API Test Research Articles

Prevention of bacterial contamination of stored hydrants: Utility recommendations for hydrant inlet orientation and capping

To avoid contamination of the drinking water distribution system and obtain reliable bacteriological testing results, a rigorous and protective hygiene approach must be followed when storing, repairing or installing hydrants. However, in North America strategies to avoid or eliminate microbial contamination of hydrants during storage, transport and installation are often insufficiently defined in utility standards and manuals. In the summer of 2015, Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) utility field crews encountered several instances where water samples collected from newly installed hydrants were total coliform (TC) positive and thus did not meet the regulatory requirements to be put into service. The present study evaluated whether stored hydrants were contaminated with TC. The study also evaluated the efficacy of an intervention targeting two common hydrant storage practices at preventing microbiological contamination: pointing the hydrant inlet downwards and capping hydrants by the manufacturer. We swabbed 24 hydrant inlets and recorded inlet orientation and capping status prior and after the intervention. The swabs were processed using IDEXX Colilert tests for total coliform and E. coli detection. Positive samples were further identified by Biomerieux 20E API testing. Out of the 24 tested hydrants, twenty were oriented with the inlet pointing downward. Ninety percent of the downward pointing hydrants were TC negative, while the remaining 10% were TC positive. Seventy five percent of the hydrants not pointing downward were TC positive, while the remaining 25% were not contaminated. The results showed that hydrant inlet orientation had a statistically significant effect on hydrant contamination with TC (Fisher Exact Test two-tailed p-value=0.018). The results also highlighted that capping, while efficacious in protecting water mains from contamination in the field, did not have a statistically significant impact on bacterial contamination of hydrants as capped and uncapped hydrants were TC negative 86% and 70% of the time, respectively. All TC were identified as Pantoea spp. indicating that the most likely source of contamination was environmental not fecal in nature. We were unable to identify the source of the bacterial contamination but recommend that hydrant disinfection practices related to new mains be expanded upon in standards in the future, as the cost of a failed bacteriological test can be exorbitant (>US$10,000). Results highlighted that contamination of distribution system network components with environmental TC interferes with detection of real point source contamination resulting from actual system failures. It can also result in delayed appropriate remedial actions and an impairment in the evaluation of risk to the public. Results also highlight the importance of educating field crews about bacterial contamination and its sources to benefit utilities, reduce false positives, improve performance and empower crews to make informed decisions.

Evaluation of Susceptibility to Fluconazole and Voriconazole in Oral Candida glabrata Isolates from Drug Addicts

Background: Candidiasis is a spectrum of opportunistic fungal diseases that can manifest in drug addicts in various forms, such as stomatitis. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of oral candidiasis caused by Candida glabrata in addicts and examine the susceptibility of isolates to two azoles. Patients and Methods: After taking oral samples from 131 drug addicts suspected of having oral candidiasis, Candida species were identified by culture on chromogenic Candida agar, carbohydrate-assimilation (API test), and polymerase chain reaction. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of fluconazole and voriconazole against the isolates were determined using the broth microdilution method. Data were analyzed by SPSS (version 23) using the t-test and one-way analysis of variance. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Overall, 22.2% of the isolates were C. glabrata, which was more abundant among opiate addicts. Among these isolates, 61.1% were resistant to fluconazole and 44.4% were resistant to voriconazole. The MIC90 of voriconazole was 8 µg/mL, which was 16 times less than that of fluconazole (128 µg/mL). There was no statistically significant difference between the frequency of fluconazole- and voriconazole-resistant isolates (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Oral candidiasis was a common problem among drug addicts. In addition, the prevalence of azole-resistant C. glabrata isolates was high among these individuals.

Assessment of microbiological aerosol concentration in selected healthcare facilities in southern Poland.

