The reliability of a bronchoscopic protected catheter brush (BPCB) in the diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infection was studied in 17 intubated and ventilated patients, including seven patients free from such infection (group 1) and ten patients with suspected infection (group 2). A first sample was obtained in the lower trachea by aspiration through the fiberoptic bronchoscope and a secon...

Microbial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons is one of the major practices in the natural decontamination process. We tested the effectiveness of some carriers and immobilization methodology for four cultures of hydrocarbon-degrading strains isolated from oil-polluted wastewater of the American Petroleum Institute (API) separators (1, 2, and 4) of the Alexandria Petroleum Company (APC), Alex...

The results of body fluid and surface cultures from 148 preterm infants less than 33 weeks gestational age obtained routinely on admission to a neonatal intensive care unit were reviewed. The aim was to determine the occurrence of congenital bacterial sepsis in this population and to examine whether surface cultures yielded information helpful in management. Gastric aspirate and umbilical, nasa...

Cultures of Yersinia enterocolitica grown at 22 degrees C produced beta-lactamases, whereas cultures grown at 37 degrees C produced these enzymes much less effectively. Both dicloxacillin and clavulanic acid inhibited the beta-lactamase activity of bacterial crude extracts and potentiated the activity of penicillin G or cephalothin against 14 Y. enterocolitica strains. It appeared that the beta...

Control of paratuberculosis in livestock is hampered by the low sensitivity of established direct and indirect diagnostic methods. Like other bacteria, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) emits volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Differences of VOC patterns in breath and feces of infected and not infected animals were described in first pilot experiments but detailed information on...

BACKGROUND Superficial surgical site infection (SSI) can be caused by bacterial invasion during surgery. We investigated whether bacteria are found at the wound margin during surgery and whether a wound protector (WP; Alexis® Wound Retractor; Applied Medical, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) contributes to preventing invasion of the incision margin. METHODS We studied 272 patients who underwent ga...

The manufacture of yoghurt relies on the simultaneous utilization of two starters: Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (Lb. bulgaricus). A protocooperation usually takes place between the two species, which often results in enhanced milk acidification and aroma formation compared to pure cultures. Cell-wall proteinases of Lactococcus lactis and lactobacill...

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are used in research and diagnostic applications due to their facile manufacture, scalability, biocompatibility. In these devices, the source–drain current upon gate voltage application depends on ion concentration electrolyte. This study investigates whether an OECT can be employed monitor bacterial growth since it is known that of charged species in...

The suitability of applying empirical conversion factors (eCFs) to determine bacterial biomass production remains unclear because seawater cultures are usually overtaken by phylotypes that are not abundant in situ. While eCFs vary across environments, it has not been tested whether differences in eCFs are driven by changes in bacterial community composition or by in situ environmental condition...