Use Of Molecular Epidemiology To Monitor The Nosocomial Dissemination Of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Un A University Hospital From 1991 To 2001

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been the cause of major outbreaks and epidemics among hospitalized patients, with high mortality and morbidity rates. We studied the genomic diversity of MRSA strains isolated from patients with nosocomial infection in a University Hospital from 1991 to 2001. The study consisted of two periods: period I, from 1991 to 1993 and period II from 1995 to 2001. DNA was typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and the similarity among the MRSA strains was determined by cluster analysis. During period 1, 73 strains presented five distinctive DNA profiles: A, B, C, D, and E. Profile A was the most frequent DNA pattern and was identified in 55 (75.3%) strains; three closely related and four possibly related profiles were also identified. During period II, 80 (68.8%) of 117 strains showed the same endemic profile A identified during period I, 18 (13.7%) closely related profiles and 18 (13.7%) possibly related profiles and, only one strain presented an unrelated profile. Cluster analysis showed a 96% coefficient of similarity between profile A from period I and profile A from period II, which were considered to be from the same clone. The molecular monitoring of MRSA strains permitted the determination of the clonal dissemination and the maintenance of a dominant endemic strain during a 10-year period and the presence of closely and possibly related patterns for endemic profile A. However, further studies are necessary to improve the understanding of the dissemination of the endemic profile in this hospital.37913451351Fluckiger, U., Widmer, A.F., Epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (1999) Chemotherapy, 45, pp. 121-134Deplano, A., Schuermans, A., Van Eldere, J., Multicenter evaluation of epidemiological typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains by repetitive-element PCR analysis (2000) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 38, pp. 3527-3533Stranden, A., Frei, R., Widmer, A.F., Molecular typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Can PCR replace pulsed-field gel electrophoresis? 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Niemeyer, D.M., Origin and evolution of DNA associated with resistance to methicillin in Staphylococci (1998) Trends in Microbiology, 2, pp. 343-347Witte, W., Kresken, M., Braulke, C., Cuny, C., Increasing incidence and widespread dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospitals in central Europe, with special reference to German hospitals (1997) Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 3, pp. 414-422Corso, A., Santos, S.I., Aires de Souza, M., Rossi, A., Lencastre, H., Spread of a methicillin-resistant and multiresistant epidemic clone of Staphylococcus aureus (1998) Journal of Medical Microbiology, 4, pp. 179-184Alfizah, H., Norazah, A., Nordiah, A.J., Lim, V.K., DNA fingerprinting of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in a teaching hospital in Malaysia (2002) Medical Journal of Malaysia, 57, pp. 319-328Sola, C., Gribaudo, G., Vindel, A., Patrito, L., Bocco, J.L., Identification of a novel methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus epidemic clone in Cordoba, Argentina, involved in nosocomial infections (2002) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 40, pp. 1427-1435Melter, O., Aires de Sousa, M., Urbaskova, P., Jakubu, V., Zemlickova, H., Lencastre, H., Update on the major clonal types of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the Czech Republic (2003) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 41, pp. 4998-5005Sader, H.S., Pignatari, A.C., Hollis, R.J., Jones, R.N., Evaluation of inter-hospital spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in São Paulo using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of chromosomal DNA (1994) Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 15, pp. 320-323Santos, F.L., Sader, H., Bortolotto, V.I., Gontijo, F.P.P., Pignatari, A.C., Analysis of the clonal diversity of Staphylococcus aureus methicillin-resistant strains isolated at João Pessoa, State of Paraíba, Brazil (1996) Memórias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 91, pp. 101-105Moretti-Branchini, M.L., 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definitions for nosocomial infections (1988) American Journal of Infection Control, 16, pp. 128-140Bauer, A.W., Kirby, W.M.M., Sherris, J.C., Turck, M., Antibiotic susceptibility testing by a standardized single disk method (1996) American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 45, pp. 493-496(1999) Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, , National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) Ninth Informational Supplement M100-S9Aires De Sousa, M., Crisostomo, M.I., Santos Sanches, I., Wu, J.S., Fuzhong, J., Tomasz, A., De Lencastre, H., Frequent recovery of a single clonal type of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from patients in two hospitals in Taiwan and China (2003) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 41, pp. 159-163Teixeira, L., Resende, C.A., Ormonde, L.R., Rosenbaum, R., Figueiredo, A.M.S., Lencastre, H., Tomasz, A., Geographic spread of epidemic multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus clone in Brazil (1995) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 33, pp. 2400-2404Tambic, A., Power, E.G.M., Tambic, T., Snur, I., French, G.L., Epidemiological analysis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Zagreb trauma hospital using a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-typing method (1999) European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 18, pp. 335-340Miragaia, M., Couto, I., Pereira Sandro, F.F., Molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis: Evidence of geographic dissemination (2002) (2003) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 40, pp. 430-438Boyce, J.M., Treatment and control of colonization in the prevention of nosocomial infections (1996) Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 17, pp. 256-261Salmenlinna, S., Vuopio-Varkila, J., Recognition of two groups of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains based on epidemiology, antimicrobial susceptibility, hypervariable-region type, and ribotype in Finland (2001) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 39, pp. 2243-2247El-Din, 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(2000) Journal of Hospital Infection, 44, pp. 160-172McDougal, L.K., Steward, C.D., Killgore, G.E., Chaitram, J.M., McAllister, S.K., Tenover, F.C., Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing of oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from the United States: Establishing a national database (2003) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 41, pp. 5113-512

