0000000001151316
AUTHOR
G. M. Giammanco
In vitro evaluation of the antibacterial activity of cured dentin/enamel adhesive incorporating the antimicrobial agent MDPB
The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro the antibacterial effect of a dentin/enamel adhesive containing MDPB (Clearfil Protect Bond) after curing and to compare it with an adhesive not containing MDPB (Clearfil SE Bond). The antibacterial effect of the cured adhesives was tested on Enterococcus faecalis by the evaluation of growth inhibition in a 48-h microplate direct contact test (DCT). The presence of antibacterial activity due to soluble components was also investigated by an agar diffusion test (ADT) performed with the adhesives cured on the surface of dentin disks. In the DCT, both the tested materials showed complete inhibition of bacterial growth until the 7-h reading, reg…
[Molecular methods in the epidemiology of gram-negative bacterial infections]
Identification and typing of bacterial isolates from patients and environment are necessary in order to detect the sources of infections. In recent years different molecular typing methods have been carried out and proved more reliable than methods based on phenotypical characters. We have applied two methods of genotyping, i. e. ribotyping and rrnARDRA (Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis) methods, to the study of different bacterial species. Ribotyping was the first universal method for molecular typing of bacteria. We have succeded both in typing various species of enterobacteria (Salmonella Wien, S. Enteritidis, Shigella sonnei, Proteus spp., Morganella morganii, Providencia sp…
Evolution of G1 rotavirus strains in Italian children in an 18-year period.
The occurrence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Shigella spp. in Tehran, Iran
Background and Objectives: The emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Shigella spp. is of increasing clinical concern specially in children worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Shigella spp. in Tehran, Iran. Materials and Methods: The study included all Shigella isolates recovered from pediatric patients aged less than 12 years admitted to a major pediatric hospital in Tehran, Iran, from 2008 to 2010. Bacterial identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) screening and confirmatory tests were performed according to the standard guidelines. Conjugal tr…
Heterogeneity and dynamics of evolution of G1 human rotavirus in Palermo: alternate circulation of different lineages and sub-lineages
A rotavirus sample collection from 19 consecutive years was used to investigate the heterogeneity and the dynamics of evolution of G1 rotavirus strains in a geographically defined population. Phylogenetic analysis of the VP7 gene sequences of G1P[8] human rotavirus strains showed the circulation of a heterogeneous population comprising three lineages and seven sublineages. Increases in the circulation of G1 rotaviruses were apparently associated with the introduction of novel G1 strains that exhibited multiple amino acid changes in antigenic regions involved in rotavirus neutralization compared to the strains circulating in the previous years. The emergence and/or introduction of G1 antigen…
[The risk of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Sicily, through imported bovines for slaughter]
The presence of Escherichia coli 0157:117, an emerging pathogen that has been. responsible of serious epidemics of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic-uremic syndrome in several countries, has been detected in rectal swabs in 13 out of 201 (6,5%) calves imported in Sicily (Italy) from France, 7 out of 154 (4,5%) calves imported from Spain, and only one out of 207 (0,5%) calves from Sicilian farms. The only positive Sicilian calf was from a farm where imported calves had been stalled some days before. All the isolates showed eaeA and hlyA virulence genes. Genes for verocytotoxins were detected in 18 isolates, which showed the following genotypes: stx2c (12 isolates), stxl stx2 (4 isolates), sa…
Molecular epidemiology of astrovirus infection in Italian children with gastroenteritis
A 1-year study involving 157 gastroenteritis samples was conducted to investigate the role of human astrovirus, (HAstV) as a cause of gastroenteritis in Italian children aged < 2 years. The overall incidence of HAstV was 3.1%. Most cases occurred between March and May, and four of the five isolates were of the HAstV-1 type, the other being HAstV-3. Analysis of genetic variability showed that the three HAstV-1 isolates collected in 2000 clustered together, but separately from the 1999 isolate. The results indicated that HAstV should be considered as a potential diarrhoeal pathogen in Italian children. © 2004 Copyright by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Genetic characterisation of G3 rotaviruses detected in an Italian infantile population in 1993-2005.
Analisi della variabilità genetica delle proteine capsidiche VP7 e VP4 in Rotavirus umani di tipo G4 circolanti in Sicilia nel periodo 1990-2003
Preliminary characterization of wine lactobacilli able to degrade arginine
Lactobacillus strains able to degrade arginine were isolated and characterized from a typical red wine. All the strains were gram-positive, catalase-negative and produced both D- and L-lactate from glucose. Strains L2, L3, L4, and L6 were able to produce CO2 from glucose; however, production of CO2 from glucose was not observed in strains L1 and L5, suggesting that they belong to the homofermentative wine lactic acid bacteria (LAB) group. All of the lactobacilli were tested for their ability to ferment 49 carbohydrates. The sugar fermentation profile of strain L1 was unique, suggesting that this strain belonged to Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris, a non-typical wine LAB. Furthermore, a prel…