Publications

TitleAbstractYear(sorted ascending)
Filter
PMID
Filter
a mother cell-to-forespore channel: current understanding and future challenges.formation of endospores allows some bacteria to survive extreme nutrient limitation. the resulting dormant cell, the spore, persists in the environment and is highly resistant to physical and chemical stresses. during spore formation, cells divide asymmetrically and the mother cell engulfs the developing spore, encasing it within a double membrane and isolating it from the medium. communication between mother cell and isolated forespore involves a specialised connection system that allows nurtur ...201425105965
engineering of bacillus subtilis strains to allow rapid characterization of heterologous diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases.microbial processes, including biofilm formation, motility, and virulence, are often regulated by changes in the available concentration of cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-gmp). generally, high c-di-gmp concentrations are correlated with decreased motility and increased biofilm formation and low c-di-gmp concentrations are correlated with an increase in motility and activation of virulence pathways. the study of c-di-gmp is complicated, however, by the fact that organisms often enco ...201425085482
conserved oligopeptide permeases modulate sporulation initiation in clostridium difficile.the anaerobic gastrointestinal pathogen clostridium difficile must form a metabolically dormant spore to survive in oxygenic environments and be transmitted from host to host. the regulatory factors by which c. difficile initiates and controls the early stages of sporulation in c. difficile are not highly conserved in other clostridium or bacillus species. here, we investigated the role of two conserved oligopeptide permeases, opp and app, in the regulation of sporulation in c. difficile. these ...201425069979
the regulatory network controlling spore formation in clostridium difficile.clostridium difficile, a gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium, is a major cause of nosocomial infections such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea. spores are the vector of its transmission and persistence in the environment. despite the importance of spores in the infectious cycle of c. difficile, little was known until recently about the control of spore development in this enteropathogen. in this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of the regulatory network cont ...201425048412
use of bacillus subtilis pxn21 spores for suppression of clostridium difficile infection symptoms in a murine model.clostridium difficile is the primary cause of nosocomial diarrhoea in healthcare centres of the developed world. only a few antibiotics are available for treatment, and relapses are common in patients undergoing antibiotic therapy. new approaches are required to reduce reliance on antibiotics, the use of which represents a primary risk factor for development of c. difficile infections. supplementation of the gut flora with probiotics represents a key area for producing more successful treatment ...201424828432
clostridium difficile spore biology: sporulation, germination, and spore structural proteins.clostridium difficile is a gram-positive, spore-forming obligate anaerobe and a major nosocomial pathogen of worldwide concern. owing to its strict anaerobic requirements, the infectious and transmissible morphotype is the dormant spore. in susceptible patients, c. difficile spores germinate in the colon to form the vegetative cells that initiate clostridium difficile infections (cdi). during cdi, c. difficile induces a sporulation pathway that produces more spores; these spores are responsible ...201424814671
hard surface biocontrol in hospitals using microbial-based cleaning products.healthcare-associated infections (hais) are one of the most frequent complications occurring in healthcare facilities. contaminated environmental surfaces provide an important potential source for transmission of many healthcare-associated pathogens, thus indicating the need for new and sustainable strategies.201425259528
evaluation of the in vitro activity of levornidazole, its metabolites and comparators against clinical anaerobic bacteria.this study evaluated the in vitro anti-anaerobic activity and spectrum of levornidazole, its metabolites and comparators against 375 clinical isolates of anaerobic bacteria, including gram-negative bacilli (181 strains), gram-negative cocci (11 strains), gram-positive bacilli (139 strains) and gram-positive cocci (44 strains), covering 34 species. minimum inhibitory concentrations (mics) of levornidazole, its five metabolites and three comparators against these anaerobic isolates were determined ...201425301712
activity of the investigational fluoroquinolone finafloxacin and seven other antimicrobial agents against 114 obligately anaerobic bacteria.the activity of finafloxacin against 73 strains of the bacteroides fragilis group, 10 other gram-negative anaerobic rods and 31 clostridium difficile strains was determined by the broth microdilution technique. the activity was compared with that of moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, imipenem, piperacillin/tazobactam and metronidazole. mic(50/90) values (minimum inhibitory concentration, in μg/ml, at which 50% and 90% of the isolates tested are inhibited, respectively) for f ...201425264128
efficacy of surotomycin in an in vitro gut model of clostridium difficile infection.we investigated the efficacy of the cyclic lipopeptide surotomycin in treating clindamycin-induced clostridium difficile infection (cdi) using an in vitro gut model.201424816211
design and in vitro evaluation of a novel poly(methacrylic acid)/metronidazole antibacterial nanogel as an oral dosage form.to overcome the undesirable side-effects of metronidazole (mtz), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate is used as the cross-linker, and a series of poly(methacrylic acid) (pmaa) nanogels were prepared to load the mtz. we investigated the morphology, size, in vitro release property in the simulated gastrointestinal medium, long-term antibacterial performance against bacteroides fragilis, cytotoxicity, stability and activity of this novel mtz/pmaa nanogel. the results indicate that the mtz/pmaa nanogel s ...201424727529
