Alex van Belkum

..falciparum malaria, 64 patients with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria and 14 patients with severe P. falciparum malaria)...

..Overall, our results suggest that human fingerprint microflora is too dynamic to allow for forensic marker developments for retrieving human information...

..jejuni factors associated with GBS/MFS to date and has allowed us to analyze the genetic background of neuropathogenic C. jejuni strains with an unprecedented level of resolution...

..When nasal colonization is in the neutral state, infection clearly represents a state of host-pathogen disbalance. The features leading from apparent homeostatic colonization to pathogenesis are identified at an increasing rate...

..A strategic effort on the part of all workers in the field is thus mandatory to combat emerging infectious diseases, as is financial support from national and international granting bodies and health authorities...

..Quantitative amplification tests in combination with genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and related methodologies will pave the way to further enhancement of innovative microbial detection and identification...

..MLVA is a modern, timely and versatile bacterial typing methodology...

..When the nature of these states would be known in more detail, this knowledge could be used to design novel and empirical, knowledge-driven means of preventing colonisation from proceeding into S. aureus infection...

..Samples containing 10(2) to 10(3) MRSA cells were frequently reported to be negative. MRSE samples were scored as negative by all commercial tests but by only two out of three in-house tests...

..2%) and no PVL positive strains were detected. The population structure of S. aureus strains isolated from HIV patients appeared to be strongly overlapping with that of S. aureus isolates from healthy individuals...

..Those infected with S. aureus strains belonging to a CC had higher mortality than those infected with strains not belonging to a CC (P<.05), which indicates the coevolution of S. aureus virulence and spread in humans...

..In the first year of life, no association between maternal IgG levels and colonization was seen. In addition, no association between the IgG and IgA levels in the child versus colonization status was seen...

..Other factors, such as Eustachian tube dysfunction, viral load, and genetic and environmental factors, may play a more important role in the pathogenesis of OM and in particular in the development of rAOM or COME...

..Nasal carriers of Staphylococcus aureus are at increased risk for health care-associated infections with this organism. Decolonization of nasal and extranasal sites on hospital admission may reduce this risk...

..Persistent carriers have a higher risk of Staphylococcus aureus infections than noncarriers but a lower risk of bacteremia-related death. Here, the role played by anti-staphylococcal antibodies was studied...

..catarrhalis isolates, may be a result of immune evasion by this pathogen. Finally, the factors facilitating M. catarrhalis and H. influenzae co-colonization need to be further investigated...

..001). This is the first report on a genotypic study where genetic markers which may be used to study pathogenicity in M. mycetomatis were obtained...

..This study describes a new C. jejuni-specific high-throughput AFLP (htAFLP) approach for detection and identification of DNA polymorphism, in general, and of putative GBS/MFS-markers, in particular...

..7% of carriage-associated isolates versus 52.9% of invasive isolates; P = 0.03). Multilocus sequence typing revealed that successful staphylococcal clones usually harbor the egc locus...

..Mastitis-associated S. aureus isolated in diverse farm animal species form a distinct genetic cluster, characterized by an overrepresentation of the toxic shock syndrome toxin superantigen-encoding gene...

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..aureus circulates among humans at low frequency (0.2%) but was isolated in 3 human cases of bacteremia (2.1%; p = 0.026). Although its natural host is probably porcine, ST398 MRSA likely causes infections in humans...

..The high prevalence of PVL-positive S. aureus strains in certain regions of Indonesia is of concern since these strains may cause severe infections in the community and in hospitals...

..Epidemiological conditions should determine which is the optimal typing method to be used...

..Certain antibodies against pneumococcal virulence proteins, some of which are induced by colonization, are associated with a decreased number of RTIs in children. This should be taken into account in future pneumococcal vaccine studies...

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..catarrhalis has not matured at 2 years of age. We provide evidence that a humoral antibody response to OMPs UspA1, UspA2 and Hag/MID may play a role in the immune response to community acquired M. catarrhalis colonization events...

..This study was performed to provide additional insight into staphylococcal carriage types...

..aureus colonizes the nose are still unknown. The staphylococcal cell-wall protein clumping factor B (ClfB) promotes adhesion to squamous epithelial cells in vitro and might be a physiologically relevant colonization factor...

..No detailed reports regarding extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae are currently available from Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world...

..In conclusion, the overall population structures of American and Dutch nasal carriage isolates of S. aureus are surprisingly similar, despite subtle geographic differences in the prevalence of certain S. aureus genotypes...

..The aim of this study was to characterize 34 vancomycin-resistant VanA Enterococcus faecium isolates obtained from two hospitals in Saudi Arabia and to assess Tn1546 variation within these isolates...

..PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of C. jejuni genes involved in the biosynthesis of LOS demonstrated that specific genes were associated with the expression of ganglioside mimics and the development of neuropathy...

