Bacteria Carriers Research Articles

Performance of self-healing mortar containing bacteria immobilized in alginate coated alkali activated lightweight aggregate

Among possible bacteria carriers available on the market, lightweight aggregate (LWA) shows great potential, as it is compatible with the mortar matrix and can retain high amounts of bacteria in the pores. However, the high energy needs to produce commercial LWA is a point of consideration in terms of producing sustainable mortar. Furthermore, the need of increasing the use of fly ash in countries, such as Indonesia, that rely for their electricity on coal power plants is still high. Therefore, LWA generated by cold bonding of fly ash was introduced here as an alternative bacteria carrier. Due to the high open porosity, a coating is needed to protect the bacteria and prevent leakage. Sodium alginate was applied as a coating on expanded clay and fly-ash based LWA containing cells or spores of Bacillus Sphaericus. The viability of spores and cells after encapsulation, and the compressive strength, the healing efficiency and the sealing efficiency of resulting mortar were investigated. The results show that the cells and spores of B. sphaericus are still viable and can actively decompose urea after encapsulation into both LWA types coated with sodium alginate. The strength decreased up to 11% in all mortar samples containing LWA coated with sodium alginate compared to mortar containing LWA without alginate coating. The sodium alginate coating improved the healing efficiency of mortar when cracks were created at 90 days. However high variability occurred for the sealing efficiency, due to the non-uniform crack geometry. In conclusion, fly ash based LWA as a bacterial carrier provides adequate healing performance, similar to commercial expanded clay, but slightly decreased the mechanical properties of resulting mortar.

Validation of a rapid molecular detection test for gram-negative multidrug-resistant bacteria in rectal swabs upon admission of patients to the intensive care unit

In ICU settings, screening patients upon admission for potential multiresistant bacteria (BMR) carriers is crucial. Traditionally, clinical decisions relied on delayed culture results, but a rapid PCR molecular test called RealCycler-Rezero-U/G (Progenie-molecular©), emerged as an alternative. This study aimed to validate its effectiveness in detecting gram-negative BMR in rectal swabs at ICU admission.Over 24 months, an observational study was conducted on 1,234 admitted patients, with 217 meeting isolation criteria and undergoing both PCR and culture tests. Results showed a 17.5 % positive rate for screening. The PCR test exhibited impressive accuracy at 98.6 % and a strong negative predictive value of 99.4 %. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.98, indicating high reliability. Notably, PCR results were available 44.5 h earlier than culture.In conclusion, PCR-based molecular testing for gram-negative BMR offers excellent diagnostic performance and a valuable negative predictive value, making it a suitable screening tool for ICU admissions.

Epidemiological Analysis of the Swine Perfringens Disease in the Aragatsotn Region

Over the recent 20 years, for the first time, the disease of swine perfringens has been studied in the Aragatsotn region of RA and related epidemiological analysis has been conducted. To identify A, C, and D serological types of Cl. Perfringens and special diagnostic sera produced by the Kursk biofactory were used. It has been found that the main serological infection type of swine perfringens is C and sometimes A and D subtypes. In the pig breeding farms of the mentioned region about 6887 heads of swine (aging from 3 days to 1 year old) were registered. Per the research results, about 45 out of 72 communities were recognized as insecure/vulnerable. As to the above-stated animal number, it should be mentioned, that 1722 heads of swine fell down, whereas 5510 were considered bacteria carriers. Thus, as a result of epidemiological analysis, the morbidity (bacteria carrying rate), mortality, insecurity/vulnerability, and focality coefficients (indicators) have made 0.80 (80 %), 0.25 (25 %), 0.63 (63 %), and 122 animals, respectively.

