Brevibacterium spp. are Gram-positive, irregularly rod-shaped, strictly aerobic bacteria that resemble corynebacteria. Since they are a part of normal skin flora, they have been regarded as apathogenic, and human infections related to them are very rare. A 46-year-old man previously diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presented with fever without a definitive infectious source. Blood cultures from both peripheral blood and a central venous catheter showed that only aerobic bottles grew contaminants, while anaerobic bottles did not. Although the automated microbial identification system indicated Propionibacterium acnes, the isolated species was identified as B. casei by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Our case emphasizes the utilization of 16S rRNA sequence analysis when the result from an automated system does not correspond with other laboratory findings. This is the first case of catheter-related blood stream infection due to B. casei identified by 16S rRNA sequence analysis.
Bacteria, Aerobic ; Brevibacterium* ; Central Venous Catheters ; Fever ; Humans ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Middle Aged ; Propionibacterium acnes* ; Rivers ; Sequence Analysis ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Epidermal cyst is a common acquired skin cyst. When such cysts may be inflamed, they are often referred to as being infected. To clarify the etiology of inflamed epidermal cysts, several studies have carried bacteriology of inflamed and uninflamed epidermal cyst and sought to identify the role of micro-organisms. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the bacterial influences on inflammatory process of epidermal cysts and the antibiotic sensitivity of cultured aerobic bacteria in epidermal cysts. METHODS: We carried out the bacterial cultures using sterile swabbing internal materials in each cyst which has been incised after surgical removals of epidermal cyst. An inflamed epidermal cyst was defined as a known cyst that developed a fluctuant soft-tissue swelling surrounded by the erythema and contained a localized collection of purulent material. For the aerobic culture, samples were cultured on blood agar plates, McConkey agar plate and chocolate agar plates in 5% CO2 at 35degrees C for 5 days. Colonies formed were identified based on VITEK2 system. Then antimicrobial susceptibility test were also done on VITEK2 system. RESULTS: Total of 100 epidermal cyst specimens from 96 patients (67 men and 29 women) were involved had confirmed histopathological findings by dermatologists. Seventy were from face and neck, 24 from trunk, 4 from the extremities, 2 from buttock. Of the 53 inflamed cysts, 30 (56.6%) yielded bacterial growth. On the other hand, from the 47 uninflamed cysts, 15 (31.9%) cyst resulted in bacterial growth (p=0.013). The predominant bacteria from inflamed and uninflamed cyst were coagulase-negative Staphylococci (32 isolate of 45 specimens, 71.1%). All cultured bacteria were susceptible to almost all of antibiotics except amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, cefoxitin, cephalothin, fucidic acid, piperacillin, piperacillin/Tazobactam. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that CoNS was predominant in inflamed cysts, which strongly suggests that aerobic bacteria play a role in the inflammatory process and treatment with antibiotics is necessary for epidermal cyst.
Agar ; Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Bacteria, Aerobic ; Bacteriology ; Buttocks ; Cacao ; Cefoxitin ; Cephalothin ; Epidermal Cyst ; Erythema ; Extremities ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Neck ; Penicillin G ; Piperacillin ; Skin

Present study deals with the straight impact of hypobaric hypoxia on the quantity and composition of some predominant fecal microflora and its functional aspects. For that, isolated fecal contents of rat were exposed to two different simulated air pressures (70 kPa and 40 kPa) for different time durations (1, 3, and 5 h) and the bacterial community composition was compared with normobaric groups (101.3 kPa). It was found that the total anaerobes, Escherichia coli, Enterbacters spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Clostridium spp. were increased whereas total aerobes were decreased at both hypobaric treatments. The increased number of amplicon was detected in the pressure-treated groups than the control that clearly mentioned the disruption of microbiota structure at different simulated hypobaric-hypoxia. The amylase, protease, tannase, β-glucuronidase, and alkaline phosphatase activities were increased at these atmospheric pressures. Thus, the present investigation demonstrates that the hypobaric hypoxia is an important environmental factor which can strongly modulate the composition of intestinal flora as well as microflora-derived functional aspects.
Animals ; Atmospheric Pressure ; Bacteria, Aerobic ; Feces ; Hypoxia ; Microbiota ; Rats

