Self-sampling is appropriate for detection of Staphylococcus aureus: a validation study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies frequently use nasal swabs to determine <it>Staphylococcus aureus</it> carriage. Self-sampling would be extremely useful in an outhospital research situation, but has not been studied in a healthy population. We studied the similarity of self-samples and investigator-samples in nares and pharynxes of healthy study subjects (hospital staff) in the Netherlands.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>One hundred and five nursing personnel members were sampled 4 times in random order after viewing an instruction paper: 1) nasal self-sample, 2) pharyngeal self-sample, 3) nasal investigator-sample, and 4) pharyngeal investigator-sample.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For nasal samples, agreement is 93% with a kappa coefficient of 0.85 (95% CI 0.74-0.96), indicating excellent agreement, for pharyngeal samples agreement is 83% and the kappa coefficient is 0.60 (95% CI 0.43-0.76), indicating good agreement. In both sampling sites self-samples even detected more <it>S. aureus</it> than investigator-samples.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This means that self-samples are appropriate for detection of <it>Staphylococcus aureus</it> and methicillin-resistant <it>Staphylococcus aureus</it>.</p

Revisit me: Flower colour evolution and bee discrimination

AIMS: Current immunohistochemical methods to study the expression of multiple proteins in a single tissue section suffer from several limitations. In this article, we report on sequential immunohistochemistry (S-IHC), a novel, easy method that allows the study of numerous proteins in a single tissue section, while requiring very limited optimization. METHODS AND RESULTS: In S-IHC, a tissue section is stained for multiple antibodies, with intermediate scanning of the section and elution of chromogen and antibodies. Overlays are made of the digital images, allowing assessment of multiple proteins in the same tissue section. We used S-IHC to study nine nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphomas (NLPHLs) and 10 T-cell-rich and histiocyte-rich diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (T/HRBCLs) for expression of cyclin D1, CD20, and CD68. We observed cyclin D1 expression in single tumour cells in 44% of NLPHLs and 60% of T/HRBCLs. Comparison of S-IHC with classic single immunohistochemical staining revealed discrepancies in eight cases (42%), demonstrating the difficulty of differentiating tumour cells from histiocytes on morphological grounds, and stressing the additional value of S-IHC. CONCLUSIONS: For research and diagnostic purposes, S-IHC is a promising technique that assesses the expression of numerous proteins in single tissue sections with complete architectural information, allowing phenotypic characterization of single cells

A metapopulation model to assess the capacity of spread of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398 in humans.

The emergence of the livestock-associated clone of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ST398 is a serious public health issue throughout Europe. In The Netherlands a stringent 'search-and-destroy' policy has been adopted, keeping low the level of MRSA prevalence. However, reports have recently emerged of transmission events between humans showing no links to livestock, contradicting belief that MRSA ST398 is poorly transmissible in humans. The question regarding the transmissibility of MRSA ST398 in humans therefore remains of great interest. Here, we investigated the capacity of MRSA ST398 to spread into an entirely susceptible human population subject to the effect of a single MRSA-positive commercial pig farm. Using a stochastic, discrete-time metapopulation model, we explored the effect of varying both the probability of persistent carriage and that of acquiring MRSA due to contact with pigs on the transmission dynamics of MRSA ST398 in humans. In particular, we assessed the value and key determinants of the basic reproduction ratio (R(0)) for MRSA ST398. Simulations showed that the presence of recurrent exposures with pigs in risky populations allows MRSA ST398 to persist in the metapopulation and transmission events to occur beyond the farming community, even when the probability of persistent carriage is low. We further showed that persistent carriage should occur in less than 10% of the time for MRSA ST398 to conserve epidemiological characteristics similar to what has been previously reported. These results indicate that implementing control policy that only targets human carriers may not be sufficient to control MRSA ST398 in the community if it remains in pigs. We argue that farm-level control measures should be implemented if an eradication programme is to be considered

High-throughput analysis of subtelomeric chromosome rearrangements by use of array-based comparative genomic hypridization

Telomeric chromosome rearrangements may cause mental retardation, congenital anomalies, and miscarriages. Automated detection of subtle deletions or duplications involving telomeres is essential for high-throughput diagnosis, but impossible when conventional cytogenetic methods are used. Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) allows high-resolution screening of copy number abnormalities by hybridizing differentially labeled test and reference genomes to arrays of robotically spotted clones. To assess the applicability of this technique in the diagnosis of (sub)telomeric imbalances, we here describe a blinded study, in which DNA from 20 patients with known cytogenetic abnormalities involving one or more telomeres was hybridized to an array containing a validated set of human-chromosome–specific (sub)telomere probes. Single-copy-number gains and losses were accurately detected on these arrays, and an excellent concordance between the original cytogenetic diagnosis and the array-based CGH diagnosis was obtained by use of a single hybridization. In addition to the previously identified cytogenetic changes, array-based CGH revealed additional telomere rearrangements in 3 of the 20 patients studied. The robustness and simplicity of this array-based telomere copy-number screening make it highly suited for introduction into the clinic as a rapid and sensitive automated diagnostic procedure

Comparison of governance approaches for the control of antimicrobial resistance: Analysis of three European countries