influence of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis against group b streptococcus on the early newborn gut composition and evaluation of the anti-streptococcus activity of bifidobacterium strains.several factors are known to influence the early colonization of the gut in newborns. among them, the use of antibiotics on the mother during labor, referred to as intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (iap), has scarcely been investigated, although this practice is routinely used in group b streptococcus (gbs)-positive women. this work is therefore aimed at verifying whether iap can influence the main microbial groups of the newborn gut microbiota at an early stage of microbial establishment. fift ...201424687755
in vitro activity of cadazolid against clinically relevant clostridium difficile isolates and in an in vitro gut model of c. difficile infection.we investigated the in vitro activity of cadazolid against 100 clostridium difficile isolates and its efficacy in a simulated human gut model of c. difficile infection (cdi).201424128668
the correlation between clostridium-difficile infection and human gut concentrations of bacteroidetes phylum and clostridial species.we aimed to assess differences in bacterial intensities of bacteroidetes phylum and different clostridial species in the human intestines with respect to c. difficile infection. patients with a stool assay for c. difficile toxin were identified via the microbiology laboratory in our institute. bacterial populations were quantified from stool samples of four groups of patients: group i-patients with c. difficile associated diarrhea (cdad); group ii-asymptomatic c. difficile carriers; group iii-pa ...201424048726
gut microbiota-produced succinate promotes c. difficile infection after antibiotic treatment or motility disturbance.clostridium difficile is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. the mechanisms underlying c. difficile expansion after microbiota disturbance are just emerging. we assessed the gene expression profile of c. difficile within the intestine of gnotobiotic mice to identify genes regulated in response to either dietary or microbiota compositional changes. in the presence of the gut symbiont bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, c. difficile induces a pathway that metabolizes the microbiota fermen ...201425498344
gastrointestinal colonization with a cephalosporinase-producing bacteroides species preserves colonization resistance against vancomycin-resistant enterococcus and clostridium difficile in cephalosporin-treated mice.antibiotics that are excreted into the intestinal tract may disrupt the indigenous intestinal microbiota and promote colonization by health care-associated pathogens. β-lactam, or penicillin-type, antibiotics are among the most widely utilized antibiotics worldwide and may also adversely affect the microbiota. many bacteria are capable, however, of producing β-lactamase enzymes that inactivate β-lactam antibiotics. we hypothesized that prior establishment of intestinal colonization with a β-lact ...201424867962
discovery of selective inhibitors of the clostridium difficile dehydroquinate dehydratase.a vibrant and healthy gut flora is essential for preventing the proliferation of clostridium difficile, a pathogenic bacterium that causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms. in fact, most c. difficile infections (cdis) occur after broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment, which, by eradicating the commensal gut bacteria, allows its spores to proliferate. hence, a c. difficile specific antibiotic that spares the gut flora would be highly beneficial in treating cdi. towards this goal, we set out to disc ...201424586713
a novel multi-strain probiotic and synbiotic supplement for prevention of clostridium difficile infection in a murine model.the protective effect of a multi-strain probiotic and synbiotic formulation was evaluated in c57bl/6 mice infected with clostridium difficile (cd) nap1/027. antibiotic-treated mice were divided into the following four groups: group 1, fed with a synbiotic formulation consisting of lactobacillus plantarum f44, l. paracasei f8, bifidobacterium breve 46, b. lactis 8:8, galacto-oligosaccharides, isomalto-oligosaccharides, and resistant starch; group 2, fed with the same four probiotic strains as gro ...201425059277
selective growth-inhibitory effect of 8-hydroxyquinoline towards clostridium difficile and bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum in co-culture analysed by flow cytometry.the major risk factor for clostridium difficile infection (cdi) is the use of antibiotics owing to the disruption of the equilibrium of the host gut microbiota. to preserve the beneficial resident probiotic bacteria during infection treatment, the use of molecules with selective antibacterial activity enhances the efficacy by selectively removing c. difficile. one of them is the plant alkaloid 8-hydroxyquinoline (8hq), which has been shown to selectively inhibit clostridia without repressing bif ...201425298160
essential oil composition and antimicrobial activity of angelica archangelica l. (apiaceae) roots.in this paper, the chemical composition and the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of angelica archangelica l. (apiaceae) roots from central italy were analyzed. the major constituents of the oil were α-pinene (21.3%), δ-3-carene (16.5%), limonene (16.4%) and α-phellandrene (8.7%). the oil shows a good antimicrobial activity against clostridium difficile, clostridium perfringens, enterococcus faecalis, eubacterium limosum, peptostreptococcus anaerobius, and candida albicans with minimum ...201424788027
gastrointestinal pathogens detected by multiplex nucleic acid amplification testing in stools of pediatric patients and patients returning from the tropics.gastrointestinal infections are caused by a broad spectrum of pathogens. conventional diagnostic procedures are resource and time consuming due to single pathogen testing, often in different laboratories.201425015433
immunological function of familial mediterranean fever disease protein pyrin.pyrin, encoded by mefv gene, is conserved in humans and mice. mutations in the mefv gene are associated with the human autoinflammatory disease familial mediterranean fever (fmf). pyrin can interact with the inflammasome adaptor asc and induce inflammatory caspase-1 activation in monocytic cells, but the physiological function of pyrin has been unknown for many years. here we summarize previous studies of pyrin function under the context of fmf and immunity, and discuss a recent study demonstrat ...201425307949
