conclusions this study indicated the contamination of lettuce by stec strains and its possible role as the source of infection. resistance to both tetracycline and ampicillin may be considered as an emergency alarm for a multidrug resistance of stec strains. results eight samples were positive for presence of stec strains, three contained stx1, five contained stx2, and one sample was positive f...

Severe necrotizing fasciitis was diagnosed in a 53-year-old man in Germany in 2012. Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans was grown from a wound swab sample. One of the patient's 2 dogs was found to harbor a toxigenic C. ulcerans strain. Results of next generation sequencing of both isolates supported recent zoonotic transmission of this bacterial pathogen.

Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans are rarely isolated from clinical samples in Belgium. A case of toxigenic C. ulcerans in a woman is described, which confirms that this pathogen is still present. During investigation of the patient's cats, only a non-toxigenic toxin-bearing C. diphtheriae strain was detected.

To investigate the role of the Helicobacter pylori cytotoxin in the pathogenesis of gastritis, gnotobiotic piglets were colonized with either toxigenic H. pylori or a nontoxigenic isogenic mutant. Only piglets given the toxigenic strain developed toxin-neutralizing antibodies (indicating that toxin is expressed in vivo), but there was no difference in bacterial colonization, epithelial vacuolat...

Aflatoxins, which are produced by Aspergillus flavus, are toxic to humans, livestock, and pets. The value of maize (Zea mays) grain is markedly reduced when contaminated with aflatoxin. Plant resistance and biological control using non-toxin producing strains are considered effective strategies for reducing aflatoxin accumulation in maize grain. Distinguishing between the toxin and non-toxin pr...

The aim of this study was to model the growth, in a model system, of toxigenic strains of Bacillus cereus as a function of temperature, pH and water activity. Optical density (OD) values were transformed into numbers of colony-forming units (CFU) by the use of a 'calibrating' relation. The growth curves were then fitted to the Gompertz function which allowed the estimation of the lag-time (lamb...

clostridium diffcile is part of the normal intestinal flora in a small proportion of healthy persons. when exposed to antibiotics, the normal enteric flora is altered, permitting the overgrowth of these relatively resistant organisms. proliferation of the organisms with localized production of their toxins leads to disease (pseudomembran colitis or antibiotic associated diarrhea). in this study...

Non-invasive, easy to use and cost-effective technology offers a valuable alternative for rapid detection of carcinogenic fungal metabolites, namely aflatoxins, in commodities. One relatively recent development in this area is the use of spectral technology. Fluorescence hyperspectral imaging, in particular, offers a potential rapid and non-invasive method for detecting the presence of aflatoxi...

BACKGROUND A prospective study was performed to investigate the prevalence of colonization among ICU patients and to examine whether asymptomatic carriers were the source of subsequent C. difficile infection (CDI) and acquisition of toxigenic C. difficile. METHODS Rectal swabs were collected from adult patients on admission to and at discharge from a 50-bed medical ICU of a major referral hos...