..pneumoniae subtypes. Further studies should demonstrate whether differences in bacterial interference are due to more subtle genetic changes...

..Thus, addition of the 336PS conjugate to a type 5- and type 8-CP protein conjugate vaccine would significantly extend the vaccine coverage...

..aureus carriage predisposition. However, MBL haplotypes do so significantly. Baseline HNP1-3 production is more the consequence of S. aureus colonization than a reason for the (non) carrier status...

..aureus antibody assay can be successfully applied to determine the immunogenicity of different S. aureus proteins in relation to the site of infection and the S. aureus strain causing the infection...

..Our study into genetic determinants of S. aureus carriage patterns is the largest in the field, but still we found no association between VDR gene variation and S. aureus nasal carriage...

..Such a correlation was observed for Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae. Direct transmission, genetic susceptibility and/or unidentified environmental factors may play a role here...

..However the test is well suited for species identification after culture and the identification of high-load S. aureus carriers...

..coli and K. pneumoniae isolates. Combining high reproducibility, speed, and ease-of-use, this technique may play an important role in monitoring the epidemiology of these important nosocomial species...

..In conclusion, rhesus macaques are natural hosts of S. aureus, carrying host-specific lineages. Our data indicate that rhesus macaques are useful as an autologous model for studying S. aureus nasal colonization and infection prevention...

..Our results should also be useful in the choice of effective vaccine candidates against M. catarrhalis...

..To evaluate the effectiveness of a rigorous search and destroy policy for controlling methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection or colonization...

..We conclude that sialylation of the LOS outer core contributes significantly to epithelial invasion by C. jejuni and may thus play a role in subsequent postinfectious pathologies...

..Variation in the uspA2 5' non-coding "AGAT" repeat region was also observed. These results may have implications for future M. catarrhalis vaccines comprising UspA1 or UspA2 components...

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..To compare and contrast the geographic and demographic distribution of bro beta-lactamase and antibiotic MIC(50/90) for 1440 global Moraxella catarrhalis isolates obtained from children and adults between 2001 and 2002...

..catarrhalis using pEMCJH04 could help in the development of a vaccine expression vector, as well as providing a useful tool for studying promoter activity and in complementation studies of gene knockout mutants...

..We provide evidence that essentially any S. aureus genotype carried by humans can transform into a life-threatening human pathogen but that certain clones are more virulent than others...

..We present an overview of the current knowledge of the determinants (both human and bacterial) and risks of S aureus nasal carriage. Studies on the population dynamics of S aureus are also summarised...

..tuberculosis. The tests allowed for identification of the major Mycobacterium species and M. tuberculosis variants and clones...

..Thus, genotype-dependent variation in the sensitivity to glucocorticoids is associated with tolerance toward staphylococcal nasal colonization...

..The identification of these microbial genetic markers, which are predictive of the severity and the course of the disease, will facilitate guided individualized antimicrobial therapy in the future...

..jejuni LOS enhances human DC activation and subsequent B cell proliferation, which may contribute to the development of cross-reactive anti-ganglioside Abs found in GBS patients following C. jejuni infection...

..Toxins are important Staphylococcus aureus virulence factors, but little is known about their immunogenicity during infection. Here, additional insight is generated...

..It will be important to analyze the range of the spectral variations that can occur and ensure the correction of all of these factors to obtain the highest reproducibility required for strain level typing...

..1% at the age of 1.5 months to 12.9% at 14 months. Persistent carriage, defined as continuous carriage of the same S. aureus strain at the three sampling moments, was rarely detected in early infancy...

..jejuni ganglioside-like LOS-expressing isolates are linked with severe gastroenteritis and bloody stools in C. jejuni-infected patients...

..We intervened by changing antifungal prophylaxis and implementing strict infection control measures. The incidence dropped immediately...

..We present the first evidence of human genetic predisposition toward susceptibility to mycetoma, a neglected infection of the poor...

..After 6-15 years of disease duration the Ab levels were the highest. TCTP is the first well-characterized immunogenic Ag, simultaneously the first monomolecular vaccine candidate, identified for the fungus M. mycetomatis...

..52, P=0.02). These findings suggest that susceptibility to S. aureus nasal carriage is associated with the C1INH V480M polymorphism...

..The finding warrants the use of mupirocin only in proven carriers for decolonization purposes. Mupirocin is effective overall in decolonizing nasal carriers but less effective in decolonizing extranasal sites...

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..Indirect effects on the patients' hormone regulated immune states are the more likely explanations for mycetoma susceptibility...

..As a comparator fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus was used. Minimal effective concentrations (MECs) and MICs were assessed and compared to those of ketoconazole. M. mycetomatis isolates were not susceptible to the echinocandins...

