Detection and identification of Staphylococcus aureus in raw milk by ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2010-04-12

Apr 12, 2010 ... detection and identification of S. aureus in raw milk demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity. Key words: Microarray .... sterile after screening for S. aureus contamination according to the procedure described by Wang ... methods, the microarray method is high throughput, specific, and sensitive and also ...

Unraveling the dynamics of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bootsma, M.C.; Bonten, M.J.M.

2013-01-01

Since the first description of the community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strain USA300 [1] in the 1990s, this pathogen has emerged worldwide [2]. Within a decade, USA300 has become the most prevalent cause of community-acquired S. aureus infections in many

Distribution of capsular and surface polysaccharide serotypes of Staphylococcus aureus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

von Eiff, Christof; Taylor, Kimberly L; Mellmann, Alexander; Fattom, Ali I; Friedrich, Alexander W.; Peters, Georg; Becker, Karsten

Because of its ability to cause serious and fatal infections, Staphylococcus aureus remains one of the most feared microorganisms. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has long been a common pathogen in healthcare facilities, but within the past decade, it has emerged as a problematic pathogen in

Aspartate inhibits Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hang; Wang, Mengyue; Yu, Junping; Wei, Hongping

2015-04-01

Biofilm formation renders Staphylococcus aureus highly resistant to conventional antibiotics and host defenses. Four D-amino acids (D-Leu, D-Met, D-Trp and D-Tyr) have been reported to be able to inhibit biofilm formation and disassemble established S. aureus biofilms. We report here for the first time that both D- and L-isoforms of aspartate (Asp) inhibited S. aureus biofilm formation on tissue culture plates. Similar biofilm inhibition effects were also observed against other staphylococcal strains, including S. saprophyticus, S. equorum, S. chromogenes and S. haemolyticus. It was found that Asp at high concentrations (>10 mM) inhibited the growth of planktonic N315 cells, but at subinhibitory concentrations decreased the cellular metabolic activity without influencing cell growth. The decreased cellular metabolic activity might be the reason for the production of less protein and DNA in the matrix of the biofilms formed in the presence of Asp. However, varied inhibition efficacies of Asp were observed for biofilms formed by clinical staphylococcal isolates. There might be mechanisms other than decreasing the metabolic activity, e.g. the biofilm phenotypes, affecting biofilm formation in the presence of Asp. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Quality control of direct molecular diagnostics for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Belkum, Alex; Niesters, Hubert G M; MacKay, William G; van Leeuwen, Willem B

Ten samples containing various amounts of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin-susceptible S. aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE), and combinations thereof were distributed to 51 laboratories for molecular diagnostics testing. Samples containing

Long-term mortality after Staphylococcus aureus spondylodiscitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aagaard, Theis; Roed, Casper; Larsen, Anders R

2014-01-01

Patients diagnosed with Staphylococcus aureus spondylodiscitis have increased long-term mortality compared with the background population mainly due to infectious, endocrine, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and alcohol and drug abuse-related diseases.......Patients diagnosed with Staphylococcus aureus spondylodiscitis have increased long-term mortality compared with the background population mainly due to infectious, endocrine, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and alcohol and drug abuse-related diseases....

Daya Hambat Ekstrak Aloe Vera terhadap pertumbuhan Staphylococcus Aureus

OpenAIRE

Rahmat, drg.Sp,Pros

2011-01-01

Dari hasil penelitian , maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa ekstrak Aloe Vera dapat menghambat pertumbuhan bakteri Stafhylococcus aureus, dan kadar hambat minimal ekstrak Aloe Vera adalah pada konsentrasi 25%. Tujuan Penelitan Ini adalah untuk mengetahui efektifitas ekstrak Aloe vera dalam menghambat pertumbuhan bakteri Stafhylococcus aureus dan daya hambat menimal, (DHM) terhadap pertumbuhan bakteri tersebut. Metode yang digunakan adalah pertumbuhan ekstrak Aloe vera, penegnceran ekstrak , pemur...

Staphylococcus aureus utilizes host-derived lipoprotein particles as sources of exogenous fatty acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Delekta, Phillip C; Shook, John C; Lydic, Todd A; Mulks, Martha H; Hammer, Neal D

2018-03-26

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a threat to global health. Consequently, much effort has focused on the development of new antimicrobials that target novel aspects of S. aureus physiology. Fatty acids are required to maintain cell viability, and bacteria synthesize fatty acids using the type II fatty acid synthesis pathway (FASII). FASII is significantly different from human fatty acid synthesis, underscoring the therapeutic potential of inhibiting this pathway. However, many Gram-positive pathogens incorporate exogenous fatty acids, bypassing FASII inhibition and leaving the clinical potential of FASII inhibitors uncertain. Importantly, the source(s) of fatty acids available to pathogens within the host environment remains unclear. Fatty acids are transported throughout the body by lipoprotein particles in the form of triglycerides and esterified cholesterol. Thus, lipoproteins, such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) represent a potentially rich source of exogenous fatty acids for S. aureus during infection. We sought to test the ability of LDLs to serve as a fatty acid source for S. aureus and show that cells cultured in the presence of human LDLs demonstrate increased tolerance to the FASII inhibitor, triclosan. Using mass spectrometry, we observed that host-derived fatty acids present in the LDLs are incorporated into the staphylococcal membrane and that tolerance to triclosan is facilitated by the fatty acid kinase A, FakA, and Geh, a triacylglycerol lipase. Finally, we demonstrate that human LDLs support the growth of S. aureus fatty acid auxotrophs. Together, these results suggest that human lipoprotein particles are a viable source of exogenous fatty acids for S. aureus during infection. IMPORTANCE Inhibition of bacterial fatty acid synthesis is a promising approach to combating infections caused by S. aureus and other human pathogens. However, S. aureus incorporates exogenous fatty acids into its phospholipid bilayer. Therefore, the

Linking Financial Service Providers to Commercial Capital : How Do Guarantees Add Value?

OpenAIRE

Alexia Latortue; Jasmina Glisovic-Mezieres

2008-01-01

In microfinance, experimentation with loan guarantees began largely as an attempt to demonstrate to local banks that Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) are creditworthy. Though loan guarantees are far less common than other funding instruments, such as debt, equity, and grants, they are beginning to be used more often. This brief is based on a joint Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (...

FOOD MICROORGANISMS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS.

Science.gov (United States)

GRAVES, R R; FRAZIER, W C

1963-11-01

Some 870 cultures of predominating micro-organisms were isolated from market samples of hamburger, fresh pork sausage, fresh fish fillets, stewing beef, frozen chicken pot pie, frozen corn, frozen peas, and pasteurized and raw milk, before and after storage at different temperatures. The isolates were screened for their ability to influence the growth of Staphylococcus aureus strain 196E by means of spot-plate tests on APT and nutrient agars at 25 C. The 438 cultures that influenced the growth of S. aureus were retested on spot plates at 15, 30, and 42 C. After elimination of replicates, the 143 remaining cultures were classified into species, genera, or groups, and 14 different cultures were tested for their influence on the growth of S. aureus in APT broth at 25 C. Over half of the effective cultures inhibited S. aureus and less than half were stimulatory. Pork sausage had the highest proportion of inhibitory cultures, and stewing beef had the lowest. APT agar was better than nutrient agar for screening, and incubation at 15 C gave more effector organisms than at 30 and 42 C. Most of the lactic acid bacteria were inhibitory, but other groups of bacteria contained more stimulatory cultures than inhibitory ones. The three Escherichia coli cultures were stimulatory, but most other Escherichia cultures were inhibitory. Aerobacter and Paracolobactrum isolates were mostly stimulatory. Cultures of other kinds of bacteria were more or less evenly distributed between inhibitory ones and stimulatory ones. Genera containing mostly inhibitory bacteria were Streptococcus, Leuconostoc, and Lactobacillus. Inhibitory species were E. freundii and E. intermedia. Tests with S. aureus in broth indicated that all cultures inhibitory according to spot plates were inhibitory in broth, but stimulation on spot plates did not always indicate the same phenomenon in broth.

Diversity of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates in European Wildlife

Science.gov (United States)

Monecke, Stefan; Gavier-Widén, Dolores; Hotzel, Helmut; Peters, Martin; Guenther, Sebastian; Lazaris, Alexandros; Loncaric, Igor; Müller, Elke; Reissig, Annett; Ruppelt-Lorz, Antje; Shore, Anna C.; Walter, Birgit; Coleman, David C.; Ehricht, Ralf

2016-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known colonizer and cause of infection among animals and it has been described from numerous domestic and wild animal species. The aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular epidemiology of S. aureus in a convenience sample of European wildlife and to review what previously has been observed in the subject field. 124 S. aureus isolates were collected from wildlife in Germany, Austria and Sweden; they were characterized by DNA microarray hybridization and, for isolates with novel hybridization patterns, by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The isolates were assigned to 29 clonal complexes and singleton sequence types (CC1, CC5, CC6, CC7, CC8, CC9, CC12, CC15, CC22, CC25, CC30, CC49, CC59, CC88, CC97, CC130, CC133, CC398, ST425, CC599, CC692, CC707, ST890, CC1956, ST2425, CC2671, ST2691, CC2767 and ST2963), some of which (ST2425, ST2691, ST2963) were not described previously. Resistance rates in wildlife strains were rather low and mecA-MRSA isolates were rare (n = 6). mecC-MRSA (n = 8) were identified from a fox, a fallow deer, hares and hedgehogs. The common cattle-associated lineages CC479 and CC705 were not detected in wildlife in the present study while, in contrast, a third common cattle lineage, CC97, was found to be common among cervids. No Staphylococcus argenteus or Staphylococcus schweitzeri-like isolates were found. Systematic studies are required to monitor the possible transmission of human- and livestock-associated S. aureus/MRSA to wildlife and vice versa as well as the possible transmission, by unprotected contact to animals. The prevalence of S. aureus/MRSA in wildlife as well as its population structures in different wildlife host species warrants further investigation. PMID:27992523

Virulence Factors of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates in an Iranian Referral Children's Hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabouni, Farah; Mahmoudi, Shima; Bahador, Abbas; Pourakbari, Babak; Sadeghi, Reihaneh Hosseinpour; Ashtiani, Mohammad Taghi Haghi; Nikmanesh, Bahram; Mamishi, Setareh

2014-04-01

The clinical importance of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is attributed to notable virulence factors, surface proteins, toxins, and enzymes as well as the rapid development of drug resistance. The aim of this study was to compare the occurrence of virulence factors produced by S. aureus strains isolated from children in an Iranian referral children's hospital. The presence of genes encoding for the enterotoxins A (sea), B (seb), C (sec), D (sed), TSST-1 (tsst), exfoliative toxin A (eta), and exfoliative toxin B (etb) were detected by Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. In addition, the standardized Kirby-Bauer disc-diffusion method was performed on Mueller-Hinton agar. In total, 133 S. aureus isolates were obtained from different patients. Of these S. aureus isolates, 64 (48%) were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and all of these tested positive for the mecA gene. Regarding the classical enterotoxin genes, sea gene (40.6%) was the most prevalent followed by seb (19.6%), tsst (12.8%), eta (11.3%), etb (9%), sed (4.5%), and sec (3%). Among methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates, seb and tsst were the more prevalent toxins in comparison with MRSA isolates (p  0.05). In our study enterotoxin A was produced by 40.6% of the isolates (48% from MRSA and 33% from MSSA isolates) which was higher than in previous reports. According to our results, strict hygiene and preventative measures during food processing are highly recommended.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage and infection among patients with diabetic foot ulcer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shin-Yi; Lin, Nai-Yu; Huang, Yu-Yao; Hsieh, Chi-Chun; Huang, Yhu-Chering

2018-06-04

To evaluate the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal carriage in patients with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) in Taiwan, and to assess the concordance between colonizing and clinical MRSA isolates from the patients. A total of 354 nasal specimens were collected from 112 to 242 diabetic patients with and without foot ulcer, respectively. MRSA clinical isolates from DFU wound cultures were collected for comparison. Nasal carriage rate of S. aureus and MRSA was similar between diabetic patients with and without foot ulcer (15.2% vs. 16.9% for S. aureus and 5.4% vs. 1.7% for MRSA). Nasal S. aureus colonization was an independent predictor for wound S. aureus infection (Odds ratio [OR]: 5.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.61-17.59), so did nasal MRSA colonization (OR: 19.09, 95% CI: 2.12-171.91). The levels of glycated hemoglobin, and the usage with immunosuppressant agent were associated with S. aureus nasal colonization while oral hypoglycemic agent usage a protective factor. Sequence type 59/staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec IV or V, the local endemic community-associated clone, accounted for 42% and 70% of the clinical and colonizing isolates, respectively. Six of 10 patients with paired colonizing and clinical isolates, either MRSA or methicillin-sensitive S. aureus, had a genetically identical strain from a single patient. Less than one-fifth of patients with DFU have nasal S. aureus, including MRSA, colonization; however, the colonization is significantly associated with S. aureus diabetic foot infection. Screening for S. aureus colonizing status in DFU patients might have a potential clinical implication. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cationic Antimicrobial Peptide LL-37 Is Effective against both Extra- and Intracellular Staphylococcus aureus

Science.gov (United States)

Noore, Jabeen; Noore, Adly

2013-01-01

The increasing resistance of bacteria to conventional antibiotics and the challenges posed by intracellular bacteria, which may be responsible for chronic and recurrent infections, have driven the need for advanced antimicrobial drugs for effective elimination of both extra- and intracellular pathogens. The purpose of this study was to determine the killing efficacy of cationic antimicrobial peptide LL-37 compared to conventional antibiotics against extra- and intracellular Staphylococcus aureus. Bacterial killing assays and an infection model of osteoblasts and S. aureus were studied to determine the bacterial killing efficacy of LL-37 and conventional antibiotics against extra- and intracellular S. aureus. We found that LL-37 was effective in killing extracellular S. aureus at nanomolar concentrations, while lactoferricin B was effective at micromolar concentrations and doxycycline and cefazolin at millimolar concentrations. LL-37 was surprisingly more effective in killing the clinical strain than in killing an ATCC strain of S. aureus. Moreover, LL-37 was superior to conventional antibiotics in eliminating intracellular S. aureus. The kinetic studies further revealed that LL-37 was fast in eliminating both extra- and intracellular S. aureus. Therefore, LL-37 was shown to be very potent and prompt in eliminating both extra- and intracellular S. aureus and was more effective in killing extra- and intracellular S. aureus than commonly used conventional antibiotics. LL-37 could potentially be used to treat chronic and recurrent infections due to its effectiveness in eliminating not only extracellular but also intracellular pathogens. PMID:23274662

Development of a multicomponent Staphylococcus aureus vaccine designed to counter multiple bacterial virulence factors

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Annaliesa S.; Miller, Alita A.; Donald, Robert G.K.; Scully, Ingrid L.; Nanra, Jasdeep S.; Cooper, David; Jansen, Kathrin U.

2012-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections and is responsible for a substantial burden of disease in hospitalized patients. Despite increasingly rigorous infection control guidelines, the prevalence and corresponding negative impact of S. aureus infections remain considerable. Difficulties in controlling S. aureus infections as well as the associated treatment costs are exacerbated by increasing rates of resistance to available antibiotics. Despite ongoing efforts over the past 20 years, no licensed S. aureus vaccine is currently available. However, learnings from past clinical failures of vaccine candidates and a better understanding of the immunopathology of S. aureus colonization and infection have aided in the design of new vaccine candidates based on multiple important bacterial pathogenesis mechanisms. This review outlines important considerations in designing a vaccine for the prevention of S. aureus disease in healthcare settings. PMID:22922765

Assessing the potential for raw meat to influence human colonization with Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrel, Margaret; Zhao, Chang; Thapaliya, Dipendra; Bitterman, Patrick; Kates, Ashley E; Hanson, Blake M; Smith, Tara C

2017-09-07

The role of household meat handling and consumption in the transfer of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) from livestock to consumers is not well understood. Examining the similarity of S. aureus colonizing humans and S. aureus in meat from the stores in which those individuals shop can provide insight into the role of meat in human S. aureus colonization. S. aureus isolates were collected from individuals in rural and urban communities in Iowa (n = 3347) and contemporaneously from meat products in stores where participants report purchasing meat (n = 913). The staphylococcal protein A (spa) gene was sequenced for all isolates to determine a spa type. Morisita indices and Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance Using Distance Matrices (PERMANOVA) were used to determine the relationship between spa type composition among human samples and meat samples. spa type composition was significantly different between households and meat sampled from their associated grocery stores. spa types found in meat were not significantly different regardless of the store or county in which they were sampled. spa types in people also exhibit high similarity regardless of residential location in urban or rural counties. Such findings suggest meat is not an important source of S. aureus colonization in shoppers.

A sensitive assay for Staphylococcus aureus nucleases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kohli, J K; Vakil, B V; Patil, M S; Pandey, V N; Pradhan, D S [Bhabha Atomic Reserach Centre, Bombay (India). Biochemistry Div.

1989-10-01

A sensitive assay for staphylococcal nuclease involving incubation of the enzyme sample with heat-denatured ({sup 3}H) thymidine labelled DNA from E.coli, precipitation with trichloroacetic acid and measurement of the radioactivity of acid-soluble nucleotides released has been developed. The assay is sensitive enough to be used for comparing the levels of nucleases elaborated by different strains of S. aureus as well as for determining the extent of contamination of S. aureus in food and water samples even at levels at which the conventional spectrophotometric and toluidine blue-DNA methods are totally inadequate. (author). 26 refs., 3 figs ., 3 tabs.

Staphylococcus aureus redirects central metabolism to increase iron availability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David B Friedman

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis is significantly influenced by the iron status of the host. However, the regulatory impact of host iron sources on S. aureus gene expression remains unknown. In this study, we combine multivariable difference gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry with multivariate statistical analyses to systematically cluster cellular protein response across distinct iron-exposure conditions. Quadruplicate samples were simultaneously analyzed for alterations in protein abundance and/or post-translational modification state in response to environmental (iron chelation, hemin treatment or genetic (Deltafur alterations in bacterial iron exposure. We identified 120 proteins representing several coordinated biochemical pathways that are affected by changes in iron-exposure status. Highlighted in these experiments is the identification of the heme-regulated transport system (HrtAB, a novel transport system which plays a critical role in staphylococcal heme metabolism. Further, we show that regulated overproduction of acidic end-products brought on by iron starvation decreases local pH resulting in the release of iron from the host iron-sequestering protein transferrin. These findings reveal novel strategies used by S. aureus to acquire scarce nutrients in the hostile host environment and begin to define the iron and heme-dependent regulons of S. aureus.

Antimicrobial Mechanisms of Macrophages and the Immune Evasion Strategies of Staphylococcus aureus

Science.gov (United States)

Flannagan, Ronald S.; Heit, Bryan; Heinrichs, David E.

2015-01-01

Habitually professional phagocytes, including macrophages, eradicate microbial invaders from the human body without overt signs of infection. Despite this, there exist select bacteria that are professional pathogens, causing significant morbidity and mortality across the globe and Staphylococcus aureus is no exception. S. aureus is a highly successful pathogen that can infect virtually every tissue that comprises the human body causing a broad spectrum of diseases. The profound pathogenic capacity of S. aureus can be attributed, in part, to its ability to elaborate a profusion of bacterial effectors that circumvent host immunity. Macrophages are important professional phagocytes that contribute to both the innate and adaptive immune response, however from in vitro and in vivo studies, it is evident that they fail to eradicate S. aureus. This review provides an overview of the antimicrobial mechanisms employed by macrophages to combat bacteria and describes the immune evasion strategies and some representative effectors that enable S. aureus to evade macrophage-mediated killing. PMID:26633519

Treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Latin America Tratamento de Staphylococcus aureus resistente à meticilina na América Latina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos M Luna

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The global spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA means it is now a pathogen of worldwide public health concern. Within Latin America, MRSA is highly prevalent, with the proportion of S. aureus isolates that are methicillin-resistant on the rise, yet resources for managing the infection are limited. While several guidelines exist for the treatment of MRSA infections, many are written for the North American or European setting and need adaptation for use in Latin America. In this article, we aim to emphasize the importance of appropriate treatment of MRSA in the healthcare and community settings of Latin America. We present a summary of the available guidelines and antibiotics, and discuss particular considerations for clinicians treating MRSA in Latin AmericaA propagação global de Staphylococcus aureus resistente à meticilina (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - MRSA significa que se trata agora de um patógeno de interesse para a saúde pública mundial. Na América Latina, o MRSA é altamente prevalente, com a proporção de S. aureus resistente à meticilina em ascensão, no entanto os recursos para o tratamento da infecção são limitados. Embora existam várias diretrizes para o tratamento de infecções por MRSA, muitas são elaboradas para a América do Norte ou a Europa e precisam ser adaptadas para sua utilização na América Latina. Neste artigo, procuramos destacar a importância do tratamento adequado do MRSA nas unidades de saúde e na comunidade na América Latina. Apresentamos um resumo das diretrizes e dos antibióticos disponíveis, e discutimos considerações específicas para os médicos que tratam de MRSA na América Latina.

The bactericidal mechanism of action against Staphylococcus aureus for AgO nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shen, Wenning, E-mail: shenwenning@qq.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi' an University of Technology, No. 5 South Jinhua Road, Xi' an 710048 (China); Li, Pin [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi' an University of Technology, No. 5 South Jinhua Road, Xi' an 710048 (China); Feng, Hui [Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi' an 710032 (China); Ge, Yanfeng; Liu, Zheng; Feng, Lajun [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi' an University of Technology, No. 5 South Jinhua Road, Xi' an 710048 (China)

2017-06-01

To identify the mechanistic effects of AgO nanoparticles on Gram-positive bacteria, S. aureus cells suspended in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and deionized water were separately treated using AgO nanoparticles at different concentrations. The phase composition changes of the bactericide after killing S. aureus and the cellular responses of S. aureus to AgO were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results show that AgO nanoparticles could kill S. aureus suspended in PBS and deionized water. The bactericidal effect of AgO bactericide against S. aureus in water was better than that in PBS, due to the formation of Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4} from the reaction between AgO and PBS. AgO nanoparticles exerted their bactericidal activity by multiple processes. AgO nanoparticles adhered to the surface of S. aureus cells firstly, then induced physical alterations in cell morphology and released silver ions, leading to initial injuries of cell membrane. Once membrane damage occurred, they entered the cells, and damaged the intracellular materials, eventually causing severe morphological and structural injuries to the cells and leakage of cytoplasm. - Highlights: • S. aureus in water was more sensitive to AgO than in PBS, since AgO reacted with PBS and formed Ag{sub 3}PO{sub 4}. • After killing S. aureus in water, AgO did not changed. • AgO particles attached to cell surface then interacted with the cells, resulting in the increase of released silver contents. • Cell membrane damages by AgO nanoparticles were supported by the leakages of K{sup +}, proteins and DNA. • Serious cell morphological and structural changes were caused by AgO nanoparticles.

The bactericidal mechanism of action against Staphylococcus aureus for AgO nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Wenning; Li, Pin; Feng, Hui; Ge, Yanfeng; Liu, Zheng; Feng, Lajun

2017-01-01

To identify the mechanistic effects of AgO nanoparticles on Gram-positive bacteria, S. aureus cells suspended in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and deionized water were separately treated using AgO nanoparticles at different concentrations. The phase composition changes of the bactericide after killing S. aureus and the cellular responses of S. aureus to AgO were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic absorption spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results show that AgO nanoparticles could kill S. aureus suspended in PBS and deionized water. The bactericidal effect of AgO bactericide against S. aureus in water was better than that in PBS, due to the formation of Ag 3 PO 4 from the reaction between AgO and PBS. AgO nanoparticles exerted their bactericidal activity by multiple processes. AgO nanoparticles adhered to the surface of S. aureus cells firstly, then induced physical alterations in cell morphology and released silver ions, leading to initial injuries of cell membrane. Once membrane damage occurred, they entered the cells, and damaged the intracellular materials, eventually causing severe morphological and structural injuries to the cells and leakage of cytoplasm. - Highlights: • S. aureus in water was more sensitive to AgO than in PBS, since AgO reacted with PBS and formed Ag 3 PO 4 . • After killing S. aureus in water, AgO did not changed. • AgO particles attached to cell surface then interacted with the cells, resulting in the increase of released silver contents. • Cell membrane damages by AgO nanoparticles were supported by the leakages of K + , proteins and DNA. • Serious cell morphological and structural changes were caused by AgO nanoparticles.