Qualit\ue0 e sicurezza delle carni di gambero

I gamberi rappresentano un prodotto ittico rinomato e di elevato valore commerciale, presente sempre pi\uf9 spesso sulle tavole dei consumatori. Per rendere pi\uf9 competitivo questo prodotto \ue8 necessario puntare sulla sua caratterizzazione e valorizzazione, migliorandone sia gli aspetti qualitativi che quelli della sicurezza d\u2019uso. Infatti, accanto alle quote di prodotto interno molto apprezzato derivante anche da attivit\ue0 di allevamento, sui nostri mercati arrivano ogni anno circa 100.000 tonnellate di crostacei, di pesca e di allevamento, dai paesi pi\uf9 disparati (Ismea , 2006). Tali prodotti non sempre possiedono caratteristiche qualitative e di sicurezza ineccepibili. In generale, i crostacei rappresentano un\u2019importante fonte di nutrienti nella dieta umana. La loro carne ha una composizione simile a quella dei pesci magri con qualche caratteristica peculiare, tra cui il sapore dolce. Essi hanno un elevato contenuto in proteine (19-22%), un basso tenore in lipidi (0,5-2%), e all\u2019interno di questi ultimi una elevata percentuale di acidi grassi polinsaturi a lunga catena, quali l\u2019acido eicosapentaenoico (20:5n-3, EPA) e l\u2019acido docosaesaenoico (22:6n-3, DHA), considerati essenziali ai fini della nutrizione umana. Inoltre essi sono una buona fonte di zinco, magnesio, iodio e ferro. Nonostante queste caratteristiche comuni, la composizione dei gamberi pu\uf2 variare in ragione di alcuni fattori, primo fra tutti la tipologia di dieta somministrata in allevamento. La composizione centesimale, il profilo in acidi grassi, il contenuto in colesterolo e quello dei carotenoidi totali dei gamberi \ue8 altres\uec influenzato dalla stagione. Se a ci\uf2 si aggiunge il fatto che le specie di gamberi allevate sono diverse, si pu\uf2 ben intuire come la composizione delle loro carni possa variare anche in ragione della specie stessa di appartenenza e quindi della componente genetica che li caratterizza. Per ridurre o eliminare i rischi legati alla sicurezza d\u2019uso bisogna porre l\u2019attenzione sull\u2019eventuale presenza di patogeni e di sostanze chimiche di origine ambientale quali pesticidi e metalli pesanti, o residui di antibiotici derivanti da non idonee pratiche di allevamento, o di additivi utilizzati in modo non conforme alle prescrizioni di legge. I contaminanti ambientali e i residui di farmaci nelle carni di gamberi importati rappresentano un problema molto attuale. Per citare alcuni esempi, \ue8 bene ricordare che negli ultimi anni \ue8 stata riscontrata la presenza di solfiti oltre il livello massimo consentito dalla legge in gamberi congelati provenienti dalla Cina o di nitrofurani in gamberi provenienti da Cina, Tailandia, India e Malesia, oppure presenza di residui di cloramfenicolo in gamberetti importati sia dalla Cina che dal Vietnam. Con il fine, quindi, di garantire la qualit\ue0 e la sicurezza dei gamberi lungo l\u2019intera filiera di produzione, \ue8 necessario mettere in atto una serie di pratiche tra cui le corrette pratiche di acquacoltura, le corrette pratiche di igiene, l\u2019HACCP, la tracciabilit\ue0 del prodotto nonch\ue9 il mantenimento della catena del freddo