..No methicillin or vancomycin resistance was detected...

..006). S aureus nasal carriers and non-carriers differ significantly in risk and outcome of nosocomial S aureus bacteraemia. Genotyping revealed that 80% of strains causing bacteraemia in carriers were endogenous...

..jejuni-related GBS. However, our findings suggest that in some cases, other mechanisms may play a role. Further examination of the disease etiology in these patients is mandatory...

..We investigated the impact of staphylococcal carriage among patients on continuous peritoneal dialysis (CPD) in a university hospital...

..Analysis of strains from the second collection revealed that chip-defined MLST was concordant with conventional MLST. Array-mediated MLST data were reproducible, exchangeable, and epidemiologically concordant...

..This will set the stage for continuous, automated, real-time epidemiological monitoring of bacterial infections in a hospital, which can then be followed by timely corrective action by infection prevention teams...

..Since itraconazole and ketoconazole are the main antifungal agents used to treat mycetoma, the clinical relevance of the in vitro rise in MIC should be studied further...

..In conclusion, despite a constant rate of CRI and implementation of optimal patient care, clonal spread of MRSE strains was not prevented by strict hygiene measures...

..Based on the relatively broad range of MICs obtained for the antifungal agents, routine testing of M. mycetomatis isolates for susceptibility to antifungal agents seems to be relevant to adequate therapeutic management...

..Results showed that this organism is only a poor activator of the lectin pathway of complement activation, with subsequent consequences for the etiology of otitis media by this organism...

..anthracis spores and diagnosis of anthrax infection is at hand. We are the first who present fluorogenic substrates for detection of bacterial proteolytic enzymes that can be directly applied in situ by the use of D-oriented amino acids...

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..We demonstrate, for the first time, to our knowledge, that specific bacterial genes are crucial for the induction of anti-ganglioside antibodies...

..Using a human nasal inoculation model, we here demonstrate that the human factor is an important determinant of S. aureus nasal carriage...

..Two out of three GBS-related C. jejuni isolates belonged to an epidemic clone. The observations presented point toward water as a possible source of Campylobacter infections...

..The current BT protocol thus represents a simple method generating robust, reproducible genotype data for S. aureus strains...

..To study the association between Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization and atopic dermatitis (AD) in infancy...

..Superantigen gene profiles and presence of exfoliative toxin genes A and D were associated with clonal complex rather than with invasive disease...

..Therefore, we conclude that for developing a multiplex assay for semi-quantitative measurement of antibody responses against His-tagged proteins the best microspheres to use are the carboxylated ones...

..Genotyping by PFGE and MLST are currently clearly preferred over phenotyping. The overall wish is to increase the activities by over 20% and additional resources would be used to invest in real-time typing...

..This is the first report of M. lentiflavum and M. goodii infections in Africa...

..All steps of this new procedure were developed to ensure a rapid turnaround time and moderate cost. The results obtained suggest that this rapid approach is a valuable tool for the genotyping of S. aureus isolates in real time...

..Furthermore, given the observation that C. jejuni-associated diseases appear to be more severe from November to February, it can be speculated that this may be due to the presence of virulent clones with a limited span of circulation...

..We investigated the extent of S. aureus presence in meat and found 36 S. aureus strains in 79 samples. Two strains were MRSA; 1 was multilocus sequence type 398, the clone related to farming...

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..Apparently, enhanced local spread of CDAD-causing C. difficile may be restricted to a limited number of bacterial genotypes only...

..To describe prevalence of phenotypic and genotypic macrolide-resistance among GBS isolates in pregnant women and explore the possibility of clonal spread of resistant GBS isolates in a multicultural population...

..In this particular outbreak, screening for strains for which ciprofloxacin MICs were > or =0.25 micro g/ml would in retrospect have been the most sensitive method for detection of the K. pneumoniae outbreak strain...

..These FQREC resemble animal-source E. coli and presumably pose little threat to noncompromised hosts. Similar analysis of other FQREC is needed...

..We successfully identify MRSA specific markers and elaborate on the general applicability of the htAFLP approach. This method can be applied to any microbial species for which at least one full-genome sequence is available...

..aureus at admission developed burn-wound colonization with that genotype they carried in the nose or throat. Both carriage in patients and health care workers and auto-infection play a crucial role in (cross-) colonization events...

..Twenty two of the 31 Brazilian isolates, including the VRE outbreak clone, clustered apart from the E. faecium isolates from the database, suggesting that these Brazilian isolates have a distinct evolutionary history...

..The successful MRSA types can acquire prominent positions in hospitals of previously low-endemicity MRSA status...

..Further analysis of 35 of these isolates confirmed loss of the mecA gene in 32 isolates. This finding has important implications for the management of strain collections...