Campylobacter jejuni infection and IgE sensitization in up to 2-year-old infants

© 2015, Institut za Vojnomedicinske Naucne Informacije/Documentaciju. All rights reserved. Background/Aim. The “hygiene hypothesis” addresses the correlation between the occurrence of atopy and the frequency of infections in the earliest age, explaining an increase in the incidence of atopic diseases by living in good, infection-free, hygienic conditions. The aim of our study was to determine the conection between atopy and Campylobacter infection, and to analyze the association between serum concentrations of total IgE and Campylobacter infection in relation to atopy in children up to two years. Methods. A case control study was conducted with the sample of 98 infants of the average age of 8 months. Total serum IgE and Phadiatop infant multi-test were determined on Immunocap-100 (Phadia AB, Uppsala, Sweden). The presence of atopy was determined by detection of serumspecific IgE ≥ 0.35 kUA/L (Phadiatop infant positive) and serum IgM, IgA, IgG levels against C. jejuni were determined by a quantitative immuno-enzyme test-SERION ELISA classic. Results. Total IgE cut-off values ≥ 15 kU/L point to atopy in infants, and tIgE cut-off values ≥ 8.1 kU/L pointed to a C. jejuni infection in infants. Within the group of atopic children, tIgE levels ≥ 29.8 kU/L point to C. jejuni infection, and within the group of non-atopic children, tIgE levels ≥ 5.9 kU/L point to infection. Enteritis is not a predictor of C. jejuni infection, because of a high frequency of asymptomatic cases of infection. The risk factors for C. jejuni infection are age and tIgE, and the protective factors are breastfeeding and atopy. Conclusion. C. jejuni infection increases the total serum IgE level, which is predictive of infection, regardless of the presence of atopy. The presence of symptomatic C. jejuni infection reduces the risk of atopy in a child of the age of 5–24 months by the factor of 10

Characterization of antibiotic resistance phenotypes and resistance genes in Enterococcus spp. isolated from cheeses

Abstract- Strains of Enterococcus spp. isolated from a collection of 123 artisanal and industrial cheese samples were stud-ied for the phenotypic and genotypic assessment of antibiotic resistance. A total of 226 isolates included 119 E. faeciu

Inhibitory effects of medical plants on the Candida albicans and bacterial growth in the oral cavity

In this mini-review, the authors discuss the effects of ethanol extracts, essential oils and cytotoxicity of some medicinal plants and their compounds used in ethno-medicine in different geographic regions worldwide, including Serbia, on the growth, mul­tiplication and pathogenicity of Candida albicans and bacteria that play the main role in the balance of the oral ecosystem. Various medicinal plants, such as Rosmarinus officinalis (Fam. Lamiaceae), Artemisia dracunculus, Artemisia absinthium (Fam. Asteraceae), exist in different geographic regions and continents, as well as in the Balkan region, and among them there are some indigenous species like Hypericum perforatum L. (Fam. Hypericaceae), Urtica dioica L. (U. dioica) (Fam. Urticaceae), Achillea millefolium L. (Fam. Asteraceae), Matricaria chamomilla L. (Fam. Asteraceae), Sambucus nigra L. (Fam. Caprifoliaceae), and Thymus serpyllum L. (Fam. Lamiaceae) with impressive antimicrobial activity against microorganisms originating from the oral cavity

Campylobacter jejuni infection and IgE sensitization in up to 2-year-old infants

© 2015, Institut za Vojnomedicinske Naucne Informacije/Documentaciju. All rights reserved. Background/Aim. The “hygiene hypothesis” addresses the correlation between the occurrence of atopy and the frequency of infections in the earliest age, explaining an increase in the incidence of atopic diseases by living in good, infection-free, hygienic conditions. The aim of our study was to determine the conection between atopy and Campylobacter infection, and to analyze the association between serum concentrations of total IgE and Campylobacter infection in relation to atopy in children up to two years. Methods. A case control study was conducted with the sample of 98 infants of the average age of 8 months. Total serum IgE and Phadiatop infant multi-test were determined on Immunocap-100 (Phadia AB, Uppsala, Sweden). The presence of atopy was determined by detection of serumspecific IgE ≥ 0.35 kUA/L (Phadiatop infant positive) and serum IgM, IgA, IgG levels against C. jejuni were determined by a quantitative immuno-enzyme test-SERION ELISA classic. Results. Total IgE cut-off values ≥ 15 kU/L point to atopy in infants, and tIgE cut-off values ≥ 8.1 kU/L pointed to a C. jejuni infection in infants. Within the group of atopic children, tIgE levels ≥ 29.8 kU/L point to C. jejuni infection, and within the group of non-atopic children, tIgE levels ≥ 5.9 kU/L point to infection. Enteritis is not a predictor of C. jejuni infection, because of a high frequency of asymptomatic cases of infection. The risk factors for C. jejuni infection are age and tIgE, and the protective factors are breastfeeding and atopy. Conclusion. C. jejuni infection increases the total serum IgE level, which is predictive of infection, regardless of the presence of atopy. The presence of symptomatic C. jejuni infection reduces the risk of atopy in a child of the age of 5–24 months by the factor of 10

TREATMENT OF CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE- ASSOCIATED DISEASE

Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacillus that is widely distributed in the environment, but is found as a part of a normal large bowel flora in approximately 3% of normal adults. C. difficile produces two protein exotoxins: toxin A and toxin B. Both toxins are responsible for causing the sings and symptoms of disease.C. difficile is now thought to be responsible for a spectrum of diseases, ranging from asymptomatic colonization to diarrhea of varying severity, life-threatening colitis, often as a consequence of long-term antibiotic exposure. This spectrum has become known as C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD).Treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated disease demand administration of effi-cient antibiotics (vancomycin, metronidazole), anion exchange resins and probiotics (Lactobacillus spp., Saccharomyces boulardii)