BACKGROUND The incidence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has risen dramatically in the U.S., particularly among children. Although Streptococcus pneumoniae colonization has been inversely associated with S. aureus colonization in unvaccinated children, this and other risk factors for S. aureus carriage have not been assessed following widespread use of...

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of maternal group B Streptococcal (GBS) colonization and compare risk factor data related to GBS colonization. A prospective surveillance study of 598 pregnant women was conducted in two socioeconomically diverse maternity hospitals in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil between June and October 1999. Swabs from the lower vagina were obtained betwe...

OBJECTIVES To assess colonization and serious infection with yeasts and the risk factors that are associated with colonization by these organisms. DESIGN Monthly surveillance for colonization and infection over a period of 2 years. SETTING A long-term-care facility (LTCF) attached to an acute-care Veterans Affairs Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS The 543 men and 10 women in the facility. ME...

Afforestation efforts have resulted in extensive plantations of either native or non-native conifers, which in many regions has led to the spread of those conifers into surrounding natural vegetation. This process of species colonization can trigger profound changes in both community dynamics and ecosystem processes. Our study disentangled the complexity of a process of colonization in a hetero...

While many virulence factors promoting Streptococcus pyogenes invasive disease have been described, specific streptococcal factors and host properties influencing asymptomatic mucosal carriage remain uncertain. To address the need for a refined model of prolonged S. pyogenes asymptomatic mucosal colonization, we have adapted a preestrogenized murine vaginal colonization model for S. pyogenes. I...

BACKGROUND Factors influencing the oral flora of premature infants have not been adequately investigated. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of gestational age and of anti-bacterial therapy on the oral flora of premature infants. METHODS Oral cultures were obtained at age 1 day and age 10 days from 65 premature infants, divided into three groups: a) 24 neonates of 30-34 weeks gestation wh...

Vibrio fischeri possesses two quorum-sensing systems, ain and lux, using acyl homoserine lactones as signaling molecules. We have demonstrated previously that the ain system activates luminescence gene expression at lower cell densities than those required for lux system activation and that both systems are essential for persistent colonization of the squid host, Euprymna scolopes. Here, we ask...

- to compare colonization of group b streptococcus (gbs) in diabetic and non-diabetic pregnant women. in this prospective study 50 pregnant women with diabetes mellitus (both pregestational and gestational) and 43 pregnant women without diabetes between 33 and 37 weeks' gestation were evaluated. three samples for group b streptococcal culture detection were obtained from each subject in the fol...

The pattern and clinical implications of bronchial bacterial colonization have been widely investigated in patients with chronic lung disease, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The main aim of this study was to determine the frequency and risk factors for bronchial colonization in lung cancer patients who have undergone surgical resection. Forty-one patients with resectable lu...

Diarrhea is an important cause of morbidity and mortality amongst infants of low socio-economic levels in developing countries and in travelers who visit such areas. Enterotoxigenic E. coli strains express two sets of virulence-associated factors: enterotoxins (heat-stable toxins or heat-labile toxins) and colonization factors. Studies have shown that breast-feeding protects infants against inf...