Infectious complications of transrectal prostate biopsy in patients receiving targeted antibiotic prophylaxis after urethral and rectal swab versus standard prophylaxis: A prospective comparative study

BackgroundTo evaluate the role of targeted antibiotic prophylaxis (TAP) after rectal and urethral swab cultures compared to empiric antibiotic prophylaxis (EAP) for the prevention of infectious complications after transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy (TRUS-Bx). MethodsWe conducted a prospective comparative study on 141 patients who underwent TRUS-Bx and were allocated in two groups. The first group (n = 71) received EAP with ciprofloxacin and the second (n = 70) received TAP according to rectal and urethral cultures. Post-biopsy infectious complications rates were compared between the two groups. Fluoroquinolone resistance (FQ-R) in the urethral and rectal swabs was recorded. Baseline characteristics were analyzed to assess their relationship with infectious complications and antibiotic resistance. ResultsA total of 8 infectious complications were observed, 7 of them in the EAP group (9.85%) and 1 in the TAP group (1.4%). There was a statistically significant difference in febrile UTIs between the two groups (6 vs 0, P = 0.028). FQ-R rate was 4.3% and 12.9% for rectal and urethral samples, respectively. Recent antibiotic exposure was associated with higher post-biopsy infection rates for EAP group and FQ-R rates for TAP group. ConclusionCombination of rectal and urethral swab cultures for TAP was able to detect FQ-R bacteria carriers and was associated with fewer infectious complications compared to EAP.

Recent advances in probiotication of fruit and vegetable juices.

Probiotics are live bacteria beneficial to health when consumed adequately. Health professionals now recommend probiotics on regular diets due to their positive effects on human health. The probiotics that are usually consumed from the market through food products are mostly dairy-based. Fruit and vegetables are gaining popularity as preferred matrices for probiotic carriers to the human body, owing to their high cholesterol content and the lactose intolerance of dairy products. On the other hand, fruits and vegetable juices are rich in nutrient content such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and do not contain a starter culture that can compete with the nutrients. The probiotication of fruit and vegetable juices (apple, carrot, citrus fruit, pome-granate, watermelon, tomato, and pineapple) are performing as efficient probiotic bacteria carriers. This review covers the previous works that highlighted the variety of probiotic fruit and vegetable juices as well as the viability of each probiotic in various products after proper fermentation and storage. In addition, physicochemical and sensory changes that occurred during the processing and storage period have been discussed. Furthermore, strategies (microencapsulation, adding prebiotics, antioxidant addition, maintaining optimum pH, temperature, adaptation with resistance, and good packaging) to improve the stability of probiotic bacteria are outlined, as it is difficult to maintain the stability of probiotic bacteria during storage. Finally, the manuscript discusses the effect of probiotic fruit and vegetable juices on human health.

Subjective signs disease of venereal infection

The article is devoted to the problem of the criminal law prohibition of infection with venereal diseases. The use of criminal legal means is a necessary and effective tool in the fight against the spread of social diseases. Part 2 and Part 3 of this article provide for the qualified components of the crime - infection with a venereal disease by a person previously convicted of infecting another person with a venereal disease, infection of two or more persons or a minor (Part 2 of Article 133 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and infection which caused serious consequences (Part 3 of Article 133 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
 The article presents official statistical data on the level of the specified criminal offenses for the period from 1992 to 2021. It is established that, compared to the 90s and 2000s, the level of these criminal offenses has significantly decreased. If for the period from 1992 to 2011 an average of 36 crimes were registered per year, then for the period from 2013 to 2021, only 10 crimes, provided for by Art. 133 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
 Although there is a certain decrease in the quantitative indicators of the analyzed criminal offense, its social danger is high, since this act encroaches on an important group of social values, in particular, the health of a person.
 The article examines questions regarding the content of subjective signs of infection with a venereal disease, since establishing their features is of exceptional importance for the correct qualification of the act.
 Signs of a special subject of venereal disease infection are being investigated. The subject of the crime under consideration is a special one, namely a person who knew about the presence of a venereal disease. Responsibility begins at the age of 16. The fact that a person is aware of his illness can be evidenced by the results of a medical examination, a warning from a medical institution, as well as his own experience and his reference to medical literature.
 It has been established that the possible subjects of this crime should include not only sick persons, but also bacteria carriers and contact persons (provided that these persons are aware).
 The idea that direct intent is impossible for this component of the crime is denied. The subjective side of venereal disease infection is characterized by direct and indirect intent, as well as unlawful self-confidence.

