This study proposed a rapid method to quantify the colonization rate of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in plant roots. The method involved the use of an image analysis software (WinRHIZO Pro). The colonization rate is defined as the ratio of the fungal body to the plant root area in a micrograph. Three seedlings of Chengiopanax sciadophylloides, a woody species that accumulates radiocesium,...

No clear data are available on how flavonoids from different chemical groups affect root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and whether flavonoids affecting the presymbiotic growth of AMF also affect root colonization by AMF. In the present work, we compared the effect of flavones (chrysin and luteolin) and flavonols (kaempferol, morin, isorhamnetin, and rutin) on root colonizat...

BACKGROUND Children with cardiac defects need many hospitalizations and repetitive antibiotic therapies, with an increasing risk of colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) such as extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) Post-operative infections with these bacteria in paediatric cardiac surgery are life threatening. This article aims to study the preval...

BACKGROUND The burden and significance of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colonization in the ICU is not clearly understood. METHODS We searched PubMed and EMBASE up to May 2013 for studies reporting the prevalence of VRE upon admission to the ICU and performed a meta-analysis to assess rates and trends of VRE colonization. We calculated the prevalence of VRE on admission and the acqui...

Colonization and infection by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli (MDR GNB) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are increasingly reported.We conducted a 5-year prospective cohort surveillance study in a tertiary NICU of the hospital "Paolo Giaccone," Palermo, Italy. Our objectives were to describe incidence and trends of MDR GNB colonization and the characteristics of the most preval...

The anterior nares are a primary ecologic niche for Staphylococcus aureus, and nasal colonization by this opportunistic pathogen increases the risk of development of S. aureus infection. Clearance of S. aureus nasal colonization greatly reduces this risk. Mupirocin ointment is the current standard of care for clearance of S. aureus nasal colonization, but resistance to this antibiotic is emergi...

Studies of forest declines are important, because they both reduce timber production and affect successional trajectories of landscapes and ecosystems. Of particular interest is the decline of red pines which is characterized by expanding areas of dead and chlorotic trees in plantations throughout the Great Lakes Region. Here we examine the impact of two bark beetle groups, namely red turpentin...

BACKGROUND Candida species is the third commonest cause of sepsis among neonates. Colonization by Candida is a predictor for candidemia among preterm neonates. OBJECTIVES To determine prevalence of early Candida colonization and early outcome among colonized preterm neonates admitted to Mulago hospital Special Care Unit. METHODS A prospective observational cohort was conducted between Decem...

Background: Group B streptococcus is regarded as a potential factor for adverse outcomes of pregnancy such as preterm birth. Objective: To study the association of maternal vaginal colonization with group B streptococcus (GBS) and preterm labor. Materials and Methods: From April 2005 to May 2006, vaginal culture for GBS were conducted in 101 laboring women with a gestational age of 24-37 weeks ...

Although gastrointestinal colonization by the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans is generally benign, severe systemic infections are thought to arise due to escape of commensal C. albicans from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The C. albicans transcription factor Efg1p is a major regulator of GI colonization, hyphal morphogenesis, and virulence. The goals of this study were to ident...