BACKGROUND: Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been used for the identification of bacteria worldwide. To our knowledge, the evaluation of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of bacteria in Korea has not been studied. In this paper we compared the identification results of aerobic bacteria using MALDI-TOF MS to those results using conventional biochemical methods. METHODS: We evaluated the performance of a MALDI-TOF MS system (Bruker Daltonics, Leipzig, Germany) on consecutive aerobic isolates collected from January to February of 2011 which were identified using conventional methods (biochemical testing and commercial identification kits). Either directly smearing onto the target plate or protein extraction methods were additionally used if no reliable or discordant results were obtained. RESULTS: Among 523 isolates tested, 506 (97%) isolates had valid scores (> or =2.0), 11 (2%) isolates gave intermediate scores (1.7< or = score <2.0), and 6 (1%) isolates yielded no reliable identification (score <1.7). Of the 506 valid results (score > or =2.0) by MALDI-TOF MS, the identification matched at the species level in 486 (96%) isloates, matched at the genus level in 17 (3%) isloates, and was discordant at the genus and species levels in 3 (1%) isloates. CONCLUSION: The overall matching rate at the species level of MALDI-TOF MS was very high. When MALDI-TOF MS did not yield reliable results by direct smear, additional direct smears or protein extraction methods could be used to obtain better results. Our results showed that MALDI-TOF MS is a very useful method for the identification of aerobic bacteria isolated in clinical microbiology laboratories.
Bacteria ; Bacteria, Aerobic ; Korea ; Mass Spectrometry

BACKGROUND: Paronychia is a common infectious disease affecting fingernails and toenails. Although bacterial and fungal infections as well as mechanical trauma may play roles in the pathogenesis of this disease, there are few bacteriological studies about paronychia in military personnel. OBJECTIVE: To identify the causative bacteria of paronychia in military personnel. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the microbiological results of 145 patients who visited a tertiary referral hospital for Korean soldiers from August 2004 to October 2006. RESULTS: Twenty-eight different types of aerobic bacteria were identified, with the most common being Staphylococcus aureus (38.0%), Streptococcus pyogenes (7.2%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.4%). Staphylococcus aureus was identified mostly in finger and toe paronychial lesions and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was recovered commonly from toe paronychial lesions. All cases of paronychia were controlled by the combination of antiseptic dressing, topical antibacterial ointment, oral antibiotics, and antimycotic agents. CONCLUSION: The types of bacteria that most commonly caused paronychia in military personnel were Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus pyogenes, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thus, the commonly used oral antibiotics for paronychia, such as amoxicillin-clavulanate, clindamycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, are good choices in the treatment of paronychia in military personnel.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Bacteria, Aerobic ; Bandages ; Clindamycin ; Communicable Diseases ; Fingers ; Humans ; Military Personnel ; Nails ; Paronychia ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Retrospective Studies ; Staphylococcus ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Streptococcus pyogenes ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Toes ; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the bacterial characteristics of persistent rhinosinusitis after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). METHOD: Twenty patients with nasal septum deviation, 30 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and 20 patients with persistent rhinosinusitis, were selected to take discharges from middle meatus during the operation. Bacteria culture and drug susceptibility of the discharges were compared between three groups. RESULT: There were 13, 15 and 15 isolates detected in nasal septum deviation group, CRS group and persistent rhinosinusitis group. There was no significant difference among the three groups at the detection rate of Gram-positive bacteria. But there was significant difference between the persistent rhinosinusitis group and the other two groups at the detection rate of Gram-negative bacteria. The detection rate of antibiotic-resistant bacteria were significantly higher in persistent rhinosinusitis group than in CRS group. CONCLUSION Aerobic bacteria can live in nasal cavity. Bacteria infection is one of the etiological factors of persistent rhinosinusitis after FESS. Gram-negative bacteria and antibiotic resistant bacteria are increased in patients with persistent rhinosinusitis. To treat the persistent rhinosinusitis after surgery, the antibiotics should be reasonably used according to the bacteria culture and the drug susceptibility.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Bacteria, Aerobic ; isolation & purification ; Bacterial Infections ; microbiology ; Chronic Disease ; Disease Susceptibility ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Cavity ; microbiology ; Postoperative Period ; Sinusitis ; microbiology ; surgery ; Young Adult

Reptiles are used for various purposes these days, including public exhibits, medicinal applications, and as laboratory animals. As the international exchange of reptiles has gradually increased, more people have had the opportunity to come in contact with these animals. Snakes typically live in the rhizosphere where various bacterial strains exist and as such they can lead to opportunistic human diseases. When snakes are encountered in veterinary medicine, it is necessary to monitor their microflora. Native microflora of reptiles imported from other countries has not yet been reported in Korea. In this study, oral and cloacae samples were collected from 18 Burmese pythons transported from Vietnam. The specimens were incubated at 37degrees C for 18 h to produce colony growth under aerobic condition and isolated colonies were then identified using a VITEK automated identification system. There were fourteen types of aerobic bacteria isolated from both oral and cloacae samples, nine from only oral specimens, and fifteen from only cloacae specimens. Most bacteria isolated were opportunistic pathogens of humans which therefore have the potential to induce disease in people. Based on the microflora and the prevalence of bacterial strains in snakes, quarantine procedures for reptiles transported internationally should be strengthened. Characterization of the microflora of reptiles with the potential to induce zoonosis should be performed in those used as laboratory animals and to prevent zoonotic outbreaks in the general population as well as among veterinarians.
Animals ; Animals, Laboratory ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bacteria ; Bacteria, Aerobic ; Boidae ; Cloaca ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Korea ; Mouth ; Opportunistic Infections ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Prevalence ; Quarantine ; Reptiles ; Rhizosphere ; Snakes ; Veterinarians ; Veterinary Medicine ; Vietnam

