BACKGROUND The study aimed to explore the sensitivity and specificity of a novel fast 16S rDNA PCR and sequencing assay for the improved diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) in patients with suspected native or prosthetic heart valve (HV) infection over a multi-year period at our cardiovascular center. METHODS Sixty-eight patients were prospectively enrolled who underwent HV replacement f...

OBJECTIVES To characterize the microbial environment of workers in academic mouse research facilities using endotoxin, 16S qPCR, and 16S amplicon sequencing. To determine whether the work microbiome contributes to the human microbiome of workers. METHODS We performed area air sampling from the animal rooms, dirty, middle, and setup cage wash locations in four academic mouse research facilitie...

A phylogenetic analysis by parsimony of 16S rRNA gene sequences (16S rDNA) revealed that species and subspecies of Clavibacter and Rathayibacter form a discrete monophyletic clade, paraphyletic to Corynebacterium species. Within the Clavibacter-Rathayibacter clade, four major phylogenetic groups (subclades) with a total of 10 distinct taxa were recognized: (I) species C. michiganensis; (II) spe...

We investigated the microbial diversity of biofilms found in dental unit water systems (DUWS) by three methods. The first was microscopic examination by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), acridine orange staining, and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Most bacteria present in the biofilm were viable. FISH detected the beta and gamma, but not the alpha, subclasses of Proteobacteria: In ...

The DNA of Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes extracted by ammonium hydroxide was used as the template for nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the species-specific 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA). The primers were those well known to be specific for signature sequence amplification of the B burgdorferi sensu lato 16S ribosomal RNA gene. The positive 293-base-pair nested PCR amplicon ...

AIMS Molecular procedures were used to identify Thiothrix spp. in biofilms from sulphide-rich waters in two distinct ecosystems. METHODS AND RESULTS Biofilm samples were obtained from two groundwater-fed systems in central and northern Florida, including an artesian spring and municipal water tank. The 16S rDNA in each sample was directly amplified by polymerase chain reaction. CONCLUSIONS ...

Molecular Characterization of Intestinal Bacteria in Healthy Cats and a Comparison of the Fecal Bacterial Flora between Healthy Cats and Cats with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). (August 2008) Lauren Elizabeth Ritchie, B.S., Texas A&M University Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Jan S. Suchodolski Dr. Jörg M. Steiner Past studies characterizing the feline intestinal microflora have used tr...

The 16S rDNA genotypes among the family Vibrionaceae were determined using PCR/RFLP analysis. Five tetrameric restriction enzymes (HhaI, DdeI, RsaI, Sau3AI and MspI) were used for RFLP analysis and adequate numbers of informative bands were obtained from each enzyme. Twenty-seven genotypes were obtained from 49 type and reference strains including 35 species. Nineteen species could be assigned ...

Fifteen filamentous strains, morphologically classified as Eikelboom type 021N bacteria, were isolated from bulking activated sludges. Based on comparative 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence analysis, all strains form a monophyletic cluster together with all recognized Thiothrix species (88.3 to 98.7% 16S rDNA sequence similarity) within the gamma-subclass of Proteobacteria. The investigated Eik...

Leptospirosis, a disease with protean manifestations, is caused by Leptospira species complex. A definite diagnosis of leptospirosis during the first week of the illness is a major challenge to investigating clinical laboratories. PCR is a rapid, sensitive and specific means of diagnosing Leptospira infections in the early phase of the disease. In this study, the applicability of routine PCR as...