Cooperative Target Tracking Algorithm Based on Massive Beacon Coordinates System in Directional Molecular Communication.

As nanotechnology advances, it is possible to build nanomachines to conduct tasks on the nano-scale. Since the EM wave, the traditional communication medium does not apply in nano-scale, Molecular Communication (MC) has been recently given increasing attention for its excellent biocompatibility and low energy consumption within the human body. Diffusion channel-based MC(DbMC) is mainly studied in the aquatic environment. However, due to the randomness of diffusion, DbMC suffers high losses, low propagation speed, and limited communication range. Directional Molecular Communication(DMC) is proposed by introducing chemotaxis. DMC can significantly improve the efficiency of molecular communication because it keeps molecules moving along a predetermined path. It is particularly suitable in the scenario of target tracking related to some applications such as drug delivery. In this paper, we have proposed a novel massive beacon coordinates system model to aid target tracking. Beacons in this system navigate nanomachines, and the beacon system can uniquely determine their position coordinates. Each nanomachine carries a lot of bacteria carrier (E.coli) to share information. Information is encoded in DNA molecules and transferred to other nanomachines by bacteria carriers. With the help of bacteria carriers, nanomachines can share their current position information with others to realize cooperated fast target tracking. We have evaluated its performance in target tracking through simulation by comparison with the diffusion-based model. Some key factors that may influence target tracking are also taken into consideration.

Causative agents of campylo-bacteriosis of birds – etiological factors of toxicoinfections in humans

This article is devoted to the problems of the emergence among the population of acute intestinal infectious diseases of a zoonotic nature caused by campylobacteriosis. According to WHO estimates, for many years the dominant cause in the development of acute intestinal infectious diseases in humans of a zoonotic nature is campylobacteriosis, which has recently surpassed salmonellosis in prevalence. Campylobacteriosis is a zoonotic infectious disease of agricultural, domestic and wild birds, animals and humans, caused by microorganisms of the genus Campylobacter, characterized by varying degrees of severity and polymorphism manifestations. Bacteria of the Campylobacter genus are ubiquitous in nature, they are present in the body of poultry and animals. The main reservoirs of Campylobacter are wild and domestic birds, primarily chickens. The high infection rate of C. jejuni of poultry flocks leads to more frequent detection of these bacteria in various types of poultry products. As a result, raw materials and poultry products are considered the main source of excretion and transmission factor of campylobacteriosis pathogens, posing the greatest risk to human health, since chicken meat and eggs occupy one of the dominant places in the population's diet. A high percentage of C. jejuni bacteria carriers among poultry, in case of violation of veterinary and sanitary measures in the farm and against the background of other latent infections, can cause significant economic damage to poultry farming due to a decrease in egg production, weight, mortality of poultry and an increase in the cost of health measures. Today, the system for controlling the spread of campylobacteriosis in poultry farms and at poultry processing enterprises is based on the use of general veterinary-zoo hygienic and antiepizootic measures, which does not always prevent infection of poultry, poultry products and, accordingly, people. In this regard, the development of a National Program for the Control of Campylobacteriosis in Poultry Farms of the Russian Federation in order to ensure the epidemiological well-being of the population is relevant.