Qualit\ue0 e sicurezza delle carni di gambero

Nella presente ricerca \ue8 stata analizzata la composizione centesimale, il contenuto in colesterolo e il profilo in acidi grassi di due specie di gamberi d\u2019acqua dolce, Macrobrachium rosenbergii e Cherax quadricarinatus, e del Penaeus kerathurus, gambero marino, comunemente presenti sul mercato italiano. Bench\ue9 la composizione chimica e il profilo in acidi grassi delle carni dei gamberi oggetto della ricerca si diversifichino da specie a specie, gli esemplari studiati presentano aspetti nutrizionali caratterizzati da un elevato contenuto in proteine e ridotto tenore in lipidi. Il contenuto elevato di colesterolo risulta essere compensato dalla predominanza di acidi grassi a lunga catena, in particolare quelli della serie n-3, noti per i loro effetti benefici sulla salute umana, e anche dal basso contenuto in lipidi. L\u2019elevata qualit\ue0 nurtizionale della carni di gamberi, analizzati nel presente studio, deve comunque ssere considerata insieme alla sicurezza d\u2019uso del prodotto, da garantire lungo l\u2019intera filiera di produzione

Clinical, epidemiological, and microbiological characteristics of bacteremia caused by high-level gentamicin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis

Enterococcus spp bacteremia is associated with high mortality and the appearance of high-level gentamicin resistance (HLGR) created additional challenges for the treatment of these infections. We evaluated the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with bacteremias caused by HLGR and non_HLGR Enterococcus faecalis isolates at a teaching hospital in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Patients with bacteremia due to E. faecalis diagnosed between January 1999 and December 2003 were included in the study. We collected clinical, epidemiological, and microbiological data from medical records. Banked isolates were typed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. We identified 145 cases of E. faecalis bacteremia: 66 (45.5%) were caused by HLGR isolates and 79 (54.5%) by non_HLGR. In the univariate analysis, patients with HLGR infection were older, had higher rates of bladder catheterization, and more often had treatment with cephalosporin, quinolone, and/or carbapenem compared with patients with non_HLGR infection (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that older age, hematological malignancy, and previous use of vancomycin were independently associated with HLGR (P < 0.05). Mortality rates were not significantly different among patients with HLGR (50%) and non_HLGR (43%) infections (P = 0.40). Of the 32 genotyped isolates, 16 were distributed into 6 main electrophoresis patterns and 16 others had distinct patterns. E. faecalis bacteremia is associated with high mortality and is frequently caused by HLGR isolates at this teaching hospital. The variability among genotyped isolates suggests that endogenous infections, rather than patient-to-patient transmission of E. faecalis, are more common at this institution.89089

Monte Carlo studies of the jet activity in Higgs + 2 jet events

Tree-level studies have shown in the past that kinematical correlations between the two jets in Higgs+2-jet events are direct probes of the Higgs couplings, e.g. of their CP nature. In this paper we explore the impact of higher-order corrections on the azimuthal angle correlation of the two leading jets and on the rapidity distribution of extra jets. Our study includes matrix-element and shower MC effects, for the two leading sources of Higgs plus two jet events at the CERN LHC, namely vector-boson and gluon fusion. We show that the discriminating features present in the previous leading-order matrix element studies survive.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures. Version to appear on JHEP. Figs. 5-8 replaced with colour version

Use of molecular epidemiology to monitor the nosocomial dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a University Hospital from 1991 to 2001

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been the cause of major outbreaks and epidemics among hospitalized patients, with high mortality and morbidity rates. We studied the genomic diversity of MRSA strains isolated from patients with nosocomial infection in a University Hospital from 1991 to 2001. The study consisted of two periods: period I, from 1991 to 1993 and period II from 1995 to 2001. DNA was typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and the similarity among the MRSA strains was determined by cluster analysis. During period I, 73 strains presented five distinctive DNA profiles: A, B, C, D, and E. Profile A was the most frequent DNA pattern and was identified in 55 (75.3%) strains; three closely related and four possibly related profiles were also identified. During period II, 80 (68.8%) of 117 strains showed the same endemic profile A identified during period I, 18 (13.7%) closely related profiles and 18 (13.7%) possibly related profiles and, only one strain presented an unrelated profile. Cluster analysis showed a 96% coefficient of similarity between profile A from period I and profile A from period II, which were considered to be from the same clone. The molecular monitoring of MRSA strains permitted the determination of the clonal dissemination and the maintenance of a dominant endemic strain during a 10-year period and the presence of closely and possibly related patterns for endemic profile A. However, further studies are necessary to improve the understanding of the dissemination of the endemic profile in this hospital.1345135