This study was aimed to assess the concentration of microbial aerosol and species composition of airborne staphylococci in 10 healthcare facilities in southern Poland including primary healthcare units and hospital wards; and to assess whether the selected components of microbial aerosol pose a threat of severe infections to either patients or the personnel. The study was conducted at monthly intervals over a period of one year. Air samples were collected by MAS-100 sampler. The number of mesophilic bacteria, mould fungi, actinomycetes and staphylococci was determined on general and selective media. The species identification of staphylococci was conducted using API tests for strains that were pre-selected based on macroscopic and microscopic observations. A total number of 1,584 samples were collected during the sampling period. The numbers of airborne microorganisms varied between the examined premises and between the seasons of the year. The observed differences were statistically significant with one exception for actinomycetes and their differences between the examined premises. The concentrations of mesophilic bacteria varied from 5 to 297 CFU/m3 of air, for Staphylococcus the values ranged from 1 to 96 CFU/m3, for fungi - from 1 to 100 CFU/m3, and the number of actinomycetes ranged from 7 to 321 CFU/m3. Ten species of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were identified among 55 isolates with S. saprophyticus and S. warneri being the most frequently detected (n = 14 and 13, respectively). S. haemolyticus, which is one of the most common causal agents of nosocomial infections was observed in four facilities (n = 5). The microbial concentrations varied both between the seasons of the year and between the examined facilities. The highest bioaerosol concentrations were observed in most crowded premises. The identified species of staphylococci, although not typically associated with human infections, are common causal agents of nosocomial infections and infections in immunocompromised people.

Laboratory investigation of the selection criteria for the particle size distribution of granular lost circulation materials in naturally fractured reservoirs

This paper presents a new criterion for selecting the particle size distribution (PSD) of granular lost circulation materials (LCMs) in naturally fractured reservoirs. A comprehensive laboratory investigation was conducted on a plugging setup with extended simulated fractures. Comparative experiments show that the API test method might fail to distinguish mouth sealing and throat plugging of a fracture, and the well-known selection criteria have poor adaptability to the natural fractures. The new criterion ensures that LCMs build a stable and tight plugging barrier inside the fracture. It found that the ratio of characteristic particle size (D90) to fracture opening (WA) should range from 0.5 to 0.7; the relative particle size span (Sp) should be greater than 1.5, and the characteristic particle size (D10) should be between 0.1 and 0.2 mm. The proposed selection criterion showed a 90% coincidence rate between the predicted and measured plugging test results.

Isolation and Diagnosis of Pathogenic Bacteria from the Upper Surface of the Cell Phone Screen and Conduct an Antibiotic Sensitivity Test

A total of 120 samples (80) female samples and 40 male samples were collected from the front of the personal communication (the cell phone) for female students of Education College for Women (65) as well the medical staff of Ramadi Teaching Hospital (55), The samples are collected by swabs, The ages ranged between 19-60 years, These samples were initially culture on the blood agar medium and then on different selective and differential culture media. Api test strips were also used for the final diagnosis of bacterial isolates. The results showed that all samples gave 100% a positive result of general bacterial culture and 80% of pathogenic bacteria. The results of isolating and diagnosism indicated the presence of the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (58.3% of the total sample), Escherichia coli (44.2%), Enterococcus faecalis (25.8%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (23.3%), Proteus sp. (5%), The results showed that the positive bacterial culture rate for male samples was 87.5%, whereas the female bacterial culture rate was 76.3%. The most important isolates were highly resistant to cephalexin, followed kanamycin. Proteus sp. gave the largest percentage of the resistance to 100% of those antibiotics, except for nitrofurantoin followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the proportion of resistance to antibiotics used in this study.