Physiciansʼ awareness level assessment of the epidemiology and diagnosis features of nosocomial infection caused by Clostridium difficile in a multidisciplinary hospitals

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile has an important place among healthcare associated infections pathogens, mainly due to the widespread and inappropriate antibiotics use. Over the past 10 years an incidence of this infection has increased in the USA and European countries. Unfortunately, C. difficile infection cases in the Russian Federation are almost not register, probably due to the lack of physicians awareness and underestimation of the pathogen role in the etiology of nosocomial infections.
 AIM: Is to study the different specialties physicians awareness of C. difficile infection development in multidisciplinary hospitals.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire survey of 115 physicians of two multidisciplinary hospitals in Kazan was carried out. The questionnaire included 15 questions related to etiology, transmission mechanism, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnosis and prevention of C. difficile infection. Statistical data processing was carried out in MS Excel. We used Fishers exact test for comparisons questionnaire responses indicators. P-values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
 RESULTS: A low level of physicians awareness on this issue was revealed. 92.2% of physicians did not have any C. difficile infection cases in their practice. 31.3% of respondents underestimate the role of antibiotic use as the main risk factor for the development of the disease; at the same time, there are frequent cases of unreasonable prescription of antibiotics. 32.2% of the respondents are poorly informed about diagnosis methods of clostridiosis. 20% of physicians deny the role of bacteria carriers as a source of infection. 77.4% of respondents indicated the alimentary route as the main route of infection transmission. Only 38.2% of respondents noted the hospital environment objects as a possible factor in the transmission of C. difficile.
 CONCLUSIONS: There is no alertness regarding antibiotic-associated diarrhea caused by C. difficile infection among multidisciplinary hospital physicians. Insufficient knowledge of epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory diagnostics of C. difficile infection are factors that determine the low frequency of its detection and, accordingly, impede the implementation of required anti-epidemic measures. There is a need to include C. difficile infection issues in professional development programs for medical workers. It is advisable to develop and implement C. difficile infection control.

Chronic Inflammation Impairs Male Fertility—A Case-Control Study in Ulcerative Colitis Patients

Recent evidence indicates that a systemic state of inflammation may exert a negative effect on male fertility. The aim of this study is to evaluate sperm quality parameters in male patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Between December 2019 and December 2020 semen analyses are performed in 50 patients with UC in clinical remission. The control group consists of 50 healthy volunteers. Total sperm count, sperm count, percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa, viability, and progressive motility, are significantly lower in the study group than in healthy males (p < 0.001). The DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) are significantly higher in the study group (28.9% and 1.55% on average, respectively) than in healthy males (14.6% and 0.79% on average, respectively). Bacteriospermia is more clearly observed in the study group (p = 0.037), and the most frequent pathogen is Enterococcus faecalis. The DFI and ORP are significantly higher in bacteria carriers, compared to males without microbial pathogens from both the study and control groups (p < 0.001). To conclude, UC patients have worse basic sperm parameters compared to their healthy counterparts. Deterioration of semen parameters, as well as an intensified DNA fragmentation could be a result of oxidative stress intensification.

Clinical course and background of nasopharyngeal antibiotic-resistant bacteria carriers among preschool children hospitalized for lower respiratory tract infection

We investigated the nasopharyngeal microbiota in preschool patients hospitalized with lower respiratory tract infection to clarify the relationships between culturable nasopharyngeal bacteria and prognosis. From 2016 to 2018, nasopharyngeal culture was performed on inpatients under 6 years of age with a lower respiratory tract infection. Among the 1,056 study patients, 1,046 provided nasopharyngeal samples that yielded positive cultures, yielding 1,676 isolated strains. Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis, were isolated in 25%, 27%, and 31% of the samples, respectively, and were the major causes of respiratory tract infection in these children. The only factor associated with the isolation of antibiotic-resistant strains from the nasopharynx was daycare attendance, which did not affect clinical severity, such as duration of fever and hospitalization. This study demonstrated that resistant bacteria in the nasopharynx did not affect the severity of lower respiratory tract infection and supports the use of narrow-spectrum antimicrobial agents in accordance with published guidelines when initiating therapy for pediatric patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

Risk of infection in antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria carriers: A systematic review

