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Faecal Specimens (faecal + specimen)
Selected AbstractsChanges in equine hindgut bacterial populations during oligofructose-induced laminitisENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2006G. J. Milinovich Summary In the horse, carbohydrate overload is thought to play an integral role in the onset of laminitis by drastically altering the profile of bacterial populations in the hindgut. The objectives of this study were to develop and validate microbial ecology methods to monitor changes in bacterial populations throughout the course of experimentally induced laminitis and to identify the predominant oligofructose-utilizing organisms. Laminitis was induced in five horses by administration of oligofructose. Faecal specimens were collected at 8 h intervals from 72 h before to 72 h after the administration of oligofructose. Hindgut microbiota able to utilize oligofructose were enumerated throughout the course of the experiment using habitat-simulating medium. Isolates were collected and representatives identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The majority of these isolates collected belonged to the genus Streptococcus, 91% of which were identified as being most closely related to Streptococcus infantarius ssp. coli. Furthermore, S. infantarius ssp. coli was the predominant oligofructose-utilizing organism isolated before the onset of lameness. Fluorescence in situ hybridization probes developed to specifically target the isolated Streptococcus spp. demonstrated marked population increases between 8 and 16 h post oligofructose administration. This was followed by a rapid population decline which corresponded with a sharp decline in faecal pH and subsequently lameness at 24,32 h post oligofructose administration. This research suggests that streptococci within the Streptococcus bovis/equinus complex may be involved in the series of events which precede the onset of laminitis in the horse. [source] Prevalence of enteric pathogens among community based asymptomatic individualsJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 3 2000Margaret E Hellard Abstract Background and Aims: The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms in asymptomatic individuals in a community study in Melbourne, Australia. Methods: The study population was a subset of 2803 individuals participating in the Water Quality Study; a community based randomized trial. Faecal specimens (1091) were collected over a 3-month period from asymptomatic individuals. Specimens were tested for a range of bacteria including Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter species. Rotavirus and adenovirus were detected using a Rota-Adeno latex kit, and protozoa were detected using a permanent stain (modified iron-haemotoxylin). Results: Twenty-eight known pathogens were identified from the 1091 faecal specimens, a total carriage rate of 2.6%. Giardia species were present in 18 specimens (1.6%), Salmonella in four (0.4%), Campylobacter in one (0.1%), Cryptosporidium in four (0.4%) and adenovirus in one (0.1%). Blastocystis hominis was found in 65 specimens. The median age of those without a pathogen was 12.5 years compared with 6.6 years for those with a pathogen (P = 0.02). Conclusions: Except for Giardia, pathogens were rarely found in asymptomatic individuals in the community. The prevalence of pathogens was higher in children than adults. © 2000 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd [source] Surveillance and risk factors of norovirus gastroenteritis among children in a southern city of China in the fall,winter seasons of 2003,2006JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 1-2 2010Ying-Chun Dai Aim: Noroviruses (NoVs) are an important cause of acute gastroenteritis but knowledge on the disease burden and epidemiology in children in the developing countries remains limited. In this study, we performed a surveillance of NoV gastroenteritis in children of China to address some of the questions. Methods: Faecal specimens from children (<5 years of age) at outpatient clinics of the Nan Fang Hospital in Guangzhou, China during the fall,winter seasons in 2003,2006 were tested for rotaviruses (RVs) and NoVs. A questionnaire on clinical records and hygiene habits was collected from each patient. Results: Among 957 stool specimens tested, 488 (51%) specimens were positive for RVs. NoVs were detected in 112 (24%) of the 469 RV negative specimens. The Genogroup II (GII), particularly GII-4, viruses were predominant. No significant difference of clinical symptoms, hospitalisation and patient care expenses were found between children infected with NoVs and RVs. Consumption of uncooked food is a risk for NoV infection. Contact with diarrhoea patients is a suspected risk factor. Cutting nails frequently is a protective factor against NoV infection. Conclusions: NoVs are an important cause of acute gastroenteritis in children which need special attention of patient care at the clinics in addition to RVs. The awareness of those risk factors may help future disease control and prevention. [source] Dynamics of Campylobacter colonization of a natural host, Sturnus vulgaris (European Starling)ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009F. M. Colles Summary Wild European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) shed Campylobacter at high rates, suggesting that they may be a source of human and farm animal infection. A survey of Campylobacter shedding of 957 wild starlings was undertaken by culture of faecal specimens and genetic analysis of the campylobacters isolated: shedding rates were 30.6% for Campylobacter jejuni, 0.6% for C. coli and 6.3% for C. lari. Genotyping by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and antigen sequence typing established that these bacteria were distinct from poultry or human disease isolates with the ST-177 and ST-682 clonal complexes possibly representing starling-adapted genotypes. There was seasonal variation in both shedding rate and genotypic diversity, both exhibiting a maximum during the late spring/early summer. Host age also affected Campylobacter shedding, which was higher in younger birds, and turnover was rapid with no evidence of cross-immunity among Campylobacter species or genotypes. In nestlings, C. jejuni shedding was evident from 9 days of age but siblings were not readily co-infected. The dynamics of Campylobacter infection of starlings differed from that observed in commercial poultry and consequently there was no evidence that wild starlings represent a major source of Campylobacter infections of food animals or humans. [source] Prevalence of enteric pathogens among community based asymptomatic individualsJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 3 2000Margaret E Hellard Abstract Background and