Microbiological characteristics of bloodstream infections in a reference hospital in northeastern Brazil

Routine blood culture is used for the detection of bloodstream infections by aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and by common pathogenic yeasts. A retrospective study was conducted in a public hospital in Maceió-AL, by collecting data of all medical records with positive blood cultures. Out of the 2,107 blood cultures performed, 17% were positive with Staphylococcus coagulase negative (51.14%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (11.21%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (6.32%). Gram-positive bacteria predominated among positive blood cultures, highlighting the group of Staphylococcus coagulase-negative. While Gram-negative bacteria had a higher number of species among positive blood cultures.

Clinical and Microbiological Characteristics of Mycobacterium kansasii Pulmonary Infections in China

M. kansasii type I is the main genotype spreading worldwide. The molecular history of the global spread of type I isolates remains largely unclear. We conducted a detailed analysis of genomic evolution of global M. kansasii isolates. Our results suggest that M. kansasii isolates exhibit greater genetic diversity globally.

Effect of cactus pear as a moistening additive in the production of rehydrated corn grain silage

The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of cactus pear as a moistening additive on fermentative and microbiological characteristics, aerobic stability (AS), chemical composition and in situ rumen degradability of corn grain silage at different opening times. A completely randomized experimental design was adopted in a 4 × 3 factorial scheme with four levels of dry matter (DM) (50; 60; 70 and 80% of DM) and three opening times (30; 60 and 120 days after ensiling), with four replications. There was an effect of interaction (P < 0.05) between the DM levels and opening times on silage yeast population, effluent losses, gas losses, dry matter recovery (DMR), AS of the silage and on lactic acid bacteria, mould and yeast populations after AS trial. The 60% DM level presented DMR values above 930 g/kg of DM. However, the lowest AS time (96.52 h) was observed in silages with 60% DM at 60 days after ensiling, although all silages have shown high AS. The DM in situ degradability of the ensiled mass increased after the ensiling process at all DM levels and opening times, with the 60% DM content showing the best result. When using cactus pear as a corn grain moistening additive, the 60% DM level is recommended when the opening time is up 120 days.

Clinical and Microbiological Characteristics of Culture-Positive, Influenza-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis: A Single-Center Study in Southern Taiwan, 2016–2019

This study delineated the characteristics of 24 (11.2%) culture-positive, influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) patients out of 215 patients with severe influenza during 2016–2019 in a medical center in southern Taiwan. Twenty (83.3%) patients did not have EORTC/MSG-defined host factors. The mean time from influenza diagnosis to Aspergillus growth was 4.4 days, and 20 (83.3%) developed IAPA within seven days after influenza diagnosis. All patients were treated in intensive care units and all but one (95.8%) received mechanical ventilation. Aspergillus tracheobronchitis was evident in 6 (31.6%) of 19 patients undergoing bronchoscopy. Positive galactomannan testing of either serum or bronchoalveolar lavage was noted in all patients. On computed tomography imaging, IAPA was characterized by peribronchial infiltrates, multiple nodules, and cavities superimposed on ground-glass opacities. Pure Aspergillus growth without bacterial co-isolation in culture was found in 17 (70.8%) patients. A. fumigatus (15, 62.5%), A. flavus (6, 25.0%), and A. terreus (4, 16.7%) were the major causative species. Three patients had mixed Aspergillus infections due to two species, and two had mixed azole-susceptible and azole-resistant A. fumigatus infection. All patients received voriconazole with an all-cause mortality of 41.6%. Of 14 survivors, the mean duration of antifungal use was 40.5 days. In conclusion, IAPA is an early and rapidly deteriorating complication following influenza that necessitates clinical vigilance and prompt diagnostic workup.

Evolution of the biochemical and microbiological characteristics of mountainous Kefalotyri cheese during ripening and storage

As artisanal cheeses are gaining recognition during the last years by consumers, efforts should be made to standardize their manufacture in order to produce safe products of high and constant quality, supporting the local economy and spreading them outside the region of origin. In this work, the biochemical and microbiological characteristics of Kefalotyri cheese produced during summer in the mountains of Pindos using an artisanal cheesemaking procedure were studied. Sheep raw cheese milk was used without starter culture addition for Kefalotyri cheese manufacture. At 90 days of ripening and storage (the date that hard cheese can be sold in the market), its moisture was 40.4%, fat 28.8%, salt 4.1% and proteins 23.3%. Butyric acid and 3methyl butanoic acid were the most abundant volatile compounds found in this cheese. Mesophilic lactic acid bacteria and cocci were dominated; high numbers of thermophilic lactic acid bacteria and cocci, enterococci and Enterobacteriaceae were also present and the microbiological data revealed a rather satisfactory hygienic sanitary condition of the cheeses.