Qualit\ue0 e autenticit\ue0 degli alimenti di origine animale

Riassunto: La sicurezza, la qualit\ue0 e l\u2019autenticit\ue0 rappresentano aspetti diversi nella valutazione di un alimento di origine animale. La sicurezza di un alimento non necessariamente implica qualit\ue0, cos\uec come l\u2019autenticit\ue0 non sempre \ue8 garanzia di qualit\ue0 o di salubrit\ue0 di un prodotto. La necessit\ue0 di autenticare analiticamente un prodotto alimentare nasce molti anni or sono per limitare le frodi, le sofisticazioni e le contraffazioni. Con l\u2019apertura dei mercati internazionali - globalizzazione - tale esigenza si \ue8 ulteriormente ampliata, coinvolgendo fattori relativi agli ingredienti o componenti degli alimenti, ma \ue8 anche diventata prioritaria per valorizzare gli alimenti, legarli al territorio di produzione e difenderli dalla crescente invasione di prodotti massificati ed indistinguibili. Il primo problema da affrontare riguarda l\u2019identificazione della specie d\u2019origine, soprattutto in presenza di un prodotto lavorato o trasformato. Gli esempi sono molteplici: dalla carne in scatola al tonno sott\u2019olio, alle mozzarelle e formaggi prodotti con latte di specie diverse, ai prodotti semilavorati che hanno perso la loro peculiare identit\ue0 morfologica (es. filetti di pesce). Accanto all\u2019identificazione di specie, i metodi di lavorazione, i legami con il territorio e l\u2019origine geografica rappresentano altri importanti aspetti in grado di produrre informazioni preziose nella valutazione dell\u2019autenticit\ue0 delle produzioni animali

Matching matrix elements and shower evolution for top-quark production in hadronic collisions

We study the matching of multijet matrix elements and shower evolution in the case of top production in hadronic collisions at the Tevatron and at the LHC. We present the results of the matching algorithm implemented in the ALPGEN Monte Carlo generator, and compare them with results obtained at the parton level, and with the predictions of the MC@NLO approach. We highlight the consistency of the matching algorithm when applied to these final states, and the excellent agreement obtained with MC@NLO for most inclusive quantities. We nevertheless identify also a remarkable difference in the rapidity spectrum of the leading jet accompanying the top quark pair, and comment on the likely origin of this discrepancy.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figures, 5 tables. JHEP styl

Monola oil versus canola oil as a fish oil replacer in rainbow trout feeds: effects on growth, fatty acid metabolism and final eating quality

Monola oil, a high oleic acid canola cultivar, and canola oil were evaluated as replacers of 26 fish oil at three levels of inclusion (60, 75 and 90%) in rainbow trout diets. After a 27-week 27 grow-out cycle, the diet-induced effects on growth, fatty acid metabolism and final eating 28 quality were assessed. Overall, no effects were noted for growth, feed utilisation or fish 29 biometry, and the fatty acid composition of fish fillets mirrored that of the diets. Dietary 30 treatments affected fillet lipid oxidation (free malondialdehyde), pigmentation and flavour 31 volatile compounds, but only minor effects on sensorial attributes were detected. 32 Ultimately, both oils were demonstrated to possess, to differing extents, suitable qualities 33 to adequately replace fish oil from the perspective of fish performance and final product 34 quality. However, further research is required to alleviate on-going issues associated with 35 the loss of health promoting attributes (n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) of final 36 farmed products

Hospital strain colonization by Staphylococcus epidermidis

The skin and mucous membranes of healthy subjects are colonized by strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis showing a high diversity of genomic DNA polymorphisms. Prolonged hospitalization and the use of invasive procedures promote changes in the microbiota with subsequent colonization by hospital strains. We report here a patient with prolonged hospitalization due to chronic pancreatitis who was treated with multiple antibiotics, invasive procedures and abdominal surgery. We studied the dynamics of skin colonization by S. epidermidis leading to the development of catheter-related infections and compared the genotypic profile of clinical and microbiota strains by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. During hospitalization, the normal S. epidermidis skin microbiota exhibiting a polymorphic genomic DNA profile was replaced with a hospital-acquired biofilm-producer S. epidermidis strain that subsequently caused repetitive catheter-related infections.29429