innate immune sensing of bacterial modifications of rho gtpases by the pyrin inflammasome.cytosolic inflammasome complexes mediated by a pattern recognition receptor (prr) defend against pathogen infection by activating caspase 1. pyrin, a candidate prr, can bind to the inflammasome adaptor asc to form a caspase 1-activating complex. mutations in the pyrin-encoding gene, mefv, cause a human autoinflammatory disease known as familial mediterranean fever. despite important roles in immunity and disease, the physiological function of pyrin remains unknown. here we show that pyrin mediat ...201424919149
establishing a list of qualifying pathogens under the food and drug administration safety and innovation act. final rule.the food and drug administration (fda or agency) is issuing a regulation to establish a list of "qualifying pathogens'' that have the potential to pose a serious threat to public health. this final rule implements a provision of the generating antibiotic incentives now (gain) title of the food and drug administration safety and innovation act (fdasia). gain is intended to encourage development of new antibacterial and antifungal drugs for the treatment of serious or life-threatening infections, ...201424908687
nfil3 is crucial for development of innate lymphoid cells and host protection against intestinal pathogens.the bzip transcription factor nfil3 (also known as e4bp4) is required for the development of natural killer (nk) cells and type 1 innate lymphoid cells (ilc1s). we find that nfil3 plays a critical role in the development of other mucosal tissue-associated innate lymphocytes. type 3 ilcs (ilc3s), including lymphoid tissue inducer (lti)-like cells, are severely diminished in both numbers and function in nfil3-deficient mice. using mixed bone marrow chimeric mice, we demonstrate that nfil3 is criti ...201425113970
predictors of mortality after emergency colectomy for clostridium difficile colitis: an analysis of acs-nsqip.to evaluate clinical factors associated with mortality in emergency colectomies performed for clostridium difficile colitis.201423470584
does a rapid diagnosis of clostridium difficile infection impact on quality of patient management?a rapid and accurate diagnosis of clostridium difficile infection (cdi) is essential for patient management and implementation of infection control measures. during a prospective time-series study, we compared the impact of three different diagnostic strategies on patient care. each strategy was tested during a 3-month period: p1 (diagnosis based on the stool cytotoxicity assay and the toxigenic culture), p2 (diagnosis based on pcr) and p3 (two-step algorithm based on glutamate dehydrogenase det ...201423565919
[septic shock due to a community acquired clostridium difficile infection. a case study and a review of the literature].the epidemiology of clostridium difficile infection has changed in the past decade. the incidence rate of community acquired cases has increased in patients with no typical risk factors. we present a patient who was diagnosed with community-acquired clostridium difficile infection who presented with acute abdominal pain, and subsequently developed acute renal failure and septic shock. we describe the diagnosis, treatment and outcome and brief review of the literature.201423735318
intestinal alkaline phosphatase prevents antibiotic-induced susceptibility to enteric pathogens.to determine the efficacy of oral supplementation of the gut enzyme intestinal alkaline phosphatase (iap) in preventing antibiotic-associated infections from salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium (s. typhimurium) and clostridium difficile.201423598380
evaluation of the rapid loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay illumigene for diagnosis of clostridium difficile in an outbreak situation.an outbreak of clostridium difficile infection (cdi) at höglandet hospital eksjö in southern sweden in 2011 was mainly due to a multidrug-resistant pcr ribotype 046 (30% of all samples). diagnostics used routinely was the vidas cdab assay, but to control the outbreak the rapid loop-mediated isothermal amplification (lamp) assay illumigene was introduced and both techniques were compared to toxigenic culture (tc) prospectively. the lamp assay had a superior sensitivity, that is, 98% compared to 7 ...201423758095
modern trends in infection control practices in intensive care units.hospital-acquired infections (hais) are common in intensive care unit (icu) patients and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. there has been an increasing effort to prevent hais, and infection control practices are paramount in avoiding these complications. in the last several years, numerous developments have been seen in the infection prevention strategies in various health care settings. this article reviews the modern trends in infection control practices to prevent hais in ...201423753240
clostridium difficile in the icu: study of the incidence, recurrence, clinical characteristics and complications in a university hospital.although several studies have established the association between antibiotics and clostridium difficile infection (cdi), there is a lack of epidemiological studies on the incidence of cdi in european intensive care units outside the context of infection outbreaks. the present study describes the incidence, patient characteristics, complications, and recurrence rates of cdi in a spanish icu.201423769945
infectious agents associated with diarrhoea in neonatal foals in central kentucky: a comprehensive molecular study.diarrhoea caused by infectious agents is common in foals but there is no comprehensive molecular work-up of the relative prevalence of common agents and appearance of coinfections.201423773143
clostridium difficile colitis acquired in the intensive care unit: outcome and prognostic factors.we assessed factors associated with mortality and complicated course in the case of clostridium difficile infection (cdi) acquired in the intensive care unit (icu).201423780568
a retrospective review of metronidazole and vancomycin in the management of clostridium difficile infection in patients with hematologic malignancies.the incidence and severity of clostridium difficile infection has significantly increased over the past decade. although the epidemiology and treatment of c. difficile infection is well elucidated in the non-oncology population, it is poorly understood among cancer patients. this illustrates great concern as the majority of these patients are immunosuppressed, which puts them at higher risk for developing severe disease. furthermore, suboptimal treatment of c. difficile infection can compromise ...201423804627