Aims: The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms in asymptomatic individuals in a community study in Melbourne, Australia. Methods: The study population was a subset of 2803 individuals participating in the Water Quality Study; a community based randomized trial. Faecal specimens (1091) were collected over a 3-month period from asymptomatic individuals. Specimens were tested for a range of bacteria including Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter species. Rotavirus and adenovirus were detected using a Rota-Adeno latex kit, and protozoa were detected using a permanent stain (modified iron-haemotoxylin). Results: Twenty-eight known pathogens were identified from the 1091 faecal specimens, a total carriage rate of 2.6%. Giardia species were present in 18 specimens (1.6%), Salmonella in four (0.4%), Campylobacter in one (0.1%), Cryptosporidium in four (0.4%) and adenovirus in one (0.1%). Blastocystis hominis was found in 65 specimens. The median age of those without a pathogen was 12.5 years compared with 6.6 years for those with a pathogen (P = 0.02). Conclusions: Except for Giardia, pathogens were rarely found in asymptomatic individuals in the community. The prevalence of pathogens was higher in children than adults. © 2000 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd [source] Incidence and characteristics of endemic Norwalk-like virus-associated gastroenteritisJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 4 2003John A. Marshall Abstract Endemic gastroenteritis associated with the Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs) is little understood. This study tested for NLV in gastroenteritis cases in 257 households in Melbourne, Australia, for the period September 1997 to February 1999 by a reverse transcription hemi-nested polymerase chain reaction. Positive samples were studied by nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. NLV was detected in 73 (11.4%) of 638 faecal specimens tested. Twelve (1.9%) were NLV genogroup 1 (G1) and 61 (9.6%) NLV genogroup 2 (G2). Gastroenteritis symptoms associated with NLV G2/no other pathogens were significantly more severe than where no NLV was detected. NLV G1 and NLV G2 were detected in adults and children, males and females. NLV G2 incidence showed a marked seasonal periodicity with significant peaks in the Australian late spring/early summer periods. NLV G1 seasonality was significantly different from that of NLV G2. Seven major NLV clusters were identified by phylogenetic analysis. J. Med. Virol. 69:568,578, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Feline diarrhoea associated with Tritrichomonas cf. foetus and Giardia co-infection in an Australian catteryAUSTRALIAN VETERINARY JOURNAL, Issue 11 2008SA Bissett A 10-week-old female Ocicat was presented at a primary care feline veterinary practice for failure to thrive and diarrhoea. Numerous trophozoites, atypical for Giardia sp., were detected on a direct faecal examination, in addition to Giardia cysts. Although the failure to thrive and diarrhoea resolved following treatment for giardiasis, further diagnostic tests performed on faecal specimens from the kitten and 15 other Ocicats from the same cattery, including culture of trophozoites in In PouchÔ medium, PCR testing and molecular sequencing of PCR amplicons, confirmed infection with Tritrichomonas cf. foetus. This is the first report in Australia of feline trichomoniasis, which appears to be an emerging infectious disease of cats. Pertinent information regarding the clinical features, diagnosis, therapy, and potential source of feline trichomoniasis within Australia are discussed. [source] The significance of the number of submitted samples and patient-related factors for faecal bacterial diagnosticsCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 11 2007S. Ethelberg Abstract The sensitivity of bacteriological testing of faecal samples from patients with diarrhoea has not been properly determined. The present study analysed the association between the results of stool sample examinations and the number of samples examined per patient and other patient-related factors. Data concerning faecal specimens referred for culture for enteric bacterial pathogens (Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella and Yersinia) to the central microbiological laboratory in Denmark between 1995 and 2003 were analysed. In total, 620 000 samples were sorted into 277 000 sample-series, i.e., samples submitted from the same individual on the same day. Data were analysed by multivariate logistic regression, with the outcome being a positive sample-series, i.e., one or more positive samples per series. Overall, 11.9% of the sample-series were positive. For adults (aged ,18 years), the OR for a positive diagnosis was 1.20 (95% CI 1.18,1.21) for each additional sample. Positive diagnoses were also more likely during summer, if the patient was male, or if the patient was neither very young nor very old. The added diagnostic effect of additional samples was more pronounced for the group of patients with persistent (>2 weeks) diarrhoea. Overall, the probability of finding common pathogenic bacteria in faecal samples was found to vary according to the number of samples, the season and the patient's age and gender. Analysis of more than one sample improves the sensitivity of faecal culture by at least 20% for each additional sample. [source] Emergence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in a tertiary hospital in Crete, Greece: a cluster of cases and prevalence study on intestinal colonisationCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 11 2004A. Christidou Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of five consecutive cases of infection with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and the prevalence of faecal carriage of VRE among patients admitted to a 700-bed university hospital where no VRE had been isolated previously. In a 2-month period, five consecutive patients infected with VRE were detected. Three VanB+Enterococcus faecium isolates were obtained from three patients, while two VanA+E. faecium isolates, one VanA+Enterococcus faecalis isolate and one VanC1+Enterococcus gallinarum isolate were obtained from the other two patients. Of 218 faecal specimens from all hospital wards, 41 (18.8%) were found to contain VRE. Forty-two isolates of VRE were obtained, comprising one (2%) E. faecalis, 11 (27%) E. faecium, 24 (57%) E. gallinarum and six (14%) Enterococcus casseliflavus/flavescens. Four isolates carried the vanA gene, eight carried vanB, 24 carried vanC1, and six carried vanC2/C3. Use of glycopeptides, the presence of central venous catheters and renal dialysis all correlated with VRE colonisation. The prevalence rates were among the highest reported in the literature. [source] | |||||||||||||