Antibacterial activity of copper salts against microorganisms isolated from chronic infected wounds

Indexación: Web of Science: Scopus; Scielo.Background: The antimicrobial activity of copper (Cu+2) is recognized and used as an antimicrobial agent. Aim: To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of copper against microorganisms obtained from chronic cutaneous wound infections. Material and Methods: Five chemical products that contained copper particles in their composition were tested (zeolite, silica, acetate, nitrate and nanoparticle of copper). The antimicrobial activity against antibiotic resistant strains usually isolated from chronic cutaneous wound infections was determined for two of the products with better performance in copper release. Results: The minimal inhibitory and minimal bactericidal concentrations of copper acetate and nitrate were similar, fluctuating between 400-2,000 mu g/ml. Conclusions: The studied copper salts show great potential to be used to control both gram positive and gram negative, antibiotic resistant bacteria isolated from wound infections.http://ref.scielo.org/jh7v9

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: incidents and complications. A retrospective analysis of 9542 consecutive laparoscopic operations

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Detection of Blastomyces dermatitidis and Histoplasma capsulatum from Culture Isolates and Clinical Specimens by Use of Real-Time PCR▿†

Blastomyces dermatitidis and Histoplasma capsulatum are dimorphic fungi that often cause self-limited respiratory infections. However, they may also cause severe disseminated disease, depending on the level of the exposure to the organism and the host immune status. In addition, patients with infections caused by these fungi may have very similar clinical presentations. Although microbiologic culture is a standard method for detecting these pathogens, their recovery may require days to weeks, and the manipulation of cultures presents a significant safety hazard to laboratory personnel. Therefore, the goal of this study was to design a rapid, real-time PCR assay to detect and differentiate B. dermatitidis and H. capsulatum from culture isolates and directly from clinical specimens. Primers and fluorescence resonance energy transfer hybridization probes were designed to target the histidine kinase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase genes of B. dermatitidis and H. capsulatum, respectively. The analytical sensitivity of the assay was determined to be 100 copies/μl for both fungi. From culture isolates, the assay demonstrated 100% specificity and 100% sensitivity for B. dermatitidis and 100% specificity and 94% sensitivity for H. capsulatum. Detection directly from 797 clinical specimens demonstrated specificities and sensitivities of 99% and 86% for B. dermatitidis and 100% and 73% for H. capsulatum compared with the results for culture. This real-time PCR assay provides a rapid method for the detection of B. dermatitidis and H. capsulatum from culture isolates and directly from clinical specimens