in vitro selection, via serial passage, of clostridium difficile mutants with reduced susceptibility to fidaxomicin or vancomycin.current treatments for clostridium difficile infection include vancomycin, metronidazole and fidaxomicin. lff571 is an experimental agent undergoing evaluation in humans for the treatment of moderate c. difficile infection. reduced susceptibility of c. difficile to fidaxomicin or lff571 in vitro can be mediated by single point mutations in genes encoding the targets, whereas the mechanism(s) mediating reduced susceptibility to vancomycin in vitro remains elusive. to further characterize mechanis ...201423887866
treatment of recurrent clostridium difficile infection: a systematic review.clostridium difficile infection (cdi) recurs in nearly one-third of patients who develop an initial infection. recurrent cdi (rcdi) is associated with considerable morbidity, mortality, and cost. treatment for rcdi has not been not well examined.201423839210
clostridium difficile pcr ribotype 046 is common among neonatal pigs and humans in sweden.clostridium difficile pcr ribotype 046 was found in 67% of neonatal piglets (45/67) sampled from three separate pig-breeding farms in sweden. sows from the same farms were tested and 50% were colonized in faeces and 30% were colonized on skin. an environmental source was suggested because identical pcr ribotypes were isolated from faeces as well as externally. human c. difficile infection outbreaks in southern sweden by the identical pcr ribotype 046 indicate its zoonotic potential.201423927574
a statewide colectomy experience: the role of full bowel preparation in preventing surgical site infection.to assess the utility of full bowel preparation with oral nonabsorbable antibiotics in preventing infectious complications after elective colectomy.201423979289
clinical manifestations of clostridium difficile infection in a medical center in taiwan.to investigate the clinical characteristics of clostridium difficile infection (cdi) at a medical center in taiwan.201423978490
importance of toxin a, toxin b, and cdt in virulence of an epidemic clostridium difficile strain.clostridium difficile infection is the main cause of healthcare-acquired diarrhea in the developed world. in addition to the main virulence factors toxin a and b, epidemic, pcr ribotype 027 strains, such as r20291, produce a third toxin, cdt. to develop effective medical countermeasures, it is important to understand the importance of each toxin. accordingly, we created all possible combinations of isogenic toxin mutants of r20291 and assessed their virulence. we demonstrated that either toxin a ...201423935202
overlapping roles for toxins in clostridium difficile infection. 201423983214
complicated clostridium difficile colitis in children with cystic fibrosis: association with gastric acid suppression?patients with cystic fibrosis (cf) have several risk factors for clostridium difficile colonization such as frequent hospitalization and exposure to a broad array of antibiotics utilized for the control, eradication, and prophylaxis of respiratory pathogens. however, despite this high rate of colonization, the occurrence of c. difficile infection (cdi) in cf is rare. we report three children with cf who presented with severe community-associated cdi. all three children had complicated courses an ...201423993432
health care-associated infections: a meta-analysis of costs and financial impact on the us health care system.health care-associated infections (hais) account for a large proportion of the harms caused by health care and are associated with high costs. better evaluation of the costs of these infections could help providers and payers to justify investing in prevention.201423999949
use of data envelopment analysis to quantify opportunities for antibacterial targets for reduction of health care-associated clostridium difficile infection.clostridium difficile infection (cdi) is an important health care-associated infection that leads to increased morbidity and mortality. antibacterial medications used in hospitals serve as targets for antibacterial stewardship programs to reduce c difficile. the objective was to create a benchmark strategy targeting high-risk antibacterials for c difficile. this was a retrospective cross-sectional study using claims data from 58 hospitals. the data envelopment analysis technique was used to iden ...201424031081
short versus long course of antibiotics for catheter-associated urinary tract infections in patients with spinal cord injury: a randomized controlled noninferiority trial.to assess the applicability of a short-course regimen of antibiotics for managing catheter-associated urinary tract infection (ca-uti) in patients with spinal cord injury (sci).201424035770
successful treatment of simulated clostridium difficile infection in a human gut model by fidaxomicin first line and after vancomycin or metronidazole failure.fidaxomicin reduces the risk of recurrent clostridium difficile infection (cdi) compared with vancomycin. we investigated fidaxomicin primary or secondary treatment efficacy using a gut model.201424003182
a lactobacillus casei shirota probiotic drink reduces antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in patients with spinal cord injuries: a randomised controlled trial.certain probiotics may prevent the development of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (aad) and clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (cdad), but their effectiveness depends on both strain and dose. there are few data on nutritional interventions to control aad/cdad in the spinal cord injury (sci) population. the present study aimed to assess (1) the efficacy of consuming a commercially produced probiotic containing at least 6·5 × 10⁹ live lactobacillus casei shirota (lcs) in reducing the incid ...201424044687
opportunistic infections due to inflammatory bowel disease therapy.the use of biological agents and immunomodulators for inflammatory bowel disease (ibd) has remarkably improved disease management in the current era but at the same time has increased the risk of infectious complications. patients with ibd on corticosteroids, immunomodulators, and biological agents are considered immunocompromised and are at risk for opportunistic infections. these are infections caused by organisms that take advantage of a weakened immune system, and cause disease, when they or ...201424051931
structures of a bifunctional cell wall hydrolase cwlt containing a novel bacterial lysozyme and an nlpc/p60 dl-endopeptidase.tn916-like conjugative transposons carrying antibiotic resistance genes are found in a diverse range of bacteria. orf14 within the conjugation module encodes a bifunctional cell wall hydrolase cwlt that consists of an n-terminal bacterial lysozyme domain (n-acetylmuramidase, blysg) and a c-terminal nlpc/p60 domain (γ-d-glutamyl-l-diamino acid endopeptidase) and is expected to play an important role in the spread of the transposons. we determined the crystal structures of cwlt from two pathogens, ...201424051416