Monitoring of the Listeria spp. identification from the poultry products in the Dnipropetrovsk region

Due to high mortality, listeriosis is one of the most common causes of death from illnesses associated with food, taking the second place after salmonellosis. Listeriosis, as a rule, arises as a result of consumption of contaminated products, including meat products, cheese, ready-to-eat foods. L. monocytogenes belongs to the third group of pathogenicity. Contamination by L. monocytogenes in processing of products is a constant problem in food plants. Food contamination Listeria leads to a withdrawal of products that produces economic losses. Analysis of the dynamic detection and of the differential identification of Listeria spp. in the meat products of poultry processing enterprises in Dnipropetrovsk region was conducted. The research was carried out by Dnipropetrovsk regional state laboratory of the state service of Ukraine for food safety and consumer protection. The results of bacteriological researches of meat samples which poultry plants gave for microbiological analysis during period 2008–2018 were used for monitoring. Microbiological research was carried out in accordance with valid international normative documents. The fluorescence analyzer Mini Vidas, France, the CAMP test were used for analysis. The biochemical properties of isolated microorganisms were established using BioMerieux API tests, France. Analyzing the number of researches and identification of microorganisms in the Dnipropetrovsk region for the period of 11 years, 3001 positive results out of 8172 analyzed samples were found (36.7%). Herewith, part of positive samples goes up from 8.5% in 2008 to 77.9% in 2018. L. ivanovii was isolated in 1523 samples (18.6%), L. inocua – 833 (10.2%), L. monocytogenes – 493 (6%), L. seeliger – 97 (1.2%), L. grayi – 36 (0.4%), L. welshimeri in 19 samples of meat products (0.2%) out of the 8172 microbiological studies conducted over 11 years. Of the six types of identified Listeria, more than half were L. ivanovii, which is twice as high as cases with L. incocua and thrice compared to L. monocytogenes.

Development of Test Automation Framework for REST API Testing

This work proposes a generalized excel based test automation framework for REST API testing using groovy script. Testing is an important process in software development process, which helps to find unknown errors, failure and bugs in a software application and increases quality of the software application. With the existing process of testing is manual, where the inputs are given manually and the actual outcome or output is validated for different test case scenarios. This manual testing leads to increase in time and effort of testing, as there will be different scenarios to be tested in which different test data has to be prepared to test a particular functionality. As the functionalities in an application changes or added up, over the software development phase, there is a need to test the old functionalities after and before, integrating the new or changed functionality to the existing system. This results in testing the already tested functionalities to test again manually, which increases effort and time for the testing process. The manual testing process has to be automated, so that the testing time, effort and money can be reduced. The test automation framework is implemented using a groovy compiling tool in which the functionalities such as, read the data from input test data excel file, make a REST API request, validate the data and writing the result to the excel file has been developed. Since groovy is a flavor of java, several libraries have been imported to implement the test automation framework.

API Testing for Payment Service Directive2 and Open Banking

API Testing for Payment Service Directive2 and Open Banking

Studies on Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolate Sr 13 From Bali Cattle Gastric

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is a generic term for bacteria that ferment lactose and produce lactic acid as its main product. In general, lactic acid bacteria belonging to Gram positive bacteria, negative catalase, does not form spores, have no cytochrome, aerotolerant, anaerobic to microaerophilic, require complex nutrients such as amino acids, vitamins (B1, B6, B12 and biotin), purine, pyrimidine. This study aims to determine the species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from isolate SR13 isolated from rumen liquid of bali cattle. The identification was started by cultivation of isolate on de Man, Rogosa, Sharpe (MRS) medium with anaerobic condition, confirmation of isolates by Gram staining and catalase test, and finally identificion of species by using conventional test and 50CH API test kit. The results of study showed, the isolate of LAB SR 13 was detected asPediococcus/Enterococcus, moreover, identification by using 50CH Api test kit showed as Pediococcus pentosaceus 2

Composition and Molecular Identification of Bacterial Community in Seawater Desalination Plants

Biofouling is an important problem for reverse osmosis (RO) membrane manufacturers. Bacteria are mainly involved in generating fouling and obturating RO membranes. Insights into biofilm bacteria composition could help prevent biofouling, reduce the cost of using RO-fouling membranes and guarantee safe water. Culture-dependent and independent techniques were then performed in order to identify bacteria associated with RO membranes. Bacteria cultures described the presence of six pure colonies, four of which were identified through API testing. Based on 16s rRNA gene analysis, a predominant bacterium was identified and annotated as Sphingomonas sp. The 16s rRNA gene clone library, on the other hand, showed that the bacterium, Pseudomonas marincola, accounted for nearly 30% of the clone library, while the rest of bacteria were chimeras (62%) and non-representative species (3%). In conclusion, culture-dependent and independent approaches showed that two dominant bacteria were commonly observed in RO desalination membranes.

