Microflora of suppurative inflammatory foci in surgical patients and its sensitivity to antibiotics

Materials from 1134 patients with various surgical infections were tested. From the materials collected from purulent inflammatory foci 2137 cultures were isolated. Many of them belonged to Micrococcaceae (63.7 per cent). Cultures belonging to Enterobacteriaceae and Streptococcaceae were isolated from 50.9 and 25.2 per cent of the patients respectively. Isolates belonging to other families were less frequent: diphtheroids were isolated from 13.3 per cent of the patients and Pseudomonas spp. were isolated from 10.6 per cent of the patients. The majority of the isolates of diverse taxons were sensitive to gentamicin (73 to 98.4 per cent). As the second active antibiotic the following should be indicated: fusidin, active against staphylococci (S. epidermidis and S. aureus, 70.5 and 83.3 per cent respectively); ristomycin, active against micrococci and diphtheroids (75.3 and 79.1 per cent respectively); ampicillin, active against S. faecalis (61.3 per cent); polymyxin, active against the trib microbes Escherichia, Klebsiella and Pseudomonas (75.5, 64.3 and 71.4 per cent respectively). No second antibiotic active against a significant percentage of various species of Proteus, fecal alkali forming bacteria, and A. calcoaceticus was stated. Sporulating aerobes were sensitive to the majority of the antibiotics.     

Antilysozyme activity and antibiotic resistance of periulcerous zone microflora in patients with gastric and duodenal ulcer

Antilysozyme activity (ALA) as well as antibiotic resistance were detected in 133 microbial cultures isolated from bioptic specimens of the mucous membrane of the ulcerous and periulcerous zones, taken from patients with gastric and duodenal ulcer. In 85.7-94.7% of cases Gram positive cocci and in 62.5% of cases Gram-positive bacilli showed no ALA. 50% of Gram negative bacteria cultures lacked ALA, while the remaining 50% exhibited this activity, on the average, 2.36 +/- 1.40 mkg/ml. Lysozyme activity was determined in 33.3% of the isolated staphylococci strains both with and without ALA. Staphylococci isolated from the gastric mucosa of healthy controls had no ALA in 33.3% of cases, and in 66.7% of cases ALA was equal to 2 mkg/ml. Gram positive coccal microflora showed, mainly, high sensitivity to antibiotics. In Gram negative bacteria antibiotic resistance was determined in 44.3 +/- 21.2% of the isolates. In Gram negative microorganisms correlation between ALA and antibiotic resistance was observed. From the periulcerous zone of patients with gastric and duodenal ulcer persistence associated Gram negative microorganisms were mainly isolated.     

Lysozyme as a local defense factor in the gastrointestinal tract of patients with chronic diseases of the digestive organs]

No microbial growth in platings of the gastric juice of patients with gastric ulcer and chronic anacidic gastritis was observed. It means that the absence of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice does not deprive it of any antimicrobial action. The possible role of lysozyme in providing sterility of the proximal part of the gastro-intestinal tract was studied. Eighty patients with chronic diseases of the digestive organs were observed. It was noted that the levels of lysozyme in the gastric juice was high and markedly exceeded the maximum concentrations required for lysis of organisms most resistant to it. The maximum concentration was determined at pH of the gastric juice equal to 7.0-7.5 (265 gamma/ml+/-28). No lysozyme in the content of the duodenum and jejunal juice was found in most cases. Its presence in the above parts of the gastro-intestinal tract was mainly associated with microbial growth. The maximum concentration of lysozyme (40 gamma/ml) in the jejunal juice was observed in a female patient with chronic enterocolitis and significant microbial proliferation in the thin colon (more than 10(4) microbial bodies per 1 ml of the juice). Such parallelism between the presence of lysozyme in the gastric juice and microbial proliferation in it may be considered as a protective-adoptive reaction of the host.     