Molecular Characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus Causing Bovine Mastitis between 2014 and 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Tianming; Lu, Huiying; Wang, Xing; Gao, Qianqian; Dai, Yingxin; Shang, Jun; Li, Min

2017-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is highly pathogenic and can cause diseases in both humans and domestic animals. In animal species, including ruminants, S. aureus may cause severe or sub-clinical mastitis. This study aimed to investigate the molecular profile, antimicrobial resistance, and genotype/phenotype correlation of 212 S. aureus isolates recovered from cases of bovine mastitis from 2014 to 2015 in the Shanghai and Zhejiang areas of China. Nineteen sequence types (STs) were determined by multi-locus sequence typing, while the dominant ST was ST97, followed by ST520, ST188, ST398, ST7, and ST9. Within 14 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates and 198 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates, ST97 was the predominant MSSA clone and ST9-MRSA-SCCmecXII-spa t899 was the most common MRSA clone. The MRSA strains showed much higher rates of resistance to multiple antibiotics than did MSSA strains. Compared with other MSSA strains, MSSA ST398 was more resistant to clindamycin, erythromycin, and ciprofloxacin. No isolates were resistant to vancomycin, teicoplanin, or linezolid. The molecular profiles of the virulence genes varied in different strains. ST520 strains carried seg-sei-sem-sen-seo genes, and ST9 and ST97 harbored sdrD-sdrE genes. Virulence phenotype analysis showed diversity in different clones. Biofilm formation ability was significantly enhanced in ST188 and ST7, and red blood cell lysis capacity was relatively strong in all S. aureus strains of animal origin except ST7. Our results indicate that MSSA was the predominant S. aureus strain causing bovine mastitis in eastern regions of China. However, the presence of multidrug resistant and toxigenic MRSA clone ST9 suggests that comprehensive surveillance of S. aureus infection should be implemented in the management of animal husbandry products.

Interface Input/Output Automata: Splitting Assumptions from Guarantees

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Nyman, Ulrik; Wasowski, Andrzej

2006-01-01

's \\IOAs [11], relying on a context dependent notion of refinement based on relativized language inclusion. There are two main contributions of the work. First, we explicitly separate assumptions from guarantees, increasing the modeling power of the specification language and demonstrating an interesting...

Frequency of Reduced Vancomycin Susceptibility among Clinical Staphylococcus aureus Isolated in Ahvaz Iran

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Mojtaba Moosavian

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Introduction:   One   of   the   most   important   agents   in   hospital-acquired   infections   is Staphylococcus aureus. Treatment of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA infections with decreased susceptibility to vancomycin has recently been more difficult. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible presence of vancomycin intermediate S. aureus (VISA and vancomycin- resistant S. aureus (VRSA and also to determine the frequency of MRSA in clinical specimens.Methods: In this study, 195 S. aureus isolates were collected from the patients were examined. All of the isolates were identified using standard biochemical tests.  Susceptibility of S. aureus isolates against 10 antibiotics was detected by disk diffusion method and was followed by E-test and vancomycin screen agar methods. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC of vancomycin was determined according to the CLSI guidelines.  Also, detection of mecA gene was performed by PCR and finally, the results were compared.Results: All of the isolates were susceptible to vancomycin (i.e. MIC range of vancomycin was between 0.25-2 µg/ml. Out of 195 S. aureus isolates, 99 isolates (50.8% were resistant to methicillin, and mecA gene was detected in 96 isolates. These results also showed that the highest and lowest resistance rate of isolates was to penicillin (96.9% and chloramphenicol (0%, respectively.Conclusion: Our findings showed that vancomycin can still be used as a valuable drug for treatment of S. aureus infections in our region. However, periodic evaluation of vancomycin MIC of S. aureus isolates is critical for monitoring MRSA and preventing the spread of VISA or VRSA among patients.

Intracellular persisting Staphylococcus aureus is the major pathogen in recurrent tonsillitis.

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Andreas E Zautner

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The two major indications for tonsillectomy are recurrent tonsillitis (RT and peritonsillar abscess (PTA. Unlike PTAs, which are primarily treated surgically, RT is often cured by tonsillectomy only after a series of failed drug therapy attempts. Although the bacteriological background of RT has been studied, the reason for the lack of success of conservative therapeutic approaches is not well understood. METHODS: In a prospective study, tonsil specimens from 130 RT patients and 124 PTA patients were examined for the presence of extra- and intracellular bacteria using antibiotic protection assays. Staphylococcus aureus isolates from RT patients were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE, spa-typing and MSCRAMM-gene-PCR. Their ability for biofilm formation was tested and their cell invasiveness was confirmed by a flow cytometric invasion assay (FACS, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH and immunohistochemistry. FINDINGS: S. aureus was the predominant species (57.7% in RT patients, whereas Streptococcus pyogenes was most prevalent (20.2% in PTA patients. Three different assays (FACS, FISH, antibiotic protection assay showed that nearly all RT-associated S. aureus strains were located inside tonsillar cells. Correspondingly, the results of the MSCRAMM-gene-PCRs confirmed that 87% of these S. aureus isolates were invasive strains and not mere colonizers. Based upon PFGE analyses of genomic DNA and on spa-gene typing the vast majority of the S. aureus isolates belonged to different clonal lineages. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that intracellular residing S. aureus is the most common cause of RT and indicate that S. aureus uses this location to survive the effects of antibiotics and the host immune response. A German translation of the Abstract is provided as supplementary material (Abstract S1.

The clinical and molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus infections in Fiji.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenney, Adam; Holt, Deborah; Ritika, Roselyn; Southwell, Paul; Pravin, Shalini; Buadromo, Eka; Carapetis, Jonathan; Tong, Steven; Steer, Andrew

2014-03-24

There are few data describing the microbiology and genetic typing of Staphylococcus aureus that cause infections in developing countries. In this study we observed S. aureus infections in Pacific Island nation of Fiji in both the community and hospital setting with an emphasis on clonal complex (CC) genotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility. S. aureus was commonly found in impetigo lesions of school children and was recovered from 57% of impetigo lesions frequently in conjunction with group A streptococcal infection. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) comprised 7% (20/299) of isolates and were all non-multi-resistant and all genotyped as CC1. In contrast, there was a diverse selection of 17 CCs among the 105 genotyped methicillin-susceptible S.aureus (MSSA) strains. Isolates of the rare, phylogenetically divergent and non-pigmented CC75 lineage (also called S. argenteus) were found in Fiji.From hospitalized patients the available 36 MRSA isolates from a 9-month period were represented by five CCs. The most common CCs were CC1 and CC239. CC1 is likely to be a community-acquired strain, reflecting what was found in the school children, whereas the CC239 is the very successful multi-drug resistant MRSA nosocomial lineage. Of 17 MSSA isolates, 59% carried genes for Panton-Valentine leukocidin. The S. aureus bacteraemia incidence rate of 50 per 100,000 population is among the highest reported in the literature and likely reflects the high overall burden of staphylococcal infections in this population. S. aureus is an important cause of disease in Fiji and there is considerable genotypic diversity in community skin infections in Fijian schoolchildren. Community acquired- (CA)- MRSA is present at a relatively low prevalence (6.7%) and was solely to CC1 (CA-MRSA). The globally successful CC239 is also a significant pathogen in Fiji.

IMPROVING THE PROVISION OF STATE GUARANTEES UNDER CREDITS OR BONDED LOANS RAISED FOR INVESTMENT PROJECTS IMPLEMENTATION

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Lola D. Sanginova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Importance: Under current conditions, the Russian economy needs investment resources to ensure sustainable social and economic development. One of instruments of state-financing backing that can be used to support capital intensive, economically viable, financially and socially efficient investment projects that create "growing points" are state guarantees of theRussian Federation.Objective: The objective of this study is to identify possible ways to improve the requirements and procedures of providing state guarantees of theRussian Federationwhich contribute to the increase in the quantity and quality of investment projects of high social importance. Methods: Through the use of general scientific methods, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction the possibility of creating a more attractive environment for principals is analyzed, measures to reduce the risk for public legal entities in providing state guarantees of theRussian Federationunder credits or bonded loans raised for investment projects implementation.Results: Principles of state guarantee support that ensure the interests of both the principals and the guarantor are defined. The basic directions for improving the mechanism how state guarantees of theRussian Federationsupport investment projects are justified. These directions include increasing availability of obtaining state guarantee support by lowering the cost of investment projects for which the state guarantees may be provided; reducing time of decision making on granting a state guarantee; increasing the creditors’ responsibility for a qualitative assessment of the creditworthiness of principals and investment projects; changing the methodology for assessing the social efficiency of investment projects; increasing the information transparency of provided state guarantees of the Russian Federation.Conclusions: The main result of this study is that under current conditions of economic turbulence state guarantees of the

Filaments in curved streamlines: rapid formation of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm streamers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kevin Kim, Minyoung; Drescher, Knut; Shun Pak, On; Stone, Howard A; Bassler, Bonnie L

2014-01-01

Biofilms are surface-associated conglomerates of bacteria that are highly resistant to antibiotics. These bacterial communities can cause chronic infections in humans by colonizing, for example, medical implants, heart valves, or lungs. Staphylococcus aureus, a notorious human pathogen, causes some of the most common biofilm-related infections. Despite the clinical importance of S. aureus biofilms, it remains mostly unknown how physical effects, in particular flow, and surface structure influence biofilm dynamics. Here we use model microfluidic systems to investigate how environmental factors, such as surface geometry, surface chemistry, and fluid flow affect biofilm development of S. aureus. We discovered that S. aureus rapidly forms flow-induced, filamentous biofilm streamers, and furthermore if surfaces are coated with human blood plasma, streamers appear within minutes and clog the channels more rapidly than if the channels are uncoated. To understand how biofilm streamer filaments reorient in flows with curved streamlines to bridge the distances between corners, we developed a mathematical model based on resistive force theory of slender filaments. Understanding physical aspects of biofilm formation of S. aureus may lead to new approaches for interrupting biofilm formation of this pathogen. (paper)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a controversial food-borne pathogen.

Science.gov (United States)

Sergelidis, D; Angelidis, A S

2017-06-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of severe healthcare-associated (HA) infections. Although during the last decade the incidence of HA invasive infections has dropped, the incidence of community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections has risen among the general population. Moreover, CA-MRSA, livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) and HA-MRSA (HA-MRSA) can be found in foods intended for human consumption. Several studies from different geographical areas have reported the presence of enterotoxin genes in several MRSA food isolates. Molecular typing studies have revealed genetic relatedness of these enterotoxigenic isolates with isolates incriminated in human infections. The contamination sources for foods, especially animal-origin foods, may be livestock as well as humans involved in animal husbandry and food-processing. Under favourable environmental conditions for growth and enterotoxin production, enterotoxigenic S. aureus isolates present in foods can cause staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP), irrespective of the contamination origin. Owing to the typically moderate clinical manifestations of SFP, the S. aureus strains responsible for SFP (cases or outbreaks) are frequently either not identified or not further characterized. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing is rarely performed, because administration of antimicrobial therapy is not required in the vast majority of cases. Staphylococcal food poisoning is the result of consumption of foods with preformed enterotoxins. Hence, similar to methicillin-sensitive enterotoxigenic S. aureus, enterotoxigenic MRSA can also act as food-borne pathogens upon favourable conditions for growth and enterotoxin production. The severity of the intoxication is not related to the antimicrobial resistance profile of the causative S. aureus strain and therefore MRSA food-borne outbreaks are not expected to be more severe. This review evaluates the potential of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus

Secreted Immunomodulatory Proteins of Staphylococcus aureus Activate Platelets and Induce Platelet Aggregation.

Science.gov (United States)

Binsker, Ulrike; Palankar, Raghavendra; Wesche, Jan; Kohler, Thomas P; Prucha, Josephine; Burchhardt, Gerhard; Rohde, Manfred; Schmidt, Frank; Bröker, Barbara M; Mamat, Uwe; Pané-Farré, Jan; Graf, Anica; Ebner, Patrick; Greinacher, Andreas; Hammerschmidt, Sven

2018-04-01

Staphylococcus aureus can cause bloodstream infections associated with infective endocarditis (IE) and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC). Both complications involve platelets. In view of an increasing number of antibiotic-resistant strains, new approaches to control systemic S. aureus infection are gaining importance. Using a repertoire of 52 recombinant S. aureus proteins in flow cytometry-based platelet activation and aggregation assays, we identified, in addition to the extracellular adherence protein Eap, three secreted staphylococcal proteins as novel platelet activating proteins. Eap and the chemotaxis inhibitory protein of S. aureus (CHIPS), the formyl peptide receptor-like 1 inhibitory protein (FLIPr) and the major autolysin Atl induced P-selectin expression in washed platelets and platelet-rich plasma. Similarly, AtlA, CHIPS and Eap induced platelet aggregation in whole blood. Fluorescence microscopy illustrated that P-selectin expression is associated with calcium mobilization and re-organization of the platelet actin cytoskeleton. Characterization of the functionally active domains of the major autolysin AtlA and Eap indicates that the amidase domain of Atl and the tandem repeats 3 and 4 of Eap are crucial for platelet activation. These results provide new insights in S. aureus protein interactions with platelets and identify secreted proteins as potential treatment targets in case of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus infection. Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart.

Regulation of Expression of Oxacillin-Inducible Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases in Staphylococcus aureus

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Kyle R. Baum

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Cell wall-active antibiotics cause induction of a locus that leads to elevated synthesis of two methionine sulfoxide reductases (MsrA1 and MsrB in Staphylococcus aureus. To understand the regulation of this locus, reporter strains were constructed by integrating a DNA fragment consisting of the msrA1/msrB promoter in front of a promoterless lacZ gene in the chromosome of wild-type and MsrA1-, MsrB-, MsrA1/MsrB-, and SigB-deficient methicillin-sensitive S. aureus strain SH1000 and methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain COL. These reporter strains were cultured in TSB and the cellular levels of β-galactosidase activity in these cultures were assayed during different growth phases. β-galactosidase activity assays demonstrated that the lack of MsrA1, MsrB, and SigB upregulated the msrA1/msrB promoter in S. aureus strain SH1000. In S. aureus strain COL, the highest level of β-galactosidase activity was observed under the conditions when both MsrA1 and MsrB proteins were absent. The data suggest that the msrA1/msrB locus, in part, is negatively regulated by MsrA1, MsrB, and SigB in S. aureus.

Identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with hyperproduction of alpha-toxin in Staphylococcus aureus.

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Xudong Liang

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The virulence factor α-toxin (hla is needed by Staphylococcus aureus in order to cause infections in both animals and humans. Although the complicated regulation of hla expression has been well studied in human S. aureus isolates, the mechanisms of of hla regulation in bovine S. aureus isolates remain undefined. In this study, we found that many bovine S. aureus isolates, including the RF122 strain, generate dramatic amounts of α-toxin in vitro compared with human clinical S. aureus isolates, including MRSA WCUH29 and MRSA USA300. To elucidate potential regulatory mechanisms, we analyzed the hla promoter regions and identified predominant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs at positions -376, -483, and -484 from the start codon in α-toxin hyper-producing isolates. Using site-directed mutagenesis and hla promoter-gfp-luxABCDE dual reporter approaches, we demonstrated that the SNPs contribute to the differential control of hla expression among bovine and human S. aureus isolates. Using a DNA affinity assay, gel-shift assays and a null mutant, we identified and revealed that an hla positive regulator, SarZ, contributes to the involvement of the SNPs in mediating hla expression. In addition, we found that the bovine S. aureus isolate RF122 exhibits higher transcription levels of hla positive regulators, including agrA, saeR, arlR and sarZ, but a lower expression level of hla repressor rot compared to the human S. aureus isolate WCUH29. Our results indicate α-toxin hyperproduction in bovine S. aureus is a multifactorial process, influenced at both the genomic and transcriptional levels. Moreover, the identification of predominant SNPs in the hla promoter region may provide a novel method for genotyping the S. aureus isolates.

Factors Associated with Worse Lung Function in Cystic Fibrosis Patients with Persistent Staphylococcus aureus.

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Sibylle Junge

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen in cystic fibrosis (CF. However, it is not clear which factors are associated with worse lung function in patients with persistent S. aureus airway cultures. Our main hypothesis was that patients with high S. aureus density in their respiratory specimens would more likely experience worsening of their lung disease than patients with low bacterial loads.Therefore, we conducted an observational prospective longitudinal multi-center study and assessed the association between lung function and S. aureus bacterial density in respiratory samples, co-infection with other CF-pathogens, nasal S. aureus carriage, clinical status, antibiotic therapy, IL-6- and IgG-levels against S. aureus virulence factors.195 patients from 17 centers were followed; each patient had an average of 7 visits. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and generalized linear mixed models. Our main hypothesis was only supported for patients providing throat specimens indicating that patients with higher density experienced a steeper lung function decline (p<0.001. Patients with exacerbations (n = 60, S. aureus small-colony variants (SCVs, n = 84 and co-infection with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (n = 44 had worse lung function (p = 0.0068; p = 0.0011; p = 0.0103. Patients with SCVs were older (p = 0.0066 and more often treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (p = 0.0078. IL-6 levels positively correlated with decreased lung function (p<0.001, S. aureus density in sputa (p = 0.0016, SCVs (p = 0.0209, exacerbations (p = 0.0041 and co-infections with S. maltophilia (p = 0.0195 or A. fumigatus (p = 0.0496.In CF-patients with chronic S. aureus cultures, independent risk factors for worse lung function are high bacterial density in throat cultures, exacerbations, elevated IL-6 levels, presence of S. aureus SCVs and co-infection with S. maltophilia.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00669760.

Aleitamento materno e colonização mucocutânea pelo Staphylococcus aureus na criança com dermatite atópica Breastfeeding and mucosal and cutaneous colonization by Staphylococcus aureus in atopic children

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Raissa Massaia Londero Chemello

2011-06-01

Full Text Available FUNDAMENTOS: Não há consenso quanto ao efeito do aleitamento materno no desenvolvimento da dermatite atópica. É necessário aprofundar conhecimentos sobre possíveis fatores envolvidos nessa relação, como a influência do aleitamento materno na colonização do paciente atópico pelo Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus. OBJETIVO: Avaliar uma potencial associação entre aleitamento materno e colonização pelo S. aureus nas crianças atópicas. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal envolvendo 79 crianças atópicas de 4-24 meses, de ambos os sexos, em acompanhamento no Ambulatório de Dermatologia Sanitária de Porto Alegre, e 72 mães. Registraram-se dados clinicoepidemiológicos e de alimentação das crianças. Pesquisou-se a presença do S. aureus em swab nasal e cutâneo nas crianças e swab nasal das respectivas mães. Para análise dos dados, realizaram-se os testes qui-quadrado de Pearson e exato de Fischer. RESULTADOS: Entre as crianças amamentadas, S. aureus foi encontrado nas cavidades nasais de oito (25,8% e na pele (fossas cubitais de quatro (12,9%. Entre as não amamentadas, encontrou-se S. aureus nas cavidades nasais de dez (20,8% e na pele de 11 (22,9%. Entre as mães, 16 (22,2% apresentaram crescimento de S. aureus no material proveniente do swab nasal. Não se observou associação significativa entre aleitamento materno e colonização pelo S. aureus das cavidades nasais ou da pele das crianças. Entretanto, houve concordância entre a colonização pelo S. aureus nas cavidades nasais das mães e nas cavidades nasais e/ou na pele dos filhos. Das 72 duplas, houve concordância em 56 (77,8%. CONCLUSÃO: O aleitamento materno parece não influenciar a colonização mucocutânea pelo S. aureus em crianças com dermatite atópicaBACKGROUND: Studies on the effects of breastfeeding on the development of Atopic Dermatitis (AD have shown controversial results. The importance of this condition deserves further studies; in particular, it

Epidemiology of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus colonization in healthy Venezuelan children

OpenAIRE

Quintero, B.; Araque, M.; van der Gaast-de Jongh, C.; Escalona, F.; Correa, M.; Morillo-Puente, S.; Vielma, S.; Hermans, P. W. M.

2010-01-01

Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. We investigated both the colonization and co-colonization characteristics for these pathogens among 250 healthy children from 2 to 5?years of age in Merida, Venezuela, in 2007. The prevalence of S. pneumoniae colonization, S. aureus colonization, and S. pneumoniae?S. aureus co-colonization was 28%, 56%, and 16%, respectively. Pneumococcal serotypes 6B (14%), 19F (12%), 23F (12%), 15 (9%), 6...

Economic Valuation of Sufficient and Guaranteed Irrigation Water Supply for Paddy Farms of Guilan Province

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Mohammad Kavoosi Kalashami

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Cultivation of the strategic crop of rice highly depends to the existence of sufficient and guaranteed irrigation water, and water shortage stresses have irreparable effects on yield and quality of productions. Decrease of the Sefidrud river inflow in Guilan province which is the main source of supplying irrigation water for 171 thousand hectares under rice cropping area of this province, has been challenged sufficient and guaranteed irrigation water supply in many regions of mentioned province. Hence, in present study estimating the value that paddy farmers place on sufficient and guaranteed irrigation water supply has been considered. Economic valuation of sufficient and guaranteed irrigation water supply improves water resource management policies in demand side. Requested data set were obtained on the base of a survey and are collected from 224 paddy farms in rural regions that faced with irrigation water shortages. Then, using open-ended valuation approach and estimation of Tobit model via ML and two stages Heckman approach, eliciting paddy farmers' willingness to pay for sufficient and guaranteed irrigation water supply has been accomplished. Results revealed that farmers in investigated regions willing to pay 26.49 percent more than present costs of providing irrigation water in order to have sufficient and guaranteed irrigation water.

The impact of SMEs’ lending and credit guarantee on bank efficiency in South Korea

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Lien-Wen Liang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study examines how small and medium-size enterprises’ (SMEs’ lending and credit guarantee affect Korean banks’ efficiency, by employing the stochastic frontier approach on 14 banks over the period 2001–2010. When lending increases to SMEs, the findings indicate that banks’ cost efficiency decreases due to information asymmetry. However, the increased proportion of credit guarantee can improve their cost efficiency. This proves that South Korea’s credit guarantee system can indeed share SMEs’ credit risk of lending in order to help raise bank efficiency.

Virulence Factors and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates in Ready-to-Eat Foods: Detection of S. aureus Contamination and a High Prevalence of Virulence Genes

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Suat Moi Puah

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is one of the leading causes of food poisoning. Its pathogenicity results from the possession of virulence genes that produce different toxins which result in self-limiting to severe illness often requiring hospitalization. In this study of 200 sushi and sashimi samples, S. aureus contamination was confirmed in 26% of the food samples. The S. aureus isolates were further characterized for virulence genes and antibiotic susceptibility. A high incidence of virulence genes was identified in 96.2% of the isolates and 20 different virulence gene profiles were confirmed. DNA amplification showed that 30.8% (16/52 of the S. aureus carried at least one SE gene which causes staphylococcal food poisoning. The most common enterotoxin gene was seg (11.5% and the egc cluster was detected in 5.8% of the isolates. A combination of hla and hld was the most prevalent coexistence virulence genes and accounted for 59.6% of all isolates. Antibiotic resistance studies showed tetracycline resistance to be the most common at 28.8% while multi-drug resistance was found to be low at 3.8%. In conclusion, the high rate of S. aureus in the sampled sushi and sashimi indicates the need for food safety guidelines.

Factors associated with worse lung function in cystic fibrosis patients with persistent staphylococcus aureus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Junge, S. (Sibylle); Görlich, D. (Dennis); Reijer, M.D. (Martijn Den); B. Wiedemann (Baerbel); B. Tümmler (Burkhard); H. Ellemunter; Dübbers, A. (Angelika); Küster, P. (Peter); M. Ballmann; Koerner-Rettberg, C. (Cordula); Große-Onnebrink, J. (Jörg); Heuer, E. (Eberhardt); Sextro, W. (Wolfgang); Mainz, J.G. (Jochen G.); Hammermann, J. (Jutta); Riethmüller, J. (Joachim); Graepler-Mainka, U.M. (Ute M.); Staab, D. (Doris); Wollschläger, B. (Bettina); Szczepanski, R. (Rüdiger); A. Schuster (Antje); Tegtmeyer, F.-K. (Friedrich-Karl); Sutharsan, S. (Sivagurunathan); Wald, A. (Alexandra); Nofer, J.-R. (Jerzy-Roch); W.J.B. van Wamel (Willem); Becker, K. (Karsten); Peters, G. (Georg); Kahl, B.C. (Barbara C.)

2016-01-01

textabstractBackground Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen in cystic fibrosis (CF). However, it is not clear which factors are associated with worse lung function in patients with persistent S. aureus airway cultures. Our main hypothesis was that patients with high S. aureus density in

The therapeutic effect of Chlorogenic acid against Staphylococcus aureus infection through Sortase A inhibition

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Lin eWang

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The emergence and wide spread of multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus requires the development of new therapeutic agents with alternative modes of action. Anti-virulence strategies are hoped to meet that need. Sortase A (SrtA has attracted great interest as a potential drug target to treat infections caused by S. aureus, as many of the surface proteins displayed by SrtA function as virulence factors by mediating bacterial adhesion to specific organ tissues, invasion of host cells, and evasion of the host-immune responses. It has been suggested that inhibitors of SrtA might be promising candidates for the treatment and/or prevention of S. aureus infections. In this study, we report that Chlorogenic acid (CHA, a natural compound that lacks significant anti–S. aureus activity, inhibit the activity of SrtA in vitro (IC50=33.86±5.55μg/ml and the binding of S. aureus to fibrinogen (Fg. Using molecular dynamics simulations and mutagenesis assays, we further demonstrate that CHA binds to the binding sites of C184 and G192 in the SrtA. In vivo studies demonstrated that CHA prevent mice from S. aureus-induced renal abscess, resulting in a significant survival advantage. These findings indicate that CHA is a promising therapeutic compound against SrtA during S. aureus infections.