Ispitivanje mikrobnog diverziteta zemljišta tretiranog nikosulfuronom

Nicosulfuron belongs to the sulfonylurea pesticides, which are widely used for weeds control. Except of benefits in plant production, long-term application of nicosulfuron may have toxic effect for living organisms, including microorganisms. The aim of this paper was to determined impact of nicosulfuron on microbial diversity of soil. Sampling of soil (0-20 and 20-40 cm) treated with nicosulfuron at village Trenica (Novi Travnik municipality, Bosnia and Herzegovina) was performed in autumn 2017. Determination of microbial diversity (total number of bacteria, ammonification bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes) was performed using standard methodology, whilst nicosulfuron-tolerant bacteria were isolated using enrichment method. Soil without nicosulfuron application was used as a control. The results showed that bacteria were most abundant microbial population. In all experiments, reduction of microbial diversity in nicosulfuron-treated soil compared to untreated was observed. This reduction was most expressed in fungal number, which is reduced from 38 to 60% compared to control. Several nicosulfuron-tolerant isolates were isolated by enrichment method. By microscopic observation and using API test kits and APIWEB database, isolates 17cs, and 22wl and 5 wl were identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Bacillus subtilis, respectively. These bacterial isolates could be applied in remediation of environments polluted by nicosulfuron.

Cellulosic Cyperus esculentus L. as a filtrate loss modifier in field applicable aqueous and non-aqueous drilling fluids

The design and formulation of drilling fluids require additives that are cost-effective and environmental friendly in line with international best practices. This study was conducted to investigate the potentials and effects of Cyperus esculentus (Tiger Nut) as a filtrate loss modifier in field applicable aqueous and non-aqueous drilling fluids. Sixteen (eight aqueous and eight non-aqueous) drilling fluid systems were formulated, four aqueous and non-aqueous had Cyperus esculentus as a filtration additive, while the others do not contain the additive. The rheological properties, as well as the fluid filtration properties of the drilling muds, were investigated and compared with standard drilling mud. To ascertain validity, the results obtained were validated with the classic filtration model to ensure fit. Results obtained showed that the formulated mud systems had rheological properties that favored the suspension and transportation of drill cuttings, as well as the prevention of flocculation and clogging of drill strings. The rheological properties also showed a progressive trend as the concentrations of the additive were increased from 2 to 8 ppb. It was also further observed from the API and HPHT filter press test that the increase in the concentration of the additive exhibits a progressive trend that can be compared with the standard. In addition, it was observed from the classic filtration model that the experimental results from both mud systems were fit for the adopted model.

Stimulation of Tendon Healing With Delayed Dexamethasone Treatment Is Modified by the Microbiome