Antibiotic resistance dynamics of plasma-coagulating staphylococci isolated from patients in 1970-1975]

Resistance of 2345 strains of plasmocoagulating staphylococci isolated from purulent inflammatory foci of surgical patients was studied with respect to the widely used antibiotics by the method of standard paper discs in 1970--1975. It was noted that the cultures resistant to erythromycin and monomycin were more frequent, i.e. from 24.2 +/- 2.5 to 51.4 +/- 3.4 per cent and from 1.0 +/- 0.6 to 28.0 +/- 2.1 per cent respectively, p less than 0.001 in both cases, while the percentage of the strains resistant to benzylpenicillin and tetracycline steadily increased, i.e. from 69.9 +/- 2.4 to 47.0 +/- 2.3 per cent and from 72.8 +/- 2.4 to 28.4 +/- 2.1 per cent respectively, p less than 0.001 in both cases. The number of the resistant cultures to streptomycin and levomycetin slightly changed and was relatively high (about 50 per cent and more). Direct correlation (mean and pronounced) between the amount of levomycetin, tetracycline, erythromycin or monomycin used per citizen of Minsk and the frequency of the strains isolated from the patients to these drugs was noted.     

Fenvalerate-induced chromosome aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges in the bone marrow cells of mice in vivo

To investigate whether subjects with low-acid states are exposed to increased genetic risk with respect to controls, we evaluated mutagenicity and presence of clastogenic factors (CF) in the gastric juice of chronic atrophic gastritis and omeprazole-treated patients. Mutagenic gastric juice was found in 8/15 (53%) chronic atrophic gastritis patients, 8/11 (73%) omeprazole-treated patients, and 2/13 (15%) healthy control subjects. The mean mutagenicity ratio of omeprazole-treated patients (1.52+/-0.48/0.1 ml gastric juice) was significantly higher than those of either controls (1.07+/-0.15; P<0.01) or chronic atrophic gastritis patients (1.16+/-0.21; P<0.05). Only chronic atrophic gastritis patients showed an increased clastogenic index with respect to healthy controls (2.67+/-2.13 versus 0.38+/-0.51; P<0.001). These findings expand our knowledge of gastric disease risk factors, and indicate that there may well be a risk of mucosal DNA damage arising from the presence of mutagenic and CF in the gastric juice.     

Sensitivity of Shigella to antibiotics]

Three hundred and twenty two Shigella cultures isolated from dysentery patients within 1986-1989 were tested with the use of standard paper disks for their sensitivity to levomycetin, streptomycin, tetracycline, monomycin, neomycin, kanamycin, erythromycin, gentamicin, carbenicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, methicillin and doxycycline. The number of the cultures belonging to Shigella sonnei amounted to 85.1 per cent of the total number of the strains studied. 91.9, 89.5, 87.3, 87.3, 80.1 and 80.1 per cent of the cultures were sensitive to gentamicin, kanamycin, carbenicillin, neomycin, levomycetin and ampicillin, respectively. 99.4 per cent of the isolates were resistant to streptomycin and 97.2 per cent were resistant to tetracycline. The sensitivity to erythromycin remained rather high (70.2 per cent). The overwhelming majority of the Shigella sonnei isolates had multiple resistance.     

Carnobacterium divergens - a dominating bacterium of pork meat juice

Nonspoiled food that nevertheless contains bacterial pathogens constitutes a much more serious health problem than spoiled food, as the consumer is not warned beforehand. However, data on the diversity of bacterial species in meat juice are rare. To study the bacterial load of fresh pork from ten different distributors, we applied a combination of the conventional culture-based and molecular methods for detecting and quantifying the microbial spectrum of fresh pork meat juice samples. Altogether, we identified 23 bacterial species of ten different families analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The majority of isolates were belonging to the typical spoilage bacterial population of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Enterococcaceae, and Pseudomonadaceae. Several additional isolates were identified as Staphylococcus spp. and Bacillus spp. originating from human and animal skin and other environmental niches including plants, soil, and water. Carnobacterium divergens, a LAB contributing to the spoilage of raw meat even at refrigeration temperature, was the most frequently isolated species in our study (5/10) with a bacterial load of 10(3) - 10(7) CFU mL(-1). In several of the analyzed pork meat juice samples, two bacterial faecal indicators, Serratia grimesii and Serratia proteamaculans, were identified together with another opportunistic food-borne pathogen, Staphylococcus equorum. Our data reveal a high bacterial load of fresh pork meat supporting the potential health risk of meat juice for the end consumer even under refrigerated conditions.     