enterotoxigenic clostridium perfringens infection and pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease.clostridium difficile is the major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and is the most well known bacterial pathogen associated with inflammatory bowel disease (ibd). enterotoxigenic clostridium perfringens has also been detected in up to 15% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea cases, and it has not been found in healthy people. the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of c. perfringens infection in pediatric patients with ibd.201424060617
emerging clinical role of pivmecillinam in the treatment of urinary tract infection in the context of multidrug-resistant bacteria.the continuing spread of resistant gram-negative bacteria is a therapeutic challenge and prudent use of antimicrobials is therefore essential. urinary tract infections (utis), usually due to gram-negative bacteria, are among the most common infections seen in the community. moreover, bacterial strains producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases (esbls) that are resistant not only to cephalosporins and penicillins, but also to fluoroquinolones and trimethoprim, are becoming more prevalent in the com ...201424068280
first case of autochthonous clostridium difficile pcr ribotype 027 detected in spain.clostridium difficile ribotype 027 (cd027) has caused outbreaks in the united states, canada, and europe since 2001. in spain, the importance of cd027 is still unknown. in 2007, we began active surveillance of cd027 to determine its incidence in our hospital.201424074903
risk factors for clostridium difficile infection in the community: a case-control study in patients in general practice, denmark, 2009-2011.to identify risk factors for clostridium difficile infection (cdi) in danish patients consulting general practice with gastrointestinal symptoms, a prospective matched case-control study was performed; cases (n = 259) had positive cultures for toxigenic c. difficile and controls (n = 455) negative cultures. data were analysed by conditional logistic regression. in patients aged ⩾2 years (138 cases), hospitalization [odds ratio (or) 8·4, 95% confidence interval (ci) 3·1-23], consumption of beef ( ...201424073613
molecular epidemiology of clostridium difficile strains from nosocomial-acquired infections.the purpose of this study is to analyze isolates of clostridium difficile from patients with nosocomial acquired infection in respect to their molecular type and antimicrobial susceptibility. fifty-nine randomly selected clinical isolates were characterized. molecular typing was performed by rep-pcr (diversilab). isolates were tested by disk diffusion towards 11 different antibiotics. all isolates were susceptible to metronidazole and vancomycin. fifty five (93 %) isolates were resistant to eryt ...201424081935
how do university education and clinical experience influence pre-registration nursing students' infection control practice? a descriptive, cross sectional survey.this study aims to explore nursing students' knowledge of infection control and investigate how university education and clinical experience influence their infection control practice.201424090618
guidance on preparing an investigational new drug application for fecal microbiota transplantation studies.fecal microbiota transplantation (fmt) is an effective treatment for clostridium difficile infections that are refractory to antibiotic therapy. because of the important roles of the microbiota in the function of the gastrointestinal tract and other aspects of human physiology, there is a growing interest in studying fmt for other clinical indications. the us food and drug administration regulates clinical studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of fmt. studies of fmt for recurrent clostridi ...201424107393
clinical differences in clostridium difficile infection based on age: a multicenter study.advancing age is a well-known risk factor for clostridium difficile infection (cdi). however, age-specific clinical differences in cdi are uncertain. a retrospective comparative analysis was performed based on age in 1367 patients with cdi in korea. most clinical features were similar in the two age groups studied, however malignancy was more common in the older group (age ≥ 65 y) (p < 0.001), while chemotherapy and transplantation were more common in the younger group (age < 65 y) (p < 0.001). ...201424106984
cadazolid, a novel antibiotic with potent activity against clostridium difficile: safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics in healthy subjects following single and multiple oral doses.current treatment options for clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (cdad) leave a high unmet medical need for new therapies. cadazolid is a new antibiotic in development for the treatment of cdad. the objectives of this study were to evaluate its tolerability and pharmacokinetics following single ascending doses (ac-061-101) and multiple ascending doses (ac-061-102).201424106141
sensitivity to antibiotics of clostridium difficile toxigenic nosocomial strains.clostridium difficile is the etiological agent of diarrhoea and colitis, especially in elderly patients. the incidence of these diseases has increased during the last 10 years. emergence of so-called hypervirulent strains is considered as one of the main factors responsible for the more severe disease and changed profile of sensitivity to antimicrobial agents. the aim of this work was to determine the sensitivity profile of toxigenic strains of c. difficile in the czech republic in 2011-2012 to ...201424114414
metabolic engineering of escherichia coli for biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) from glucose.the escherichia coli xl1-blue strain was metabolically engineered to synthesize poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [p(3hb-co-3hv)] through 2-ketobutyrate, which is generated via citramalate pathway, as a precursor for propionyl-coa. two different metabolic pathways were examined for the synthesis of propionyl-coa from 2-ketobutyrate. the first pathway is composed of the dickeya dadantii 3937 2-ketobutyrate oxidase or the e. coli pyruvate oxidase mutant (poxb l253f v380a) for the conver ...201424113828