Increasing rate of daptomycin non-susceptible strains of Staphylococcus aureus in patients with atopic dermatitis

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Izabela Błażewicz

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction : Daptomycin is a cyclic lipopeptide that is bactericidal against Staphylococcus aureus , including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA, vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA strains. Daptomycin exerts its antimicrobial effect by a calcium-dependent interaction with the cytoplasmic membrane resulting in depolarization, ion loss and rapid cell death. Unfortunately, loss of daptomycin susceptibility in S. aureus in the clinical setting has been noted. Aim : To evaluate the susceptibility profile to daptomycin among S. aureus strains isloted from patients with atopic dermatitis (AD. Another point was to correlate the results obtained by broth microdilution method and Etest, which is commonly applied in clinical setting. Material and methods : One hundred patients with the diagnosis of atopic dermatitis were microbiologically assessed for the carriage of S. aureus . Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed using broth-microdilution (BMD and Etests for daptomycin. Results : Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated from the majority of our patients, either from the skin (73% or the anterior nares (75%. Six of the 100 nasal swabs (6% and 5 of the 100 skin swabs (5% were positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA. A total of 81 of 148 (54.7% daptomycin non-susceptible isolates of S. aureus were identified by BMD. Only 19 of 81 were also classified as non-susceptible by Etest. Conclusions : Clinicians and microbiologists should be aware of the possibility of the emergence of daptomycin non-susceptibility (or increase in minimal inhibitory concentration during prolonged therapy and closely monitor the susceptibility of persisting isolates that might be recovered during therapy.

Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus invasion into bovine mammary epithelial cells by contact with live Lactobacillus casei.

Science.gov (United States)

Bouchard, Damien S; Rault, Lucie; Berkova, Nadia; Le Loir, Yves; Even, Sergine

2013-02-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen that is responsible for mastitis in dairy herds. S. aureus mastitis is difficult to treat and prone to recurrence despite antibiotic treatment. The ability of S. aureus to invade bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMEC) is evoked to explain this chronicity. One sustainable alternative to treat or prevent mastitis is the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as mammary probiotics. In this study, we tested the ability of Lactobacillus casei strains to prevent invasion of bMEC by two S. aureus bovine strains, RF122 and Newbould305, which reproducibly induce acute and moderate mastitis, respectively. L. casei strains affected adhesion and/or internalization of S. aureus in a strain-dependent manner. Interestingly, L. casei CIRM-BIA 667 reduced S. aureus Newbould305 and RF122 internalization by 60 to 80%, and this inhibition was confirmed for two other L. casei strains, including one isolated from bovine teat canal. The protective effect occurred without affecting bMEC morphology and viability. Once internalized, the fate of S. aureus was not affected by L. casei. It should be noted that L. casei was internalized at a low rate but survived in bMEC cells with a better efficiency than that of S. aureus RF122. Inhibition of S. aureus adhesion was maintained with heat-killed L. casei, whereas contact between live L. casei and S. aureus or bMEC was required to prevent S. aureus internalization. This first study of the antagonism of LAB toward S. aureus in a mammary context opens avenues for the development of novel control strategies against this major pathogen.

Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus Invasion into Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells by Contact with Live Lactobacillus casei

Science.gov (United States)

Bouchard, Damien S.; Rault, Lucie; Berkova, Nadia; Le Loir, Yves

2013-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen that is responsible for mastitis in dairy herds. S. aureus mastitis is difficult to treat and prone to recurrence despite antibiotic treatment. The ability of S. aureus to invade bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMEC) is evoked to explain this chronicity. One sustainable alternative to treat or prevent mastitis is the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as mammary probiotics. In this study, we tested the ability of Lactobacillus casei strains to prevent invasion of bMEC by two S. aureus bovine strains, RF122 and Newbould305, which reproducibly induce acute and moderate mastitis, respectively. L. casei strains affected adhesion and/or internalization of S. aureus in a strain-dependent manner. Interestingly, L. casei CIRM-BIA 667 reduced S. aureus Newbould305 and RF122 internalization by 60 to 80%, and this inhibition was confirmed for two other L. casei strains, including one isolated from bovine teat canal. The protective effect occurred without affecting bMEC morphology and viability. Once internalized, the fate of S. aureus was not affected by L. casei. It should be noted that L. casei was internalized at a low rate but survived in bMEC cells with a better efficiency than that of S. aureus RF122. Inhibition of S. aureus adhesion was maintained with heat-killed L. casei, whereas contact between live L. casei and S. aureus or bMEC was required to prevent S. aureus internalization. This first study of the antagonism of LAB toward S. aureus in a mammary context opens avenues for the development of novel control strategies against this major pathogen. PMID:23183972

Response of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus to Amicoumacin A

OpenAIRE

Lama, Amrita; Pané-Farré, Jan; Chon, Tai; Wiersma, Anna M.; Sit, Clarissa S.; Vederas, John C.; Hecker, Michael; Nakano, Michiko M.

2012-01-01

Amicoumacin A exhibits strong antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), hence we sought to uncover its mechanism of action. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis of S. aureus COL in response to amicoumacin A showed alteration in transcription of genes specifying several cellular processes including cell envelope turnover, cross-membrane transport, virulence, metabolism, and general stress response. The most highly induced gene was lrgA, encoding an antiho...

[Change in drug resistance of Staphylococcus aureus].

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yan; Liu, Yan; Luo, Yan-Ping; Liu, Chang-Ting

2013-11-01

To analyze the change in drug resistance of Staphylococcus aureus (SAU) in the PLA general hospital from January 2008 to December 2012, and to provide solid evidence to support the rational use of antibiotics for clinical applications. The SAU strains isolated from clinical samples in the hospital were collected and subjected to the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test. The results were assessed based on the 2002 American National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) guidelines. SAU strains were mainly isolated from sputum, urine, blood and wound excreta and distributed in penology, neurology wards, orthopedics and surgery ICU wards. Except for glycopeptide drugs, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) had a higher drug resistance rate than those of the other drugs and had significantly more resistance than methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) (P resistance, we discovered a gradual increase in drug resistance to fourteen test drugs during the last five years. Drug resistance rate of SAU stayed at a higher level over the last five years; moreover, the detection ratio of MRSA keeps rising year by year. It is crucial for physicians to use antibiotics rationally and monitor the change in drug resistance in a dynamic way.

Robust levitation control for maglev systems with guaranteed bounded airgap.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jinquan; Chen, Ye-Hwa; Guo, Hong

2015-11-01

The robust control design problem for the levitation control of a nonlinear uncertain maglev system is considered. The uncertainty is (possibly) fast time-varying. The system has magnitude limitation on the airgap between the suspended chassis and the guideway in order to prevent undesirable contact. Furthermore, the (global) matching condition is not satisfied. After a three-step state transformation, a robust control scheme for the maglev vehicle is proposed, which is able to guarantee the uniform boundedness and uniform ultimate boundedness of the system, regardless of the uncertainty. The magnitude limitation of the airgap is guaranteed, regardless of the uncertainty. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The observable defects and the proper functioning guarantee in trading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Oviedo Albán

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses two legal mechanisms for buyer´s protection contained in the Colombian Commercial Code, parallel to building regulations, because of hidden defects in the sale, which are: guarantee by observable defects at delivery and guarantee for proper functioning. The author analyzes the poor way such actions are enshrined in the Code as a consequence of a fragmented and dispersed regime for defective compliance actions in the laws of Private Law. This paper proposes a reinterpretation of such actions from the perspective of the lack of conformity that is based on a unified system of remedies for breach, concepts embodied in modern instruments of contract law.

Human Staphylococcus aureus lineages among Zoological Park residents in Greece

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E. Drougka

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is a part of the microbiota flora in many animal species. The clonal spread of S. aureus among animals and personnel in a Zoological Park was investigated. Samples were collected from colonized and infected sites among 32 mammals, 11 birds and eight humans. The genes mecA, mecC, lukF/lukS-PV (encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin, PVL and tst (toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 were investigated by PCR. Clones were defined by Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST, spa type and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE. Seven S. aureus isolates were recovered from four animals and one from an employee. All were mecA, mecC and tst–negative, whereas, one carried the PVL genes and was isolated from an infected Squirrel monkey. Clonal analysis revealed the occurrence of seven STs, eight PFGE and five spa types including ones of human origin. Even though a variety of genotypes were identified among S. aureus strains colonizing zoo park residents, our results indicate that colonization with human lineages has indeed occurred.

Concurrent infectious mononucleosis and community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Li Jun; Du, Xiao Qin; Nyirimigabo, Eric; Shou, Song Tao

2014-04-01

It is rare to see a concurrent infection with infectious mononucleosis and community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Tianjin, China. Until now, there is still no any single recorded case of concurrent infectious mononucleosis and community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Memory Th1 Cells Are Protective in Invasive Staphylococcus aureus Infection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.F. Brown (Aisling F.); A.G. Murphy (Alison G.); S.J. Lalor (Stephen J.); J.M. Leech (John M.); K.M. O’Keeffe (Kate M.); M. Mac Aogáin (Micheál); D.P. O’Halloran (Dara P.); K.A. Lacey (Keenan A.); M. Tavakol (Mehri); C.H. Hearnden (Claire H.); D. Fitzgerald-Hughes (Deirdre); H. Humphreys (Hilary); J.P. Fennell (Jérôme P.); W.J.B. van Wamel (Willem); T.J. Foster (Timothy J.); J.A. Geoghegan (Joan A.); E.C. Lavelle (Ed C.); T.R. Rogers (Thomas R.); R.M. McLoughlin (Rachel M.)

2015-01-01

textabstractMechanisms of protective immunity to Staphylococcus aureus infection in humans remain elusive. While the importance of cellular immunity has been shown in mice, T cell responses in humans have not been characterised. Using a murine model of recurrent S. aureus peritonitis, we

29 CFR 541.604 - Minimum guarantee plus extras.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... DEFINING AND DELIMITING THE EXEMPTIONS FOR EXECUTIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE, PROFESSIONAL, COMPUTER AND OUTSIDE SALES EMPLOYEES Salary Requirements § 541.604 Minimum guarantee plus extras. (a) An employer may provide... commission on sales. An exempt employee also may receive a percentage of the sales or profits of the employer...

Preliminary study of community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus infection in Manaus Hospital, Amazonia Region, Brazil Estudo preliminar das infeccões por Staphylococcus aureus na comunidade de um Hospital em Manaus, Região do Amazonas, Brasil

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Jesus M. Egido

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is considered a public health problem with a strong potential for dissemination and high rates of morbidity and mortality. In this study we describe bacteriological and epidemiological characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus in Manaus (Amazon region. During the one-year study period (2000-2001, sixteen cases of acute pyogenic multiple abscess were evaluated. Community-acquired S. aureus was identified as causative agent in 10 (62.5% patients. The strains tested with antimicrobials by discs diffusion method, exhibited a high rate of sensitivity to cephalexin (100%, erythromycin (90%. Oxacillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus was 90%. No isolate was resistant to Vancomycin. To our knowledge, no series of community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus in Manaus hospital has been published. Our partial results showed a high rate of antimicrobial sensitivity among community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus in the hospital of Tropical Medicine Institute of Manaus, Amazon Region.O Staphylococcus aureus resistente a meticilina é considerado como um problema na saúde publica por seu grande potencial de disseminação e altas porcentagens de morbidade e mortalidade. No estudo descrevemos as características bacteriológicas e epidemiológicas do Staphylococcus aureus na cidade de Manaus. No período de um ano (2000-2001 avaliou-se dezesseis casos de abscessos piogênicos múltiplos. Em 10 (62,5% doentes o agente causal foi identificado como Staphylococcus aureus adquirido na comunidade O estudo das bacterias isoladas frente aos diferentes antimicrobianos, seguindo o método de difusão em disco, mostrou boa sensibilidade a cefalexina (100% e eritromicina (90%. Noventa porcento dos Staphylococcus aureus isolados foram sensíveis ao oxacilina. Nenhum dos isolados mostrou ser resistente a Vancomicina. Não temos informações sobre publicações dos Staphylococcus aureus adquiridos na comunidade em hospitais de Manaus

Optimization of a Laboratory-Developed Test Utilizing Roche Analyte-Specific Reagents for Detection of Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus, and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Species▿

OpenAIRE

Mehta, Maitry S.; Paule, Suzanne M.; Hacek, Donna M.; Thomson, Richard B.; Kaul, Karen L.; Peterson, Lance R.

2008-01-01

Nasal and perianal swab specimens were tested for detection of Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species (VRE) using a laboratory-developed real-time PCR test and microbiological cultures. The real-time PCR and culture results for S. aureus were similar. PCR had adequate sensitivity, but culture was more specific for the detection of VRE.

A Best Practice for Developing Availability Guarantee Language in Photovoltaic (PV) O&M Agreements.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klise, Geoffrey Taylor [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Balfour, John [High Performance PV, Phoenix, AZ (United States)

2015-11-01

This document outlines the foundation for developing language that can be utilized in an Equipment Availability Guarantee, typically included in an O&M services agreement between a PV system or plant owner and an O&M services provider, or operator. Many of the current PV O&M service agreement Availability Guarantees are based on contracts used for traditional power generation, which create challenges for owners and operators due to the variable nature of grid-tied photovoltaic generating technologies. This report documents language used in early PV availability guarantees and presents best practices and equations that can be used to more openly communicate how the reliability of the PV system and plant equipment can be expressed in an availability guarantee. This work will improve the bankability of PV systems by providing greater transparency into the equipment reliability state to all parties involved in an O&M services contract.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Inhibits the Toxic Effects of Staphylococcus aureus on Epidermal Keratinocytes

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammedsaeed, Walaa; McBain, Andrew J.; Cruickshank, Sheena M.

2014-01-01

Few studies have evaluated the potential benefits of the topical application of probiotic bacteria or material derived from them. We have investigated whether a probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, can inhibit Staphylococcus aureus infection of human primary keratinocytes in culture. When primary human keratinocytes were exposed to S. aureus, only 25% of the keratinocytes remained viable following 24 h of incubation. However, in the presence of 108 CFU/ml of live L. rhamnosus GG, the viability of the infected keratinocytes increased to 57% (P = 0.01). L. rhamnosus GG lysates and spent culture fluid also provided significant protection to keratinocytes, with 65% (P = 0.006) and 57% (P = 0.01) of cells, respectively, being viable following 24 h of incubation. Keratinocyte survival was significantly enhanced regardless of whether the probiotic was applied in the viable form or as cell lysates 2 h before or simultaneously with (P = 0.005) or 12 h after (P = 0.01) S. aureus infection. However, spent culture fluid was protective only if added before or simultaneously with S. aureus. With respect to mechanism, both L. rhamnosus GG lysate and spent culture fluid apparently inhibited adherence of S. aureus to keratinocytes by competitive exclusion, but only viable bacteria or the lysate could displace S. aureus (P = 0.04 and 0.01, respectively). Furthermore, growth of S. aureus was inhibited by either live bacteria or lysate but not spent culture fluid. Together, these data suggest at least two separate activities involved in the protective effects of L. rhamnosus GG against S. aureus, growth inhibition and reduction of bacterial adhesion. PMID:25015889

Staphylococcus aureus seroproteomes discriminate ruminant isolates causing mild or severe mastitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Le Maréchal Caroline

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of mastitis in ruminants. In ewe mastitis, symptoms range from subclinical to gangrenous mastitis. S. aureus factors or host-factors contributing to the different outcomes are not completely elucidated. In this study, experimental mastitis was induced on primiparous ewes using two S. aureus strains, isolated from gangrenous (strain O11 or subclinical (strain O46 mastitis. Strains induced drastically distinct clinical symptoms when tested in ewe and mice experimental mastitis. Notably, they reproduced mild (O46 or severe (O11 mastitis in ewes. Ewe sera were used to identify staphylococcal immunoreactive proteins commonly or differentially produced during infections of variable severity and to define core and accessory seroproteomes. Such SERological Proteome Analysis (SERPA allowed the identification of 89 immunoreactive proteins, of which only 52 (58.4% were previously identified as immunogenic proteins in other staphylococcal infections. Among the 89 proteins identified, 74 appear to constitute the core seroproteome. Among the 15 remaining proteins defining the accessory seroproteome, 12 were specific for strain O11, 3 were specific for O46. Distribution of one protein specific for each mastitis severity was investigated in ten other strains isolated from subclinical or clinical mastitis. We report here for the first time the identification of staphylococcal immunogenic proteins common or specific to S. aureus strains responsible for mild or severe mastitis. These findings open avenues in S. aureus mastitis studies as some of these proteins, expressed in vivo, are likely to account for the success of S. aureus as a pathogen of the ruminant mammary gland.

CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE GUARANTEEING OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN ROMANIA

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ELENA PARASCHIV

2012-05-01

Full Text Available In our country existed and exists still a constant concern to respect and guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially after 1989, when Romania became a member or acceding to international or regional treaties and conventions enshrining such rights. Taking into consideration the importance of respecting human rights, we consider that is necessary to research how they are secured in Romania, because only when these guarantees are known by their beneficiaries and those involved in their protection, actions which affect these values of humanity can be avoided. In human rights, rules of international law have priority over those entered in the domestic law if they contain provisions which may be interpreted differently on the same matter, unless the Constitution or national laws contain more favourable provisions.

Staphylococcus aureus induces IL-8 expression through its lipoproteins in the human intestinal epithelial cell, Caco-2.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Seok-Seong; Noh, Su Young; Park, Ok-Jin; Yun, Cheol-Heui; Han, Seung Hyun

2015-09-01

Staphylococcus aureus can cause the intestinal inflammatory diseases. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism of S. aureus infection in the intestine. In the present study, we investigated whether S. aureus could stimulate human intestinal epithelial cells triggering inflammation. When the human intestinal epithelial cell-line, Caco-2, and the primary colon cells were stimulated with ethanol-inactivated S. aureus, IL-8 expression was induced in a dose-dependent manner. The inactivated S. aureus preferentially stimulated Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 rather than TLR4. Lipoproteins, lipoteichoic acid (LTA), and peptidoglycan (PGN) are considered as potential TLR2 ligands of S. aureus. Interestingly, S aureus lipoproteins and Pam2CSK4 mimicking Gram-positive bacterial lipoproteins, but not LTA and PGN of S. aureus, significantly induced IL-8 expression in Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, lipoprotein-deficient S. aureus mutant strain failed to induce IL-8 production. Collectively, these results suggest that S. aureus stimulates the human intestinal epithelial cells to induce the chemokine IL-8 production through its lipoproteins, potentially contributing the development of intestinal inflammation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

When Justice Is Up to You. Celebrating America's Guarantee of Trial by Jury.

Science.gov (United States)

National Inst. for Citizen Education in the Law, Washington, DC.

Featuring a mock trial tested in the District of Columbia, the objective of this manual is to help students learn more about the constitutional guarantee of trial by jury. Prepared as five separate lessons, the manual examines one alternative to the jury system--trial by ordeal; traces the development of the guarantee of trial by jury; explores…

Detection of Methicillin Resistance and Various Virulence Factors in Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Nasal Carriers

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Hatice Türk Dağı

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Staphylococus aureus can be found as a commensal on skin and nasal flora or it may cause local and invasive infections. S. aureus has a large number of virulence factors. Aims: To investigate the methicillin resistance and frequency of various virulence factors in S. aureus nasal isolates. Study Design: Descriptive study. Methods: Nasal samples collected from university students were cultured in media. S. aureus was identified by conventional methods and the Staphyloslide latex test (Becton Dickinson, Sparks, USA. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted, and the methicillin resistance was determined. The mecA, nuc, pvl and staphylococcal toxin genes were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR. Results: S. aureus was isolated in 104 of 600 (17.3% nasal samples. In total, 101 (97.1% S. aureus isolates were methicillin-sensitive and the remaining 3 (2.9% were methicillin-resistant. Furthermore, all but five isolates carried at least one staphylococcal enterotoxin gene, with seg being predominant. The tst and eta genes were determined in 29 (27.9%, and 3 (2.9% isolates, respectively. None of the S. aureus isolates harbored see, etb, and pvl genes. Conclusion: A moderate rate of S. aureus carriage and low frequency of MRSA were detected in healthy students. S. aureus isolates had a high prevalence of staphylococcal enterotoxin genes and the tst gene. In this study, a large number of virulence factors were examined in S. aureus nasal isolates, and the data obtained from this study can be used for monitoring the prevalence of virulence genes in S. aureus strains isolated from nasal carriers.

7 CFR 3575.73 - Replacement of loss, theft, destruction, mutilation, or defacement of Loan Note Guarantee or...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Replacement of loss, theft, destruction, mutilation... AGRICULTURE GENERAL Community Programs Guaranteed Loans § 3575.73 Replacement of loss, theft, destruction... circumstances of the loss, theft, or destruction of the Loan Note Guarantee or Assignment Guarantee Agreement...

Dialysis catheter-related septicaemia--focus on Staphylococcus aureus septicaemia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, J; Ladefoged, S D; Kolmos, H J

1998-01-01

BACKGROUND: Dialysis catheters are a common cause of nosocomial septicaemia in haemodialysis units usually due to staphylococci, of which Staphylococcus aureus is the most pathogenic. In this study, the epidemiology and pathogenesis of dialysis catheter-related infections were studied, and methods...... to infection were measured. After catheter insertion, all patients were screened for nasal carriage of S. aureus, and a culture was taken from the skin overlying the catheter insertion site. Once a week, cultures were taken from the insertion site and from the hub, and aerobic and anaerobic blood cultures were...... drawn from the catheter. If clinical signs of septicaemia occurred, peripheral blood cultures were also performed, when it was possible. RESULTS: The incidence of septicaemia was 49% (21/43) in patients, and 56% of all cases were caused by S. aureus. The mortality was 14% (3/21) and the incidence...

Antibiotic-mediated selection of quorum-sensing-negative Staphylococcus aureus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paulander, Wilhelm Erik Axel; Varming, Anders Nissen; Bæk, Kristoffer Torbjørn

2012-01-01

of glycopeptide resistance greater than those of other strains. We show here that agr-negative strains have a fitness advantage over agr-positive strains in the presence of sublethal concentrations of some antibiotics and that the fitness defect of agr-positive cells is caused by antibiotic-mediated expression...... expression. We demonstrate that the presence of the agr locus imposes a fitness cost on S. aureus that is mediated by the expression of RNAIII. Further, we show that exposure to sublethal levels of the antibiotics ciprofloxacin, mupirocin, and rifampin, each targeting separate cellular functions, markedly...... increases the agr-mediated fitness cost by inducing the expression of RNAIII. Thus, the extensive use of antibiotics in hospitals may explain why agr-negative variants are frequently isolated from hospital-acquired S. aureus infections but rarely found among community-acquired S. aureus strains. Importantly...

The Staphylococcus aureus α-Acetolactate Synthase ALS Confers Resistance to Nitrosative Stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra M. Carvalho

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is a worldwide pathogen that colonizes the human nasal cavity and is a major cause of respiratory and cutaneous infections. In the nasal cavity, S. aureus thrives with high concentrations of nitric oxide (NO produced by the innate immune effectors and has available for growth slow-metabolizing free hexoses, such as galactose. Here, we have used deep sequencing transcriptomic analysis (RNA-Seq and 1H-NMR to uncover how S. aureus grown on galactose, a major carbon source present in the nasopharynx, survives the deleterious action of NO. We observed that, like on glucose, S. aureus withstands high concentrations of NO when using galactose. Data indicate that this resistance is, most likely, achieved through a distinct metabolism that relies on the increased production of amino acids, such as glutamate, threonine, and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs. Moreover, we found that under NO stress the S. aureus α-acetolactate synthase (ALS enzyme, which converts pyruvate into α-acetolactate, plays an important role. ALS is proposed to prevent intracellular acidification, to promote the production of BCAAs and the activation of the TCA cycle. Additionally, ALS is shown to contribute to the successful infection of murine macrophages. Furthermore, ALS contributes to the resistance of S. aureus to beta-lactam antibiotics such as methicillin and oxacillin.

Phage Conversion for β-Lactam Antibiotic Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus from Foods.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Young-Duck; Park, Jong-Hyun

2016-02-01

Temperate phages have been suggested to carry virulence factors and other lysogenic conversion genes that play important roles in pathogenicity. In this study, phage TEM123 in wild-type Staphylococcus aureus from food sources was analyzed with respect to its morphology, genome sequence, and antibiotic resistance conversion ability. Phage TEM123 from a mitomycin C-induced lysate of S. aureus was isolated from foods. Morphological analysis under a transmission electron microscope revealed that it belonged to the family Siphoviridae. The genome of phage TEM123 consisted of a double-stranded DNA of 43,786 bp with a G+C content of 34.06%. A bioinformatics analysis of the phage genome identified 43 putative open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 encoded a protein that was nearly identical to the metallo-β-lactamase enzymes that degrade β-lactam antibiotics. After transduction to S. aureus with phage TEM123, the metallo-β-lactamase gene was confirmed in the transductant by PCR and sequencing analyses. In a β-lactam antibiotic susceptibility test, the transductant was more highly resistant to β-lactam antibiotics than S. aureus S133. Phage TEM123 might play a role in the transfer of β-lactam antibiotic resistance determinants in S. aureus. Therefore, we suggest that the prophage of S. aureus with its exotoxin is a risk factor for food safety in the food chain through lateral gene transfer.

Subinhibitory concentrations of perilla oil affect the expression of secreted virulence factor genes in Staphylococcus aureus.