Abstract Background Antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (AMR-GNB) have emerged as important health care-associated pathogens. Infections with AMR-GNB are associated with high patient morbidity and attributable mortality. Colonization is a prerequisite for infection, however the extent to which colonized patients develop infection is unclear. This systematic review explored the risk of developing infection during hospitalisation among AMR-GNB faecal carriers. Also, we investigated the acquisition rate for AMR-GNB colonization among patients not colonized at admission. Methods We searched on PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane databases for studies published from 2010 up to April 2019. We included studies reporting on hospitalised patients ≥18 years old in high-income countries (excluding long-term care facilities). Results Out of 9496 articles, 55 studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Forty-two studies reported data from EU/EEA, 6 from USA and 7 from other regions. Almost all studies (n = 45) were conducted in university hospitals. Most studies (n = 41;74.5%) were performed in high-risk wards (ICU, haematology, burn units and transplant units). Out of 55 studies, 8 examined AMR-GNB, 27 Enterobacteriaceae, while the others investigated specific pathogens: Klebsiella spp. (n = 11), E. Coli (n = 2), A. Baumannii (n = 3) and P. Aeruginosa (n = 4). The rate of AMR-GNB carriage acquisition was 10.5% (n = 40 studies; 95% CI:8.2-13.1). The risk of progression to infection among patients colonized at hospital admission was 13.9% (n = 15; 5.4-24.9), while the infection rate in patients who acquired carriage during hospitalization was 23.0% (n = 7; 5.9-45.2). Patients with an undefined time of colonization presented an infection rate of 16.9% (n = 13; 11.2-23.4). Considering these three populations as a whole, the risk of developing infection was 16.0% (11.0-21.0). Conclusions Our results suggest that risk of progression to infection in AMR-GNB colonized patients in hospital setting is high. Key messages The aim of our study was to estimate the risk of progression to infection, during hospital stay, in patients colonized by AMR-GNB at hospital admission in high-income countries. Our results suggest that faecal colonization with AMR-GNB poses a 16.0% risk of subsequent AMR-GNB infection. This risk in higher (23.0%) in patients who acquired colonization during hospitalisation.

Biofilms of pathogenic bacteria in pig industry

In the industrial pig farm for 26 thousand heads, the analysis of the influence of a forage factor on bacteria carriers of a uterine pig population in connection with mass morbidity of dairy piglets on anaerobic enterotoxemia is carried out. Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia, Pasteurella multocida, Clostridium perfringens, Neisseria spp., Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger which are able to form biofilms, were isolated from five samples of “SK-1” compound feed for pregnant sows and from the blood of animals (n=20) fed with this compound feed. The structural basis of the most stable biofilms in vitro were the aerobic fungi Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. Biofilm-forming variants of these bacteria showed multidrug resistance to 30 antimicrobial drugs (synthetic penicillins, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, combination drugs). Isolates of associative microflora isolated from the blood of sows were pathogenic for 30% of laboratory mice. It was found that probiotic agent No1 (composition based on Bischofite with probiotics) showed the universal bactericidal activity against the bacteria Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia, Pasteurella multocida, Clostridium perfringens, Neisseria spp.

A review of different bacteria carriers used in self-healing mechanism

Now a day’s concrete is one of the most widely used and important construction materials in the world. Till now it is not replaced with any other material because of its versatile properties and stability characteristics. One of the problems using concrete structures is the formation of cracks formed due to heat of hydration. Many researches had been done to overcome this problem, out of which self-healing mechanism has attained much attention. Different methodologies were embraced to create self-healing concrete-based materials where experiments were directed to set up another technique for self-healing. Different types of carriers were used by the researchers like expanded clay aggregate, expanded perlite, super absorbent polymer, encapsulation in microcapsules, also directly bacterial solution was added into the mix to observe mechanism of self-healing. Different type of tests like Microstructure test using XRD, SEM, durability test results using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity and Compressive strength discussions are made in this review. It is also observed that although the expanded clay aggregates-based samples featured a considerable decrease in strength but the crack healing capacity of these samples which were prepared with calcium lactate significantly improved. Also, with the use of Bacillus SP bacterial solution in the concrete mix enhance its mechanical properties. To host the application of different material as a carrier, self-healing process and strength criteria is discussed.