Characteristics of the antibiotic sensitivity of nitrofuran--resistant Gram-negative bacteria of clinical origin]

494 persons with various purulent inflammatory diseases were examined. Gram-negative nitrofuran resistant organisms isolated from the clinical material were found in 22.9 per cent of the cases. Representatives of Enterobacteriaceae, Klebsiella-Enterobacter-Serratia (26.8 per cent), Proteus-Providencia (16.8 per cent) and E. coli-Arizona-Citrobacter (16.1 per cent) predominated. Pseudomonas (32.1 per cent) and Acinetobacter (5.3 per cent) predominated among the aerobic gram-negative bacteria. Sensitivity of 131 strains to 10 chemotherapeutic drugs was determined. 60.4 per cent of the aerobic and 44.2 per cent of the Coli bacteria had multiple drug resistance (to 5 and more drugs). The organisms isolated from the urine and wound excretion were most resistant. Representatives of Pseudomonas and Klebsiella-Enterobacter predominated among the polyresistant cultures. High sensitivity of the isolates to gentamicin, carbenicillin and nalidixic acid was noted.     

Enterobacterial sensitivity to beta-lactam antibiotics]

The susceptibility to betalactams of 868 enteric bacteria isolated from the patients at the hospital was studied. The isolated pathogens included: E. coli (549), Klebsiella sp. (195), Serratia sp. (124). Ampicillin and cefazoline demonstrated the lowest activity. Cefotaxime, ceftazidime and imipenem were active against 90 per cent of isolates. Among E. coli isolates the susceptibility to the above mentioned drugs was the following: 95.1, 96.9, 99.3 per cent, among Klebsiella sp.--89.7, 88.7, 97.9 per cent, among Proteus sp.--89.5, 90.3, 91.9 per cent respectively. Thus cefotaxime may be used in antibacterial empiric therapy if Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is excluded.     

E. coli resistance to antibiotics on the material studied and the structure of the antibiotic resistance of the strains]

Standard filter paper discs were used to determine the sensitivity of 943 strains of E. coli isolated in 1970-1974 from patients' purulent-inflammatory foci with respect to benzylpenicillin, streptomycin, levomycetin, tetracycline, erythromycin and monomycin. An increase in the specific weight of the cultures resistant to the 6 drugs from 4.7 +/- 1.7 per cent in 1970 to 16.0 +/- 2.6 per cent in 1974 was observed. Strains resistant to 5--6 antibiotis were more often isolated from the urine (64.6 per cent) and the wound content (48.9 per cent) and rarer from the abdominal cavity exudate (23.1 per cent), bile (28.0 per cent) and sputum (30.1 per cent). Most often certain combinations of resistance to benzylpenicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline and erythromycin were found in the E. coli strains tested.     

Suppression of the adhesive properties of mucosal microflora by ampicillin in peptic ulcer

Persistence of mucous bacteria in the mucosa of the stomach and duodenum was studied bacteriologically and electron microscopically in 132 patients with peptic ulcer. 235 microbial strains were isolated from the mucosa and its surface in 96 per cent of the patients. 80.8 per cent of the isolates belonged to different species of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. The other 19.2 per cent of the isolates belonged to 9 rare bacterial species. 235 antibioticograms were analysed and it was shown that the predominating part of the isolates was mainly sensitive to ampicillin. Then follow ampiox, dicloxacillin and benzylpenicillin. Ampicillin was recommended for preoperative sanation of the stomach mucosa. 30 patients were given ampicillin orally in a dose of 0.25 g 4 times a day for 3 days before operations. It was found that the drug inhibited the adhesive properties of the mucous bacteria and even killed them.     

Sensitivity of the wound microflora of oncological patients to some new antibiotics]

Sensitivity of the microflora of the oncological patients' wounds to the new antibiotics, such as gentamicin, kanamycin, oxacillin, ampicillin and lincomycin was studied with the help of the disc method. The discs with the above antibiotics were prepared under laboratory conditions in accordance with the respective instructions in the WHO. Sensitivity of 429 bacterial cultures, including 98 cultures of pathogenic staphylocci, 45 cultures of Enterococci, 43 hemolytic streptococci, 143 cultures of Escherichia, 50 cultures of Ps. aeruginosa and 50 cultures of Proteus was determined. The studies showed that gentamicin was the most active antibiotic aganist all the microbial species isolated from the surgical and other wounds of oncological patients. It may be used in treatment of the infections caused by association of the microbes belonging to different species, as well as in treatment of purulent processes before elucidating their etiology, 16.7 per cent of the Enterococcal isolates were resistant to gentamicin. Monomycin, kanamycin, oxacillin, lincomycin and macrolide antibiotics at present are sufficiently active against pathogenic staphylococci and hemolytic streptococci.     