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Jiazhang Qiu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The pathogenicity of staphylococcus aureus is dependent largely upon its ability to secrete a number of virulence factors, therefore, anti-virulence strategy to combat S. aureus-mediated infections is now gaining great interest. It is widely recognized that some plant essential oils could affect the production of staphylococcal exotoxins when used at subinhibitory concentrations. Perilla [Perilla frutescens (L. Britton], a natural medicine found in eastern Asia, is primarily used as both a medicinal and culinary herb. Its essential oil (perilla oil has been previously demonstrated to be active against S. aureus. However, there are no data on the influence of perilla oil on the production of S. aureus exotoxins. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs of perilla oil against S. aureus strains. Hemolysis, tumour necrosis factor (TNF release, Western blot, and real-time RT-PCR assays were performed to evaluate the effects of subinhibitory concentrations of perilla oil on exotoxins production in S. aureus. The data presented here show that perilla oil dose-dependently decreased the production of α-toxin, enterotoxins A and B (the major staphylococcal enterotoxins, and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1 in both methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The production of α-toxin, SEA, SEB, and TSST-1 in S. aureus was decreased by perilla oil. These data suggest that perilla oil may be useful for the treatment of S. aureus infections when used in combination with β-lactam antibiotics, which can increase exotoxins production by S. aureus at subinhibitory concentrations. Furthermore, perilla oil could be rationally applied in food systems as a novel food preservative both to inhibit the growth of S. aureus and to repress the production of exotoxins, particularly staphylococcal enterotoxins.

Preparation, characterization and efficacy of lysostaphin-chitosan gel against Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Nithya, Sai; Nimal, T R; Baranwal, Gaurav; Suresh, Maneesha K; C P, Anju; Anil Kumar, V; Gopi Mohan, C; Jayakumar, R; Biswas, Raja

2018-04-15

Lysostaphin (LST) is a bacteriocin that cleaves within the pentaglycine cross bridge of Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan. Previous studies have reported the high efficiency of LST even against multi drug resistant S. aureus including methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). In this study, we have developed a new chitosan based hydrogel formulation of LST to exploit its anti-staphylococcal activity. The atomic interactions of LST with chitosan were studied by molecular docking studies. The rheology and the antibacterial properties of the developed LSTC gel were evaluated. The developed LST containing chitosan hydrogel (LSTC gel) was flexible, flows smoothly and remains stable at physiological temperature. The in vitro studies by agar well diffusion and ex vivo studies in porcine skin model exhibited a reduction in S. aureus survival by ∼3 Log 10 CFU/mL in the presence of LSTC gel. The cytocompatibility of the gel was tested in vitro using macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line and in vivo in Drosophila melanogaster. A gradual disruption of S. aureus biofilms with the increase of LST concentrations in the LSTC gel was observed which was confirmed by SEM analysis. We conclude that LSTC gel could be highly effectual and advantageous over antibiotics in treating staphylococcal-topical and biofilm infections. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Staphylococcus aureus growth and enterotoxin production in different types of milk

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Bohdana Janštová, Jr.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of our study was to assess Staphylococcus aureus growth and the time of first detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins type A, B and C (SEA, SEB, SEC in different type of milk, depending on the strain and storage conditions. Raw, pasteurized, and UHT milk were inoculated with three strains of S. aureus, and growth patterns were determined by the plate method in accordance with EN ISO 6888-1. Baird-Parker agar medium was used for the detection of S. aureus and the Enzyme Linked Fluorescent Assay (ELFA used with a miniVIDAS analyzer tested the production of staphylococcal enterotoxins. The results of model experiments showed the dependence of the growth rate and subsequent production of staphylococcal enterotoxins on incubation (storage temperature, S. aureus strain, and type of milk. A significant finding was that the growth of S. aureus and production of enterotoxins in raw milk was inhibited by natural microflora, and production of enterotoxins was therefore not detected in raw milk within 102 hours of storage either at 15 °C or 22 °C. The highest risk of SEs production is associated with secondary contamination of pasteurized and UHT milk when stored at room temperature, where production was first detected after 12 hours of incubation.

7 CFR 1493.40 - Application for payment guarantee.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... and allowances, if any. (11) Port value (includes upward loading tolerance, if any). (12) Guaranteed..., contract loading tolerance and, if necessary, a request for CCC to reserve coverage up to the maximum quantity permitted by the contract loading tolerance. (9) Unit sales price of the commodity, or a mechanism...

Increased Susceptibility of Humanized NSG Mice to Panton-Valentine Leukocidin and Staphylococcus aureus Skin Infection.

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Ching Wen Tseng

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of skin and soft-tissue infections worldwide. Mice are the most commonly used animals for modeling human staphylococcal infections. However a supra-physiologic S. aureus inoculum is required to establish gross murine skin pathology. Moreover, many staphylococcal factors, including Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL elaborated by community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA, exhibit selective human tropism and cannot be adequately studied in mice. To overcome these deficiencies, we investigated S. aureus infection in non-obese diabetic (NOD/severe combined immune deficiency (SCID/IL2rγnull (NSG mice engrafted with human CD34+ umbilical cord blood cells. These "humanized" NSG mice require one to two log lower inoculum to induce consistent skin lesions compared with control mice, and exhibit larger cutaneous lesions upon infection with PVL+ versus isogenic PVL- S. aureus. Neutrophils appear important for PVL pathology as adoptive transfer of human neutrophils alone to NSG mice was sufficient to induce dermonecrosis following challenge with PVL+ S. aureus but not PVL- S. aureus. PMX53, a human C5aR inhibitor, blocked PVL-induced cellular cytotoxicity in vitro and reduced the size difference of lesions induced by the PVL+ and PVL- S. aureus, but PMX53 also reduced recruitment of neutrophils and exacerbated the infection. Overall, our findings establish humanized mice as an important translational tool for the study of S. aureus infection and provide strong evidence that PVL is a human virulence factor.

Applying Service Performance Guarantees to Reduce Risk Perception in the Purchase and Consumption of Higher Education

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Nooraini Mohamad Sheriff

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The intangible nature of education is one contributor to consumers’ perception of risk prior to their purchase and consumption. This risk includes: functional risk, financial risk, temporal risk, physical risk, psychological risk and social risk. The presence of these risks often makes consumer evaluation prior to purchase and consumption difficult. Invoking a service guarantee is a platform available to enable higher educational institutions to minimize such risk perception so as to induce purchase. Specifically, service guarantee for higher education entails the application of teaching performance guarantee. This form of guarantee focuses on two important customer groups of higher educational institutions namely, students and faculty members, and focuses only on a specific performance aspect such as instructor’s performance. Thus, if students are dissatisfied with an instructor’s performance they are entitled to receive their money back. The imposition of such a teaching performance guarantee would implicate instructor’s accountability for certain aspects of their performance. It also establishes a mechanism to solicit feedback to better understand why and how instructors fail. Consequently, service performance guarantee creates a high level of customer focus and signals instructors’ care towards students

Cross-Talk between Staphylococcus aureus and Other Staphylococcal Species via the agr Quorum Sensing System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Canovas de la Nuez, Jaime; Baldry, Mara; Bojer, Martin S

2016-01-01

-inducing peptides (AIPs) sensed by AgrC, a two component histidine kinase. agr loci are found also in other staphylococcal species and for Staphylococcus epidermidis, the encoded AIP represses expression of agr regulated virulence genes in S. aureus. In this study we aimed to better understand the interaction...... between staphylococci and S. aureus, and show that this interaction may eventually lead to the identification of new anti-virulence candidates to target S. aureus infections. Here we show that culture supernatants of 37 out of 52 staphylococcal isolates representing 17 different species inhibit S. aureus...... suggesting that agr is an inter-species communication system. Based on these results we speculate that interactions between S. aureus and other colonizing staphylococci will significantly influence the ability of S. aureus to cause infection, and we propose that other staphylococci are potential sources...

Diversity of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates in European Wildlife.

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Stefan Monecke

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known colonizer and cause of infection among animals and it has been described from numerous domestic and wild animal species. The aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular epidemiology of S. aureus in a convenience sample of European wildlife and to review what previously has been observed in the subject field. 124 S. aureus isolates were collected from wildlife in Germany, Austria and Sweden; they were characterized by DNA microarray hybridization and, for isolates with novel hybridization patterns, by multilocus sequence typing (MLST. The isolates were assigned to 29 clonal complexes and singleton sequence types (CC1, CC5, CC6, CC7, CC8, CC9, CC12, CC15, CC22, CC25, CC30, CC49, CC59, CC88, CC97, CC130, CC133, CC398, ST425, CC599, CC692, CC707, ST890, CC1956, ST2425, CC2671, ST2691, CC2767 and ST2963, some of which (ST2425, ST2691, ST2963 were not described previously. Resistance rates in wildlife strains were rather low and mecA-MRSA isolates were rare (n = 6. mecC-MRSA (n = 8 were identified from a fox, a fallow deer, hares and hedgehogs. The common cattle-associated lineages CC479 and CC705 were not detected in wildlife in the present study while, in contrast, a third common cattle lineage, CC97, was found to be common among cervids. No Staphylococcus argenteus or Staphylococcus schweitzeri-like isolates were found. Systematic studies are required to monitor the possible transmission of human- and livestock-associated S. aureus/MRSA to wildlife and vice versa as well as the possible transmission, by unprotected contact to animals. The prevalence of S. aureus/MRSA in wildlife as well as its population structures in different wildlife host species warrants further investigation.

Emergence in Asian Countries of Staphylococcus aureus with Reduced Susceptibility to Vancomycin

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jae-Hoon; Hiramatsu, Keiichi; Suh, Ji Yoeun; Ko, Kwan Soo; Ito, Teruyo; Kapi, Maria; Kiem, Sungmin; Kim, Yeon-Sook; Oh, Won Sup; Peck, Kyong Ran; Lee, Nam Yong

2004-01-01

To investigate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin among methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains in Asian countries, a total of 1,357 clinical isolates of MRSA collected from 12 Asian countries were screened by using brain heart infusion agar plates containing 4 mg of vancomycin per liter. The presence of strains that were heterointermediately resistant to vancomycin (hVISA) was confirmed by population analysis. Of 347 (25.6%) MRSA isolates that grew on the screening agar plates, 58 isolates (4.3%) were hVISA. hVISA strains were found in India, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. However, neither vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus nor vancomycin-resistant S. aureus isolates were found among MRSA isolates from Asian countries in this survey. PMID:15561884

Antibody-Based Agents in the Management of Antibiotic-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Speziale, Pietro; Rindi, Simonetta

2018-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a human pathogen that can cause a wide spectrum of diseases, including sepsis, pneumonia, arthritis, and endocarditis. Ineffective treatment of a number of staphylococcal infections with antibiotics is due to the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant strains following decades of antibiotic usage. This has generated renewed interest within the scientific community in alternative therapeutic agents, such as anti-S. aureus antibodies. Although the role of antibodies in the management of S. aureus diseases is controversial, the success of this pathogen in neutralizing humoral immunity clearly indicates that antibodies offer the host extensive protection. In this review, we report an update on efforts to develop antibody-based agents, particularly monoclonal antibodies, and their therapeutic potential in the passive immunization approach to the treatment and prevention of S. aureus infections. PMID:29533985

The Frequency of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Endocervix of Infertile Women in Northwest Iran

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Akhi Mohammad Taghi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background Infertility is one of the major social issues. Due to the asymptomatic cervical infection associated with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, the majority of patients remain undiagnosed. The present study intended to assess the frequency of S. aureus isolated from infertile women’s endocervix in northwest Iran. Materials and Methods In a descriptive cross sectional study, specimens were randomly collected during vagina examination using a sterile speculum and swabbing. After performance of antibiotic susceptibility testing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR was used to identify methicillin-resistance S. aureus (MRSA and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1. Results About 26 (26% and 9 (9% women’s urogenital tracts were colonized by S. aureus and Candida spp., respectively, of which three (11.5% patients were infected with fungi and S. aureus, simultaneously. Antibiotic susceptibility results showed high activity of vancomycin and co-trimoxazole on isolates. Regarding PCR results, mecA sequences were detected in 7 (26.9% strains, whilst the tst gene encoding TSST-1 was not detected in any of clinical strains. Conclusion The prevalence of S. aureus was very high in infertile women. Therefore, it demands all patients undergoing infertility treatment to be investigated thoroughly for this type of infection.

Emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in different animal species

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cuny, Christiane; Friedrich, Alexander; Kozytska, Svetlana; Layer, Franziska; Nübel, Ulrich; Ohlsen, Knut; Strommenger, Birgit; Walther, Birgit; Wieler, Lothar; Witte, Wolfgang

The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in animals such as horses, pet animals and productive livestock has raised questions of a probable human origin and in more general of host specificity of S. aureus. Particular clonal lineages are obviously specific for humans (e.g.

Are Nasal Carriers of Staphylococcus aureus More Likely To Become Colonized or Infected with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus on Admission to a Hospital?▿

OpenAIRE

Krebes, Juliane; Al-Ghusein, Hasan; Feasey, Nick; Breathnach, Aodhan; Lindsay, Jodi A.

2010-01-01

Of 840 patients at hospital admission, 2.7% were positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 22.3% were positive for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA). During the next 8 months, 4.8% of the MSSA-positive patients acquired MRSA with no lineage association. A total of 5.2% of noncarriers acquired MRSA. We find no evidence that colonized hosts are more susceptible to acquiring MRSA.

Faecal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in the hospital and community setting: a systematic review

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Shantelle eClaassen-Weitz

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background and rationale: Staphylococcus aureus faecal carriage has been identified as a potential source for nosocomial transmission and a risk factor for disease development. This systematic review determined the overall S. aureus (including methicillin susceptible and resistant S. aureus (MSSA and MRSA faecal carriage rates within the community and healthcare settings.Methodology: Peer-reviewed articles indexed in Medline, Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, and Web of Science were identified using applicable and controlled vocabulary through to 11 November 2015. Eligible studies were ascertained by three independent reviewers. Random-effects meta-analyses of proportions were performed to determine S. aureus, MSSA and MRSA faecal carriage rates reported by eligible studies.Results: Twenty six studies were included in this review. The pooled estimates for S. aureus, MSSA and MRSA faecal carriage were 26 % (95 % confidence interval (CI: 16.8 % - 36.3 %, 86 % (95 % confidence interval (CI: 65.9 % - 97.9 % and 10 % (95 % CI: 0.7 % - 27.0 %, respectively. Faecal S. aureus carriage rates increased on average from 10 % to 65 % during the first eight weeks of life, followed by an average carriage rate of 64 % at six months and 46 % at one year of life. Genotyping techniques were employed mainly in studies conducted in developed countries and comprised largely of gel-based techniques. Six studies reported on the role of S. aureus faecal strains in diarrhoea (n = 2 and the risk for acquiring infections (n = 4. Eight of the 26 studies included in this review performed antibiotic susceptibility testing of S. aureus faecal isolates.Conclusion: This study provides evidence that screening for S. aureus faecal carriage, at least in populations at high risk, could be an effective measure for the prevention of S. aureus transmission and infection in the healthcare and community setting. More well-structured studies need to be

Prevalence and Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Strains in the Pork Chain Supply in Chile.

Science.gov (United States)

Velasco, Valeria; Vergara, José L; Bonilla, Ana M; Muñoz, Javier; Mallea, Alejandra; Vallejos, Diego; Quezada-Aguiluz, Mario; Campos, Jorge; Rojas-García, Pedro

2018-05-01

The detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other emerging strains in meat-producing animals and retail meat has increased the risk of contamination of food. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characterize S. aureus strains isolated from the pork chain supply in Chile. A total of 487 samples were collected: 332 samples from pigs at farms and slaughterhouses (nasal, n = 155; skin, n = 177); 85 samples from carcasses at slaughterhouses; and 70 meat samples at supermarkets and retail stores. The isolation of S. aureus was carried out by selective enrichment and culture media. Biochemical testing (API ® Staph) and PCR (detection of the nuc and mecA genes) were used to confirm S. aureus and MRSA strains. The agglutination test was used to determine the protein PBP2'. Enterotoxins (SEA, SEB, SEC, SED) were determined by agglutination test and the se genes by PCR method. Oxacillin and cefoxitin susceptibility testing were carried out using the diffusion method. The overall prevalence of S. aureus in the pork meat supply was 33.9%. A higher prevalence was detected on carcasses (56.5%), in pigs sampled at farms (40.6%) than in pigs sampled at slaughterhouses (23.3%) and in nonpackaged retail meat (43.1%) than packaged retail meat (5.3%) (p ≤ 0.05). No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between the prevalence in pigs (28.3%) and pork meat (32.9%) and between natural pig farming (33.3%) and conventional production (52.8%). The mecA gene and the protein PBP2' were not detected in S. aureus strains. Two S. aureus strains exhibited oxacillin and cefoxitin resistance, and one S. aureus strain was resistant to cefoxitin. One S. aureus strain isolated from a meat sample was positive for enterotoxin SEB. Although the mecA gene was not detected, oxacillin-resistant and seb-producing S. aureus strains were detected, which represent a risk in the pork chain supply.

The effect of improved compliance with hygiene guidelines on transmission of Staphylococcus aureus to newborn infants: the Swedish Hygiene Intervention and Transmission of S aureus study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mernelius, Sara; Löfgren, Sture; Lindgren, Per-Eric; Blomberg, Marie; Olhager, Elisabeth; Gunnervik, Christina; Lenrick, Raymond; Thrane, Malena Tiefenthal; Isaksson, Barbro; Matussek, Andreas

2013-07-01

Newborn infants are often colonized with Staphylococcus aureus originating from health care workers (HCWs). We therefore use colonization with S aureus of newborn infants to determine the effect of an improved compliance with hygiene guidelines on bacterial transmission. Compliance with hygiene guidelines was monitored prior to (baseline) and after (follow-up) a multimodal hygiene intervention in 4 departments of obstetrics and gynecology. spa typing was used to elucidate transmission routes of S aureus collected from newborn infants, mothers, fathers, staff members, and environment. The compliance with hygiene guidelines increased significantly from baseline to follow-up. The transmission of S aureus from HCWs to infants was however not affected. Fathers had the highest colonization rates. Persistent carriage was indicated in 18% of the HCWs. The most commonly isolated spa type was t084, which was not detected in a previous study from the same geographic area. It is possible to substantially improve the compliance with hygiene guidelines, by using multimodal hygiene intervention. The improved compliance did not decrease the transmission of S aureus from sources outside the own family to newborn infants. Furthermore, we show the establishment of a new spa type (t084), which now is very common in our region. Copyright © 2013 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Antiinfective therapy with a small molecule inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus sortase.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jie; Liu, Hongchuan; Zhu, Kongkai; Gong, Shouzhe; Dramsi, Shaynoor; Wang, Ya-Ting; Li, Jiafei; Chen, Feifei; Zhang, Ruihan; Zhou, Lu; Lan, Lefu; Jiang, Hualiang; Schneewind, Olaf; Luo, Cheng; Yang, Cai-Guang

2014-09-16

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most frequent cause of hospital-acquired infection, which manifests as surgical site infections, bacteremia, and sepsis. Due to drug-resistance, prophylaxis of MRSA infection with antibiotics frequently fails or incites nosocomial diseases such as Clostridium difficile infection. Sortase A is a transpeptidase that anchors surface proteins in the envelope of S. aureus, and sortase mutants are unable to cause bacteremia or sepsis in mice. Here we used virtual screening and optimization of inhibitor structure to identify 3-(4-pyridinyl)-6-(2-sodiumsulfonatephenyl)[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazole and related compounds, which block sortase activity in vitro and in vivo. Sortase inhibitors do not affect in vitro staphylococcal growth yet protect mice against lethal S. aureus bacteremia. Thus, sortase inhibitors may be useful as antiinfective therapy to prevent hospital-acquired S. aureus infection in high-risk patients without the side effects of antibiotics.

Detecting Staphylococcus aureus in milk from dairy cows using sniffer dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer-Tenhagen, C; Theby, V; Krömker, V; Heuwieser, W

2018-05-01

Fast and accurate identification of disease-causing pathogens is essential for specific antimicrobial therapy in human and veterinary medicine. In these experiments, dogs were trained to identify Staphylococcus aureus and differentiate it from other common mastitis-causing pathogens by smell. Headspaces from agar plates, inoculated raw milk samples, or field samples collected from cows with Staphylococcus aureus and other mastitis-causing pathogens were used for training and testing. The ability to learn the specific odor of Staphylococcus aureus in milk depended on the concentration of the pathogens in the training samples. Sensitivity and specificity for identifying Staphylococcus aureus were 91.3 and 97.9%, respectively, for pathogens grown on agar plates; 83.8 and 98.0% for pathogens inoculated in raw milk; and 59.0 and 93.2% for milk samples from mastitic cows. The results of these experiments underline the potential of odor detection as a diagnostic tool for pathogen diagnosis. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Public Guarantees on Bank Risk Taking : Evidence from a Natural Experiment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gropp, R.; Grundl, C.; Guttler, A.

2010-01-01

In 2001, government guarantees for savings banks in Germany were removed following a law suit. We use this natural experiment to examine the effect of government guarantees on bank risk taking, using a large data set of matched bank/borrower information. The results suggest that banks whose

Antimicrobial resistant coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ADEYEYE

Staphylococcus aureus is an Important agent of food poisoning. In many countries, it ... humans and animals (Casey et al., 2007). ... of widespread use of antibiotics in animals for ... Laboratory Standards Institute methods (CLSI, 2010). Briefly ...

Economic valuation of a toll road concession with traffic guarantees and the abandonment option

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Frances Fischberg Blank

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Governments worldwide have been encouraging private participation in transportation infrastructure. To increase the feasibility of a project, public-private partnership (PPP may include guarantees or other support to reduce the risks for private investors. It is necessary to value these opportunities under a real options framework and thereby analyze the project's economic feasibility and risk allocation. However, within this structure, sponsors have an implicit option to abandon the project that should be simultaneously valued. Thus, this article proposes a hypothetical toll road concession in Brazil with a minimum traffic guarantee, a maximum traffic ceiling, and an implicit abandonment option. Different combinations of the minimum and maximum levels are presented, resulting in very high or even negative value added to the net present value (NPV. The abandonment option impacts the level of guarantee to be given. Governments should calibrate an optimal level of guarantees to avoid unnecessarily high costs, protect the returns of the sponsor, and lower the probability of abandonment.

Whole-genome sequencing of bloodstream Staphylococcus aureus isolates does not distinguish bacteraemia from endocarditis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lilje, Berit; Rasmussen, Rasmus Vedby; Dahl, Anders

2017-01-01

Most Staphylococcus aureus isolates can cause invasive disease given the right circumstances, but it is unknown if some isolates are more likely to cause severe infections than others. S. aureus bloodstream isolates from 120 patients with definite infective endocarditis and 121 with S. aureus...... bacteraemia without infective endocarditis underwent whole-genome sequencing. Genome-wide association analysis was performed using a variety of bioinformatics approaches including SNP analysis, accessory genome analysis and k-mer based analysis. Core and accessory genome analyses found no association...... with either of the two clinical groups. In this study, the genome sequences of S. aureus bloodstream isolates did not discriminate between bacteraemia and infective endocarditis. Based on our study and the current literature, it is not convincing that a specific S. aureus genotype is clearly associated...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Alters Staphylococcus aureus Sensitivity to Vancomycin in a Biofilm Model of Cystic Fibrosis Infection

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Giulia Orazi

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The airways of cystic fibrosis (CF patients have thick mucus, which fosters chronic, polymicrobial infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are two of the most prevalent respiratory pathogens in CF patients. In this study, we tested whether P. aeruginosa influences the susceptibility of S. aureus to frontline antibiotics used to treat CF lung infections. Using our in vitro coculture model, we observed that addition of P. aeruginosa supernatants to S. aureus biofilms grown either on epithelial cells or on plastic significantly decreased the susceptibility of S. aureus to vancomycin. Mutant analyses showed that 2-n-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide (HQNO, a component of the P. aeruginosa Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS system, protects S. aureus from the antimicrobial activity of vancomycin. Similarly, the siderophores pyoverdine and pyochelin also contribute to the ability of P. aeruginosa to protect S. aureus from vancomycin, as did growth under anoxia. Under our experimental conditions, HQNO, P. aeruginosa supernatant, and growth under anoxia decreased S. aureus growth, likely explaining why this cell wall-targeting antibiotic is less effective. P. aeruginosa supernatant did not confer additional protection to slow-growing S. aureus small colony variants. Importantly, P. aeruginosa supernatant protects S. aureus from other inhibitors of cell wall synthesis as well as protein synthesis-targeting antibiotics in an HQNO- and siderophore-dependent manner. We propose a model whereby P. aeruginosa causes S. aureus to shift to fermentative growth when these organisms are grown in coculture, leading to reduction in S. aureus growth and decreased susceptibility to antibiotics targeting cell wall and protein synthesis.

Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) at ambient freshwater beaches

Science.gov (United States)

Fogarty, Lisa R.; Haack, Sheridan K.; Johnson, Heather E.; Brennan, Angela K.; Isaacs, Natasha M.; Spencer, Chelsea

2015-01-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a threat to human health worldwide, and although detected at marine beaches, they have been largely unstudied at freshwater beaches. Genes indicating S. aureus (SA; femA) and methicillin resistance (mecA) were detected at 11 and 12 of 13 US Great Lakes beaches and in 18% or 27% of 287 recreational water samples, respectively. Eight beaches had mecA + femA (potential MRSA) detections. During an intensive study, higher bather numbers, staphylococci concentrations, and femA detections were found in samples collected after noon than before noon. Local population density, beach cloud cover, and beach wave height were significantly correlated with SA or MRSA detection frequency. The Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene, associated with community-acquired MRSA, was detected in 12 out of 27 potential MRSA samples. The femA gene was detected less frequently at beaches that met US enterococci criteria or EU enterococci ‘excellent’ recreational water quality, but was not related to Escherichia coli-defined criteria. Escherichia coli is often the only indicator used to determine water quality at US beaches, given the economic and healthcare burden that can be associated with infections caused by SA and MRSA, monitoring of recreational waters for non-fecal bacteria such as staphylococci and/or SA may be warranted.

Novel structurally designed vaccine for S. aureus α-hemolysin: protection against bacteremia and pneumonia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajan P Adhikari

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus is a human pathogen associated with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI and life threatening sepsis and pneumonia. Efforts to develop effective vaccines against S. aureus have been largely unsuccessful, in part due to the variety of virulence factors produced by this organism. S. aureus alpha-hemolysin (Hla is a pore-forming toxin expressed by most S. aureus strains and reported to play a key role in the pathogenesis of SSTI and pneumonia. Here we report a novel recombinant subunit vaccine candidate for Hla, rationally designed based on the heptameric crystal structure. This vaccine candidate, denoted AT-62aa, was tested in pneumonia and bacteremia infection models using S. aureus strain Newman and the pandemic strain USA300 (LAC. Significant protection from lethal bacteremia/sepsis and pneumonia was observed upon vaccination with AT-62aa along with a Glucopyranosyl Lipid Adjuvant-Stable Emulsion (GLA-SE that is currently in clinical trials. Passive transfer of rabbit immunoglobulin against AT-62aa (AT62-IgG protected mice against intraperitoneal and intranasal challenge with USA300 and produced significant reduction in bacterial burden in blood, spleen, kidney, and lungs. Our Hla-based vaccine is the first to be reported to reduce bacterial dissemination and to provide protection in a sepsis model of S. aureus infection. AT62-IgG and sera from vaccinated mice effectively neutralized the toxin in vitro and AT62-IgG inhibited the formation of Hla heptamers, suggesting antibody-mediated neutralization as the primary mechanism of action. This remarkable efficacy makes this Hla-based vaccine a prime candidate for inclusion in future multivalent S. aureus vaccine. Furthermore, identification of protective epitopes within AT-62aa could lead to novel immunotherapy for S. aureus infection.

Myricetin protects Galleria mellonella against Staphylococcus aureus infection and inhibits multiple virulence factors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nogueira-Silva, L; Da Hora, G. C.A.; Soares, Goncalo Teofilo Afonso Pinheiro

2017-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen related to a variety of life-threatening infections but for which antimicrobial resistance is liming the treatment options. We report here that myricetin, but not its glycosylated form, can remarkably decrease the production of several S. aureus ...... in the Galleria mellonella model. The present findings reveal the potential of Myr as an alternative multi-target antivirulence candidate to control S. aureus pathogenicity....

Staphylococcus aureus Toxins and Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Role in Pathogenesis and Interest in Diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Dunyach-Remy, Catherine; Ngba Essebe, Christelle; Sotto, Albert; Lavigne, Jean-Philippe

2016-01-01

Infection of foot ulcers is a common, often severe and costly complication in diabetes. Diabetic foot infections (DFI) are mainly polymicrobial, and Staphylococcus aureus is the most frequent pathogen isolated. The numerous virulence factors and toxins produced by S. aureus during an infection are well characterized. However, some particular features could be observed in DFI. The aim of this review is to describe the role of S. aureus in DFI and the implication of its toxins in the establishment of the infection. Studies on this issue have helped to distinguish two S. aureus populations in DFI: toxinogenic S. aureus strains (harboring exfoliatin-, EDIN-, PVL- or TSST-encoding genes) and non-toxinogenic strains. Toxinogenic strains are often present in infections with a more severe grade and systemic impact, whereas non-toxinogenic strains seem to remain localized in deep structures and bone involving diabetic foot osteomyelitis. Testing the virulence profile of bacteria seems to be a promising way to predict the behavior of S. aureus in the chronic wounds. PMID:27399775

Nonfragile Guaranteed Cost Control and Optimization for Interconnected Systems of Neutral Type

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Heli Hu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The design and optimization problems of the nonfragile guaranteed cost control are investigated for a class of interconnected systems of neutral type. A novel scheme, viewing the interconnections with time-varying delays as effective information but not disturbances, is developed to decrease the conservatism. Many techniques on decomposing and magnifying the matrices are utilized to obtain the guaranteed cost of the considered system. Also, an algorithm is proposed to solve the nonlinear problem of the interconnected matrices. Based on this algorithm, the minimization of the guaranteed cost of the considered system is obtained by optimization. Further, the state feedback control is extended to the case in which the underlying system is dependent on uncertain parameters. Finally, two numerical examples are given to illustrate the proposed method, and some comparisons are made to show the advantages of the schemes of dealing with the interconnections.

THE LETTER OF GUARANTEE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE NEW CIVIL CODE

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LUMINITA TULEASCA

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The letter of guarantee is frequently used in the domestic and international commercial activity, first of all, for the safety offered for securing the contractual obligations without blocking the pecuniary funds and, second of all, due to the existing uniform international regulations that correspond to the needs supporting the occurrence of these types of autonomous securities.In Romania, the lack of legal policing of the letter of guarantee has created practical difficulties and offered judges the possibility to "make the law" in the litigations generated by the enforcement or by the suspension of enforcement of these contractual securities.This work analysis the regulation of the letter of guarantee provided in the New Civil Code from the perspective of its harmonization with the Uniform Rules of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris and with the Draft Common Frame of Reference in the matter of the European private law.

Monitoring and Evaluation of Cultivated Land Irrigation Guarantee Capability with Remote Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, C., Sr.; Huang, J.; Li, L.; Wang, H.; Zhu, D.

2015-12-01

Abstract: Cultivated Land Quality Grade monitoring and evaluation is an important way to improve the land production capability and ensure the country food safety. Irrigation guarantee capability is one of important aspects in the cultivated land quality monitoring and evaluation. In the current cultivated land quality monitoring processing based on field survey, the irrigation rate need much human resources investment in long investigation process. This study choses Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei as study region, taking the 1 km × 1 km grid size of cultivated land unit with a winter wheat-summer maize double cropping system as study object. A new irrigation capacity evaluation index based on the ratio of the annual irrigation requirement retrieved from MODIS data and the actual quantity of irrigation was proposed. With the years of monitoring results the irrigation guarantee capability of study area was evaluated comprehensively. The change trend of the irrigation guarantee capability index (IGCI) with the agricultural drought disaster area in rural statistical yearbook of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area was generally consistent. The average of IGCI value, the probability of irrigation-guaranteed year and the weighted average which controlled by the irrigation demand index were used and compared in this paper. The experiment results indicate that the classification result from the present method was close to that from irrigation probability in the gradation on agriculture land quality in 2012, with overlap of 73% similar units. The method of monitoring and evaluation of cultivated land IGCI proposed in this paper has a potential in cultivated land quality level monitoring and evaluation in China. Key words: remote sensing, evapotranspiration, MODIS cultivated land quality, irrigation guarantee capability Authors: Chao Zhang, Jianxi Huang, Li Li, Hongshuo Wang, Dehai Zhu China Agricultural University zhangchaobj@gmail.com

Nigribactin, a Novel Siderophore from Vibrio nigripulchritudo, Modulates Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Gene Expression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Anita; Månsson, Maria; Wietz, Matthias

2012-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a serious human pathogen that employs a number of virulence factors as part of its pathogenesis. The purpose of the present study was to explore marine bacteria as a source of compounds that modulate virulence gene expression in S. aureus. During the global marine Galathea...... 3 expedition, a strain collection was established comprising bacteria that express antimicrobial activity against Vibrio anguillarum and/or Staphylococcus aureus. Within this collection we searched colony material, culture supernatants, and cell extracts for virulence modulating activity showing......, enterobactin, failed to influence S. aureus virulence gene expression. This study shows that marine microorganisms produce compounds with potential use in therapeutic strategies targeting virulence rather than viability of human pathogens....

Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Colonization Differs among Pig Lineages and Is Associated with the Presence of Other Staphylococcal Species

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Koen M. Verstappen

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is a common colonizer in pigs, with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA in particular being a potential health risk to humans. To reduce the exposure to humans, the colonization in pigs should be reduced. The aim of this study was to quantitatively compare the susceptibility of pig lineages for S. aureus colonization, and if the absence of S. aureus could be associated with the presence or absence of other staphylococcal species. Nasal samples (n = 129 were obtained from seven different pig lineages in the Netherlands, France, and Germany. S. aureus and other staphylococci were enumerated from these samples by real-time (RT-PCR and culture. Associations were explored between the presence of S. aureus and other staphylococci. S. aureus was detected by RT-PCR on all farms and in samples from pigs of all lineages. Twenty-five percent of the pigs from lineage F (from two farms were colonized with S. aureus, while in all other lineages it was more than 50% (p < 0.01. Moreover, in S. aureus-positive samples from pigs of lineage F smaller amounts of S. aureus were found than in other lineages. Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus cohnii, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus were usually not found in combination with S. aureus in these samples. In conclusion: (i pigs from different genetic lineages have different susceptibilities for colonization with S. aureus. These pigs might contain a genetic factor influencing nasal colonization. (ii Colonization of S. aureus is also associated with the absence of S. sciuri, S. cohnii, or S. saprophyticus. (iii The farm environment seems to influence the presence of S. aureus in pigs.

ESCHERICHIA COLI AND STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR. AMINU

ABSTRACT. The bio-effects of the ethanol extracts from the leaf and stem of Momordica charantia were studied with the view to ascertain the medical usefulness ascribed to the plant by the locals. The plant parts, stem and leaf, revealed remarkable activity against Escherichia coli and Staphlococcus aureus. The leaves ...

Antibiofilm Effect of Octenidine Hydrochloride on Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA and VRSA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary Anne Roshni Amalaradjou

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Millions of indwelling devices are implanted in patients every year, and staphylococci (S. aureus, MRSA and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA are responsible for a majority of infections associated with these devices, thereby leading to treatment failures. Once established, staphylococcal biofilms become resistant to antimicrobial treatment and host response, thereby serving as the etiological agent for recurrent infections. This study investigated the efficacy of octenidine hydrochloride (OH for inhibiting biofilm synthesis and inactivating fully-formed staphylococcal biofilm on different matrices in the presence and absence of serum protein. Polystyrene plates and stainless steel coupons inoculated with S. aureus, MRSA or VRSA were treated with OH (zero, 0.5, one, 2 mM at 37 °C for the prevention of biofilm formation. Additionally, the antibiofilm effect of OH (zero, 2.5, five, 10 mM on fully-formed staphylococcal biofilms on polystyrene plates, stainless steel coupons and urinary catheters was investigated. OH was effective in rapidly inactivating planktonic and biofilm cells of S. aureus, MRSA and VRSA on polystyrene plates, stainless steel coupons and urinary catheters in the presence and absence of serum proteins. The use of two and 10 mM OH completely inactivated S. aureus planktonic cells and biofilm (>6.0 log reduction on all matrices tested immediately upon exposure. Further, confocal imaging revealed the presence of dead cells and loss in biofilm architecture in the OH-treated samples when compared to intact live biofilm in the control. Results suggest that OH could be applied as an effective antimicrobial to control biofilms of S. aureus, MRSA and VRSA on appropriate hospital surfaces and indwelling devices.

In vitro Antibacterial Activity of Mentha Essential Oils Against Staphylococcus aureus

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Horváth P.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Plant extracts and essential oils (EOs are characterized by their antibacterial properties against various bacterial pathogens, including staphylococci. Some strains of these bacteria are resistant against the adverse effects of the environment including antibiotics, e. g. methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA. EOs alone cannot substitute for antibiotics but their treatment may be useful to intensify and strengthen the effects of antibiotics on pathogenic staphylococci. In this work, we tested the antibacterial effects of the essential oils of Mentha species with menthol as one of the effective substances against different strains of S. aureus. Two in vitro methods were used, the qualitative disc diffusion assay and the quantitative minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC of selected essential oils. Peppermint oil from Mentha piperita, spearmint oil from Mentha spicata var. crispa and cornmint oil from Mentha arvensis were tested in this study against the various strains of Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA. The oils were dissolved in DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide and diluted at the following ratios: 1 : 1, 1 : 2, 1 : 5, and 1 : 10. Based on the results determined by the agar disc diffusion test, the highest antibacterial properties were observed in spearmint oil against S. aureus CCM 4223 at 1 : 2 ratio where the inhibition zone varied at a range of 35.67 ± 6.81 mm. We determined also the MIC of all the oils where concentrations of the oils were as follows: 1 %; 0.5 %; 0.25 %; 0.125 % and 0.0625 %. The lowest concentrations of essential oils that possessed inhibitory effects on the growth of S. aureus varied between 0.125 % and 0.25 %.

Staphylococcus aureus α-toxin modulates skin host response to viral infection.

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Bin, Lianghua; Kim, Byung Eui; Brauweiler, Anne; Goleva, Elena; Streib, Joanne; Ji, Yinduo; Schlievert, Patrick M; Leung, Donald Y M

2012-09-01

Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) with a history of eczema herpeticum have increased staphylococcal colonization and infections. However, whether Staphylococcus aureus alters the outcome of skin viral infection has not been determined. We investigated whether S aureus toxins modulated host response to herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1 and vaccinia virus (VV) infections in normal human keratinocytes (NHKs) and in murine infection models. NHKs were treated with S aureus toxins before incubation of viruses. BALB/c mice were inoculated with S aureus 2 days before VV scarification. Viral loads of HSV-1 and VV were evaluated by using real-time PCR, a viral plaque-forming assay, and immunofluorescence staining. Small interfering RNA duplexes were used to knockdown the gene expression of the cellular receptor of α-toxin, a disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10). ADAM10 protein and α-toxin heptamers were detected by using Western blot assays. We demonstrate that sublytic staphylococcal α-toxin increases viral loads of HSV-1 and VV in NHKs. Furthermore, we demonstrate in vivo that the VV load is significantly greater (P skin inoculated with an α-toxin-producing S aureus strain compared with murine skin inoculated with the isogenic α-toxin-deleted strain. The viral enhancing effect of α-toxin is mediated by ADAM10 and is associated with its pore-forming property. Moreover, we demonstrate that α-toxin promotes viral entry in NHKs. The current study introduces the novel concept that staphylococcal α-toxin promotes viral skin infection and provides a mechanism by which S aureus infection might predispose the host toward disseminated viral infections. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from retail chicken carcasses and pet workers in Northwest Arkansas.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanning, Irene; Gilmore, David; Pendleton, Sean; Fleck, Scott; Clement, Ashley; Park, Si Hong; Scott, Erin; Ricke, Steven C

2012-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus can be carried on the skin and nasal passages of humans and animals as a commensal. A case of human methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection resulting from contact with pork has been reported. Poultry carcasses are sold at retail with the skin intact, but pork and beef typically are not. Thus, the risk of methicillin-resistant S. aureus human infection from whole raw poultry carcasses may be greater than that of exposure from pork or beef. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize S. aureus from whole retail poultry carcasses and compare the isolates to S. aureus isolates from humans. A total of 25 S. aureus isolates were collected from 222 whole poultry carcasses. The isolates were characterized phenotypically with antibiotic resistance disc diffusion assays and genotypically using multilocus sequence typing. A total of 17 S. aureus isolates obtained from healthy humans were included and characterized in the same way as the poultry isolates. Staphylococcus spp. were recovered from all poultry carcasses. Only 25 poultry carcasses (11.2%) were contaminated with S. aureus. Of these 25 isolates, 36% were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested and 20% were resistant to two or more antibiotics tested. However, 100% of the human isolates were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics and 94% were resistant to two or more antibiotics. The results of the multilocus sequence typing indicate that most of the isolates grouped according to source. These results indicate a low prevalence of S. aureus present in poultry, and the isolates were not phenotypically similar to human isolates. The low number of S. aureus isolates from this study indicates that chicken carcasses would appear to not be a significant source of this bacterium.

Toll-Like Receptor 2 Stimulation of Osteoblasts Mediates Staphylococcus Aureus Induced Bone Resorption and Osteoclastogenesis through Enhanced RANKL

Science.gov (United States)

Kassem, Ali; Lindholm, Catharina; Lerner, Ulf H

2016-01-01

Severe Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections pose an immense threat to population health and constitute a great burden for the health care worldwide. Inter alia, S. aureus septic arthritis is a disease with high mortality and morbidity caused by destruction of the infected joints and systemic bone loss, osteoporosis. Toll-Like receptors (TLRs) are innate immune cell receptors recognizing a variety of microbial molecules and structures. S. aureus recognition via TLR2 initiates a signaling cascade resulting in production of various cytokines, but the mechanisms by which S. aureus causes rapid and excessive bone loss are still unclear. We, therefore, investigated how S. aureus regulates periosteal/endosteal osteoclast formation and bone resorption. S. aureus stimulation of neonatal mouse parietal bone induced ex vivo bone resorption and osteoclastic gene expression. This effect was associated with increased mRNA and protein expression of receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL) without significant change in osteoprotegerin (OPG) expression. Bone resorption induced by S. aureus was abolished by OPG. S. aureus increased the expression of osteoclastogenic cytokines and prostaglandins in the parietal bones but the stimulatory effect of S. aureus on bone resorption and Tnfsf11 mRNA expression was independent of these cytokines and prostaglandins. Stimulation of isolated periosteal osteoblasts with S. aureus also resulted in increased expression of Tnfsf11 mRNA, an effect lost in osteoblasts from Tlr2 knockout mice. S. aureus stimulated osteoclastogenesis in isolated periosteal cells without affecting RANKL-stimulated resorption. In contrast, S. aureus inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast formation in bone marrow macrophages. These data show that S. aureus enhances bone resorption and periosteal osteoclast formation by increasing osteoblast RANKL production through TLR2. Our study indicates the importance of using different in vitro approaches for studies of how S

Methicillin resistant S. aureus in human and bovine mastitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Mark A; Zadoks, Ruth N

2011-12-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a ubiquitous organism that causes a variety of diseases including mastitis in cattle and humans. High-level resistance of S. aureus to β-lactams conferred by a mecA gene encoding a modified penicillin binding protein (PBP2a) was first observed in the early 1960's. These methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) have been responsible for both hospital acquired infections (HA-MRSA) and, more recently, community acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA). A small number of human MRSA mastitis cases and outbreaks in maternity or neonatal units have been reported which are generally the result of CA-MRSA. The establishment of the sequence type 398 (ST398) in farm animals, primarily pigs, in the early 2000's has provided a reservoir of infection for humans and dairy cattle, particularly in continental Europe, described as livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA). Prior to the emergence of ST398 there were sporadic reports of MRSA in bovine milk and cases of mastitis, often caused by strains from human associated lineages. Subsequently, there have been several reports describing bovine udder infections caused by ST-398 MRSA. Recently, another group of LA-MRSA strains was discovered in humans and dairy cattle in Europe. This group carries a divergent mecA gene and includes a number of S. aureus lineages (CC130, ST425, and CC1943) that were hitherto thought to be bovine-specific but are now also found as carriage or clinical isolates in humans. The emergence of MRSA in dairy cattle may be associated with contact with other host species, as in the case of ST398, or with the exchange of genetic material between S. aureus and coagulase negative Staphylococcus species, which are the most common species associated with bovine intramammary infections and commonly carry antimicrobial resistance determinants.

Dual Roles of FmtA in Staphylococcus aureus Cell Wall Biosynthesis and Autolysis

Science.gov (United States)

Qamar, Aneela

2012-01-01

The fmtA gene is a member of the Staphylococcus aureus core cell wall stimulon. The FmtA protein interacts with β-lactams through formation of covalent species. Here, we show that FmtA has weak d-Ala-d-Ala-carboxypeptidase activity and is capable of covalently incorporating C14-Gly into cell walls. The fluorescence microscopy study showed that the protein is localized to the cell division septum. Furthermore, we show that wall teichoic acids interact specifically with FmtA and mediate recruitment of FmtA to the S. aureus cell wall. Subjection of S. aureus to FmtA concentrations of 0.1 μM or less induces autolysis and biofilm production. This effect requires the presence of wall teichoic acids. At FmtA concentrations greater than 0.2 μM, autolysis and biofilm formation in S. aureus are repressed and growth is enhanced. Our findings indicate dual roles of FmtA in S. aureus growth, whereby at low concentrations, FmtA may modulate the activity of the major autolysin (AtlA) of S. aureus and, at high concentrations, may participate in synthesis of cell wall peptidoglycan. These two roles of FmtA may reflect dual functions of FmtA in the absence and presence of cell wall stress, respectively. PMID:22564846

Neutrophil depletion causes a fatal defect in murine pulmonary Staphylococcus aureus clearance.

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Charles M; Perrone, Erin E; McConnell, Kevin W; Dunne, W Michael; Boody, Barrett; Brahmbhatt, Tejal; Diacovo, M Julia; Van Rooijen, Nico; Hogue, Lisa A; Cannon, Carolyn L; Buchman, Timothy G; Hotchkiss, Richard S; Coopersmith, Craig M

2008-12-01

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of healthcare-associated pneumonia. Despite the significant morbidity and mortality associated with the disease, animal models of S. aureus pneumonia are rare. We examined the pathogenicity of four different strains of S. aureus (both methicillin-sensitive and -resistant as well as Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive and -negative) in four strains of immunocompetent inbred and outbred mice (FVB/N, C57Bl/6, BALB/c, ND4; n = 148). The immunological basis for the development of murine S. aureus pneumonia was then determined by selectively depleting neutrophils, lymphocytes, or pulmonary macrophages prior to the onset of infection. An additional cohort of animals was rendered immunosuppressed by induction of abdominal sepsis via cecal ligation and puncture 2, 4, or 7 d prior to the onset of pneumonia. Nearly all immunocompetent mice survived, regardless of which strain of S. aureus was used or which strain of mouse was infected. Among animals with immune depletion or prior immunosuppression, survival was decreased only following neutrophil depletion (26% versus 90% alive at 7 d, P < 0.0001). Compared to immunocompetent animals, neutrophil-depleted mice with S. aureus pneumonia had delayed pulmonary bacterial clearance at 16 and 40 h but had no difference in levels of bacteremia. Neutrophil-depleted mice also had elevated levels of pulmonary monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (822 pg/mL versus 150 pg/mL, P < 0.05). In contrast, pulmonary histological appearance was similar in both groups as was dry/wet lung weight. These results suggest that neutrophils play a critical role in the host response to S. aureus pneumonia, and the survival differences observed in neutrophil-depleted mice are associated with alterations in bacterial clearance and pulmonary cytokine response.

Screening of virulence genes in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from rabbits

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David Viana Martín

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile pathogen able to cause disease in both humans and animals. In rabbits, this bacterium infects animals of different ages, producing several purulent lesions. The ability of S. aureus to cause disease depends on a combination of virulence factors. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the distribution of bacterial virulence determinants in 69 S. aureus isolates from rabbits. Some virulence factors (7 adhesins, 1 toxin and 1 protease were positive in all rabbit S. aureus isolates analysed, while others (1 adhesin and 10 toxins were always negative. The remaining virulence factors were more variable among isolates. An association between genotype and the different profiles of virulence factors was observed, but not with the type of lesion (P<0.05. One strain of each genotype was further analysed by multilocus sequence typing, generating ST121, ST96 and ST2951, determining a greater number of enterotoxins in ST121 isolates compared to ST96 and ST2951 isolates, which could justify the different pathogenicity between strains. 

13 CFR 400.214 - Participations in guaranteed loans.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

...) Subject to paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) of this section, a Lender may distribute the risk of a portion of a... the Guarantee is assigned, conveyed, sold, or transferred in whole or in part; (2) The Lender remains... Lenders; (2) Private investment funds and insurance companies that do not usually invest in commercial...

Kaempferol Inhibits the Primary Attachment Phase of Biofilm Formation in Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Ming, Di; Wang, Dacheng; Cao, Fengjiao; Xiang, Hua; Mu, Dan; Cao, Junjie; Li, Bangbang; Zhong, Ling; Dong, Xiaoyun; Zhong, Xiaobo; Wang, Lin; Wang, Tiedong

2017-01-01

The ability to form biofilms on surfaces makes Staphylococcus aureus the main pathogenic factor in implanted medical device infections. The aim of this study was to discover a biofilm inhibitor distinct from the antibiotics used to prevent infections resulting from S. aureus biofilms. Here, we describe kaempferol, a small molecule with anti-biofilm activity that specifically inhibited the formation of S. aureus biofilms. Crystal violet (CV) staining and fluorescence microscopy clearly showed that 64 μg/ml kaempferol inhibited biofilm formation by 80%. Meanwhile, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and growth curve results indicated that kaempferol had no antibacterial activity against the tested bacterial strain. Kaempferol inhibited the primary attachment phase of biofilm formation, as determined by a fibrinogen-binding assay. Moreover, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay and quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses revealed that kaempferol reduced the activity of S. aureus sortaseA (SrtA) and the expression of adhesion-related genes. Based on these results, kaempferol provides a starting point for the development of novel anti-biofilm drugs, which may decrease the risk of bacterial drug resistance, to prevent S. aureus biofilm-related infections.