Background: The immune system reflects the microbiome (microbiota). Modulation of the immune system during early tendon remodeling by dexamethasone treatment can improve rat Achilles tendon healing. The authors tested whether changes in the microbiota could influence the effect of dexamethasone treatment. Hypothesis: A change in microbiome would influence the response to dexamethasone on regenerate remodeling, specifically tendon material properties (peak stress). Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Specific opportunist and pathogen-free female rats were housed separately (n = 41) or together with specific pathogen-free rats carrying opportunistic microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus (n = 41). After 6 weeks, all co-housed rats appeared healthy but now carried S aureus. Changes in the gut bacterial flora were tested by API and RapID biochemical tests. All rats (clean and contaminated) underwent Achilles tendon transection under aseptic conditions. Flow cytometry was performed 8 days postoperatively on tendon tissue. Sixty rats received subcutaneous dexamethasone or saline injections on days 5 through 9 after transection. The tendons were tested mechanically on day 12. The predetermined primary outcome was the interaction between contamination and dexamethasone regarding peak stress, tested by 2-way analysis of variance. Results: Dexamethasone increased peak stress in all groups but more in contaminated rats (105%) than in clean rats (53%) (interaction, P = .018). A similar interaction was found for an estimate of elastic modulus (P = .021). Furthermore, dexamethasone treatment reduced transverse area but had small effects on peak force and stiffness. In rats treated with saline only, contamination reduced peak stress by 16% (P = .04) and elastic modulus by 35% (P = .004). Contamination led to changes in the gut bacterial flora and higher levels of T cells (CD3+CD4+) in the healing tendon (P < .05). Conclusion: Changes in the microbiome influence tendon healing and enhance the positive effects of dexamethasone treatment during the early remodeling phase of tendon healing. Clinical Relevance: The positive effect of dexamethasone on early tendon remodeling in rats is strikingly strong. If similar effects could be shown in humans, immune modulation by a few days of systemic corticosteroids, or more specific compounds, could open new approaches to rehabilitation after tendon injury.

Identity of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Enteritidis, Typhimurium and Kentucky Local Strains Used In Preparation of Polyvalent Inactivated Salmonella Vaccine in Chickens in Egypt.

Salmonellosis is one of the most important bacterial diseases affecting poultry. Its importance is derived from the loss in productivity in affected birds and the hazard it causes for public health. For preparation of polyvalent inactivated Salmonella vaccine, we tested the local virulent Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Kentucky strains phenotypically by the microscope, biochemically by API test and genotypically by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) using a specific primer for fliC gene of Salmonella Typhimurium and a specific primer for sefA gene of Salmonella Enteritidis and a specific primer for invA gene of Salmonella Kentucky. In Conclusion: Salmonellae are gram negative rods. They are aerobic or facultative anaerobic organisms that ferment sugars, producing gas and H2S and that have a complex antigenic structure (somatic O, flagellar H, and capsular K antigens). Multiplex PCR reveals that Salmonella Kentucky, Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis were positive for invA gene with a product of 284bp, fliC gene with a product of 620bp and sefA gene with a product of 488bp respectively.

COMPARISON RESULTS OF ANALYTICAL PROFILE INDEX AND DISC DIFFUSION ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TEST TO TECHNICAL DEDICATED REASONABLE 300B METHOD

Angka kematian infeksi aliran darah cukup tinggi, berkisar 20–50%. Patogen penyebab dapat dibuktikan dengan pemeriksaan kulturdarah yang dilanjutkan dengan uji kepekaan antibiotika. Metode pemeriksaan dapat dilakukan secara manual atau automatis baiksemiautomatis ataupun automatis penuh. Metode manual relatif tidak memerlukan biaya yang besar dibandingkan metode automatisasi.Penelitian ini merupakan analisis observasional dengan desain potong lintang. Metode identifikasi manual memakai metode API danuji kepekaan antibiotika metode difusi cakram antibiotika Kirby Bauer. Kedua metode ini dibandingkan dengan metode semiautomatisTDR-300B. Metode automatis penuh VITEK 2 digunakan sebagai metode rujukan untuk menilai kinerja metode konvensional dansemiautomatis. Bakteri penyebab infeksi aliran darah didominasi Gram negatif kebanyakan Eschericia coli dan Klebsiella pneumonia.Ketepatan metode identifikasi API terhadap VITEK 2 sebesar 87,87%, ketepatan identifikasi metode TDR-300B terhadap metode VITEK2 adalah 90,9%. Hasil ketepatan uji kepekaan antibiotika metode konvensional difusi cakram antibiotika Kirby Bauer terhadap metodeVITEK 2 adalah 84,64%. Ketepatan uji kepekaan antibiotika metode TDR-300B terhadap metode VITEK 2 sebesar 82,5%. Ketepatanmetode API terhadap metode TDR-300B sebesar 84,84%. Ketepatan uji kepekaan antibiotika metode konvensional terhadap metodeTDR-300B sebesar 78,21%. Hasil metode identifikasi dan uji kepekaan antibiotika konvensional tidak berbeda bermakna secara statistikdengan metode semiautomatis TDR-300B. Metode identifikasi dan uji kepekaan antibiotika konvensional masih dapat dipercaya terutamauntuk daerah dengan keterbatasan biaya atau pemeriksaan masih sedikit.

