Characterization of biofilm producing methicillin resistant coagulase negative Staphylococci from India

Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CoNS) cause infectious diseases due to their potential to form biofilm and further colonization in hospital materials. This study evaluated the antibiotic susceptible phenotypes, biofilm-producing ability, and biofilm-associated genes (mecA, icaAD, bap, cna, and fnbA). Biofilm formation was detected through Congo red agar (CRA) method and MTP method. The presence of biofilm and associated genes in MR-CoNS were detected by PCR. A total of 310 (55.95%) isolates produced the biofilm. Among these isolates, Staphylococcus haemolyticus (34.83%), Staphylococcus epidermis (31.93%), Staphylococcus capitis (16.77%), Staphylococcus cohnii (10.96%), and Staphylococcus hominis (5.48%) were identified. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of CoNS isolates indicated resistance to cefoxitin (100%), erythromycin (94.8%), ciprofloxacin (66.7%), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (66.7%), gentamicin (66.12%), and clindamycin (62.9%). Resistance rate to mupirocin was 48.5% in S. epidermidis and 38.9% in S. haemolyticus isolates. All isolates were sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid. The prevalence rates of icaAD, bap, fnbA, and cna were 18.06%, 12.5%, 47.4%, and 27.4%, respectively. icaAD and bap genes were detected in 18.06% and 12.5% of MR-CoNS isolates. fnbA and cna genes were detected in 47.41% and 27.41% of MRCoNS isolates. icaAD positive strains exhibited a significant increase in the biofilm formation compared with those that lacked icaAD (0.86 (0.42, 1.39) versus 0.36 (0.14, 0.75), respectively; P < 0.001). In conclusion, the majority of MR-CoNS isolates were biofilm producers, and S. capitis, which possessed icaAD genes, ranked as the great biofilm producer than other Staphylococcus. The study’s findings are important to form a strategy to control biofilm formation as an alternative strategy to counter the spread of MR-CoNS in healthcare settings.

Discussion on effect of material on UV reflection and its disinfection with focus on Japanese Stucco for interior wall

Research has previously shown that ultraviolet light C (UV-C) can inactivate unexpected infection. However, this type of potential disinfection is dramatically reduced for the shadow area such as under desk or medical equipment. Because the UV-C reflectance ratio is low on the general wall surfaces. We compared Stucco against the other materials to investigate whether we could improve disinfection for the shadow area. The reflectance ratios of UV-C irradiation of each material were examined, with particular attention to the rates for the author’s Modified Stucco. To evaluate the disinfection effects of the UV-C reflective lighting, colonies of E. coli and of Staphylococcus hominis were cultured in an agar media and counted over a certain time period after applying UV-C irradiation from a sterilizing lamp onto the investigation materials. The author’s Modified Stucco, produced reflectance ratios that was 11 times that of white wallpaper. This demonstrated that the UV-C reflected on the Stucco wall having optimum components and their compositions inhibited the number of E. coli and S. hominis, resulting in significantly disinfection effects on white wallpapers. The space with Modified Stucco and then irradiated by a UV-C may give a strong disinfection effect.

Machine Learning Based Metagenomic Prediction of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

In this study, we investigate faecal microbiota composition, in an attempt to evaluate performance of classification algorithms in identifying Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and its two types: Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). From many investigated algorithms, a random forest (RF) classifier was selected for detailed evaluation in three-class (CD versus UC versus nonIBD) classification task and two binary (nonIBD versus IBD and CD versus UC) classification tasks. We dealt with class imbalance, performed extensive parameter search, dimensionality reduction and two-level classification. In three-class classification, our best model reaches F1 score of 91% in average, which confirms the strong connection of IBD and gastrointestinal microbiome. Among most important features in three-class classification are species Staphylococcus hominis, Porphyromonas endodontalis, Slackia piriformis and genus Bacteroidetes.

Detecção de Cutibacterium acnes em amostras de tecidos de cirurgias limpas primárias do ombro – Parte I

Resumo Objetivo Identificar agentes bacterianos em amostras de cirurgias do ombro de pacientes sem histórico de infecção e de cirurgias prévias no ombro. Métodos Amostras de tendão, bursa e osso foram coletadas no intraoperatório, armazenadas em frascos estéreis a seco e enviadas para análise de crescimento de cultura em meios para agentes aeróbios e anaeróbios no laboratório credenciado ao hospital. Foram analisados os resultados de 141 amostras de 47 ombros. Resultados Obtivemos resultados de culturas negativas em 46 casos (97,8%) e em 140 amostras (99,2%). Apenas um paciente apresentou resultado positivo, com crescimento bacteriano do Staphylococcus hominis em uma das três amostras coletadas. Conclusões Não evidenciamos taxas de crescimento bacteriano condizentes com a literatura internacional, alertando para a baixa eficácia dos métodos laboratoriais utilizados no nosso país.