Inhibitory effects of flavonoids on biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus that overexpresses efflux protein genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes, Laênia Angélica Andrade; Dos Santos Rodrigues, Jéssica Bezerra; Magnani, Marciane; de Souza, Evandro Leite; de Siqueira-Júnior, José P

2017-06-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of glycone (myricitrin, hesperidin and phloridzin) and aglycone flavonoids (myricetin, hesperetin and phloretin) in inhibiting biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus RN4220 and S. aureus SA1199B that overexpress the msrA and norA efflux protein genes, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC 50 - defined as the lowest concentration that resulted in ≥50% inhibition of biofilm formation) of flavonoids were determined using microdilution in broth procedures. The flavonoids showed MIC >1024 μg/mL against S. aureus RN4220 and S. aureus SA1199B; however, these compounds at lower concentrations (1-256 μg/mL) showed inhibitory effects on biofilm formation by these strains. Aglycone flavonoids showed lower MBIC 50 values than their respective glycone forms. The lowest MBIC 50 values (1 and 4 μg/mL) were observed against S. aureus RN4220. Myricetin, hesperetin and phloretin exhibited biofilm formation inhibition >70% for S. aureus RN4220, and lower biofilm formation inhibition against S. aureus SA1199B. These results indicate that sub-MICs of the tested flavonoids inhibit biofilm formation by S. aureus strains that overexpress efflux protein genes. These effects are more strongly established by aglycone flavonoids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hospitalizations and Deaths Caused by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, United States, 1999?2005

OpenAIRE

Klein, Eili; Smith, David L.; Laxminarayan, Ramanan

2007-01-01

Hospital-acquired infections with Staphylococcus aureus, especially methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections, are a major cause of illness and death and impose serious economic costs on patients and hospitals. However, the recent magnitude and trend of these infections have not been reported. We used national hospitalization and resistance data to estimate the annual number of hospitalizations and deaths associated with S. aureus and MRSA from 1999 through 2005. During this period, t...

Selective inhibition of Biotin Protein Ligase from Staphylococcus aureus*

Science.gov (United States)

Soares da Costa, Tatiana P.; Tieu, William; Yap, Min Y.; Pendini, Nicole R.; Polyak, Steven W.; Sejer Pedersen, Daniel; Morona, Renato; Turnidge, John D.; Wallace, John C.; Wilce, Matthew C. J.; Booker, Grant W.; Abell, Andrew D.

2012-01-01

There is a well documented need to replenish the antibiotic pipeline with new agents to combat the rise of drug resistant bacteria. One strategy to combat resistance is to discover new chemical classes immune to current resistance mechanisms that inhibit essential metabolic enzymes. Many of the obvious drug targets that have no homologous isozyme in the human host have now been investigated. Bacterial drug targets that have a closely related human homologue represent a new frontier in antibiotic discovery. However, to avoid potential toxicity to the host, these inhibitors must have very high selectivity for the bacterial enzyme over the human homolog. We have demonstrated that the essential enzyme biotin protein ligase (BPL) from the clinically important pathogen Staphylococcus aureus could be selectively inhibited. Linking biotin to adenosine via a 1,2,3 triazole yielded the first BPL inhibitor selective for S. aureus BPL over the human equivalent. The synthesis of new biotin 1,2,3-triazole analogues using click chemistry yielded our most potent structure (Ki 90 nm) with a >1100-fold selectivity for the S. aureus BPL over the human homologue. X-ray crystallography confirmed the mechanism of inhibitor binding. Importantly, the inhibitor showed cytotoxicity against S. aureus but not cultured mammalian cells. The biotin 1,2,3-triazole provides a novel pharmacophore for future medicinal chemistry programs to develop this new antibiotic class. PMID:22437830

Selective inhibition of biotin protein ligase from Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Soares da Costa, Tatiana P; Tieu, William; Yap, Min Y; Pendini, Nicole R; Polyak, Steven W; Sejer Pedersen, Daniel; Morona, Renato; Turnidge, John D; Wallace, John C; Wilce, Matthew C J; Booker, Grant W; Abell, Andrew D

2012-05-18

There is a well documented need to replenish the antibiotic pipeline with new agents to combat the rise of drug resistant bacteria. One strategy to combat resistance is to discover new chemical classes immune to current resistance mechanisms that inhibit essential metabolic enzymes. Many of the obvious drug targets that have no homologous isozyme in the human host have now been investigated. Bacterial drug targets that have a closely related human homologue represent a new frontier in antibiotic discovery. However, to avoid potential toxicity to the host, these inhibitors must have very high selectivity for the bacterial enzyme over the human homolog. We have demonstrated that the essential enzyme biotin protein ligase (BPL) from the clinically important pathogen Staphylococcus aureus could be selectively inhibited. Linking biotin to adenosine via a 1,2,3 triazole yielded the first BPL inhibitor selective for S. aureus BPL over the human equivalent. The synthesis of new biotin 1,2,3-triazole analogues using click chemistry yielded our most potent structure (K(i) 90 nM) with a >1100-fold selectivity for the S. aureus BPL over the human homologue. X-ray crystallography confirmed the mechanism of inhibitor binding. Importantly, the inhibitor showed cytotoxicity against S. aureus but not cultured mammalian cells. The biotin 1,2,3-triazole provides a novel pharmacophore for future medicinal chemistry programs to develop this new antibiotic class.

Purification and biochemical characterization of Mur ligases from Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Patin, Delphine; Boniface, Audrey; Kovač, Andreja; Hervé, Mireille; Dementin, Sébastien; Barreteau, Hélène; Mengin-Lecreulx, Dominique; Blanot, Didier

2010-12-01

The Mur ligases (MurC, MurD, MurE and MurF) catalyze the stepwise synthesis of the UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-pentapeptide precursor of peptidoglycan. The murC, murD, murE and murF genes from Staphylococcus aureus, a major pathogen, were cloned and the corresponding proteins were overproduced in Escherichia coli and purified as His(6)-tagged forms. Their biochemical properties were investigated and compared to those of the E. coli enzymes. Staphylococcal MurC accepted L-Ala, L-Ser and Gly as substrates, as the E. coli enzyme does, with a strong preference for L-Ala. S. aureus MurE was very specific for L-lysine and in particular did not accept meso-diaminopimelic acid as a substrate. This mirrors the E. coli MurE specificity, for which meso-diaminopimelic acid is the preferred substrate and L-lysine a very poor one. S. aureus MurF appeared less specific and accepted both forms (L-lysine and meso-diaminopimelic acid) of UDP-MurNAc-tripeptide, as the E. coli MurF does. The inverse and strict substrate specificities of the two MurE orthologues is thus responsible for the presence of exclusively meso-diaminopimelic acid and L-lysine at the third position of the peptide in the peptidoglycans of E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. The specific activities of the four Mur ligases were also determined in crude extracts of S. aureus and compared to cell requirements for peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Transmission of Staphylococcus aureus from maternity unit staff members to newborns disclosed through spa typing.

Science.gov (United States)

Matussek, Andreas; Taipalensuu, Jan; Einemo, Ing-Marie; Tiefenthal, Malena; Löfgren, Sture

2007-03-01

We observed previously that newborn infants are colonized with Staphylococcus aureus, even if their mothers do not carry S aureus. This observation indicated a cross colonization, and, thus, a risk for nosocomial infection, although the infants are roomed in with their mothers. The S aureus colonization of infants, their parents, and staff members was measured at 3 maternity units. Possible transmission routes were determined using spa typing of S aureus isolates. Infants had the highest S aureus carriage (45%) compared with fathers (39%), mothers (27%), and staff members (27%). In 13 out of 44 colonized infants, transmission from staff members was indicated. This transmission was more frequent than was transmission from their own parents (11 cases), and occurred even in cases when parents were colonized with S aureus of other spa types. We confirm a high level of transmission of S aureus from staff members to infants, indicating a risk for patient safety, which necessitates continuing work with implementing scientific evidence for infection control. The spa typing is a rapid and valuable epidemiological tool, and it can be used in improving hospital hygiene control programs.

The Collagen-Binding Adhesin Is a Virulence Factor in Staphylococcus aureus Keratitis

Science.gov (United States)

Rhem, Marcus N.; Lech, Elizabeth M.; Patti, Joseph M.; McDevitt, Damien; Höök, Magnus; Jones, Dan B.; Wilhelmus, Kirk R.

2000-01-01

A collagen-binding strain of Staphylococcus aureus produced suppurative inflammation in a rabbit model of soft contact lens-associated bacterial keratitis more often than its collagen-binding-negative isogenic mutant. Reintroduction of the cna gene on a multicopy plasmid into the mutant helped it regain its corneal adherence and infectivity. The topical application of a collagen-binding peptide before bacterial challenge decreased S. aureus adherence to deepithelialized corneas. These data suggest that the collagen-binding adhesin is involved in the pathogenesis of S. aureus infection of the cornea. PMID:10816547

Scintigraphic imaging of Staphylococcus aureus infection using 99mTc radiolabeled aptamers.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Sara Roberta Dos; de Sousa Lacerda, Camila Maria; Ferreira, Iêda Mendes; de Barros, André Luís Branco; Fernandes, Simone Odília; Cardoso, Valbert Nascimento; de Andrade, Antero Silva Ribeiro

2017-10-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a specie of great medical importance associated with many infections as bacteremia and infective endocarditis as well as osteoarticular, skin and soft tissue, pleuropulmonary, and device related infections. Early identification of infectious foci is crucial for successful treatment. Scintigraphy could contribute to this purpose since specific radiotracers were available. Aptamers due to their high specificity have great potential for radiopharmaceuticals development. In the present study scintigraphic images of S. aureus infectious foci were obtained using specific S. aureus aptamers radiolabeled with 99m Tc. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inhibitory effect of totarol on exotoxin proteins hemolysin and enterotoxins secreted by Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Ce; Zhao, Xingchen; Li, Wenli; Meng, Rizeng; Liu, Zonghui; Liu, Mingyuan; Guo, Na; Yu, Lu

2015-10-01

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) causes a wide variety of infections, which are of major concern worldwide. S. aureus produces multiple virulence factors, resulting in food infection and poisoning. These virulence factors include hyaluronidases, proteases, coagulases, lipases, deoxyribonucleases and enterotoxins. Among the extracellular proteins produced by S. aureus that contribute to pathogenicity, the exotoxins α-hemolysin, staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) are thought to be of major significance. Totarol, a plant extract, has been revealed to inhibit the proliferation of several pathogens effectively. However, there are no reports on the effects of totarol on the production of α-hemolysin, SEA or SEB secreted by S. aureus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of totarol on these three exotoxins. Hemolysis assay, western blotting and real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR assay were performed to identify the influence of graded subinhibitory concentrations of totarol on the production of α-hemolysin and the two major enterotoxins, SEA and SEB, by S. aureus in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay showed that the TNF-α production of RAW264.7 cells stimulated by S. aureus supernatants was inhibited by subinhibitory concentrations of totarol. Form the data, we propose that totarol could potentially be used as a promising natural compound in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Mastitis Bovina: Resistencia a antibióticos de cepas de Staphylococcus aureus asiladas de leche (Bovine Mastitis: Antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from milk)

OpenAIRE

Pellegrino, MS; Frola, ID; Odierno, LM; Bogni, CI

2011-01-01

ResumenLa mastitis bovina es considerada la enfermedad infecciosa del ganado lechero de mayor impacto económico mundial, siendo Staphylococcus aureus el principal agente patógeno en muchos países.SummaryBovine mastitis is a frequent cause of economic loss in worldwide dairy herds, being Staphylococcus aureus the main etiological agent in many countries.

Staphylococcus aureus ST398 gene expression profiling during ex vivo colonization of porcine nasal epithelium

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tulinski, P.; Duim, B.; Wittink, F.R.; Jonker, M.J.; Breit, T.M.; van Putten, J.P.; Wagenaar, J.A.; Fluit, A.C.

2014-01-01

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a common human and animal opportunistic pathogen. In humans nasal carriage of S. aureus is a risk factor for various infections. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus ST398 is highly prevalent in pigs in Europe and North America. The mechanism of successful pig

Staphylococcus aureus ST398 gene expression profiling during ex vivo colonization of porcine nasal epithelium

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tulinski, P.; Duim, B.; Wittink, F.R.; Jonker, M.J.; Breit, T.M.; Van Putten, J.P.; Wagenaar, J.A.; Fluit, A.C.

2014-01-01

Background Staphylococcus aureus is a common human and animal opportunistic pathogen. In humans nasal carriage of S. aureus is a risk factor for various infections. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus ST398 is highly prevalent in pigs in Europe and North America. The mechanism of successful pig

Staphylococcus aureus ST398 gene expression profiling during ex vivo colonization of porcine nasal epithelium

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tulinski, Pawel; Duim, Birgitta; Wittink, Floyd R; Jonker, Martijs J; Breit, Timo M; van Putten, Jos P; Wagenaar, Jaap A; Fluit, Ad C

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is a common human and animal opportunistic pathogen. In humans nasal carriage of S. aureus is a risk factor for various infections. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus ST398 is highly prevalent in pigs in Europe and North America. The mechanism of successful pig

Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Colonization Differs among Pig Lineages and Is Associated with the Presence of Other Staphylococcal Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Verstappen, Koen M; Willems, Eveline; Fluit, Ad C; Duim, Birgitta; Martens, Marc; Wagenaar, Jaap A

2017-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a common colonizer in pigs, with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in particular being a potential health risk to humans. To reduce the exposure to humans, the colonization in pigs should be reduced. The aim of this study was to quantitatively compare the susceptibility of pig lineages for S. aureus colonization, and if the absence of S. aureus could be associated with the presence or absence of other staphylococcal species. Nasal samples ( n  = 129) were obtained from seven different pig lineages in the Netherlands, France, and Germany. S. aureus and other staphylococci were enumerated from these samples by real-time (RT)-PCR and culture. Associations were explored between the presence of S. aureus and other staphylococci. S. aureus was detected by RT-PCR on all farms and in samples from pigs of all lineages. Twenty-five percent of the pigs from lineage F (from two farms) were colonized with S. aureus , while in all other lineages it was more than 50% ( p  Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus cohnii , and Staphylococcus saprophyticus were usually not found in combination with S. aureus in these samples. (i) pigs from different genetic lineages have different susceptibilities for colonization with S. aureus . These pigs might contain a genetic factor influencing nasal colonization. (ii) Colonization of S. aureus is also associated with the absence of S. sciuri, S. cohnii , or S. saprophyticus . (iii) The farm environment seems to influence the presence of S. aureus in pigs.

Molecular Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Transmitted between Patients with Buruli Ulcer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Amissah, Nana Ama; Chlebowicz, Monika A.; Ablordey, Anthony; Sabat, Artur J.; Tetteh, Caitlin S.; Prah, Isaac; van der Werf, Tjip S.; Friedrich, Alex W.; van Dijl, Jan Maarten; Rossen, John W.; Stienstra, Ymkje

Background Buruli ulcer (BU) is a skin infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. The wounds of most BU patients are colonized with different microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus. Methodology This study investigated possible patient-to-patient transmission events of S. aureus during

Antimicrobial susceptibility of photodynamic therapy (UVA/riboflavin against Staphylococcus aureus Suscetibilidade antimicrobiana da terapia fotodinâmica (UVA/riboflavina contra Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renata Tiemi Kashiwabuchi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available PURPOSE: To assess S. aureus in vitro viability after the exposure to ultraviolet light A (UVA and riboflavin (B2. METHODS: Samples of S. aureus in 96 well plates (in triplicate were exposed to riboflavin (B2 and ultraviolet light A (365 nm wavelength at a power density of 3 mW/cm², 8 mm spot diameter, for 30 minutes. Control groups were prepared as well in triplicate: blank control, ultraviolet light A only, riboflavin only and dead bacteria Control. The bacterial viability was measured using fluorescent microscopy. In order to investigate the occurrence of "viable but non-culturable" microorganisms after treatment, the cell viability was also investigated by plate culture procedure onto a broth medium. Statistical analysis was performed using the triplicate values from each experimental condition. RESULTS: No difference was observed among the treatment group and the control samples (p=1. CONCLUSION: The combination of riboflavin 0.1% and ultraviolet light A at 365 nm did not exhibit antimicrobial activity against oxacillin susceptible S. aureus.OBJETIVO: Avaliar a viabilidade celular de S. aureus in vitro após a exposição de riboflavina (B2 e luz ultravioleta A (UVA. MÉTODOS: Amostras de S. aureus colocadas em uma placa de 96 poços (em triplicata foram expostas a riboflavina 0,1% (B2 e luz ultravioleta (comprimento de onda de 365 nm poder de 3 mW/cm², 8 mm de diâmetro, por 30 minutos. Grupos controles foram também preparados em triplicata: controle branco, somente luz ultravioleta A, somente riboflavina e controle morto. A viabilidade bacteriana foi analisada usando microscópio de fluorescência. Para investigar a ocorrência de micro-organismos "viáveis porem não cultiváveis" a viabilidade celular foi avaliada utilizando-se placas de meio de cultivo bacteriano. Analise estatística foi realizada utilizando-se os valores obtidos em triplicata de cada grupo experimental. RESULTADOS: Nenhuma diferença foi observada entre o grupo

Sensitivity test of staphylococcus aureus against extract tinospora crispa

OpenAIRE

Lucia Ratna Winata Muslimin

2017-01-01

A bacterium such as Staphylococcus aureus ( S.aureus) produces a kind of toxic protein which can disrupt intestinal wall. Livestock reacts to these toxins by pumping lots of water into the intestine in order to rinse or flush these toxins. As a result, the livestock have diarrhea as a body response to remove the toxin in the digestive system. In the presence of these problems, farmers take a measure such as using antibiotics freely. Among farmers, antibiotics are often used freely without kn...

Facilitating working mothers' ability to breastfeed: global trends in guaranteeing breastfeeding breaks at work, 1995-2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Atabay, Efe; Moreno, Gonzalo; Nandi, Arijit; Kranz, Gabriella; Vincent, Ilona; Assi, Tina-Marie; Winfrey, Elise Marie Vaughan; Earle, Alison; Raub, Amy; Heymann, S Jody

2015-02-01

Mothers who work away from home tend to stop breastfeeding earlier than their nonworking counterparts due to workplace barriers. Barriers to breastfeeding discriminate against women and may lead to inequities in children's health outcomes. Guaranteeing paid breastfeeding breaks at work is 1 mechanism that can improve mothers' opportunity to breastfeed in the workplace. This study aimed to assess the trends in the share of countries guaranteeing breastfeeding breaks in the workplace and paid maternal leave that lasts until the infant is 6 months old (the World Health Organization recommended duration for exclusive breastfeeding), between 1995 and 2014. Legislation and secondary source data were collected and reviewed for 193 United Nations member states. Legislation was analyzed for content on breastfeeding breaks and maternal leave guarantees. Fifty-one countries (26.7%) in 2014 did not guarantee breastfeeding breaks in any form and 4 countries provided only unpaid breaks or breaks that did not cover the first 6 months of life; since 1995, around 15 countries (10.2%) legislated for such a policy. In 2014, out of 55 countries that did not guarantee paid breastfeeding breaks for the first 6 months after birth, 7 countries guaranteed paid maternal leave for the same duration; 48 countries (25.1%) provided neither paid maternal leave nor paid breastfeeding breaks. Progress in the number of countries guaranteeing breastfeeding breaks at work is modest. Adopting measures to facilitate breastfeeding at work can be a critical opportunity for countries to increase breastfeeding rates among the growing number of women in the labor force. © The Author(s) 2014.

Pricing and Hedging Guaranteed Returns on Mix Funds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vellekoop, M.H.; van de Kamp, A.A.; Post, B.A.

2006-01-01

Abstract In this paper we propose a valuation and hedging strategy for a guaranteed minimal rate of return on a mix fund, which participates in both bonds and stocks. For the case where a fixed amount of money is invested, we show that a European put option on the mix fund replicates the cash flows

Infecções intramamárias causadas por Staphylococcus aureus e suas implicações em paúde pública Staphylococcus aureus intramammary infections and its implications in public health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Fagundes

2004-08-01

Full Text Available Neste trabalho, são apresentados os principais problemas decorrentes das infecções intramamárias (mastites causadas por Staphylococcus aureus e as conseqüências para a saúde humana da veiculação de suas toxinas através do leite. o S. aureus destaca-se como um dos microorganismos mais importantes que podem ser transmitidos através dos alimentos. Assim, discute-se a possibilidade de veiculação de gastroenterite estafilocócica, não somente através do consumo de leite cru contaminado, mas também de leite tratado termicamente ou de derivados lácteos contendo enterotoxinas termoestáveis. São apresentados alguns aspectos relacionados ao potencial toxigênico das cepas de S. aureus, bem como as principais características das enterotoxinas estafilocócicas. Considerando que o S. aureus é um dos agentes de mastite mais freqüentemente observados, apresentam-se as principais medidas de controle de infecções estafilocócicas em rebanhos leiteiros, com vistas à prevenção da ocorrência de toxinas no leite de consumo.This article presents the main problems derived from the mammary infections (mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, and the consequences of the presence of its toxins in milk for human health. S. aureus is one of the most important microorganisms that can be transmitted through the food products. Hence, the possibility of transmission of stafilococal gastroenteritis by consumption of raw milk and heat-treated milk, containing heat-resistant enterotoxins, is discussed. Some aspects regarding the toxigenic potential of S. aureus strains and the main characteristics of stafilococal entorotoxins are presented. Taking into account that S. aureus is also one of the most prevalent agents of mastitis, considerations are made on the methods for the controlling of stafilococal infections in dairy cattle, in order to prevent the occurrence of toxins in milk and milk products.

Echocardiographic findings predict in-hospital and 1-year mortality in left-sided native valve Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Trine K.; Park, Lawrence; Tong, Steven Y C

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus left-sided native valve infective endocarditis (LNVIE) has higher complication and mortality rates compared with endocarditis from other pathogens. Whether echocardiographic variables can predict prognosis in S aureus LNVIE is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS......: Consecutive patients with LNVIE, enrolled between January 2000 and September 2006, in the International Collaboration on Endocarditis were identified. Subjects without S aureus IE were matched to those with S aureus IE by the propensity of having S aureus. Survival differences were determined using log...

Preliminary treatment of bovine mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, with trx-SA1, recombinant endolysin of S. aureus bacteriophage IME-SA1.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Jindai; Zeng, Zhiliang; Mai, Kaijie; Yang, Yu; Feng, Jiaqi; Bai, Yang; Sun, Baoli; Xie, Qingmei; Tong, Yigang; Ma, Jingyun

2016-08-15

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a great threat to human and animal health and there is an urgent need to develop novel antibacterial agents to control this pathogen. The objective of this study was to obtain an active recombinant endolysin from the novel bacteriophage (IME-SA1), and conduct an efficacy trial of its effectiveness against bovine mastitis. We isolated a phage that was virulent and specific for S. aureus with an optimal multiplicity of infection of 0.01. Electron microscopy revealed that IME-SA1 was a member of the family Myoviridae, with an isometric head (98nm) and a long contractile tail (200nm). Experimental lysis experiments indicated the phage had an incubation period of 20min with a burst size of 80. When host bacteria were in early exponential growth stages, a multiplicity of infection of 0.01 resulted in a complete bacterial lysis after 9h. The endolysin gene (804bp) was cloned into the pET-32a bacterial expression vector and recombinant endolysin Trx-SA1 was successfully obtained with molecular size of about 47kDa. Preliminary results of therapeutic trials in cow udders showed that Trx-SA1 could effectively control mild clinical mastitis caused by S. aureus. The endolysin Trx-SA1 might be an alternative treatment strategy for infections caused by S. aureus, including MRSA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Staphylococcus aureus Meticilina Resistente (MRSA e Infecções Nosocomiais

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CRISTINA PAIVA SOUSA

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Um número crescente de cepas de Staphylococcus aureus meticilina resistente (MRSA apresentam resistência a múltiplos agentes antimicrobianos e são implicadas como causas de infecções hospitalares. S. aureus podem ser isolados de ambiente hospitalar e profissionais da saúde, revelando o risco de transmissão desses microrganismos pelo contato direto ou indireto com pacientes hospitalizados. Objetivou-se nesta revisão correlacionar este microrganismo com infecções hospitalares e avaliar as possíveis fontes de infecção, bem como enfatizar a importância do investimento em ações de educação em saúde que culminem em minimização de infecções hospitalares. Palavras-chave: Staphylococcus aureus meticilina resistente. Infecções nosocomiais.

