First isolation of oleate-dependent Enterococcus faecalis small-colony variants from the umbilical exudate of a paediatric patient with omphalitis

An oleate-dependent Enterococcus faecalis isolate representing small-colony variants (SCVs) was isolated from the umbilical exudate of a 31-month-old Japanese male patient in Nagano Children's Hospital, Azumino, Japan. The patient had been suffering from recurrent omphalitis since early infancy. The initial E. faecalis SCV isolate formed small colonies on sheep blood agar plates and tiny colonies on chocolate and modified Drigalski agar, although no visible growth was observed in HK-semi solid medium after 48 h incubation in ambient air. Moreover, the SCV isolate, the colonial morphology of which was reminiscent of Streptococcus species, could not be identified using the MicroScan WalkAway-40 and API 20 Strep systems, both of which yielded profile numbers that did not correspond to any bacterial species, probably as a result of insufficient growth of the isolate. The SCV isolate was subsequently identified as E. faecalis based on its morphological, cultural and biochemical properties, and this was confirmed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene of the organism. Investigations revealed that the addition of oleate, an unsaturated fatty acid, enabled the isolate to grow on every medium with normal-sized colony morphology. Although it has long been known that long-chain fatty acids, especially unsaturated oleic acid, have a major inhibitory effect on the growth of a variety of microorganisms, including not only mycobacteria but also streptococci, this is, to the best of our knowledge, the first clinical isolation of an oleate-dependent E. faecalis SCV isolate. In addition, oleic acid might be considered to affect the cell membrane permeability of carbohydrates or antimicrobial agents such as beta-lactams.ArticleJOURNAL OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY. 62:1883-1890 (2013)journal articl

Successful cessation of transmitting healthcare-associated infections due to Burkholderia cepacia complex in a neonatal intensive care unit in a Japanese children's hospital

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Burkholderia cepacia </it>strains have been known to possess the capability to cause serious infections especially in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), and their multi-drug resistances become a severe threat in hospital settings. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the <it>B. cepacia </it>complex infections in the NICU in Nagano Children's Hospital, Azumino 399-8288, Japan, and to report the intervention leading to the successful cessation of the outbreak.</p> <p>Methodology</p> <p>The incidence of isolation and antimicrobial susceptibilities of nosocomial <it>Burkholderia cepacia </it>complex strains during a four-year period were retrospectively examined by clinical microbiological records, and by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses along with the bacteriological verification of disinfectant device itself and procedures for its maintenance routinely used in the NICU.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the period surveyed between 2007 and 2009, only an isolate per respective year of <it>B. cepacia </it>complex was recovered from each neonate in the NICU. However, in 2010, the successive 6 <it>B. cepacia </it>complex isolates were recovered from different hospitalized neonates. Among them, an isolate was originated from peripheral blood of a neonate, apparently giving rise to systemic infection. In addition, the hospitalized neonate with bacteremia due to <it>B. cepacia </it>complex also exhibited positive cultures from repeated catheterized urine samples together with tracheal aspirate secretions. However other 5 isolates were considered as the transients or contaminants having little to do with infections. Moreover, the 5 isolates between July and October in 2010 revealed completely the same electrophoresis patterns by means of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analyses, strongly indicating that they were infected through the same medical practices, or by transmission of the same contaminant.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A small outbreak due to <it>B. cepacia </it>complex was brought about in the NICU in 2010, which appeared to be associated with the same genomovar of <it>B. cepacia </it>complex. The source or the rout of infection was unknown in spite of the repeated epidemiological investigation. It is noteworthy that no outbreak due to <it>B. cepacia </it>complex was noted in the NICU after extensive surveillance intervention.</p

Modulating the charge injection in organic field-effect transistors: fluorinated oligophenyl self-assembled monolayers for high work function electrodes

Financial support from the ERC project SUPRAFUNCTION (GA-257305), the EC Marie-Curie projects IEF-MULTITUDES (PIEF-GA-2012-326666) and ITN iSwitch (GA no. 642196), the Agence Nationale de la Recherche through the LabEx project Chemistry of Complex Systems (ANR-10-LABX-0026_CSC), and the International Center for Frontier Research in Chemistry (icFRC). The computational work was supported by the Interuniversity Attraction Pole Programme (P7/05) initiated by the Belgian Science Policy Office, and by the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS). J.C. is an FNRS research director. Colin Van Dyck is a recipient of a Gustave Boël – Sofina Fellowship of the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF). K.M., F.R. and M.M. acknowledge financial support by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI)