BACKGROUND/AIMS: Since endoscopes are reusable apparatus classified as semicritical item, thorough reprocessing to achieve high-level disinfection is of utmost importance to prevent spread of infection. To improve disinfection efficacy and safety, disinfectants and endoscope reprocessors are continuously evolving. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of the combination of polyhexamethylenebiguanide hydrochloride-alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (PHMB-DBAC) and orthophthalaldehyde (OPA) used respectively in ultrasonographic cleaning incorporated automated endoscope reprocessors: COOLENDO (APEX Korea) or OER-A (Olympus Optical). METHODS: A total of 86 flexible upper endoscopes were randomly reprocessed with either COOLENDO/PHMB-DBAC or OER-A/OPA. Culture samplings were done at two sites (endoscope tip and working channel) which were later incubated on blood agar plate. Bacterial colonies were counted and identified. RESULTS: The culture-positive rate at the endoscope tip and working channel was 0% and 2.33% for COOLENDO/PHMB-DBAC and 4.65% and 0% for OER-A/OPA. Staphylococcus hominis was cultured from one endoscope reprocessed with COOLENDO/PHMB-DBAC and Pseudomonas putida was isolated from two endoscopes reprocessed with OER-A/OPA. CONCLUSIONS: The reprocessing efficacy of COOLENDO/PHMB-DBAC was non-inferior to that of OER-A/OPA (p=0.032; confidence interval, -0.042 to 0.042). During the study period, significant side effect of PHMB-DBAC was not observed.
Agar ; Disinfectants ; Disinfection ; Endoscopes ; Pseudomonas putida ; Staphylococcus hominis

Intracranial calcifications are relatively common computed tomographic findings in the field of neurosurgery, and cysticercosis, tuberculosis, HIV, and cryptococcus are acquired intracranial infections typically associated with calcifications. However, intracranial calcification caused by a bacterial brain abscess is rare. Here, we present a rare case of intracranial calcification caused by a bacterial brain abscess, from which staphylococcus hominis was isolated. To the best of our knowledge, no previous report has been published on intracranial calcification caused by bacterial brain abscess after decompressive craniectomy for traumatic brain injury. In this article, the pathophysiological mechanism of this uncommon entity is discussed and relevant literature reviewed.
Brain ; Brain Abscess ; Brain Injuries ; Cryptococcus ; Cysticercosis ; Decompressive Craniectomy ; HIV ; Neurosurgery ; Staphylococcus hominis ; Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronically relapsing skin disease that is associated with a disturbance of the epidermal barrier function. Changes in the human skin microbiome have been suggested as a risk factor for AD. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the species distribution of microflora on the skin and in the oral cavity of healthy volunteers and patients with AD. METHODS: Samples for culture were obtained from both lesional skin and the oral cavity in 211 patients with AD and from both the normal skin and oral cavity of 24 healthy controls. Species identification was performed with the VITEK 2 system (bioMerieux Inc., Hazelwood, MO, USA). RESULTS: The isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from the skin was statistically more frequent among patients with AD than among healthy controls, while the isolation of Staphylococcus hominis and Micrococcus luteus were statistically more frequent among healthy controls than among patients with AD (p<0.05). In the oral cavity, S. aureus and Candida albicans were found more frequently in patients with AD, but the difference did was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: This study provides an important insight into the species distribution of microorganisms on human skin and in the oral cavity. Further investigation is required to determine the role of specific microorganisms in the etiology and pathogenicity of AD.
Candida albicans ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Microbiota ; Micrococcus luteus ; Mouth ; Risk Factors ; Skin Diseases ; Skin* ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Staphylococcus hominis ; Virulence

A healthy, 14-year-old boy presented with right hip pain and consequent fever after falling out of bed while sleeping. The patient could not walk and complained of severe pain with active and passive motion, which consisted mainly in extension and internal rotation of the right hip. Laboratory analysis of the peripheral blood identified leukocytosis and increased levels of acute phase reactants. Magnetic resonance imaging of the hip, which was performed with the expectation of right hip pathology, revealed cellulitis and abscess in the right psoas muscle and associated inflammatory changes in the adjacent presacral fat plane but showed no abnormal lesions in the adjacent pelvic bone and spine. Staphylococcus hominis was cultured from the blood. With empirical antibiotic therapy, the patient recovered fully. We report a case of primary psoas abscess confused with hip pathology in an immunocompetent child without underlying disease.
Abscess ; Acute-Phase Proteins ; Adolescent ; Cellulitis ; Child ; Fever ; Hip* ; Humans ; Leukocytosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Pathology* ; Pelvic Bones ; Psoas Abscess* ; Psoas Muscles ; Spine ; Staphylococcus hominis

A healthy, 14-year-old boy presented with right hip pain and consequent fever after falling out of bed while sleeping. The patient could not walk and complained of severe pain with active and passive motion, which consisted mainly in extension and internal rotation of the right hip. Laboratory analysis of the peripheral blood identified leukocytosis and increased levels of acute phase reactants. Magnetic resonance imaging of the hip, which was performed with the expectation of right hip pathology, revealed cellulitis and abscess in the right psoas muscle and associated inflammatory changes in the adjacent presacral fat plane but showed no abnormal lesions in the adjacent pelvic bone and spine. Staphylococcus hominis was cultured from the blood. With empirical antibiotic therapy, the patient recovered fully. We report a case of primary psoas abscess confused with hip pathology in an immunocompetent child without underlying disease.
Abscess ; Acute-Phase Proteins ; Adolescent ; Cellulitis ; Child ; Fever ; Hip* ; Humans ; Leukocytosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Pathology* ; Pelvic Bones ; Psoas Abscess* ; Psoas Muscles ; Spine ; Staphylococcus hominis