Etiology of purulent septic diseases and the antibiotic resistance of the isolated causative agents

Among the causative agents of purulent septic diseases in the surgical hospital, 25 microbial species were isolated; of these, the prevailing species were Staphylococcus aureus (19.86 +/- 1.07%), Escherichia coli (16.5 +/- 0.99%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.06 +/- 0.8%). From environmental objects in the hospital 14 microbial species were isolated, among them bacteria of the genus Enterobacter (27 +/- 1.7%), E. coli (19.07 +/- 1.48%), S. aureus (14.7 +/- 1.31%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.73 +/- 1.31%), P. aeruginosa (7.33 +/- 0.98%). During 3 years of observation the isolation rate of K. pneumoniae from different environmental objects was found to increase threefold to 24.7 +/- 2.7%. The results of the study of the microbial picture in surgical hospitals, as well as the antibiotic resistance of circulating causative agents, should be borne in mind while taking epidemic control measures.     

Degradation of bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate by microorganisms of water and sediments of the Selenga river and Baikal Lake under experimental conditions

Degradation of bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (BEHP) by microbial associations of water and bottom sediments of the Selenga River and Lake Baikal and by pure cultures of microbial species belonging to various taxa isolated from the sediments under discussion has been studied. It has been shown that intense biological degradation occurs in both water and sediments. The degrees of conversion in experimental closed systems on minimal media are 46 and 24%, respectively. The most active of the organisms studied is a Micromironospora actinomycete. It degraded BEHP by 36% of its initial concentration. Spore-forming bacteria and microorganisms of the genus Pseudomonas were less active (17-23% and 7-11%).     

Fermentation characteristics of exopolysaccharide-producing lactic acid bacteria from sourdough and assessment of the isolates for industrial potential

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with antimicrobial activity and high exopolysaccharide (EPS) production ability isolated from sourdough were studied for their fermentation characteristics as potential new starter cultures. The values of pH, titratable acidity, and viable cell counts were 4.06+/-0.009-4.50+/- 0.015, 0.787+/-0.020%-1.172+/-0.018%, and 8.78+/-0.08-8.98+/- 0.06 log CFU/ml, respectively. In order to select probiotics with a high survival rate in the gut, isolates were tested to assess resistance against the artificial gastric acid and bile juice. Viable LAB counts were significantly (p<0.05) affected by the acidity. At pH 2.0, the total declines in the initial bacterial counts were 4.52+/-0.07 log for S. thermophilus St-Body-1, >7.98+/-0.03 log for E. flavescens DU-10, >7.95+/-0.05 log for E. faecium DU-12, and 3.15+/- 0.06 log for L. amylovorus DU-21. Among the strains, L. amylovorus DU-21 was the only strain that had bile tolerance under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. In order to improve EPS production by L. amylovorus DU- 21, the influence of carbon source was studied. When glucose was used as a carbon source, EPS production dramatically increased to 17.19+/-0.28 g/l (p<0.05). The maximum cell growth (10.012+/-0.012 log CFU/ml) and EPS production (18.71+/-0.19 g/l) were achieved when 15 g/ l of glucose was employed as the carbon source.     

Etiological structure and resistance to antibacterial drugs of causative agents of cross infection in Donetsk

Tests for hemocultures were performed in 51 patients with clinical diagnoses of sepsis treated in a reanimation unit. Microbial cultures were isolated from 30 patients (58.9 per cent). Staphylococci in pure cultures and associations were the causative agents of sepsis in 26 patients (86.4 per cent). The cultures of E. coli, Y. enterocolitica and Streptococcus faecalis were isolated from 2, 1 and 1 patients, respectively. Pus specimens from 111 patients with postinjection suppuration were tested and staphylococci in pure cultures and associations were detected in 90 patients (81.8 per cent). The cultures of P. vulgaris, Streptococcus pyogenes, E. coli, Str. faecalis, Enterobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from 10, 5, 3, 1, 1 and 1 patients, respectively. The results showed that Staphylococci played the leading role in development of the hospital infections. Treatment of such patients should be performed with an account of antibioticograms since many strains are resistant to various antibiotics.     