It is important to identify the bacteria in snakes because they can cause disease; importantly, bacteria such as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris etc. could be pathogens especially in hospitalized, debilitated hosts, and immunocompromised patients. To analyze the distribution of snakes' bacteria in petting zoo, samples from 20 snakes were collected from 2002 to 2008. Nine bacteria species were isolated from both oral and cloaca while four and six species were identified only from oral and cloaca, respectively. Except for Actinobacter sp., all of the identified strains are opportunistic pathogens, and most of them can cause nosocomial infections in humans. Present results indicate that prevalence of various zoonotic bacterial strains in snakes could be involved in potential transfer of these bacteria into caretakers and other animals. Therefore, it needs to examine the antibiotic resistance of these pathogens to prevent outbreaks.
Animals ; Bacteria ; Bacteria, Aerobic ; Cloaca ; Cross Infection ; Disease Outbreaks ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Escherichia coli ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Opportunistic Infections ; Prevalence ; Proteus vulgaris ; Snakes ; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

BACKGROUND: Acne is a common follicular inflammatory dermatosis affecting the pilosebaceous unit. The representative organism isolated from the acne lesion is Propionibacterium acnes, but other aerobic organisms, such as Staphylococcus epidermidis have also been isolated. The exact role of aerobic bacteria in the pathogenesis of acne remains controversial, but several reports have shown that these microorganisms are important in the development of acne lesions and affect acne severity by their involvement in the inflammatory process. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical features associated with aerobic microorganisms isolated from inflammatory acne and to identify antibiotic resistance. METHODS: We examined the species of bacteria aerobically and anaerobically isolated from patients with inflammatory acne and determined the relationship between antimicrobial resistance of the isolated aerobic organisms and clinical characteristics in 186 patients. RESULTS: P. acnes was cultured in 40.86% of the patients. Enterobacter aerogenes (4.30%), S. capitis species (6.45%), S. aureus (3.76%), S. hominis (2.15%), Serraita marcescens (1.08%), Klebsiella oxitoca (1.08%), S. lugdunensis (1.08%), S. auricularis (0.54%), S. hyicus (0.54%), S. simulans (0.54%), and S. saprophyticus (0.54%) were also cultured. Among the aerobes isolated from lesions, S. epidermidis was the most common (43.0%) and showed higher resistance to gentamicin (57.5%), ampicilin (45.0%), erythromycin (40.0%), and clindamycin (30.0%) than previous reports. The disease duration in the S. epidermidis group resistant to gentamicin, erythromycin, ampicilin, and clindamycin was longer than that in the susceptible group. CONCLUSION: These results revealed the recent increase in antibiotic resistance of S. epidermidis in patients with acne. Antibiotic resistance of aerobes in patients with acne have a tendency to increase based on disease duration.
Acne Vulgaris ; Bacteria ; Bacteria, Aerobic ; Clindamycin ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Enterobacter aerogenes ; Erythromycin ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; Klebsiella ; Propionibacterium acnes ; Skin Diseases ; Staphylococcus epidermidis

BACKGROUND: Optimal blood culture performance is critical for successful diagnosis and treatment of sepsis. To understand the status of blood culture, we investigated several aspects of the procedure at 9 university hospitals. METHODS: The process of ordering blood culture sets and sampling volume for adults and children was investigated from January 2010 to April 2010, while the positive rate of detection and growth of skin contaminants were compared in 2009. Microbial growth in aerobic and anaerobic bottles was investigated prospectively. RESULTS: A majority of the hospitals used 2 sets of bottles for adults and 1 bottle for children. The average blood volume in each set was 7.7 mL for adults and 2.1 mL for children. The positive rate of microorganisms was 8.0%, and the isolation rate of the normal flora of the skin was 2.1%. Bacterial growth rates in aerobic and anaerobic bottles only were 31.8% and 24.5% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Ordering blood culture sets and sampling volumes did not comply with CLSI guidelines. However, the rate of positive cultures and skin contamination rates were acceptable. Anaerobic bottles are useful in enhancing the yield of microorganisms.
Adult ; Bacteremia/blood/*microbiology ; Bacteria, Aerobic/isolation & purification ; Bacteria, Anaerobic/isolation & purification ; Blood/microbiology ; Child ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; Skin/microbiology