A 71-year-old diabetic male who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery 8-years ago due to coronary artery disease, complained of hiccups for 3 days and worsening of anginal symptoms, which was proven to be with Staphylococcus hominis bacteremia. The patient was finally diagnosed with a mycotic aneurysm of the ascending aorta. All of the branches originating from the ascending aorta were narrowed due to the aortitis, including the origin of the left subclavian artery, which was supplying the left anterior descending artery as a result of bypass surgery. This might have been the cause of the chest pain and hiccups, since the vagus nerve is near the left subclavian artery. Three-dimensional chest computed tomography examination revealed a massive extension of the aortitis.
Aged ; Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, Infected ; Angina, Unstable ; Aorta ; Aortitis ; Arteries ; Bacteremia ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Hiccup ; Humans ; Male ; Staphylococcus hominis ; Subclavian Artery ; Thorax ; Vagus Nerve

A N-acetylneuraminate lyase gene (shnal) from Staphylococcus hominis was cloned into pET-28a and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) host cells. The recombinant enzyme was purified and characterized. It is a homotetrameric enzyme with the optimum pH at 8.0 for the cleavage direction and the optimum pH and temperature were 7.5 and 45 degrees C for the synthetic direction. The activity of ShNAL is stable when incubated at 45 degrees C for 2 h but decreased rapidly over 50 degrees C. ShNAL showed high stability in a wide range pH from 5.0 to 10.0 with the residual activity being > 70% when the enzyme was incubated in different buffers at 4 degrees C for 24 h. Its K(m) towards N-acetylneuraminic acid, pyruvate and ManNAc were (4.0 +/- 0.2) mmol/L, (35.1 +/- 3.2) mmol/L and (131.7 +/- 12.1) mmol/L, respectively. The k(cat)/K(m) value of Neu5Ac, ManNAc, and Pyr for ShNAL were 1.9 L/(mmol x s), 0.08 L/(mmol x s) and 0.08 L/(mmol x s), respectively.
Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cloning, Molecular ; Enzyme Stability ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Oxo-Acid-Lyases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Staphylococcus hominis ; enzymology ; Temperature

Contamination with sanitary microorganisms from Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Staphylococcaceae, Micrococcaceae and Bacillaceae families in flower bee pollen from Bulgaria after one-year vacuum-packed cold storage has been found. Dried flower bee pollens intended for human consumption were with high incidence rate of contamination with Pantoea sp. (P. agglomerans and P. agglomerans bgp6) (100%), Citrobacter freundii (47%), Proteus mirabilis (31.6%), Serratia odorifera (15.8%) and Proteus vulgaris (5.3%). Bee pollens were also positive for the culture of microorganisms from Staphylococcaceae, Micrococcaceae and Bacillaceae families: Staphylococcus hominis subsp hominis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Arthrobacter globiformis, Bacillus pumilis, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. It was concluded that, if consumed directly, the vacuum-packed cold stored dried bee pollen, harvested according hygienic requirements from bee hives in industrial pollution-free areas without intensive crop production, is not problem for healthy human.
Arthrobacter ; Bacillaceae ; Bacillus ; Bacillus subtilis ; Bees* ; Bulgaria ; Citrobacter freundii ; Crop Production ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Flowers* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Micrococcaceae ; Pantoea ; Pollen* ; Proteus mirabilis ; Proteus vulgaris ; Pseudomonadaceae ; Serratia ; Staphylococcaceae ; Staphylococcus epidermidis ; Staphylococcus hominis ; Urticaria ; Vacuum*

Heat stroke is defined as a core body temperature that rises above 40 degrees C accompanied by central nervous system abnormalities such delirium, convulsions or coma. Despite treatment with optimal cooling, heat stroke causes deaths by complications including rhabdomyolysis, renal failure, hepatic dysfunction, disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome, acute respiratory distress syndrome, bowel ischemia, myocardial injury, and multiple organ failure. In some cases of survival, heat stroke it can cause irreversible CNS damage. Therefore, if exertional heat stroke is properly diagnosed in the emergency room, we must initiate early and aggressive treatment in order to prevent the multiorgan failure and high mortality associated with this condition. To our knowledge, case reports in the literature are rare describing that patients with multiple organ dysfunction and fulminant pneumonia following exertional heat stroke. This study reports on a relevant case, as well as findingsfrom the literature. The case history is presented of a 20- year-old man who presented with exertional heat stroke with sustained hyperpyrexia ongoing after the first day of admission despite optimal treatment including intensive fluid resuscitation. On the 3rd day of admission, chest infiltrated lesions were discovered. From the high-resolution computed tomography results, multifocal consolidations were discovered in both lungs. Blood cultures revealed Staphylococcus hominis. Treatment with proper antibiotics was begun after identifying the blood culture. The patient fully recovered and was discharged on the 10th day after admission.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Body Temperature ; Central Nervous System ; Coma ; Delirium ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Emergencies ; Heat Stress Disorders ; Heat Stroke ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Lung ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Pneumonia ; Renal Insufficiency ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Resuscitation ; Rhabdomyolysis ; Seizures ; Staphylococcus hominis ; Thorax