Investigations on Oilwell Cement Strength Response to Ultrasonic Measurements in the Presence of Additives1

Well cements are an important aspect of wellbore integrity and recent investigations focus on describing the cement lifetime using, when possible, nondestructive tests like ultrasonic measurements. However, the original API and ASTM testing standards were based on destructive mechanical testing of cements, leading to the decision to investigate the backward and forward compatibility between ultrasonic measurements and mechanical testing, which makes the subject of this work. Ultrasonic cement measurement became a very popular method to assess the mechanical properties of the cement in a nondestructive manner. Since various measurement systems exist on the market, the development of an accurate reference data base that can be used to calibrate such measurements becomes very important. Two major systems have therefore been compared: the ultrasonic compressive strength, using the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) principle, and the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), using the standard testing frame according to API and ASTM standards. The tests have been performed at different curing times, using both devices, on API Class G cements with bentonite and other additives. This paper presents the results of over 200 experiments that have displayed a different UPV response as a function of the additive content. Cement specific UPV versus UCS correlations were established. Thereby, a new level of accuracy was reached. Moreover, it was observed that after a given curing time, depending on the additive and its concentration, the UPV response is not as sensitive as the results yielded by the UCS method. The outcomes are an important step forward to improve and understand the wellbore integrity.

Polyresistent microflora in the structure of microorganisms divided from blood of patients of the general hospital.

The aim of our research was to evaluate the structure and the determination of the phenotypes of antibiotic resistance of microflora isolated from patients' blood in a multidisciplinary hospital during the period from 2013 to 2017. The material was taken into BacT / ALERT bottles containing nutrient media, followed by incubation of blood. In case of a positive result, the material from the vials was dispersed into dense nutrient media. Species identification was carried out using commercial biochemical API test systems and MALDITOF mass spectrometry. The antibiotic resistance of the isolated microorganisms was evaluated by a classical disc-diffusion method. From 2013 to 2017, 3504 blood tests were performed, of which 16.8% were positive. Of the isolated strains, 69.6% were Gram-positive, 27% were Gram-negative, and 3.4% were fungi. The structure of Gram-positive bacteria included Staphylococcus spp - 71.46%, Enterococcus spp. - 21.22% and Streptococcus spp - 7.32%. Staphylococcus aureus (47,8%) prevailed among staphylococci (in 62.14% were methicillin-resistant) and coagulase-negative staphylococci. Among the genus Enterococcus spp, Enterococcus faecalis prevailed (27% resistant to macrolides, 14% to fluoroquinolones) and Enterococcus faecium (69% resistant to penicillins, fluoroquinolones, macrolides). Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes and streptococci from the group of alpha-greening were isolated from streptococci. Clinically significant types of streptococci in 33.3% were resistant to macrolides and fluoroquinolones. In the structure of gram-negative bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae prevailed - 71.07% (Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. coli); the proportion of non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria (NFGOB) was 28.93%. Most Gram-negative bacteria were producers of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (BLBRs). In NFGOB structure allocated Acinetobacter baumanii - 56,5% (81% polyresistant), Pseudomonas aeruginosa - 30,4% (50% - Carbapenemase Producing Organisms), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia - 10,9%. Thus, microbiological research in septic blood conditions is an integral part of the diagnostic search, selection of etiotropic therapy and monitoring of its effectiveness.

Detection of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli and tet gene prevalence at a pig farm in Kupang , Indonesia.

