The diffraction characteristics of a volume grating (VG) illuminated by a three-dimensional (3-D) converging-diverging Gaussian beam at conical incidence are investigated by applying 3-D finite-beam (FB) rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) based on the conventional 3-D RCWA in conjunction with two-dimensional plane-wave decomposition. The Gaussian beam is assumed to have an arbitrary incidenc...

Extracts from 19 of 29 group L streptococcal cultures reacted distinctly with antiserum against group B streptococcal type antigen X in coagglutination and immunodiffusion tests. The X antigen corresponded to those obtained by streptococci of serological groups B and G.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) patient airways harbour diverse microbial consortia that, in addition to the recognized principal pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, include other bacteria commonly regarded as commensals. The latter include the oral (viridans) streptococci, which recent evidence indicates play an active role during infection of this environmentally diverse niche. As the interactions between ...

Viridans streptococci are thought to be highly susceptible to penicillin and streptomycin. We recently encountered a unique group of 15 isolates from South Africa epidemiologically related to the isolation of penicillin-resistant pneumococci. These organisms were highly resistant to penicillin (PCN) (minimal inhibitory concentration, 1 to 32 micrograms/ml) and streptomycin (SM) (minimal inhibit...

Thalassomonas viridans and Thalassomonas actiniarum are aerobic Gram-negative bacilli which belong to a genus that has not received much attention, even though, as demonstrated here by the sequencing of their genomes, they are quite different from their closest relatives in current databases. Their genomes are relatively large at 7.7 and 7.4 Mb, respectively. This brief report describes the fir...

BACKGROUND Groundwater drawn from shallow tubewells in Bangladesh is often polluted by nearby pit latrines, which are commonly used toilets in rural and sub-urban areas of the country. METHODS To determine the minimum safe distance of a tubewell from a pit latrine in different hydrogeological conditions of Bangladesh, 20 monitoring wells were installed at three study sites (Manda, Mohanpur an...

Antisera raised in rabbits against two nontypable group B streptococci, which were not agglutinable in a specific group B antiserum, were tested with acid extracts of 78 nontypable human group B streptococci. One antiserum (12351) reacted with 15 strains, and the other (7271) reacted with only 2 strains. Antiserum to Wilkinson's strain SS 1169 (NT 1) reacted with three strains. Antiserum agains...

Fifty cases of puerperal sepsis in women from various hospitals in Faisalabad were included in the study. The frequency of various organisms was Escherichia coli 58%, Streptococcus Pyogenes 44%, Staphylococcus aureus 28%, Aerobacter aerogenes 14%, Streptococcus pneumoniae 12%, Staphylococcus epidermidis 10%, Streptococcus faecalis 8%, Candida albicans 6%, Streptococcus mitis (Viridans group) 6%...

The Rapid Strep system (API System S.A., Montalieu-Vercieu, France) was evaluated, without additional tests, in the identification of 209 streptococci. Organisms included 59 beta-hemolytic, 36 group D, 24 Streptococcus pneumoniae, and 90 viridans group streptococci. The Rapid Strep system correctly identified to species level 69.5% of the beta-hemolytic strains, 100% of the group D strains, non...