Intraoperative Assessment of Endogenous Microbiota in the Breast

Objective: Breast surgery is considered a clean surgery; however, the rates of infection range between 3 and 15%. The objective of the present study was to intraoperatively investigate the presence of autochthonous microbiota in the breast. Methods: Pieces of breast tissue collected from 49 patients who underwent elective breast surgery (reconstructive, diagnostic, or oncologic) were cultured. The pieces of breast tissue were approximately 1 cm in diameter and were removed from the retroareolar area, medial quadrant, and lateral quadrant. Each piece of tissue was incubated in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth for 7 days at 37°C, and in cases in which the medium became turbid due to microorganism growth, the samples were placed in Petri dishes for culturing and isolating strains and for identifying species using an automated counter. Results: Microorganism growth was observed in the samples of 10 of the 49 patients (20.4%) and in 11 of the 218 pieces of tissue (5%). The detected species were Staphylococcus lugdunensis, Staphylococcus hominis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, and Aeromonas salmonicida. No patient with positive samples had clinical infection postoperatively. Conclusion: The presence of these bacteria in breast tissue in approximately 20% of the patients in this series suggests that breast surgery should be considered a potential source of contamination that may have implications for adverse reactions to breast implants and should be studied in the near future for their oncological implications in breast implant-associated large-cell lymphoma etiology.

Fogging With Peracetic Acid in Schools and Kindergartens

Disinfection is a key element in controlling infections. Fogging, also known as fumigation, is one of the most effective chemical disinfection methods. Peracetic acid (PAA) is a powerful oxidant with bactericidal and fungicidal properties. The aim of this study is to determine the type of bacteria and fungi present in educational institutions and whether disinfection by PAA fumigation in these institutions is also effective and useful, as demonstrated previously in healthcare centers. This study was carried out in five kindergartens and five primary schools in Bialystok, Poland. Three rooms have been selected in each of these educational institutions, and the disinfection was carried out in 30 rooms in total. Fogging with PAA was performed in selected rooms. Before and after disinfection, samples were collected from four surfaces: walls, tables, doors, and chair backs. Most frequently detected microorganisms in schools and kindergartens were Micrococcus luteus (M. luteus), Staphylococcus warneri (S. warneri), Paracoccus yeei (P. yeei), Staphylococcus hominis ssp. hominis (S. hominis), Kocuria rhizophila (K. rhizophila), Kocuria rosea (K. rosea). In addition, Staphylococcus haemolyticus (S. haemolyticus), Acinetobacter lwoffii (A. lwoffii), Kocuria kristinae (K. kristinae), Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis (L. lactis) were the most prevalent in kindergartens, whereas Kytococcus sedentarius (K. sedentarius) was the most prevalent in schools. Comparison of the bacterial flora of schools and kindergartens showed statistically significant differences in the prevalence of bacteria on different surfaces. A significant decrease in the number of colonies after disinfection was observed on all surfaces (p &lt; 0.05). In addition, the calculated effectiveness of disinfection was 99.7% in kindergartens and 99.3% in schools. The results indicate that fogging of PAA is a highly effective method of surface disinfection in kindergartens and schools.

Characterizing a novel SCC mec with a composite structure from a clinical strain of Staphylococcus hominis , C34847

Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCC mec ) has predominantly been described in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . However, studies have indicated that coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) carry a larger diversity of SCC elements. We characterized a composite SCC mec element carrying an uncharacterized ccr1 and type A mec gene combination, in conjunction with a secondary element bearing ccr4 , from a clinical strain of S. hominis . The element’s complex structure points to a high degree of recombination occurring in SCC mec in CoNS.

Ventricular empyema associated with severe pyogenic meningitis in COVID-19 adult patient: Case report

Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic raised global attention especially due to the severe acute respiratory symptoms associated to it. However, almost one third of patients also develop neurological symptoms. The aim of the present study is to describe the case of a previously health adult that evolved cerebral ventricular empyema in the IV ventricle during COVID-19 infection treatment. Case Description: A 49-year-old man with COVID-19 developed pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. After treating adequate treatment, sedation was switched off without showing appropriate awakening. Brain CT was performed with evidence of communicating hydrocephalus. External ventricular shunt (EVD) was implant with intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid suggestive of meningitis with a positive culture for oxacillin-sensitive Staphylococcus hominis. Twenty days after EVD, meningitis treatment was finished and with 2 negative cultures, conversion to ventriculoperitoneal shunt was performed. In the following week, during the evaluation of the patient in intensive care, quadriplegia and absence of spontaneous respiratory movement were evidenced, just maintaining head movement. Brain MRI was performed with a diagnosis of ventriculitis associated with pus collections on the IV ventricle. The patient underwent microsurgical drainage removal of the shunt, with a positive intraventricular collection culture for Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, without improvement in the neurological condition. After 14 weeks of hospitalization, the patient died. Conclusion: It is well known that COVID-19 has potential to directly attack and cause severe damage to the central nervous system; however, ventricular empyema is an extremely rare life-threatening complication.