Objective:The purpose of this study was to detect the incidence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) and the spread of tet genes that encode tetracycline (TE) resistance in E. coli in pig farms in the city of Kupang, Indonesia.Materials and Methods:Samples of pig feces have been obtained from 96 pig farms in Kupang city, Indonesia. Escherichia coli bacteria were isolated and identified morphologically and biochemically, and finally confirmed by the API test. The disk diffusion method has been used to observe the antibiotic sensitivity effects and has been followed by observing resistant genes encoding TE resistance using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (m-PCR) method to detect the presence of tet genes such as tet (A), tet (B), tet (C), tet (D), and tet (E), respectively.Results:A total of 82 (85.4%) of E. coli isolates have been found in all pig feces samples obtained from 96 pig farms in Kupang city. This study has shown a high level of antibiotic resistance dominated by erythromycin (85.4%) and cephalothin (58.5%) and followed by several other antibiotics with a percentage below 34.1%. The prevalence of MDR E. coli was 57.3% by showing 39 different patterns. The most common pattern was showed by the Cephalothin-Colistin-Erythromycin pattern. The resistance of E. coli to TE appears to be related to the presence of tet (A) and tet (E) genes.Conclusion:This study has encouraged the need for public awareness (farmers) of the wise use of antibiotics in preventing the spread of resistant bacteria that can cause health problems in animals and humans.

Adapting automated test generation to GUI testing of industry applications

ContextAutomated test generation promises to improve the effectiveness of software testing and to reduce the involved manual effort. While automated test generation has been successfully applied for code-level API testing, it has not found widespread adoption in practice for testing of graphical user interfaces. Tools for test generation do not support GUI testing out-of-the-box but require dedicated extensions. ObjectiveThis paper explores the applicability of automated test generation for testing GUIs of industry applications. We propose a test adapter approach to bridge the gap between automated test generation tools and industry applications. MethodA multiple case study was conducted in which automated test generation with test adapters has been applied at the unit, integration, and system test level in three industry projects from two different companies. ResultsAutomated test generation via test adapters could be applied at all test levels. It has led to an increase of coverage as well as the detection of new defects that were not found by preceding testing activities in the projects. While test adapters can easily be implemented at the unit test level, their complexity and the corresponding effort for providing adapter implementations rises at higher test levels. ConclusionTest adapters can be used for applying automated test generation for testing GUIs of industry applications. They bridge the gap between automated test generation tools and industry applications. The development of test adapters requires no tool-specific knowledge and can be performed by members of the development team.

Urinary Tract Infections in Patients with Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: Etiology, Resistance to Antibacterial Chemicals and Virulence Features

One of the most frequent chronic complications occurred in diabetes patients are the urinary tract infections (UTIs). This study aimed to investigate the incidence of UTIs in a cohort of 93 (47 males: 46 females) diabetic patients, the prevalence of different microbial species involved and their virulence and antibiotic resistance profiles. The identification of the uropathogenic strains in the positive urine samples was performed using conventional methods and API tests. After identification, the antibiotic susceptibility profiles were established by the standardized disk diffusion method and double disk diffusion test was performed for the confirmation of ESBL and inducible AmpC b �lactamase phenotypes. The isolated strains were tested for the production of different cell associated and soluble virulence factors, i.e.: bacterial adherence to cellular substrata (HeLa cells), hemolysins (hemolysis spot, CAMP-like), amylase, caseinase, aesculin hydrolysis, DNA-ase, lipase and lecithinase. In the analyzed group, the total prevalence of UTIs was of 46%, a higher incidence being observed in the female patients (64%). Similar to other studies, the etiology of UTI in the investigated diabetes patients was dominated by E. coli, followed by Klebsiella sp. strains. The isolated strains preserved good susceptibility rates to quinolones and aminoglycosides and revealed important virulence features, related to their capacity to colonize the cellular substratum and to produce soluble virulence factors involved in persistence, colonization and progression of the infectious process. The high percentage of beta-lactam resistant strains (including carbapenem-resistant ones) requires careful surveillance of the dynamics of susceptibility profiles for limiting the emergence of these strains in community.