IgA-protease activity coupled to cellular enzymes of different &lt;i&gt;Streptococcus pneumonia&lt;/i&gt; serotypes isolated in pediatric bacteria carriers

Streptococcus pneumoniae are significant causative agents of severe and life-threatening acute pneumonia, meningitis, as well as otitis and sinusitis both in children and elderly. As many as 1.2 million pediatric lethal outcomes due to pneumonia and infections of the central nervous system (meningitis) caused by S. pneumoniae, are recorded worldwide annually, a large proportion of which occur in developing countries. Metal-dependent IgA1 proteases derived from pathogenic bacteria comprise an important group of bacterial enzymes cleaving human immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1) at the hinge region, thereby interfering with fully-executed host antibacterial immunity.Objective. To study activity of IgA1proteinases and their class profile (Na2-EDTA and PMSF-inhibited) in various pneumococcal serotypes isolated from nasopharyngeal carrier children.Materials and methods. There were examined 585 children attending preschool facilities residing in Kazan (n = 331) and rural areas (n = 254). Microbiological, molecular genetics and immunochemical methods were used to identify, serotyping composition and protease activity of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates. Data statistical processing was carried out by using software Graph Pad Prism version 5.0.Results. Prevalence of S. pneumonie in pediatric carriers aged 1.5–3 years was 35.1%, 3–5 years — 23.4%, 5–7 years — 19.6%, and over 7 years — 21.9%. Vaccine serotypes 14, 19F, 23F as a part of current pneumococcal vaccines (Prevenar, Pneumavax-23) comprised as high as 55.8%. However, in 19% of cases were positive for non-vaccine S. pneumoniae strains. Non-typeable strains were detected in 5.8% isolates. IgA-proteinase activity was detected in cell lysates of 45 (86.5%) S. pneumoniae strains isolated from pediatric carriers. Cell lysates of S. pneumoniae strains showing no proteolytic properties, were assigned to serotypes 12F, Sg18. Thus, studies on development of alternative vaccines containing immunogenic proteins, adhesins or other virulence factors common to capsulated and non-typeable (encapsulated) pneumococcal strains hold promise. All the aforementioned accounts for a need for microbiological monitoring of S. pneumoniae carriage and search for new diagnostic approaches for etiological interpretation of S. pneumoniae-associated diseases.

Cellulose fiber as bacteria-carrier in mortar: Self-healing quantification using UPV

Crack formation due to shrinkage or tensile forces is a major weakness of cementitious materials. To overcome this problem, in this study a self-healing mortar is produced using mineral producing alkaliphilic bacteria. Authors have used bacilius subtilis strain 168 type of bacteria to improve the ability of cementitious mortar to heal any formed cracks without any external intervention. Bacteria-based self-healing concrete/mortar needs bacteria-carriers to protect bacteria in a dense matrix to maintain the mineral-forming capacity of bacteria. However, the currently used bacteria-carriers are not always suitable for concrete because of their complex procedures or high cost. To develop a more suitable bacteria-carrier, in this paper feasibility of alkali treated micro cellulose fiber as a novel bacteria-carrier for self-healing mortar is investigated. Two types of bacterial mortar by using cellulose fiber as a bacteria-carrier were prepared. For one type, nutrients were added inside the mortar mix, while for the other, nutrients were added into the curing water. The crack healing efficiency of bacterial mortars was investigated using image analysis and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) test and compared with unreinforced and control cellulose fiber mortars. Research shows that self-healing mortar using cellulose fiber as a bacteria-carrier result in maximum self-healing as compared to other mixes, 8.23% more than control samples, pre-cracked at 28 days with damaged degree between 0.1 to 0.2. At the dosage investigated, addition of cellulose fiber resulted in a decrease in compressive strength. It was observed that cellulose fiber increase the availability of bacteria in cracked region by acting as a bridge across the crack. Furthermore, cellulose fibers have a low cost and simplest method of immobilizing bacteria when compared with other bacteria carriers.

