Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and carbapenem-resistant (CR) Gram-negative pathogens are becoming increasingly prevalent around the globe. Polymyxins and tigecycline are among the few antibiotics available to treat infections with these bacteria but little is known about the frequency of their use. We therefore aimed to estimate the parenteral use of these two drugs in Veterans Affairs medical cente...

A marked increase in the number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) cases entirely related to patients born in the Former Soviet Union was observed in France in the last two years. Very few cases were clustered, suggesting it is a consequence of recent immigration of patients already infected in their country of origin. This major increase challenges the existing structures for manag...

OBJECTIVE To leverage a conceptual analytical model for TB determination to identify factors that influence emergence of new cases of tuberculosis (TB) and poor TB treatment outcomes in Brazil. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study based on data from Brazil's Notifiable Disease Surveillance System database (SINAN). It included all confirmed, incident TB cases reported in Brazil in 2007 - 2...

The recombination-dependent loss of a duplicated portion of the Escherichia coli chromosome is five- to tenfold greater in strains containing streptomycin resistance (strA) mutations than in the strA+ parental strain. Streptomycin (500 mug/ml) partially reverses the increase. These results suggest an interaction between strA mutations and recombination.

To assess the rate of fecal vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colon ization in Austalia, we examined specimens from 1,085 healthy volunteers. VRE was cultured from 2(0.2%) of 1,085 specimens; both were vanB Enter ococcus faecium, identical by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, but with a pattern rare in Melbourne hospitals.

I n December 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed the use of a new DNA-based test for tuberculosis (TB), the Gene Xpert [1]. This test is expected to revolutionise the care of TB and, especially, multidrug-resistant (MDR)TB, by providing accurate diagnoses in less than 2 h [2]. As healthcare professionals begin to incorporate rapid TB testing into clinical practice, questions abou...

Bill Anderson Escobar et al.’s discussion of medically unexplained physical symptoms is useful, and could trigger a renewal of how the medical profession works [1]. We are in transition at the present, and what we have been trained for is less and less relevant. This disjunction between our training and practise has given rise to a generation of unhappy doctors. The traditional “doctor” dealt w...

We evaluated the presence of air contamination with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) in medical units where patients with CRAB pneumonia were hospitalized, and in Obstetrics and Gynecology units with open-air ventilation in-patient settings. There was no evidence of CRAB contamination in either of the units.

Lodging is one of the constraints that limit wheat yields and quality due to the unexpected bending or breaking stems on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production worldwide. In addition to choosing lodging resistance varieties, husbandry practices also have a significant effect on lodging. Nitrogen management is one of the most common and efficient methods. A field experiment with Yangmai 20 as r...