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections: A Comprehensive Review and a Plastic Surgeon's Approach to the Occult Sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Cedric; Rosenfield, Lorne; Silverstein, Elena; Petrou-Zeniou, Panayiota

2016-08-01

Up to 20 percent of the general population is persistently colonized with Staphylococcus aureus, and 1 to 3 percent of the population is colonized with community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Currently, the knowledge of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage sites other than the nose, and their effect on surgical site infections in cosmetic surgery, is lacking. A comprehensive literature review using the PubMed database to analyze prevalence, anatomical carrier sites, current screening and decontamination protocols and guidelines, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus in cosmetic surgery was performed. The senior author's (L.R.) methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection experience and prevention protocols were also reviewed. Nasal swabs detect only 50.5 percent of methicillin-resistant S. aureus colonization, and broad screening has noted the presence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus in the ear canal and umbilicus. Decolonization protocols within the orthopedic and cardiothoracic surgery literature have reduced rates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus surgical-site infections. There are no decolonization guidelines for plastic surgeons. Since instituting their decolonization protocol, the authors have had no cases of methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection in nearly 1000 cosmetic surgery procedures. There are very limited, if any, Level I or II data regarding methicillin-resistant S. aureus screening and decolonization. As the sequelae of a surgical-site infection can be disastrous, expert opinions recommend that plastic surgeons vigorously address methicillin-resistant S. aureus colonization and infection. The authors have developed and recommend a simple decolonization protocol that includes treatment of the umbilicus, ear canal, and nares to limit surgical-site infection and improve surgical outcomes.

Resilient guaranteed cost control of a power system.

Science.gov (United States)

Soliman, Hisham M; Soliman, Mostafa H; Hassan, Mohammad F

2014-05-01

With the development of power system interconnection, the low-frequency oscillation is becoming more and more prominent which may cause system separation and loss of energy to consumers. This paper presents an innovative robust control for power systems in which the operating conditions are changing continuously due to load changes. However, practical implementation of robust control can be fragile due to controller inaccuracies (tolerance of resistors used with operational amplifiers). A new design of resilient (non-fragile) robust control is given that takes into consideration both model and controller uncertainties by an iterative solution of a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMI). Both uncertainties are cast into a norm-bounded structure. A sufficient condition is derived to achieve the desired settling time for damping power system oscillations in face of plant and controller uncertainties. Furthermore, an improved controller design, resilient guaranteed cost controller, is derived to achieve oscillations damping in a guaranteed cost manner. The effectiveness of the algorithm is shown for a single machine infinite bus system, and then, it is extended to multi-area power system.

Asset securitization and rate of return: A study on letters of guarantee

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Binghui

2018-01-01

Using the theory of asset securitization, we analyze the feasibility of the securitization of letters of guarantee in theory. In the process of constructing the model of rate of return of securities backed by letters of guarantee, we propose two indices: the risk probability of asset-backed securities and the loss rate of asset-backed securities to analyze the cash flow of securities. On the basis of no arbitrage principle, the expression of rate of return of securities backed by letters of guarantee is put forward. In order to study the relationship between the rate of return of securities and other influential factor in the model, a simulation experiment is designed. The experiment results show that (i) an increasing risk probability of cash flow or a short maturity date also make the return rate of securities increase and (ii) the return rate of securities is higher in economic boom than that in economic recession when other parameters remain unchanged.

7 CFR 4279.75 - Sale or assignment of guaranteed loan.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... borrower's immediate families, officers, directors, stockholders, other owners, or a parent, subsidiary or...) or any successor section will not be guaranteed. (a) Single note system. The entire loan is evidenced...

DEPOSIT GUARANTEE SCHEMES JOIN FINANCIAL SAFETY-NET

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Eugen Dijmarescu

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Deposit Guarantee Schemes (DGS become more visible under the current conditions of the world financial markets. If those have played in the past a rather discreet role for social stability through the function of pay box following a bank failure, the recent crisis put them in a new light, once the guarantee ceiling for eligible deposits grew in order to make for the accumulation of wealth worldwide and the increased risk incurred by the leverage of banking operations. Consequently, the resources accumulated by the DGS from the member banks and their proper management make possible their involvement in pre-emptive actions aimed to avoid bankruptcies via special administration and purchase of assets and assumption of liabilities. These new attributes give DGS a role in the mechanism of financial safety-net, along the supervisors of the market. Hence, an increased preoccupation for applied corporate governance has developed and Core Principles for Effective Deposit Insurance Systems have been adopted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision together with International Association of Deposit Insurers. Concurrently, the EU Commission has put forward a process for reviewing the Directives 94/39 and 09/14 EC, in order to make the European DGS more prepared to deal with above mentioned issues and bestow increased confidence upon depositors.

Human and Citizen Rights Guarantees While Providing Information Security

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Serhii Yesimov

2018-05-01

Full Text Available With the development of information and communication technologies, issues of providing information security are becoming more and more aggravated. These are crimes related to the use of electronic computers, systems and computer networks and telecommunication networks, the propaganda of separatism and extremism, etc. While providing information security in the digital environment, the role of technical and legal human rights guarantees, due to technical means of protection, is increasing. Relying on the developers of technical means of protection determines the difference between the aforesaid concepts and the traditional approach to ensuring the protection of human and citizen rights, in which responsibilities are put on information intermediaries, owners of confidential information. Technical guarantees of human rights are a necessary component of ensuring information security, but the effectiveness of the application is provided in conjunction with the legal guarantees of human rights, as evidenced by the tendency to recognize the principles of inviolability of privacy on the basis of design decisions in the law of the European Union as legal acts. Providing information security is a legitimate goal of establishing constraints of human rights, since it can be correlated with the norms of international law. The establishment of constraints of human rights is permissible in order to attain other objectives–ensuring state security, public order, health, rights and freedoms of the person in the information sphere. The legitimacy of this goal is determined by its compliance with the objectives envisaged by international agreements ratified in an established order. The article examines the impact of the use of technical means in the field of providing information security in the aspect of following the fundamental human and civil rights in Ukraine, taking into account the legislation of the European Union and the decision of the European Court

Prevalence of Methicillin and Vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in nasopharynx; Amir-Alam hospital, 2005

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Hasibi M

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections with high morbidity and mortality rate. Traditionally, methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus has been considered a major nosocomial pathogen in healthcare facilities, but in the past decade, it has been observed emerging in the community as well. Informations regarding hospital microbial colonization could be an important step for prevention of nosocomial infections. Our objective was clarifying the prevalence of methicillin resistant and vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus colonization in nasopharynx. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried on 106 patients and nursing staff of surgery and hemodialysis wards in Amir-Alam hospital from April 2005 to July 2005. The samples were collected from nasal region of cases using cotton swab by two experienced technician and were sent to laboratory for culture and antibiogram. Results: Twenty six (29.5% out of 106 cases were nasopharyngeal carriers of staphylococcus aureus. Eight cases (7.5% had methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus. The most frequent colonization rate was seen in hemodialysis nursing staff and in all of them methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus was reported. Carrier rates in hemodialysis patients were twice compared to surgery ward patients. The interesting point was that no sample of vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus was isolated. Conclusion: Prevalence of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus colonization seems to be increased; therefore proper management for controlling this problem is mandatory. The results of the present study suggest that the prevalence of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus infections is higher than was expected in Iran and vigorous preventive strategies should therefore be taken to stop the growth of this major health problem.

MicroRNA-24 Modulates Staphylococcus aureus-Induced Macrophage Polarization by Suppressing CHI3L1.

Science.gov (United States)

Jingjing, Zhang; Nan, Zhang; Wei, Wu; Qinghe, Guo; Weijuan, Wang; Peng, Wang; Xiangpeng, Wang

2017-06-01

Macrophages play a crucial role in host innate anti-Staphylococcus aureus defense, which is tightly regulated by multiple factors, including microRNAs. A recent study showed that miR-24 plays an important role in macrophage polarization. Here, we investigated the biological function of miR-24 in S. aureus-stimulated macrophages. The results revealed that miR-24 expression was significantly decreased in both human and mouse macrophage cell lines with S. aureus stimulation in a time-dependent manner. Moreover, miR-24 overexpression significantly decreased the production of M1 phenotype markers, such as IL-6, iNOS, TNF-α, CD86, and CD80, whereas it increased the production of M2 markers, such as Arg1, CCL17, CCL22, CD163, and CD206, in S. aureus-stimulated macrophages. Conversely, knockdown of miR-24 promoted M1 macrophage polarization but diminished M2 macrophage polarization in S. aureus-stimulated macrophages. Furthermore, CHI3L1 was predicted as a target gene of miR-24 using bioinformatics software and identified by luciferase reporter assay. Additionally, miR-24 overexpression inhibited CHI3L1 expression and downregulated the downstream MAPK pathway in S. aureus-stimulated macrophages. Finally, CHI3L1 overexpression rescued macrophage polarization and MAPK pathway inhibition induced by miR-24 mimic transfection in S. aureus-stimulated macrophages. In conclusion, the data suggest that miR-24 serves as a molecular regulator in S. aureus-induced macrophage polarization through targeting of CHI3L1 and regulation of the MAPK pathway, which may provide a promising therapeutic target for S. aureus-related infections and inflammatory diseases.

Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus colonization in renal transplant patients

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Luiz Carlos Ribeiro Lamblet

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Objective to evaluate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in renal transplant patients and to identify the related risk factors. Method Swabs were used to collect nasal samples from 160 patients who had undergone a transplant within the previous year at the Kidney and Hypertension Hospital. The ‘National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards’ norms were followed for the collection, isolation, identification and sensitivity measurements. Results There was a 9.4% (15 prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization, of which one (6.7% was resistant to oxacillin. It was possible to identify as an associated risk factor a wait of more than one year for accessing dialysis prior to the transplant (p=0.029. Conclusion Given the high morbidity and mortality rates that this microorganism causes in the target population, other studies should be carried out, and pre- and post-transplant screening should occur in order to develop strategies that improve the prevention and control of the spread of Staphylococcus aureus.

Biofilm Formation of Staphylococcus aureus on Various Surfaces and Their Resistance to Chlorine Sanitizer.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jung-Su; Bae, Young-Min; Lee, Sook-Young; Lee, Sun-Young

2015-10-01

This study investigated the effect of material types (polystyrene, polypropylene, glass, and stainless steel) and glucose addition on Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation, and the relationship between biofilm formation measured by crystal violet (CV) staining and the number of biofilm cells determined by cell counts was studied. We also evaluated the efficacy of chlorine sanitizer on inhibiting various different types of S. aureus biofilms on the surface of stainless steel. Levels of biofilm formation of S. aureus were higher on hydrophilic surfaces (glass and stainless steel) than on hydrophobic surfaces (polypropylene and polystyrene). With the exception of biofilm formed on glass, the addition of glucose in broth significantly increased the biofilm formation of S. aureus on all surfaces and for all tested strains (P ≤ 0.05). The number of biofilm cells was not correlated with the biomass of the biofilms determined using the CV staining method. The efficacy of chlorine sanitizer against biofilm of S. aureus was not significantly different depending on types of biofilm (P > 0.05). Therefore, further studies are needed in order to determine an accurate method quantifying levels of bacterial biofilm and to evaluate the resistance of bacterial biofilm on the material surface. Biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus on the surface was different depending on the surface characteristics and S. aureus strains. There was low correlation between crystal violet staining method and viable counts technique for measuring levels of biofilm formation of S. aureus on the surfaces. These results could provide helpful information for finding and understanding the quantification method and resistance of bacterial biofilm on the surface. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

7 CFR 1980.488 - Guaranteed industrial development bond issues.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... industrial plants for lease to private businesses engaged in industrial manufacturing and does not provide... 7 Agriculture 14 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Guaranteed industrial development bond issues. 1980..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) PROGRAM REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) GENERAL Business and Industrial Loan...

Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Strains Associated with Food Poisoning in Shenzhen, China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yan, Xiaomei; Wang, Bing; Tao, Xiaoxia; Hu, Qinghua; Cui, Zhigang; Zhang, Jianzhong; Lin, Yiman; You, Yuanhai; Shi, Xiaolu; Grundmann, Hajo

To characterize isolates of Staphylococcus aureus that were associated with staphylococcal food poisoning between 2006 and 2009 in Shenzhen, Southern China, a total of 52 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from 11 outbreaks were analyzed by using multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, and

Staphylococcus aureus innate immune evasion is lineage-specific: a bioinfomatics study.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarthy, Alex J; Lindsay, Jodi A

2013-10-01

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen, and is targeted by the host innate immune system. In response, S. aureus genomes encode dozens of secreted proteins that inhibit complement, chemotaxis and neutrophil activation resulting in successful evasion of innate immune responses. These proteins include immune evasion cluster proteins (IEC; Chp, Sak, Scn), staphylococcal superantigen-like proteins (SSLs), phenol soluble modulins (PSMs) and several leukocidins. Biochemical studies have indicated that genetic variants of these proteins can have unique functions. To ascertain the scale of genetic variation in secreted immune evasion proteins, whole genome sequences of 88 S. aureus isolates, representing 25 clonal complex (CC) lineages, in the public domain were analysed across 43 genes encoding 38 secreted innate immune evasion protein complexes. Twenty-three genes were variable, with between 2 and 15 variants, and the variants had lineage-specific distributions. They include genes encoding Eap, Ecb, Efb, Flipr/Flipr-like, Hla, Hld, Hlg, Sbi, Scin-B/C and 13 SSLs. Most of these protein complexes inhibit complement, chemotaxis and neutrophil activation suggesting that isolates from each S. aureus lineage respond to the innate immune system differently. In contrast, protein complexes that lyse neutrophils (LukSF-PVL, LukMF, LukED and PSMs) were highly conserved, but can be carried on mobile genetic elements (MGEs). MGEs also encode proteins with narrow host-specificities arguing that their acquisition has important roles in host/environmental adaptation. In conclusion, this data suggests that each lineage of S. aureus evades host immune responses differently, and that isolates can adapt to new host environments by acquiring MGEs and the immune evasion protein complexes that they encode. Cocktail therapeutics that targets multiple variant proteins may be the most appropriate strategy for controlling S. aureus infections. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights

Rapid Differentiation between Livestock-Associated and Livestock-Independent Staphylococcus aureus CC398 Clades

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Larsen, Jesper; Soldanova, Katerina; Aziz, Maliha; Contente-Cuomo, Tania; Petersen, Andreas; Vandendriessche, Stien; Jiménez, Judy N.; Mammina, Caterina; van Belkum, Alex; Salmenlinna, Saara; Laurent, Frederic; Skov, Robert L.; Larsen, Anders R.; Andersen, Paal S.; Price, Lance B.

2013-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 398 (CC398) isolates cluster into two distinct phylogenetic clades based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) revealing a basal human clade and a more derived livestock clade. The scn and tet(M) genes are strongly associated with the human and the livestock clade, respectively, due to loss and acquisition of mobile genetic elements. We present canonical single-nucleotide polymorphism (canSNP) assays that differentiate the two major host-associated S. aureus CC398 clades and a duplex PCR assay for detection of scn and tet(M). The canSNP assays correctly placed 88 S. aureus CC398 isolates from a reference collection into the human and livestock clades and the duplex PCR assay correctly identified scn and tet(M). The assays were successfully applied to a geographically diverse collection of 272 human S. aureus CC398 isolates. The simple assays described here generate signals comparable to a whole-genome phylogeny for major clade assignment and are easily integrated into S. aureus CC398 surveillance programs and epidemiological studies. PMID:24244535

Photodynamic Action of LED-Activated Curcumin against Staphylococcus aureus Involving Intracellular ROS Increase and Membrane Damage

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Yuan Jiang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. To investigate the effect of photodynamic action of LED-activated curcumin on cell viability, membrane permeability, and intracellular reactive oxygen species of Staphylococcus aureus. Methods. Staphylococcus aureus was incubated with the different concentrations of curcumin for 60 min and then irradiated by blue light with the wavelength of 470 nm and with light dose of 3 J/cm2. The colony forming unit assay was used to investigate photocytotoxicity of curcumin on Staphylococcus aureus, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM and flow cytometry (FCM for assaying membrane permeability, FCM analysis with DCFH-DA staining for measuring the intracellular ROS level, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM for observing morphology and structure. Results. Blue light-activated curcumin significantly killed Staphylococcus aureus in a curcumin dose-dependent manner. TEM observed remarkable structural damages in S. aureus after light-activated curcumin. More red fluorescence of PI dye was found in S. aureus treated by blue light-activated curcumin than in those of the controlled bacterial cells. Intracellular ROS increase was observed after light-activated curcumin. Conclusion. Blue light-activated curcumin markedly damaged membrane permeability, resulting in cell death of Staphylococcus aureus and highlighted that intracellular ROS increase might be an important event in photodynamic killing of Staphylococcus aureus in the presence of curcumin.

Non-fragile guaranteed cost control for uncertain neutral dynamic systems with time-varying delays in state and control input

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lien, C.-H.

2007-01-01

This article considers non-fragile guaranteed cost control problem for a class of uncertain neutral system with time-varying delays in both state and control input. Delay-dependent criteria are proposed to guarantee the robust stabilization of systems. Linear matrix inequality (LMI) optimization approach is used to solve the non-fragile guaranteed cost control problem. Non-fragile guaranteed cost control for unperturbed neutral system is considered in the first step. Robust non-fragile guaranteed cost control for uncertain neutral system is designed directly from the unperturbed condition. An efficient approach is proposed to design the non-fragile guaranteed cost control for uncertain neutral systems. LMI toolbox of Matlab is used to implement the proposed results. Finally, a numerical example is illustrated to show the usefulness of the proposed results

spa typing and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus from healthy humans, pigs and dogs in Tanzania

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katakweba, Abdul S.; Muhairwa, Amandus P.; Espinosa-Gongora, Carmen

2016-01-01

. aureus carrier frequencies in dogs and humans were within the expected range and low in pigs. The S. aureus spa types circulating in the community were generally not shared by different hosts and majority of types belonged to known clones. Besides ampicillin resistance, moderate levels of antimicrobial......Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen causing infections in humans and animals. Here we report for the first time the prevalence of nasal carriage, spa typing and antimicrobial resistance of S. aureus in a Tanzanian livestock community. Methodology: Nasal swabs were taken...... from 100 humans, 100 pigs and 100 dogs in Morogoro Municipal. Each swab was enriched in Mueller Hinton broth with 6.5% NaCl and subcultured on chromogenic agar for S. aureus detection. Presumptive S. aureus colonies were confirmed to the species level by nuc PCR and analysed by spa typing...

Prevalence and resistance of commensal Staphylococcus aureus, including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a European cross-sectional study.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heijer, C.D.J. den; Bijnen, E.M.E. van; Paget, W.J.; Pringle, M.; Goossen, H.; Bruggeman, C.A.; Schellevis, F.G.; Stobberingh, E.E.

2014-01-01

Background: Information on the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus resistance has mainly been obtained from invasive strains, although the commensal flora is considered an important reservoir of resistance. Within ‘The Appropriateness of prescribing antibiotics in primary health care in Europe with

Clonal profile, virulence and resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from sheep milk.

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Martins, Katheryne Benini; Faccioli-Martins, Patricia Yoshida; Riboli, Danilo Flávio Moraes; Pereira, Valéria Cataneli; Fernandes, Simone; Oliveira, Aline A; Dantas, Ariane; Zafalon, Luiz Francisco; da Cunha, Maria de Lourdes Ribeiro de Souza

2015-06-01

The objective of this study was to characterize the clonal profile, virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance, particularly oxacillin resistance, of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from sheep milk. Milk samples were collected from all teats for the California Mastitis Test (CMT), somatic cell count, identification of S. aureus, investigation in these strains of genes encoding toxins (sea, seb, sec, sed, tst), biofilm (icaA, icaC, icaD, bap), leukocidin (luk-PV) oxacillin resistance by mecA gene detection and susceptibility testing (12 antibiotics). Messenger RNA expression was evaluated by RT-PCR in isolates carrying toxin and biofilm genes. Biofilm formation was also evaluated phenotypically by adherence to polystyrene plates. The clonal profile of S. aureus was investigated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. A total of 473 milk samples were collected from 242 animals on three farms and 20 S. aureus strains were isolated and none carried the mecA gene. The two sec gene-positive isolates and the isolates carrying the tst and luk-PV genes were positive by RT-PCR. Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the three flocks studied showed high susceptibility to the drugs tested and none was biofilm producer, indicating that biofilm formation was not a virulence factor causing infection by these strains. The typing of 17 S. aureus isolates revealed the presence of a common clone on the three farms studied, and the presence and expression of the sec and tst genes in one strain of this clone suggest the possible acquisition of virulence genes by this clone, a fact that is important for animal health and food hygiene.

Clonal profile, virulence and resistance of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from sheep milk

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Martins, Katheryne Benini; Faccioli-Martins, Patricia Yoshida; Riboli, Danilo Flávio Moraes; Pereira, Valéria Cataneli; Fernandes, Simone; Oliveira, Aline A.; Dantas, Ariane; Zafalon, Luiz Francisco; da Cunha, Maria de Lourdes Ribeiro de Souza

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to characterize the clonal profile, virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance, particularly oxacillin resistance, of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from sheep milk. Milk samples were collected from all teats for the California Mastitis Test (CMT), somatic cell count, identification of S. aureus, investigation in these strains of genes encoding toxins (sea, seb, sec, sed, tst), biofilm (icaA, icaC, icaD, bap), leukocidin (luk-PV) oxacillin resistance by mecA gene detection and susceptibility testing (12 antibiotics). Messenger RNA expression was evaluated by RT-PCR in isolates carrying toxin and biofilm genes. Biofilm formation was also evaluated phenotypically by adherence to polystyrene plates. The clonal profile of S. aureus was investigated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. A total of 473 milk samples were collected from 242 animals on three farms and 20 S. aureus strains were isolated and none carried the mecA gene. The two sec gene-positive isolates and the isolates carrying the tst and luk-PV genes were positive by RT-PCR. Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the three flocks studied showed high susceptibility to the drugs tested and none was biofilm producer, indicating that biofilm formation was not a virulence factor causing infection by these strains. The typing of 17 S. aureus isolates revealed the presence of a common clone on the three farms studied, and the presence and expression of the sec and tst genes in one strain of this clone suggest the possible acquisition of virulence genes by this clone, a fact that is important for animal health and food hygiene. PMID:26273271

Testing the sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus antibiotics

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Marioara Nicoleta FILIMON

2009-11-01

Full Text Available This study has in view to establish and test the sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus antibiotics. There are different injuries caused by superficial skin infections: from simple pimples to infections that endanger our lives, like an abscess, furuncle septicemia, meningitis, toxic food, urinary tract infection at sexually active young women. Samples have been taken from 30 people with staphylococcus infections. They were nineteen women and eleven men, between the age of 2 and 79. During this study some antibiograms have been made, based on pharyngeal exudates, acne secretion and urine culture. It has been established that the most efficient recommended antibiotics are: oxacilin, erythromycin, rifampicin and ciprofloxacin. The penicillin turned out to be less efficient to remove and destroy the Staphylococcus aureus species.

Epidemiology and antibiotic sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in children in Hungary.

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Laub, Krisztina; Tóthpál, Adrienn; Kardos, Szilvia; Dobay, Orsolya

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to assess the Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage rate in healthy children all over Hungary and to specify some risk factors, the antibiotic resistance patterns of the bacteria, and their genetic relatedness. In total, 878 children (aged 3-6 years) were screened at 21 day-care centers in 16 different cities in Hungary, between February 2009 and December 2011. Samples taken from both nostrils were cultured on blood agar, and suspected S. aureus isolates were identified by β-hemolysis, catalase positivity, clump test, and nucA PCR. Methicillin-resistant strains were screened by mecA and mecC PCR. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by agar dilution or gradient test strips. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used for genotyping. S. aureus carriage rate was found to be 21.3%, which correlates well with international data. We found no statistically significant correlation between the gender or the sibling status and S. aureus carriage. All isolates were sensitive to oxacillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and mupirocin. The resistance rates for erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, gentamicin, and tetracycline were 7.5%, 0.5%, 1.1%, 3.7%, and 4.3%, respectively. The isolates showed very high genetic diversity. In summary, carried S. aureus isolates are more sensitive to antibiotics compared with clinical isolates in Hungary, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus carriage rate is very low yet.

Tracing and inhibiting growth of Staphylococcus aureus in barbecue cheese production after product recall.

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Johler, S; Zurfluh, K; Stephan, R

2016-05-01

Staphylococcal food poisoning is one of the most prevalent causes of foodborne intoxication worldwide. It is caused by ingestion of enterotoxins formed by Staphylococcus aureus during growth in the food matrix. Following a recall of barbecue cheese due to the detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins in Switzerland in July 2015, we analyzed the production process of the respective dairy. Although most cheese-making processes involve acidification to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, barbecue cheese has to maintain a pH >6.0 to prevent undesired melting of the cheese. In addition, the dairy decided to retain the traditional manual production process of the barbecue cheese. In this study, therefore, we aimed to (1) trace Staph. aureus along the barbecue cheese production process, and (2) develop a sustainable strategy to inhibit growth of Staph. aureus and decrease the risk of staphylococcal food poisoning without changing the traditional production process. To this end, we traced Staph. aureus in a step-wise blinded process analysis on 4 different production days using spa (Staphylococcus protein A gene) typing, DNA microarray profiling, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis. We subsequently selected a new starter culture and used a model cheese production including a challenge test assay to assess its antagonistic effect on Staph. aureus growth, as well as its sensory and technological implications. We detected Staph. aureus in 30% (37/124) of the collected samples taken from the barbecue cheese production at the dairy. This included detection of Staph. aureus in the final product on all 4 production days, either after enrichment or using quantitative detection. We traced 2 enterotoxigenic Staph. aureus strains (t073/CC45 and t282/CC45) colonizing the nasal cavity and the forearms of the cheesemakers to the final product. In the challenge test assay, we were able to show that the new starter culture inhibited growth of Staph. aureus while meeting

The intramammary efficacy of first generation cephalosporins against Staphylococcus aureus mastitis in mice.