added value of multiplex luminex gastrointestinal pathogen panel (xtag® gpp) testing in the diagnosis of infectious gastroenteritis.the luminex gastrointestinal pathogen panel (xtag(®) gpp) detects in one assay the most common gastroenteritis-causing pathogens and toxins, namely adenovirus 40/41, norovirus genogroup (ng) i/ii, rotavirus a, clostridium difficile toxin a/b, campylobacter sp., escherichia coli o157, enterotoxigenic e. coli heat-labile enterotoxin/heat-stable enterotoxin, salmonella sp., shiga-toxin producing e. coli, shiga-like toxin (stx)1/2, shigella sp., vibrio cholerae, yersinia enterocolitica, cryptosporid ...201424131399
colonic decompression and direct intraluminal medical therapy for clostridium difficile-associated megacolon using a tube placed endoscopically in the proximal colon.urgent colectomy for severe clostridium difficile infection can be associated with increased morbidity and mortality. we aimed to use endoscopic methods for treatment.201424134562
[clostridium difficile infection (cdi) in the course of time - an issue only for the internist?].toxigenic strains of clostridium (c.) difficile are the most prevalent pathogens of antibiotic associated intestinal disease and nosocomial diarrhoea. during the last 10 years, incidences of c. difficile infection (cdi) have increased worldwide.201424132675
fecal transplantation therapy for clostridium difficile-associated pouchitis. 201424132529
european society of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases: update of the treatment guidance document for clostridium difficile infection.in 2009 the first european society of clinical microbiology and infection (escmid) treatment guidance document for clostridium difficile infection (cdi) was published. the guideline has been applied widely in clinical practice. in this document an update and review on the comparative effectiveness of the currently available treatment modalities of cdi is given, thereby providing evidence-based recommendations on this issue. a computerized literature search was carried out to investigate randomiz ...201424118601
simple approach for ultrasensitive electrochemical immunoassay of clostridium difficile toxin b detection.clostridium difficile toxin b (tcd b), as one of the primary contributing factors to the pathogenesis of c. difficile-associated diseases, has raised serious public concerns due to its virulence, spore-forming ability and persistence with major types of infectious diarrhea diseases, and been used as a potential biomarker in clinical diagnoses. thus, a simple method for the determination of tcd b was developed based on a sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor. greatly enhanced sensitivity was ...201424141113
functional analysis of slec from clostridium difficile: an essential lytic transglycosylase involved in spore germination.clostridium difficile is the most common cause of enteric disease and presents a major burden on healthcare systems globally due in part to the observed rapid rise in antibiotic resistance. the ability of c. difficile to form endospores is a key feature in the organism's pathogenesis and transmission, and contributes greatly to its resilient nature. endospores are highly resistant to disinfection, allowing them to persist on hospital surfaces. in order for the organism to cause disease, the spor ...201424140647
what is the value of a food and drug administration investigational new drug application for fecal microbiota transplantation to treat clostridium difficile infection? 201424148361
utility of a commercial pcr assay and a clinical prediction rule for detection of toxigenic clostridium difficile in asymptomatic carriers.a commercial pcr assay of perirectal swab specimens detected 17 (68%) of 25 asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic clostridium difficile, including 93% with skin and/or environmental contamination. a clinical prediction rule, followed by pcr screening, could be used to identify carriers at high risk of c. difficile shedding.201424153132
surveillance cultures in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.the value of surveillance cultures in predicting systemic infections and in guiding antimicrobial treatment is controversial. we investigated 57 pediatric allo-scts between 2007 and 2009. all (34), aml (5), and severe aplastic anemia (4) were the largest patient groups. conditioning was tbi-based in 87% and 54% developed gvhd (21% grade iii-iv). of the 2594 weekly colonization samples, 24% were positive (fecal bacteria 86%, fecal fungi 16%, clostridium difficile 16%; throat bacteria 17% and thro ...201424152015
an antibiotic-altered microbiota provides fuel for the enteric foe.antibiotic therapies disrupt the intestinal microbiota and render the host susceptible to enteric infections. a recent report by ng et al. explores the ability of two intestinal pathogens (salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium and clostridium difficile) to use this disruption to their advantage and consume host carbohydrates that would otherwise be unavailable in the presence of a normal gut microbiota.201424165893
role of leptin-mediated colonic inflammation in defense against clostridium difficile colitis.the role of leptin in the mucosal immune response to clostridium difficile colitis, a leading cause of nosocomial infection, was studied in humans and in a murine model. previously, a mutation in the receptor for leptin (lepr) was shown to be associated with susceptibility to infectious colitis and liver abscess due to entamoeba histolytica as well as to bacterial peritonitis. here we discovered that european americans homozygous for the same lepr q223r mutation (rs1137101), known to result in d ...201424166957
toxin-producing clostridium difficile strains as long-term gut colonizers in healthy infants.clostridium difficile is a colonizer of the human gut, and toxin-producing strains may cause diarrhea if the infectious burden is heavy. infants are more frequently colonized than adults, but they rarely develop c. difficile disease. it is not known whether strains of c. difficile differ in the capacity to colonize and persist in the human gut microbiota. here, we strain typed isolates of c. difficile that had colonized 42 healthy infants followed from birth to ≥12 months of age by using pcr rib ...201424172156
predictors of first recurrence of clostridium difficile infections in children.little is known regarding the risk of recurrence of clostridium difficile infection (cdi) in children. in a 9-year cohort, 12% of hospitalized children with cdi had recurrent disease. receipt of concomitant antibiotics and community-associated cdi were independently associated with recurrent disease in children hospitalized with cdi. antibiotics administered for reasons other than treatment of cdi should be discontinued whenever possible.201424168983