532. Can Saccharomyces boulardii Therapy Be Effective in Decolonizing Rectal Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) Colonization?

BackgroundCRE are globally important pathogens associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The problem of carrying CRE may continue to create a problem in discharged cases in the community. Saccharomyces boulardii sachet therapy (SBST) is reported to cause decolonization in several MDR bacteria carriers. Herein, it is aimed to present the decolonizing rates of rectal CRE colonized cases after SBST treatment.MethodsThe study period was August 2018–March 2019. Inclusion criteria were: (i) age >18, (ii) receiving Saccharomyces boulardii 250 mg sachets q12h for 7 days, (iii) being proven CRE carrier on rectal swab culture (RSC) up to 5 days period before SBST. The first repeated RSC was performed 3–5 days after the end of SBST. Data were retrieved from the hospital electronic database. Cases with three consecutive weekly performed negative RSC were considered to be decolonized. RSC were processed according to CDC protocol; briefly, the swab was inoculated into 10 mL of trypticase soy broth (bioMérieux Inc., Marcy-l’Étoile, France) with the addition of one 10-μg ertapenem disk (Oxoid, Altrincham, UK) and incubated at 35°C for 18–20 h. The next day, after vortexing, 100 μL of the inoculum was subcultured (8) onto chromID CARBA agar plates (bioMérieux) and incubated at 35°C for 18–20 h. Suspected CRE colonies on chromID CARBA (blue/green to blue/gray in color) were identified by the VITEK MS system (bioMérieux). Susceptibility testing of the isolates was performed with the VITEK 2 system (bioMérieux). Isolates were tested for their resistance phenotypes to imipenem, ertapenem, and meropenem by E-test (bioMérieux). The results were interpreted according to the EUCAST criteria.ResultsFifteen cases [2 women, mean age 60.6 ± 18.3 (min. 18–max. 83)] fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All had a history of carbapenem usage. Five cases (33%) had three consequent negative RSC after SBST and were considered to be decolonized. Twelve cases were receiving concomitant antibiotic during SBST (10 carbapenem based regimens). Three cases who received no concomitant antibiotic were decolonized.ConclusionSBST may be a promising tool for decolonizing CRE carriers. These data need to be validated in larger cohorts preferably via randomized-controlled trials.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Metabiotic Medicine of Symbiotic Corynebacteria: Prevention, Treatment and Immunological Safety

Relevance.Acute respiratory diseases (ARD) occupy a leading position in infectious pathology. Patients who often suffer from the acute respiratory diseases, in most cases have an ENT pathology against the background of immunodeficiency state. Large groups of people are often affected by such diseases. As a rule, the causative agents of such diseases are pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microorganisms. To solve this problem, therapeutic immunomodulatory vaccines have been proposed. The goal of such drugs is to enhance specific resistance to a large number of conditionally pathogenic microorganisms.Aims.The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the prophylactic, therapeutic efficacy and immunomodulating safety of a metabiotic preparation produced from symbiotic corynebacteria.Materials and methods.A medicine Kodivak, a structural component of the cell wall of the symbiotic corynebacterium (Corynebacterium diphtheriae (tox +) was used in the work. The study on long term Cd tox + bacteria carriers examined the therapeutic efficacy as well as immunomodulating safety of Kodivak compared with some vaccines.Results and discussion.All carriers who have undergone the treatment with Kodivak stopped the release of Cd tox +, which was confirmed by a bacteriological analysis, and the condition of the oropharynx corresponded to the physiological norm. The quantitative indicators of the content of lymphocytes in the blood of the long-term carriers of C. diphtheriae tox + were determined before and after the course of treatment with Kodivak. Selective immunocorrecting effect of Kodivak on the human immune system is shown. A comparative analysis of post-vaccination changes in the number of immunocompetent cells of patients immunized with different vaccines showed that medicines containing antigens that are responsible for pathogenicity stimulate the state of immunodeficiency at a certain stage. While Kodivak does not cause significant deviations in the composition of the subpopulation of lymphocytes from the physiological norm.Conclusions.The findings confirm the possibility and necessity of using Kodivak not only for the rehabilitation of long-term carriers, but also both for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes in the risk groups of ARD morbidity of microbial and viral etiology as well as a nonspecific immunomodulating agent for the restoration of microsymbiogenesis in the upper respiratory tract biotopes.