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Demon, Dieter; Ludwig, Carolin; Breyne, Koen; Guédé, David; Dörner, Julia-Charlotte; Froyman, Robrecht; Meyer, Evelyne

2012-11-09

Staphylococcus aureus-induced mastitis in cattle causes important financial losses in the dairy industry due to lower yield and bad milk quality. Although S. aureus is susceptible to many antimicrobials in vitro, treatment often fails to cure the infected udder. Hence, comprehensive evaluation of antimicrobials against S. aureus mastitis is desirable to direct treatment strategies. The mouse mastitis model is an elegant tool to evaluate antimicrobials in vivo while circumventing the high costs associated with bovine experiments. An evaluation of the antimicrobial efficacy of the intramammary (imam) applied first generation cephalosporins cefalexin, cefalonium, cefapirin and cefazolin, was performed using the S. aureus mouse mastitis model. In vivo determination of the effective dose 2log(10) (ED(2log10)), ED(4log10), protective dose 50 (PD(50)) and PD(100) in mouse mastitis studies, support that in vitro MIC data of the cephalosporins did not fully concur with the in vivo clinical outcome. Cefazolin was shown to be the most efficacious first generation cephalosporin to treat S. aureus mastitis whereas the MIC data indicate that cefalonium and cefapirin were more active in vitro. Changing the excipient for imam application from mineral oil to miglyol 812 further improved the antimicrobial efficacy of cefazolin, confirming that the excipient can influence the in vivo efficacy. Additionally, statistical analysis of the variation of S. aureus-infected, excipient-treated mice from fourteen studies emphasizes the strength of the mouse mastitis model as a fast, cost-effective and highly reproducible screening tool to assess the efficacy of antimicrobial compounds against intramammary S. aureus infection. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

7 CFR 4290.820 - Financings in the form of guarantees.

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2010-01-01

...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RURAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT COMPANY...-Types of Financings § 4290.820 Financings in the form of guarantees. (a) General rule. At the request of...

Influence of antibiotic pressure on bacterial bioluminescence, with emphasis on Staphylococcus aureus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Daghighi, Seyedmojtaba; Sjollema, Jelmer; Harapanahalli, Akshay; Dijkstra, Rene J. B.; van der Mei, Henny C.; Busscher, Henk J.

2015-01-01

Bioluminescence imaging is used for longitudinal evaluation of bacteria in live animals. Clear relations exist between bacterial numbers and their bioluminescence. However, bioluminescence images of Staphylococcus aureus Xen29, S. aureus Xen36 and Escherichia coli Xen14 grown on tryptone soy agar in

Combined Staining Techniques for Demonstration of Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm in Routine Histopathology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Louise Kruse; Henriksen, Nicole Lind; Bjarnsholt, Thomas

2018-01-01

Aim: Visualization of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm using histochemical staining and combined histochemistry (HC) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Methods: The ability of S. aureus S54F9 to form biofilm was tested in vitro. Hereafter, infected bone tissue was collected from two different porcine m...

Future challenges and treatment of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia with emphasis on MRSA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Rasmus V; Fowler, Vance G; Skov, Robert

2011-01-01

. Compounding this problem is the growing prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and the dwindling efficacy of vancomycin, long the treatment of choice for this pathogen. Despite the recent availability of several new antibiotics for S. aureus, new strategies for treatment and prevention...

Altered gene expression of Staphylococcus aureus upon interaction with human endothelial cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vriesema, A.J.M.; Beekhuizen, H.; Hamdi, M.; Soufan, A.; Lammers, A.; Willekens, B.; Bakker, O.; Veltrop, M.H.A.M.; Gevel, van de J.S.; Dankert, J.; Zaat, S.A.J.

2000-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is isolated from a substantial number of patients with infective endocarditis who are not known to have predisposing heart abnormalities. It has been suggested that the infection is initiated by the direct binding of S. aureus to human vascular endothelium. To determine the

Altered gene expression in Staphylococcus aureus upon interaction with human endothelial cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vriesema, A. J.; Beekhuizen, H.; Hamdi, M.; Soufan, A.; Lammers, A.; Willekens, B.; Bakker, O.; Welten, A. G.; Veltrop, M. H.; van de Gevel, J. S.; Dankert, J.; Zaat, S. A.

2000-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus is isolated from a substantial number of patients with infective endocarditis who are not known to have predisposing heart abnormalities. It has been suggested that the infection is initiated by the direct binding of S. aureus to human vascular endothelium. To determine the

High prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus colonization among healthy children attending public daycare centers in informal settlements in a large urban center in Brazil.

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Braga, Eneida Dias Vianna; Aguiar-Alves, Fábio; de Freitas, Maria de Fátima Nogueira; de e Silva, Monique Oliveira; Correa, Thami Valadares; Snyder, Robert E; de Araújo, Verônica Afonso; Marlow, Mariel Asbury; Riley, Lee W; Setúbal, Sérgio; Silva, Licínio Esmeraldo; Araújo Cardoso, Claudete Aparecida

2014-10-06

In the past decade methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become increasingly prevalent in community settings. Attending a daycare center (DCC) is a known risk factor for colonization with MRSA. Brazil operates free, public DCCs for low-income families, some of which are located in census tracts defined by the Brazilian Census Bureau as informal settlements (aglomerados subnormais, AGSN). Physical and demographic characteristics of AGSNs suggest that S. aureus colonization prevalence would be higher, but little is known about the prevalence of MRSA in these settings. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess risk factors for S. aureus and MRSA colonization among children attending DCCs located in AGSN vs non-AGSN. Nasal swabs were collected from children aged three months to six years in 23 public DCCs in Niterói, Brazil between August 2011 and October 2012. Of 500 children enrolled in the study, 240 (48%) were colonized with S. aureus and 31 (6.2%) were colonized with MRSA. Children attending DCCs in AGSNs were 2.32 times more likely to be colonized with S. aureus (95% CI: 1.32, 4.08), and 3.27 times more likely to be colonized with MRSA than children attending non-AGSN DCCs (95% CI: 1.52, 7.01), adjusted for confounding variables. S. aureus and MRSA colonization prevalence among children attending DCCs in informal settlement census tracts was higher than previously reported in healthy pre-school children in Latin America. Our data suggest that transmission may occur more frequently in DCCs rather than at home, highlighting the importance of DCCs in AGSNs as potential MRSA reservoirs. This finding underscores the importance of local epidemiologic surveillance in vulnerable AGSN communities.

Genotypic and Phenotypic Markers of Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC9 in Humans.

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Ye, Xiaohua; Wang, Xiaolin; Fan, Yanping; Peng, Yang; Li, Ling; Li, Shunming; Huang, Jingya; Yao, Zhenjiang; Chen, Sidong

2016-07-01

Use of antimicrobials in industrial food animal production is associated with the presence of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among animals and humans. The livestock-associated (LA) methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) clonal complex 9 (CC9) is associated with animals and related workers in Asia. This study aimed to explore the genotypic and phenotypic markers of LA-MRSA CC9 in humans. We conducted a cross-sectional study of livestock workers and controls in Guangdong, China. The study participants responded to a questionnaire and provided a nasal swab for S. aureus analysis. The resulting isolates were assessed for antibiotic susceptibility, multilocus sequence type, and immune evasion cluster (IEC) genes. Livestock workers had significantly higher rates of S. aureus CC9 (odds ratio [OR] = 30.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.06 to 236.39) and tetracycline-resistant S. aureus (OR = 3.26; 95% CI, 2.12 to 5.00) carriage than controls. All 19 S. aureus CC9 isolates from livestock workers were MRSA isolates and also exhibited the characteristics of resistance to several classes of antibiotics and absence of the IEC genes. Notably, the interaction analyses indicated phenotype-phenotype (OR = 525.7; 95% CI, 60.0 to 4,602.1) and gene-environment (OR = 232.3; 95% CI, 28.7 to 1,876.7) interactions associated with increased risk for livestock-associated S. aureus CC9 carriage. These findings suggest that livestock-associated S. aureus and MRSA (CC9, IEC negative, and tetracycline resistant) in humans are associated with occupational livestock contact, raising questions about the potential for occupational exposure to opportunistic S. aureus This study adds to existing knowledge by giving insight into the genotypic and phenotypic markers of LA-MRSA. Our findings suggest that livestock-associated S. aureus and MRSA (CC9, IEC negative, and tetracycline resistant) in humans are associated with occupational livestock contact. Future studies should direct more

Screening method for Staphylococcus aureus identification in subclinical bovine mastitis from dairy farms

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Natapol Pumipuntu

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important contagious bacteria causing subclinical bovine mastitis. This bacterial infection is commonly identified by determine the pathogen in bovine milk samples through conventional technique including coagulase test. However, this test has several disadvantages as low sensitivity, risk of biohazard, cost expensive, and limited preparation especially in local area. Aim: Aim of this study was to compare and assess the screening method, Mannitol fermentation test (Mannitol salt agar [MSA], and deoxyribonuclease (DNase test, for S. aureus identification in milk samples. Materials and Methods: A total of 224 subclinical bovine mastitis milk samples were collected from four provinces of Thailand and determined S. aureus using conventional method and also subjected to the screening test, MSA and DNase test. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV, and negative predictive value (NPV among both tests were analyzed and compared to the tube coagulase test (TCT, as reference method. Immunological test by latex agglutination and molecular assay by determined spa gene were also used to identify and differentiate S. aureus. Results: A total of 130 staphylococci were isolated by selective media, Gram-stain, and catalase test. The number of S. aureus which identified using TCT, MSA and DNase test were 32, 102, and 74 isolates, respectively. All TCT results were correlated to results of latex agglutination and spa gene which were 32 S. aureus. MSA showed 100% sensitivity, 28.57% specificity, 31.37% PPV, and 100% NPV, whereas DNase showed 53.13% sensitivity, 41.84% specificity, 22.97% PPV, and 73.21% NPV. DNase test showed higher specificity value than MSA but the test presented 26.79% false negative results whereas no false-negative result from MSA when comparing to TCT. Conclusion: MSA had a tendency to be a good preference for screening S. aureus because of its high sensitivity and

Virulence Genes of S. aureus from Dairy Cow Mastitis and Contagiousness Risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Magro, Giada; Biffani, Stefano; Minozzi, Giulietta; Ehricht, Ralf; Monecke, Stefan; Luini, Mario; Piccinini, Renata

2017-06-21

Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) is a major agent of dairy cow intramammary infections: the different prevalences of mastitis reported might be related to a combination of S. aureus virulence factors beyond host factors. The present study considered 169 isolates from different Italian dairy herds that were classified into four groups based on the prevalence of S. aureus infection at the first testing: low prevalence (LP), medium-low (MLP), medium-high (MHP) and high (HP). We aimed to correlate the presence of virulence genes with the prevalence of intramammary infections in order to develop new strategies for the control of S. aureus mastitis. Microarray data were statistically evaluated using binary logistic regression and correspondence analysis to screen the risk factors and the relationship between prevalence group and gene. The analysis showed: (1) 24 genes at significant risk of being detected in all the herds with infection prevalence >5%, including genes belonging to microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs), immune evasion and serine proteases; and (2) a significant correlation coefficient between the genes interacting with the host immune response and HP isolates against LP ones. These results support the hypothesis that virulence factors, in addition to cow management, could be related to strain contagiousness, offering new insights into vaccine development.

Virulence Genes of S. aureus from Dairy Cow Mastitis and Contagiousness Risk

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Giada Magro

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus is a major agent of dairy cow intramammary infections: the different prevalences of mastitis reported might be related to a combination of S. aureus virulence factors beyond host factors. The present study considered 169 isolates from different Italian dairy herds that were classified into four groups based on the prevalence of S. aureus infection at the first testing: low prevalence (LP, medium–low (MLP, medium–high (MHP and high (HP. We aimed to correlate the presence of virulence genes with the prevalence of intramammary infections in order to develop new strategies for the control of S. aureus mastitis. Microarray data were statistically evaluated using binary logistic regression and correspondence analysis to screen the risk factors and the relationship between prevalence group and gene. The analysis showed: (1 24 genes at significant risk of being detected in all the herds with infection prevalence >5%, including genes belonging to microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs, immune evasion and serine proteases; and (2 a significant correlation coefficient between the genes interacting with the host immune response and HP isolates against LP ones. These results support the hypothesis that virulence factors, in addition to cow management, could be related to strain contagiousness, offering new insights into vaccine development.

In vitro activity of ivermectin against Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates

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Shoaib Ashraf

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Ivermectin is an endectocide against many parasites. Though being a macrocyclic lactone, its activity against bacteria has been less known, possibly due to the fact that micromolar concentrations at tissue levels are required to achieve a therapeutic effect. Among pathogenic bacteria of major medical significance, Staphylococcus aureus cause a number of diseases in a wide variety of hosts including humans and animals. It has been attributed as one of the most pathogenic organisms. The emergence of methicillin resistance has made the treatment of S. aureus even more difficult as it is now resistant to most of the available antibiotics. Thus, search for alternate anti-staphylococcal agents requires immediate attention. Methods Twenty-one clinical isolates of S. aureus were isolated from bovine milk collected from Lahore and Faisalabad Pakistan. Different anthelmintics including levamisole, albendazole and ivermectin were tested against S. aureus to determine their minimum inhibitory concentrations. This was followed-up by growth curve analysis, spot assay and time-kill kinetics. Results The results showed that ivermectin but not levamisole or albendazole exhibited a potent anti-staphylococcal activity at the concentrations of 6.25 and 12.5 μg/ml against two isolates. Interestingly, one of the isolate was sensitive while the other was resistant to methicillin/cefoxitin. Conclusions Our novel findings indicate that ivermectin has an anti-bacterial effect against certain S. aureus isolates. However, to comprehend why ivermectin did not inhibit the growth of all Staphylococci needs further investigation. Nevertheless, we have extended the broad range of known pharmacological effects of ivermectin. As pharmacology and toxicology of ivermectin are well known, its further development as an anti-staphylococcal agent is potentially appealing.

Staphylococcus aureus phage types and their correlation to antibiotic resistance

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Mehndiratta P

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Context: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most devastating human pathogen. The organism has a differential ability to spread and cause outbreak of infections. Characterization of these strains is important to control the spread of infection in the hospitals as well as in the community. Aim: To identify the currently existing phage groups of Staphylococcus aureus, their prevalence and resistance to antibiotics. Materials and Methods: Study was undertaken on 252 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from clinical samples. Strains were phage typed and their resistance to antibiotics was determined following standard microbiological procedures. Statistical Analysis: Chi square test was used to compare the antibiotic susceptibility between methicillin resistant Staph. aureus (MRSA and methicillin sensitive S. aureus (MSSA strains. Results: Prevalence of MRSA and MSSA strains was found to be 29.36% and 70.65% respectively. Of these 17.56% of MRSA and 40.44% of MSSA strains were community acquired. All the MSSA strains belonging to phage type 81 from the community were sensitive to all the antibiotics tested including clindamycin and were resistant to penicillin. Forty five percent strains of phage group III and 39% of non-typable MRSA strains from the hospital were resistant to multiple antibiotics. Conclusion: The study revealed that predominant phage group amongst MRSA strains was phage group III and amongst MSSA from the community was phage group NA (phage type 81. MSSA strains isolated from the community differed significantly from hospital strains in their phage type and antibiotic susceptibility. A good correlation was observed between community acquired strains of phage type 81 and sensitivity to gentamycin and clindamycin.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in North-east Croatia

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Tajana Pastuović

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Objective. The aim of this 5-year study was to determine the frequency and antibiotic susceptibility of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA-related infections at Osijek Clinical Hospital. Materials and methods. A total of 1987 staphylococci-infected clinical isolates were collected and analysed at the Microbiology Department of the Public Health Institute of Osijek-Baranja County. Results. Between 2008 and 2012, the average rate of MRSA-related infections in staphylococci-infected patients was 27.4%. The proportion of MRSArelated infections on all Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus isolates from clinical specimens showed a decreasing trend, from 32.6% in 2008 to 25.5% in 2012. MRSA-related infections were mostly detected in wound swabs (50.6% and aspirates (28.8% of patients hospitalized in the surgical (49.8% and intensive care units (27.9%. MRSA-related infection showed an increase compared to S. aureus-infections in samples of wounds and aspirates in 2011 and 2012 (57.9%/34.9% and 35.2%/16.3%, respectively. The majority of strains of MRSA-related infections were resistant to several antibiotics, including erythromycin and clindamycin, where susceptibility were less than 10%. All MRSA isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, teicoplanin and linezolid. Therefore, antibiotic therapies for MRSA infections include vancomycin, teicoplanin and linezolid, but microbiological diagnostics need to be performed in order to know when the use of glycopeptides and oxazolidinones is indicated. Conclusion. Our results suggest that appropriate prevention measures, combined with the more rational use of antibiotics are crucial to reduce the spread of MRSA-related infection in healthcare settings. Further monitoring is necessary of the incidence and antibiotic susceptibility of MRSA-related infections in our community.

Bats are rare reservoirs of Staphylococcus aureus complex in Gabon.

Science.gov (United States)

Held, Jana; Gmeiner, Markus; Mordmüller, Benjamin; Matsiégui, Pierre-Blaise; Schaer, Juliane; Eckerle, Isabella; Weber, Natalie; Matuschewski, Kai; Bletz, Stefan; Schaumburg, Frieder

2017-01-01

The colonization of afro-tropical wildlife with Staphylococcus aureus and the derived clade Staphylococcus schweitzeri remains largely unknown. A reservoir in bats could be of importance since bats and humans share overlapping habitats. In addition, bats are food sources in some African regions and can be the cause of zoonotic diseases. Here, we present a cross-sectional survey employing pharyngeal swabs of captured and released bats (n=133) in a forest area of Gabon. We detected low colonization rates of S. aureus (4-6%) and S. schweitzeri (4%) in two out of four species of fruit bats, namely Rousettus aegyptiacus and Micropteropus pusillus, but not in insectivorous bats. Multilocus sequence typing showed that S. aureus from Gabonese bats (ST2984, ST3259, ST3301, ST3302) were distinct from major African human associated clones (ST15, ST121, ST152). S. schweitzeri from bats (ST1697, ST1700) clustered with S. schweitzeri from other species (bats, monkeys) from Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire. In conclusion, colonization rates of bats with S. aureus and S. schweitzeri were low in our study. Phylogenetic analysis supports an intense geographical dispersal of S. schweitzeri among different mammalian wildlife hosts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fate of Staphylococcus aureus in radiation sterilized model food systems simulating dairy products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sulebele, G.A.; Kamat, M.Y.

1976-01-01

Gamma irradiation was successfully employed for the development of sterile model food systems simulating dairy products such as pedha and cottage cheese which were inoculated with enterotoxigenic S.aureus S-6 and FR1-100 either individually or in association with S.epidermids and other mixed flora comprising of gram-positive, gram-negative and lactic bacteria and stored at 4 and 35 degC for 6-8 weeks. Pedha failed to support growth of S.aureus while cottage cheese favoured profuse growth of the pathogen. S.epidermidis exhibited a synergistic effect on the growth of S.aureus in cottage cheese. Baired-Parker's medium showed very poor recovery of S.aureus which necessitated the development of a new selective medium for the enumeration of staphylococci in processed foods. (author)

Evaluation of vancomycin MIC creep in Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz, Raquel; Ramalheira, Elmano; Afreixo, Vera; Gago, Bruno

2017-09-01

Vancomycin is the primary treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, an increasing proportion of MRSA isolates with high minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) within the susceptible range (vancomycin 'MIC creep') is being observed. The aim of this study was to assess the vancomycin MIC distribution for S. aureus isolates over a period of 4 years in Centro Hospitalar Baixo Vouga (Aveiro, Portugal) and to identify differences in vancomycin MIC determined by different susceptibility testing methods. For each S. aureus isolate, the vancomycin MIC was assayed by the VITEK ® 2 automated system and the broth microdilution testing method. The results showed significant differences in vancomycin MIC by different methods (P=0.021, sign test) and did not suggest the presence of vancomycin MIC creep during the study period. Vancomycin MIC creep is a regional problem, therefore it can only be assessed through the evaluation of local susceptibility profiles, and antibiogram based on real MIC assay should be an essential element in local MRSA infection clinical management. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Chemotherapy of Infection and Cancer. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection and Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus in Foods Confiscated in EU Borders

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David Rodríguez-Lázaro

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to evaluate the potential role of the illegal entry of food in UE in the Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA spread. We studied the prevalence and characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA isolated from foods of animal origin confiscated from passengers on flights from 45 non-EU countries from 2012 to 2015 by the Border Authorities at Bilbao International Airport (Spain and Vienna International Airport (Austria, as well as foods from open markets close to EU land borders. Of 868 food samples tested (diverse meat samples including antelope, duck, guinea pig, pork, rodents, turkey, dairy products, and eggs, 136 (15.7% were positive for S. aureus and 26 (3.0% for MRSA. All MRSA strains were mecA-positive. The prevalence of S. aureus-positive dairy samples among food confiscated at Bilbao International Airport was 64.6%, and this airport also had the highest value (11.8% for MRSA-positive samples. The predominant sequence type was ST5 (30.8%, followed by ST8, ST1649, ST1, and other lineages were found to a lesser extent (ST7, ST22, ST72, ST97, and ST398. Six isolates tested positive for luk-PVL genes (SCCmec IV subtypes IVc and IVe. Enterotoxin profiling revealed that 19 MRSA strains were enterotoxigenic, harboring one or more se genes. The MRSA isolates positive for luk-PVL genes were not enterotoxigenic, and none of the isolates tested positive for enterotoxin E. We found 14 resistance profiles, and more than 69% of the MRSA isolates were resistant to three or more types of antimicrobial agents. This finding reveals both the wide diversity of the antimicrobial resistance found in the strains and the capacity to resist not only to beta-lactam drugs. One MRSA strain showed unusual characteristics: it was oxacillin-susceptible, harbored SCCmec V, and was positive for sed, seg, and sej but negative for PVL virulence factors. This study shows the presence of enterotoxigenic HA-, CA-, and LA-MRSA in foods illegally

Individual predisposition to Staphylococcus aureus colonization in pigs based on quantification, carriage dynamics and serological profiles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gongora, Carmen Espinosa; Dahl, Jan; Elvstrøm, Anders

2015-01-01

Previous research on Staphylococcus aureus in pigs focused on livestock-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and had qualitative cross-sectional design. This study aimed to elucidate frequency, load and stability of S. aureus nasal carriage in pigs over time and investigated possible...

Genotypic characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus isolates causing bacteraemia at Tygerberg hospital, western cape province, South Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Orth, H.; Salaam-Dreyer, Z.; Makgotlho, E.; Sinha, B.; Wasserman, E.

2011-01-01

Objectives: There is a paucity of studies on the genotypic characterisation of invasive S. aureus strains and the incidence of communityacquired methicillin resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) infections in South Africa. In this study we characterized S. aureus isolates from bacteraemia episodes using

Colloidal silver: a novel treatment for Staphylococcus aureus biofilms?

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Goggin, Rachel; Jardeleza, Camille; Wormald, Peter-John; Vreugde, Sarah

2014-03-01

Colloidal silver is an alternative medicine consisting of silver particles suspended in water. After using this solution as a nasal spray, the symptoms of a previously recalcitrant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-infected chronic rhinosinusitis patient were observed to have improved markedly. The aim of this study was to determine whether colloidal silver has any direct bactericidal effects on these biofilms in vitro. S. aureus biofilms were grown from the ATCC 25923 reference strain on Minimum Biofilm Eradication Concentration (MBEC) device pegs, and treated with colloidal silver. Concentrations tested ranged from 10 to 150 μL colloidal silver diluted to 200 μL with sterile water in 50 μL cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) broth. Control pegs were exposed to equivalent volumes of CSF broth and sterile water. The sample size was 4 biomass values per treatment or control group. Confocal scanning laser microscopy and COMSTAT software were used to quantify biofilms 24 hours after treatment. Significant differences from control were found for all concentrations tested bar the lowest of 10 μL colloidal silver in 200 μL. At 20 μL colloidal silver, the reduction in biomass was 98.9% (mean difference between control and treatment = -4.0317 μm(3) /μm(2) , p colloidal silver (mean differences = -4.0681 and -4.0675μm(3) /μm(2) , respectively, p Colloidal silver directly attenuates in vitro S. aureus biofilms. © 2014 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

Development of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Based Biosensor for the Detection of Staphylococcus aureus

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Hyun-Kyung Choi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The goal of this research is to develop a single-walled carbon nanotube- (SWCNT- based biosensor to detect Staphylococcus aureus. The specificity of 11 bacteria and polyclonal anti-Staphylococcus aureus antibodies (pAbs was determined using an indirect ELISA. The pAbs were immobilized onto sensor platform after the hybridization of 1-pyrenebutanoic acid succinimidyl ester (PBASE. The resistance difference (ΔR was calculated using a potentiostat. The bacteria detected by the biosensor were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM. The optimum concentration of SWCNTs on the platform was determined to be 0.1 mg/mL. The binding of pAbs with S. aureus resulted in a significant increase in resistance value of the biosensor (P<0.05. The SEM images confirmed the specific binding of S. aureus on the biosensor. The SWCNT-based biosensor was able to detect S. aureus with a limit of detection (LOD of 4 log⁡CFU/mL.