clostridium difficile: epidemiology, diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities-a systematic review.this literature review looks at the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostics and current medical and surgical management of clostridium difficile (c. difficile) infection. a literature search of pubmed and cochrane database regarding c. difficile infection was performed. information was extracted from 43 published articles from 2000 to the present day which met inclusion criteria. c. difficile is a gram-positive, anaerobic bacillus, which is widely found in the environment, especially ...201424178946
hypersensitivity reactions associated with fidaxomicin use.we report hypersensitivity reactions associated with fidaxomicin, an antibacterial drug approved for the treatment of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea. these reactions are viewed as significant because of severity and unexpected because fidaxomicin is minimally absorbed. the fidaxomicin labeling was revised to include information about the possibility of hypersensitivity reactions.201424178248
antibiotic-associated complications following lower limb arthroplasty: a comparison of two prophylactic regimes.as part of a wider drive to reduce clostridium difficile rates (cdad), our trust switched from cefuroxime to gentamicin and flucloxacillin prophylaxis for joint replacement surgery. anecdotal evidence suggested that we were seeing an increased incidence of acute kidney injury (aki) following elective total hip replacement (thr) and total knee replacement (tkr) since this change. the aim of this study was to compare rates of aki and post-operative infection between the two antibiotic regimes.201424178085
genetic analysis of tn916-like elements conferring tetracycline resistance in clinical isolates of clostridium difficile.as an important clinically relevant pathogen, clostridium difficile has a high multidrug resistance rate. conjugative transposons play a vital role in its resistance phenotype. in the present study, 34 tetracycline-resistant clinical isolates of c. difficile were studied to detect tetracycline resistance genes and the presence of transposons. thirty-two isolates were found to harbour tn916-like elements carrying the tet(m) resistance gene, of which only one copy existed in the genome by southern ...201424176599
incidence and mortality associated with clostridium difficile infection at a japanese tertiary care center.although increases in clostridium difficile infection (cdi) incidence and severity have been observed in numerous countries, the incidence of cdi in japan remains unclear. the goal of this study was to determine the incidence and outcomes of cdi at a japanese tertiary care center.201424184291
bacterial counts from five over-the-counter probiotics: are you getting what you paid for?there is concern that the bacterial colony counts present at the time of manufacture and listed on the probiotic package may not be reflective of the numbers viable colonies at the time of purchase and patient consumption thereby diminishing efficacy. we performed a colony count study of three separate samples of five different probiotics purchased from three different stores: bifidobacterium infantis (align(®)); lactobacillus acidophilus cl1285(®) and lactobacillus casei lbc80r(®) (bio-k+(®)); ...201424184290
bacteremia as an adverse event of fecal microbiota transplantation in a patient with crohn's disease and recurrent clostridium difficile infection. 201424184170
evolution of interventional vancomycin trials in light of new antibiotic development in the usa, 1999-2012.use of vancomycin has increased following the emergence of resistant gram-positive bacterial infections. investigation into recent vancomycin clinical studies provides insight into the optimal use of vancomycin and the development of novel antibiotics for the treatment of resistant infections. interventional vancomycin trials registered in clinicaltrials.gov from january 1999 to december 2012 were identified. trial trends and characteristics were evaluated in the context of vancomycin use and ne ...201424183801
acute oxalate nephropathy associated with clostridium difficile colitis.we report the case of a 69-year-old man who presented with acute kidney injury in the setting of community-acquired clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea and biopsy-proven acute oxalate nephropathy. we discuss potential mechanisms, including increased colonic permeability to oxalate. we conclude that c difficile-associated diarrhea is a potential cause of acute oxalate nephropathy.201424183111
clostridium difficile infection in children with inflammatory bowel disease: current evidence.inflammatory bowel disease (ibd) is a chronic, immune-mediated disease of the gastrointestinal tract that develops in genetically susceptible individuals. questions about the role of infections in the development and exacerbations of inflammatory bowel disease remain unanswered. among numerous bacteria that have been linked to ibd, the most frequently associated is clostridium difficile. clinical symptoms of c. difficile infection and an exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease are often indis ...201424180405
predicting a complicated course of clostridium difficile infection at the bedside.clostridium difficile infections (cdis) are a common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and associated with cdi-related mortality in c. 10%. to date, there is no prediction model in use that guides clinicians to identify patients at high risk for complicated cdi. from 2006 to 2009, nine dutch hospitals included hospitalized cdi patients in a prospective cohort. potential predictors of a complicated course (icu admission, colectomy or death due to cdi) were evaluated in uni- and multivariat ...201424188103
comparison of simplexa universal direct pcr with cytotoxicity assay for diagnosis of clostridium difficile infection: performance, cost, and correlation with disease.simplexa clostridium difficile universal direct pcr, a real-time pcr assay for the detection of the c. difficile toxin b (tcdb) gene using the 3m integrated cycler, was compared with a two-step algorithm which includes the c. diff chek-60 glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) antigen assay followed by cytotoxin neutralization. three hundred forty-two liquid or semisolid stools submitted for diagnostic c. difficile testing, 171 gdh antigen positive and 171 gdh antigen negative, were selected for the stud ...201424226924