Studies on the Bacteria Found during the Process of Wine Making

Malic acid-decomposing bacteria were isolated from wine and their morphological and cytochemical properties were investigated. The results showed that the bacteria isolated were classified into three groups, Lactobacillus plantarum and two unknown bacteria belonging to a certain Lactobacillus species. One of the unknown bacteria fermented arabinose and ribose much faster than hexose. The other strain of the unknown bacteria required a certain factor(s) derived from tomato juice for its growth, and the best growth of the bacteria occurred on ribose containing medium supplied with the tomato juice factor(s).     

Differentiation of myeloid cells in liquid culture. 1. Progenitor cells found in normal peripheral blood

In order to establish a method for studying myeloid differentiation, light density, non-adherent, T-cell depleted mononuclear cells prepared from 26 normal peripheral blood buffy-coats were cultured in McCoy'5A medium supplemented with 15 per cent fetal calf serum (FCS) for three weeks at 37 degrees C in a humidified 5 per cent CO2 atmosphere. The total number of viable cells in the cultures on weeks 1 and 2 represented 73 +/- 10 per cent and 98 +/- 41 per cent of the initial number of viable cells seeded. After one week, blasts represented 26 +/- 10 per cent of the initial number of viable cells while all the initially contaminating mature granulocytes had disappeared. After two weeks, granulocytic differentiation was noted in most cultures and viable myelocytes and more mature cells represented 45 +/- 26 per cent of the initial number of viable cells. The differentiation was independent on the lot of FCS used. The addition of PHA stimulated leukocyte conditioned medium to the cultures did not enhance granulocytic differentiation. The granulocytic differentiation observed in the absence of exogenous CSF persisted after removing the cells adhering to the bottom of the flasks on day 2 of the culture. An endogenous colony stimulating activity was detected in the cultures on week 3 but its intensity did not clearly correlate with the degree of granulocytic differentiation.     

The intestinal microflora of childhood patients with indicated celiac disease

The fecal short-chain fatty acids concentration was higher (154 +/- 46.9 mmol/L) in childhood patients than in healthy children (96.6 +/- 19.2 mmol/L). On the other hand, pH values were nonsignificantly lower in patients stool (6.78 +/- 0.75 vs. children 7.42 +/- 0.74). Using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis specific for total bacteria, lactobacilli and bifidobacteria the microbial population was characterized in fecal samples and in duodenal biopsies. Bacteria adhering to duodenal biopsies were not dominating in stool samples. More than 50 % of detected bacterial species belonged to as yet uncultured strains.     

Identification and characterization of starter lactic acid bacteria and probiotics from Columbian dairy products

AIMS: Considering the significant rise in the probiotic market in Columbia, and given the lack of reports concerning the microbial population and strain performance in products from different producers, this study aims at determining the number of viable starter bacteria and probiotics in bio-yoghurts available at the Columbian market, identifying the species and analysing the performance of the isolated strains in bile acid resistance, antagonistic activity against pathogens, and adherence capacity to human intestinal epithelial cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seven bio-yoghurts were analysed for the bacterial species present. Species identification was carried out using 16S rRNA gene targeted PCR. The cultured bacteria were tested for bile acid resistance, adherence to a human intestinal epithelial cell line, and antagonism against the pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. A total of 17 different strains were identified. Based on plate counting, all bio-yoghurts have at least total viable cells of approximately 10(7) CFU ml(-1). Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus were the most frequently isolated bacteria. Viable Bifidobacterium was only recovered from one product. However, after PCR analysis, DNA of this genus was confirmed in five out of seven products. Major differences were found for S. typhimurium antagonism. The adherence capacity to Caco-2 cells was observed in 10 of the isolated strains. In general, low survival to simulated gastric juice was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the isolated strains have probiotic potential, although not all of them were present in the advised amount to exert beneficial health effects. However, the full correct scientific name of the isolated bacteria and their viable counts were not included on the product label. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first report describing the identification and functionality of starter bacteria and probiotics present in dairy products on the Columbian market.