Interstitial pulmonary inflammation due to Microbacterium sp. after heart transplantation.

A coryneform bacterium was isolated from the bronchoalveolar aspirate of a patient with interstitial pulmonary inflammation. Commercial systems identified the isolate as Corynebacterium sp. or Aureobacterium sp./Corynebacterium aquaticum, but 16S rRNA gene analysis unequivocally attributed it to the genus Microbacterium. This represents the first documented case of Microbacterium pulmonary infection.

Molecular typing of Agrobacterium species isolates from catheter-related bloodstream infections.

AbstractAgrobacteriumisolates from intravenous catheters of three hospitalized patients were initially identified asA. tumefaciens,but inability to produce 3-ketolactose revealed that two of them wereA. vitis.However, rDNA analysis correlated all of the isolates toA. tumefaciens.Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis ascertained the nosocomial transmission of the infection.

Persistent Endemicity of Salmonella bongori 48:z 35 :− in Southern Italy: Molecular Characterization of Human, Animal, and Environmental Isolates

ABSTRACT From 1984 to 1999, we collected 31 isolates of the rare serovar Salmonella bongori 48:z 35 :− in southern Italy. Twenty-four of the isolates were from cases of acute enteritis in humans. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis showed that all but one of our isolates were at least 80% similar. Our findings suggest that genetically related S. bongori 48:z 35 :− strains are endemically circulating in southern Italy.

Value of morphotyping for the characterization of Candida albicans clinical isolates

Until recently, morphotyping, a method evaluating fringe and surface characteristics of streak colonies grown on malt agar, has been recommended as a simple and unexpensive typing method for Candida albicans isolates. The discriminatory power and reproducibility of Hunter's modified scheme of Phongpaichit's morphotyping has been evaluated on 28 C. albicans isolates recovered from the oral cavity of asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus-positive subjects, and compared to two molecular typing methods: randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting, and contour clamped homogeneous electric field (CHEF) electrophoretic karyotyping. Morphological features of streak colonies allowed…

Corynebacterium macginleyi isolation from conjunctival swab in Italy

Corynebacterium macginleyi was isolated from conjunctival swabs of a farmer suffering from purulent conjunctivitis. This species has only recently been reported in Switzerland and Germany to be exclusively isolated from ocular surfaces. This represents the first isolation of C. macginleyi in Italy indicating that its circulation is not geographically limited. © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Phylogenetic analysis of the genera Proteus, Morganella and Providencia by comparison of rpoB sequences of type and clinical strains suggests the classification of Proteus myxofaciens in a new genus Cosenzaea gen. nov., as Cosenzaea myxofaciens comb. nov.

Phylogenetic analysis of partial rpoB gene sequences of type and clinical strains belonging to different 16S rRNA gene-fingerprinting ribogroups within 11 species of enterobacteria of the genera Proteus, Morganella and Providencia was performed and allowed the definition of rpoB clades, supported by high bootstrap values and confirmed by ≥2.5 % nucleotide divergence. None of the resulting clades included strains belonging to different species and the majority of the species were confirmed as discrete and homogeneous. However, more than one distinct rpoB clade could be defined among strains belonging to the species Proteus vulgaris (two clades), Providencia alcalifaciens (two clades) and Pro…

MboII endonuclease heat inactivation before agarose gel electrophoresis to prevent artifactual bands in restriction patterns

Characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated in Italy and in France

ABSTRACT Twenty-one Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains isolated in northern Italy from sporadic cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome and from cattle and food were characterized by virulence gene analysis, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of Xba I-digested DNA, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) sequence-based PCR (ERIC-PCR), and antibiotic resistance patterns and compared to 18 strains isolated in France from human cases of diarrhea, cattle, and the environment. Strains isolated in Sicily (southern Italy) from a local farm (one strain) and from calves just imported from France (11 strains) and Spain (six strains) were also typed. Whereas the eae and hlyA genes were al…