BACKGROUND Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) are the most frequent cause of diarrhoea in hospitals. Geriatric patients are more often affected by the condition, by a relapse and complications. Therefore, a crucial question is how often colonization with toxigenic Clostridium difficile strains occurs in elderly patients without diarrhoea and whether there is a "risk pattern" of colonized pa...

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...

Bacillus subtilis is a ubiquitous bacterium commonly recovered from water, soil, air, and decomposing plant residue. The bacterium produces an endospore that allows it to endure extreme conditions of heat and desiccation in the environment. B. subtilis produces a variety of proteases and other enzymes that enable it to degrade a variety of natural substrates and contribute to nutrient cycling. ...

Nishida, S. (Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan), and G. Nakagawara. Isolation of toxigenic strains of Clostridium novyi from soil. J. Bacteriol. 88:1636-1640. 1964.-The cultural conditions for toxin production by Clostridium novyi were investigated, and the optimal constituents of a proper medium were determined. A comparison of the value of this medium with other media in regard to toxin pr...

PURPOSE To investigate the genetic diversity of toxigenic Clostridium strains isolated from soil, water, meat and its associated polluted sites of Southern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 27 identified isolates of six different toxigenic clostridial species including C. bifermentans , C. botulinum , C. chauvoei , C. ramosum , C. tetani and C. novyi were isolated and characterized by c...

An account is given of two separate outbreaks of diphtheria amongst mentally subnormal patients and nursing staff. In a total hospital population of about 1000 the number of people involved as carriers or cases was 60 and there were five deaths. The 60 people comprised 56 patients, of whom four were involved in both outbreaks, and four nurses. The organisms isolated were C. diphtheriae mitis bu...