health care use and serious infection prevalence associated with penicillin "allergy" in hospitalized patients: a cohort study.penicillin is the most common drug "allergy" noted at hospital admission, although it is often inaccurate.201424188976
constructing identities in the media: newspaper coverage analysis of a major uk clostridium difficile outbreak.to examine how a major clostridium difficile outbreak in the uk was represented in the media.201424224760
whole-genome sequencing demonstrates that fidaxomicin is superior to vancomycin for preventing reinfection and relapse of infection with clostridium difficile.whole-genome sequencing was used to determine whether the reductions in recurrence of clostridium difficile infection observed with fidaxomicin in pivotal phase 3 trials occurred by preventing relapse of the same infection, by preventing reinfection with a new strain, or by preventing both outcomes. paired isolates of c. difficile were available from 93 of 199 participants with recurrences (28 were treated with fidaxomicin, and 65 were treated with vancomycin). given c. difficile evolutionary ra ...201424218500
accuracy of administrative code data for the surveillance of healthcare-associated infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.administrative code data (acd), such as international classifications of diseases, ninth revision, clinical modification codes, are widely used in surveillance and public reporting programs that seek to identify healthcare-associated infections (hais); however, little is known about their accuracy. this systematic review summarizes evidence for the accuracy of acd for the detection of selected hais, including catheter-associated urinary tract infection, clostridium difficile infection (cdi), cen ...201424218103
clostridium difficile infection in children hospitalized due to diarrhea.the frequency of clostridium difficile infection (cdi)-related hospitalizations is increasing. the aim of this study was to determine the extent of cdi among children hospitalized with diarrhea, risk factors or predictors for severe cdi, the prevalence of nap1, and to compare the course of cdi depending on bacteria toxicity profile. a retrospective analysis of case records of 64 children (age range 3 months-16 years, median age 2.12 years) with cdi as defined by diarrheal disease and positive po ...201424213847
clinical comparison of simplexa universal direct and bd geneohm tests for detection of toxigenic clostridium difficile in stool samples.we compared the performance characteristics of the simplexa universal direct (focus diagnostics, cypress, ca) and bd geneohm (bd diagnostics/geneohm sciences, san diego, ca) tests for detection of toxigenic clostridium difficile in 459 stool samples (9.4% positive). the observed agreement for the results of the two tests with 452 samples with valid test results was 98.2% (kappa, 0.9; p value of 0.73 by the mcnemar test). when samples with discordant or invalid results were retested, the agreemen ...201424197886
[severe colitis due to community-acquired ribotype 027 clostridium difficile]. 201424252599
comparative in vitro activities of smt19969, a new antimicrobial agent, against 162 strains from 35 less frequently recovered intestinal clostridium species: implications for clostridium difficile recurrence.we determined the comparative activity of smt19969 (smt) against 162 strains representing 35 well-characterized clostridium species in clusters i to xix and 13 clostridium species that had no 16s rrna match. smt mics ranged from 0.06 to >512 μg/ml and were not species related. smt might have less impact on normal gut microbiota than other clostridium difficile infection (cdi) antimicrobials.201424247123
fecal microbiota transplantation: facts and controversies.to review the current evidence on fecal microbiota transplantations (fmts) for recurrent clostridium difficile infections (cdis), metabolic syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.201424241245
progress in the discovery of treatments for c. difficile infection: a clinical and medicinal chemistry review.clostridium difficile is an anaerobic, gram-positive pathogen that causes c. difficile infection, which results in significant morbidity and mortality. the incidence of c. difficile infection in developed countries has become increasingly high due to the emergence of newer epidemic strains, a growing elderly population, extensive use of broad spectrum antibiotics, and limited therapies for this diarrheal disease. because treatment options currently available for c. difficile infection have some ...201424236721
discrepancies among three laboratory methods for clostridium difficile detection and a proposal for their optimal use.clostridium difficile is the major cause of nosocomial diarrhoea. several detection methods are available for the laboratory diagnosis of c. difficile, but these vary in terms of sensitivity and specificity. in this study, we compared the performance of three following laboratory tests to detect c. difficile: in-house real-time pcr aiming for toxin b gene (tcdb), eia for detection of toxins a and b (premier toxins a & b) and c. difficile culture in selective medium (biomerieux). our results were ...201424236508
the changing epidemiology of clostridium difficile infection.clostridium difficile infection (cdi) is a growing concern and has a substantial impact on morbidity and mortality. epidemiology of cdi has dramatically changed over the last decade. diagnostic and treatment strategies are even more complicated given the wide variety of available diagnostic methods and the emergence of refractory or recurrent cdi. this review is intended to provide information on current cdi epidemiology and guidance for evidence-based diagnosis and management strategies.201424285002
microbiota transplantation restores normal fecal bile acid composition in recurrent clostridium difficile infection.fecal microbiota transplantation (fmt) has emerged as a highly effective therapy for refractory, recurrent clostridium difficile infection (cdi), which develops following antibiotic treatments. intestinal microbiota play a critical role in the metabolism of bile acids in the colon, which in turn have major effects on the lifecycle of c. difficile bacteria. we hypothesized that fecal bile acid composition is altered in patients with recurrent cdi and that fmt results in its normalization. general ...201424284963
Refresh
firstprev
...81828384858687888990...
nextlast
Displaying items 8301 - 8400 of 12134