Ecotoxicological assessment of Zn, Cu and Ni based NPs contamination in Arenosols

Nanoparticles are increasingly used in many industrial fields because of their special properties. In this context, several questions arise related to possible negative consequences associated with nanoparticle (NPs) entrance into the ecosystem. The adsorption of NPs by soil can adversely influence its biological properties. In the present article, the influence of Cu, Zn, and Ni NPs on the biological characteristics of Arenosol is considered. Research aimed to study the effect of Cu, Zn, Ni NPs on the biological characteristics of sandy loam chernozem. Copper, Zn, and Ni NPs were added to the soil in concentrations of 100, 1,000, and 10,000 mg kg^-1. The effect of NPs on the biological properties of Arenosol was evaluated after 10-day incubation. The biological indices of the ecological condition of the soil, including the germination of radish, the length of the roots, the bacteria population, <em>Azotobacter</em> sp. count, the catalase activity, and dehydrogenases were studied. As a result of this study, it was revealed that the degree of indices changes depending on the concentration of Cu, Zn, and Ni NPs in the Arenosols. Microbiological characteristics (bacteria population, and <em>Azotobacter</em> sp. count) and phytotoxic feature (length of roots and radish germination) properties were most sensitive to contamination compared to the enzyme activity of Arenosol. Based on the soil integral index of a biological state, the strongest inhibitory effect on biological parameters of Arenosols relative to the control was exerted by Cu NPs (lower than control by 48-72%), while the greatest stability in Arenosol was found for Ni NPs (lower than control by 30-55%). The studied biological parameters allow characterizing the severity of nanoparticle exposure on Arenosols. Early diagnostics of the severity of soil contamination by NPs can be successfully used to quickly assess their impact on the soil condition and prevent possible adverse consequences.

The Comparison of the Microbiological Characteristics of Wet Dough and Dry Powder Tarhana’s and Evaluation of Possible Health Risks

Tarhana is a traditional food produced by different traditional methods and the materials used in production are changing from a region to another region. The total yeast and molds, total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Escherichia Coli and enterococci bacteria count of wet dough Kastamonu tarhana and dry powdered tarhana samples were investigated in this study. All microorganisms examined in our study were detected in one of the wet dough tarhana samples. The highest total yeast and molds, total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Escherichia coli and enterococci bacteria counts were determined for the wet dough tarhana samples to be 2.2×106, 6.6×107, 1.2×106 and 1.9×106 cfu/g, respectively. No growth of microorganism capable of reproduction was observed in the powdered tarhana produced industrially. In addition, the Escherichia coli and enterococci bacteria were not detected for any of the dry powder tarhana samples. It was seen that the microbial load of the wet tarhana produced at home in Kastamonu was higher than the powdered tarhana. The reason for this situation was thought to be due to poor production and hygiene conditions. The presence of Escherichia coli and enterococci bacteria in samples indicates that there is possible fecal contamination of the raw materials used in wet dough tarhana production. Electron microscope images of molds obtained in our study are similar to molds producing mycotoxins. These results show that the wet dough tarhana have a greater risk for microorganism development and human health compared to dry powder tarhana.

Comparative Effect of Frying and Baking on Chemical, Physical, and Microbiological Characteristics of Frozen Fish Nuggets

The effects of deep-frying and oven-baking on chemical, physical, and microbiological, properties of cassava croaker (Pseudotolithus senegalensis) nuggets during frozen storage were investigated. The moisture, protein, fat, ash, and carbohydrate contents varied among the cooking methods and frozen storage times. The deep-fried nugget had a higher fat content, which resulted in a higher energy value (p < 0.05). The free fatty acid content and peroxide value (PV) of the oven-baked nuggets were higher than the deep-fried ones (p < 0.05). The PV tended to increase with increasing storage time, but it was still within the recommended range for consumption. The deep-fried nugget showed a vivid orange–yellow color, with higher L*, a*, and b* values, while oven-baked nuggets showed a pale-yellow color. The baked nuggets had relatively lower total expressible fluid than the deep-fried nuggets at all time points (p < 0.05). The hardness, springiness, and chewiness of deep-fried nuggets were higher than baked nuggets throughout the storage period (p < 0.05). The total plate count and yeast and mold counts produced by the two cooking methods were within the acceptable range throughout the storage.