Self-Healing Concrete Using Rubber Particles to Immobilize Bacterial Spores.

Bacteria-based self-healing concrete is a construction material used to repair cracks in concrete, in which the bacterial spores are immobilized by bacteria carriers. However, the currently available bacteria carriers are not always suitable due to a complicated procedure or high cost. To develop a more suitable bacteria carrier as well as improve the anti-crack capability of self-healing concrete, in this study we evaluate the feasibility of using rubber particles as a novel bacteria carrier in self-healing concrete. Two types of self-healing concrete are prepared with rubber particles of different sizes to quantify the crack-healing effect. In addition, the fluidity and mechanical properties of the self-healing rubber concrete are compared with those of plain concrete and normal rubber concrete. The experimental results show that the self-healing rubber concrete with a particle size of 1~3 mm has a better healing capacity than the self-healing rubber concrete with a particle size of 0.2~0.4 mm, and the width value of the completely healed crack is 0.86 mm. The self-healing rubber concrete has a higher slump than the plain concrete and normal rubber concrete. According to the strength tests, the compressive strengths of the self-healing rubber concrete are low early on but they exceed those of the corresponding normal rubber concrete at 28 days. Moreover, the self-healing rubber concrete has higher splitting tensile strengths than the plain concrete and a better anti-crack capability. The results of a comparison to the other two representative bacterial carriers indicate that rubber particles have potential to be a widely used bacteria carrier for practical engineering applications in self-healing concrete.

ESCMID-EUCIC clinical guidelines on decolonization of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria carriers

ScopeThe aim of these guidelines is to provide recommendations for decolonizing regimens targeting multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) carriers in all settings. MethodsThese evidence-based guidelines were produced after a systematic review of published studies on decolonization interventions targeting the following MDR-GNB: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (3GCephRE), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), aminoglycoside-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (AGRE), fluoroquinolone-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (FQRE), extremely drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (XDRPA), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), cotrimoxazole-resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (CRSM), colistin-resistant Gram-negative organisms (CoRGNB), and pan-drug-resistant Gram-negative organisms (PDRGNB). The recommendations are grouped by MDR-GNB species. Faecal microbiota transplantation has been discussed separately. Four types of outcomes were evaluated for each target MDR-GNB:(a) microbiological outcomes (carriage and eradication rates) at treatment end and at specific post-treatment time-points; (b) clinical outcomes (attributable and all-cause mortality and infection incidence) at the same time-points and length of hospital stay; (c) epidemiological outcomes (acquisition incidence, transmission and outbreaks); and (d) adverse events of decolonization (including resistance development). The level of evidence for and strength of each recommendation were defined according to the GRADE approach. Consensus of a multidisciplinary expert panel was reached through a nominal-group technique for the final list of recommendations. RecommendationsThe panel does not recommend routine decolonization of 3GCephRE and CRE carriers. Evidence is currently insufficient to provide recommendations for or against any intervention in patients colonized with AGRE, CoRGNB, CRAB, CRSM, FQRE, PDRGNB and XDRPA. On the basis of the limited evidence of increased risk of CRE infections in immunocompromised carriers, the panel suggests designing high-quality prospective clinical studies to assess the risk of CRE infections in immunocompromised patients. These trials should include monitoring of development of resistance to decolonizing agents during treatment using stool cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility results according to the EUCAST clinical breakpoints.