Search results for "Streptococcus"
showing 10 items of 169 documents
Influence of the early bacterial biofilms developed on vats made with seven wood types on PDO Vastedda della valle del Belìce cheese characteristics
2019
Early vat bacterial biofilms developed spontaneously through contact with whey have been characterized on seven wood types (Castanea sativa Miller, Cedrus libani, A. Rich., Prunus avium L., Fraxinus ornus L., Juglans regia L., Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold and Populus nigra L.). The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of these biofilms on the microbiological, chemical, physical and sensory characteristics of PDO Vastedda della valle del Belìce (VdB) cheese, processed traditionally from raw ewe's milk using wooden tools. To this purpose, the experimental cheeses after 15 d of refrigerated storage were examined. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) populations dominated the microbial community of a…
Stimulation of monokine production by lipoteichoic acids
1991
Lipoteichoic acids (LTAs) isolated from bacterial species, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes A, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Listeria monocytogenes, were tested for their ability to stimulate the production of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha in cultured human monocytes. LTAs from S. aureus and S. pneumoniae failed to induce monokine production when applied in the concentration range of 0.05 to 5.0 micrograms/ml. However, LTAs from several enterococcal species (0.5 to 5 micrograms/ml) induced the release of all three monokines at levels similar to those observed after lipopolysaccharide stimulation. The kinet…
Bacterial etiology of community-acquired pneumonia in immunocompetent hospitalized patients and appropriateness of empirical treatment recommendation…
2020
An accurate knowledge of the epidemiology of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is key for selecting appropriate antimicrobial treatments. Very few etiological studies assessed the appropriateness of empiric guideline recommendations at a multinational level. This study aims at the following: (i) describing the bacterial etiologic distribution of CAP and (ii) assessing the appropriateness of the empirical treatment recommendations by clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for CAP in light of the bacterial pathogens diagnosed as causative agents of CAP. Secondary analysis of the GLIMP, a point-prevalence international study which enrolled adults hospitalized with CAP in 2015. The analysis was l…
The analysis of the oral DNA virome reveals which viruses are widespread and rare among healthy young adults in Valencia (Spain).
2017
We have analysed oral wash samples from 72 healthy young adults in Valencia (Spain) for a metagenomic analysis through the construction of shotgun libraries and high-throughput-sequencing. The oral viral communities have been taxonomically characterised as well as and the gene content from the latter. The majority of viruses are found in few individuals, with single occurrences being the most widespread ones, whereas universally distributed viruses, while present, are relatively rare, with bacteriophages from families Siphoviridae and Myoviridae, and Streptococcus phages, as well as the eukaryotic viral family Herpesviridae amongst the most widespread viruses. No significant differences wer…
Is there association between chronic kidney disease and dental caries? A case-controlled study
2018
Background The purpose of this study was to assess the association between chronic kidney diseases (CKD) and dental caries. Material and Methods 107 patients with CKD and 107 with no systemic alteration were randomly included. DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth), plaque index, colony-forming units (CFU) of Streptococcus mutans and salivary composition (IgA total, IgA anti- Streptococcus mutans, calcium and urea) were evaluated. McNemar and Wilcoxon tests were used to compare test and control groups. Spearman test was used to correlate time of hemodialysis and variables studied. Associations between variables were evaluated by logistic regression analysis. Results The number of filled …
Horizontal transmission of streptococcus mutans in schoolchildren
2011
Objetive: The aim of this study was to analyze possible horizontal transmission patterns of S. mutans among 6-7-yr-old schoolchildren from the same class, identifying genotypes and their diversity and relationship with caries disease status. Study Design: Caries indexes and saliva mutans streptococci and lactobacilli counts were recorded in 42 schoolchildren. Mutans streptococci colonies were identified by means of biochemical tests and all S. mutans strains were genotyped by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction. A child was considered free of S. mutans when it could not be isolated in 3 samples at 1-week intervals. Results: S. mutans was isolated in 30 schoolchildren: 20 having one…
Epidemiology of Toxoplasma and CMV serology and of GBS colonization in pregnancy and neonatal outcome in a Sicilian population
2013
Background: Aim of our study is to analyze the immunological status in pregnancy for two main TORCH agents, Toxoplasma and Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and the results of group B streptococcus (GBS) screening, assessing the risk for congenital infection in a population from Palermo, Italy. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of all inborn live newborns who were born in our division during 2012, gathering information about the mother, the pregnancy and neonatal hospitalization at birth. Whenever data were available, we categorized the serologic status of the mothers for Toxoplasma and CMV. We also considered the results of rectal and vaginal swabs for GBS. We compared the resu…
Factors Associated with Influenza Vaccination of Hospitalized Elderly Patients in Spain
2016
Vaccination of the elderly is an important factor in limiting the impact of influenza in the community. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with influenza vaccination coverage in hospitalized patients aged ≥ 65 years hospitalized due to causes unrelated to influenza in Spain. We carried out a cross-sectional study. Bivariate analysis was performed comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated patients, taking in to account sociodemographic variables and medical risk conditions. Multivariate analysis was performed using multilevel regression models. We included 1038 patients: 602 (58%) had received the influenza vaccine in the 2013-14 season. Three or more general practit…
H-ficolin (ficolin-3) concentrations and FCN3 gene polymorphism in neonates
2011
Serum H-ficolin (ficolin-3) concentrations (n=613) and FCN3 genotypes (n=529) from a large group of neonates are presented. Both pre-term deliveries and low birthweight (independently of gestational age) were significantly associated with low H-ficolin concentrations but not with heterozygosity for the FCN3 1637delC frameshift mutation. The presence of the variant allele, however, apparently influenced the protein level. No association of FCN3 gene heterozygosity or relative functional H-ficolin insufficiency (determined as serum level ≤8.6 μg/ml) with perinatal infections was found. One premature newborn, with confirmed infection caused by Streptococcus agalactiae, was H-ficolin-deficient …
Estimating the burden of hospitalization for pneumococcal pneumonia in a general population aged 50 years or older and implications for vaccination s…
2014
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of human infectious diseases worldwide. Despite this documented evidence, data on pneumococcal disease rates among general populations are scant because of the frequent lack of cultural identification. In this study we propose a model for estimating the burden of pneumococcal pneumonia on hospitalizations. The study was performed by analyzing administrative and clinical data of patients aged 50 years or older, resident in Sicily, and hospitalized, from 2005 to 2012. Demographic information, admission/discharge dates, discharge status, and up to 6 discharge diagnoses coded according to ICD-9 CM were collected for each hospitalized patient. During the…