Policy makers and governments are calling for coordination to address the crisis emerging from the ineffectiveness of current antibiotics and stagnated pipe-line of new ones – antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Wider contextual drivers and mechanisms are contributing to shifts in governance strategies in health care, but are national health system approaches aligned with strategies required to tackle antimicrobial resistance? This article provides an analysis of governance approaches within healthcare systems including: priority setting, performance monitoring and accountability for AMR prevention in three European countries: England, France and Germany. Advantages and unresolved issues from these different experiences are reported, concluding that mechanisms are needed to support partnerships between healthcare professionals and patients with democratized decision-making and accountability via collaboration. But along with this multi-stakeholder approach to governance, a balance between regulation and persuasion is needed

Prevalence of Livestock-Associated MRSA in Communities with High Pig-Densities in The Netherlands

Contains fulltext : 124345.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Recently, livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398 has been discovered in animals, livestock farmers and retail meat. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the spread to persons not in direct contact with livestock in areas with a high density of pig farms. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: With a random mailing in 3 selected municipalities in The Netherlands, adult persons were asked to fill in a questionnaire and to take a nose swab. In total, complete information was obtained on 583 persons. Of the 534 persons without livestock-contact, one was positive for MRSA (0.2%; 95% confidence interval, <0.01-1.2). Of the 49 persons who did indicate to be working at or living on a livestock farm, 13 were positive for MRSA (26.5%; 95% confidence interval, 16.1-40.4). All spa-types belonged to CC398. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Livestock-associated MRSA has a high prevalence in people with direct contact with animals. At this moment it has not spread from the farms into the community

Гибридная интегральная схема для обработки звукового сигнала

Разработана гибридная интегральная схема с номинальным напряжением питания 1,4 В, током потребления 0,7 мА и габаритными размерами 8x4x3 мм для обработки звукового сигнала в автономной аппаратуре.Розроблена гібридна інтегральна схема з номінальною напругою живлення 1,4 В, струмом споживання 0,7 мА і габаритними розмірами 8x4x3 мм забезпечує багатофункціональну обробку звуковою сигналу в аналоговій мікроелектронній апаратурі. Наведено її конструкторсько-технологічні та електричні параметри.Developed hybrid integrated circuit with rated supply voltage of 1,4 V, current consumption 0,7 mA and overall dimensions 8x4x3 mm provides soft processing of the audio signal in analog microelectronic equipment. Given its design, technological and electrical parameters

Global distribution and diversity of ovine-associated Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen of many species, including sheep, and impacts on both human and animal health, animal welfare, and farm productivity. Here we present the widest global diversity study of ovine-associated S. aureus to date. We analysed 97 S. aureus isolates from sheep and sheep products from the UK, Turkey, France, Norway, Australia, Canada and the USA using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and spa typing. These were compared with 196 sheep isolates from Europe (n = 153), Africa (n = 28), South America (n = 14) and Australia (n = 1); 172 bovine, 68 caprine and 433 human S. aureus profiles. Overall there were 59 STs and 87 spa types in the 293 ovine isolates; in the 97 new ovine isolates there were 22 STs and 37 spa types, including three novel MLST alleles, four novel STs and eight novel spa types. Three main CCs (CC133, CC522 and CC700) were detected in sheep and these contained 61% of all isolates. Four spa types (t002, t1534, t2678 and t3576) contained 31% of all isolates and were associated with CC5, CC522, CC133 and CC522 respectively. spa types were consistent with MLST CCs, only one spa type (t1403) was present in multiple CCs. The three main ovine CCs have different but overlapping patterns of geographical dissemination that appear to match the location and timing of sheep domestication and selection for meat and wool production. CC133, CC522 and CC700 remained ovine-associated following the inclusion of additional host species. Ovine isolates clustered separately from human and bovine isolates and those from sheep cheeses, but closely with caprine isolates. As with cattle isolates, patterns of clonal diversification of sheep isolates differ from humans, indicative of their relatively recent host-jump

Mosquito and Drosophila entomobirnaviruses suppress dsRNA- and siRNA-induced RNAi

RNA interference (RNAi) is a crucial antiviral defense mechanism in insects, including the major mosquito species that transmit important human viruses. To counteract the potent antiviral RNAi pathway, insect viruses encode RNAi suppressors. However, whether mosquito-specific viruses suppress RNAi remains unclear. We therefore set out to study RNAi suppression by Culex Y virus (CYV), a mosquito-specific virus of the Birnaviridae family that was recently isolated from Culex pipiens mosquitoes. We found that the Culex RNAi machinery processes CYV double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into viral small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs). Furthermore, we show that RNAi is suppressed in CYV-infected cells and that the viral VP3 protein is responsible for RNAi antagonism. We demonstrate that VP3 can functionally replace B2, the well-characterized RNAi suppressor of Flock House virus. VP3 was found to bind long dsRNA as well as siRNAs and interfered with Dicer-2-mediated cleavage of long dsRNA into siRNAs. Slicing of target RNAs by pre-assembled RNA-induced silencing complexes was not affected by VP3. Finally, we show that the RNAi-suppressive activity of VP3 is conserved in Drosophila X virus, a birnavirus that persistently infects Drosophila cell cultures. Together, our data indicate that mosquito-specific viruses may encode RNAi antagonists to suppress antiviral RNAi

Performance of the 2007 WHO Algorithm to diagnose Smear-negative Pulmonary Tuberculosis in a HIV prevalent setting

The 2007 WHO algorithm for diagnosis of smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) including Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) culture was evaluated in a HIV prevalent area of Kenya