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Fresh sausages are one of the most popular meat products consumed in Brazil. However, the use of contaminated raw material, unhygienic handling during processing, and inadequate storage could be hazardous to consumer’s health, since fresh-sausage processing does not include heat treatment and the product may carry several human pathogens such as Salmonella spp.. In this study, a total of 80 fresh sausages prepared with pork and chicken meat were evaluated regarding Salmonella spp. presence by PCR after selective enrichment and bacteriological culture. Twenty-one sausage samples (27 %) proved to be contaminated with Salmonella spp.. Sixteen (76 %) contaminated samples were detected by PCR combined with enrichment broth culturing, whereas conventional microbiological screening detected only 8 (38 %). In this study, evidence was raised regarding packing conditions of fresh sausages, since it seems that there is no significant difference in Salmonella spp. contamination among samples in their original packing (23 %), wrapped in plastic or unpacked (27 %). Similarly, meat composition seems not to have a determinant influence in contamination, since 20 % of the chicken and 29 % of the pork sausages were contaminated. The contamination rate of Tuscan-type sausages was 37 %, while contamination was found in 21 % of ham sausages, suggesting that the cut of pork did not have a determinant influence in the contamination by Salmonella in fresh sausages. The results shown here indicate that fresh sausages marketed in Niteroi and Rio de Janeiro may be contaminated with Salmonella spp., requiring more attention by sanitary authorities in order to assure the safety of this food.

Objective: Determining the contamination rate of blood cultures and its determining factors. Methods: During a period of six months, were analyzed 564 blood culture samples requested at hospital emergency wards and 46 nurses were inquired. Results: In a period of six months, among a total of 564 requests, 92 blood cultures were contaminated, which corresponds to a contamination rate of 16.31%. The determining factor was the use of low-level sterile technique. Conclusion: The contamination rate of blood cultures is directly related to the procedures used by the nursing staff, and the workload is directly related to errors in the sterile technique of collection. Descritores Contaminacao; Testes hematologicos/ sangue;Testes hematologicos/ enfermagem; Sangue/microbiologia

OBJECTIVE Experiments were performed to determine the risk of bacterial contamination associated with changing outer gloves and using disposable spunlace paper versus reusable cloth gowns. BACKGROUND Despite decades of research, there remains a lack of consensus regarding certain aspects of optimal aseptic technique including outer glove exchange while double-gloving and surgical gown type selection. METHODS In an initial glove study, 102 surgical team members were randomized to exchange or retain outer gloves 1 hour into clean orthopedic procedures; cultures were obtained 15 minutes later from the palm of the surgeon's dominant gloved hand and from the surgical gown sleeve. Surgical gown type selection was recorded. A laboratory strike-through study investigating bacterial transmission through cloth and paper gowns was performed with coagulase-negative staphylococci. In a follow-up glove study, 251 surgical team members, all wearing paper gowns, were randomized as in the first glove study. RESULTS Glove study 1 revealed 4-fold higher levels of baseline bacterial contamination (31% vs 7%) on the sleeve of surgical team members wearing cloth gowns than those using paper gowns [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 4.64 (1.72-12.53); P = 0.0016]. The bacterial strike-through study revealed that 26 of 27 cloth gowns allowed bacterial transmission through the material compared with 0 of 27 paper gowns (P < 0.001). In glove study 2, surgeons retaining outer gloves 1 hour into the case had a subsequent positive glove contamination rate of 23% compared with 13% among surgeons exchanging their original outer glove [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 1.97 (1.02-3.80); P = 0.0419]. CONCLUSIONS Paper gowns demonstrated less bacterial transmission in the laboratory and lower rates of contamination in the operating room. Disposable paper gowns are recommended for all surgical cases, especially those involving implants, because of the heightened risk of infection. Outer glove exchange just before handling implant materials is also recommended to minimize intraoperative contamination.

PURPOSE To determine the efficacy of written instructions on contact lens case hygiene and to quantify the effect of noncompliance on contact lens case contamination. METHODS Data were retrospectively analyzed from 16 prospective, 3-month daily-wear studies during which six commercially available silicone hydrogel contact lenses and seven lens care solutions (LCS) were tested following a similar protocol. Verbal instructions regarding case hygiene (rinse case with LCS, not tap water) were given in nine studies, while the same instructions were given verbally and in written format in seven studies. A survey on contact lens, LCS, and lens case hygiene was completed at 1- and 3-month visits and compliance with case hygiene instructions was determined. Regular contact lens cases were used for 1 month and collected for microbial analysis at the 1- and 3-month visits. The rate of case contamination and the types of microbes contaminating cases were evaluated. RESULTS Participants given verbal and written instructions were more likely to be compliant with case hygiene instructions than those just given verbal instructions (odds ratio [OR]: 2.19, p < 0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.40-3.44). The overall case contamination rate was 79%. Use of tap water to rinse contact lens cases was associated with significantly more cases contaminated with Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) (30% vs. 10%, p < 0.001), a greater risk of GNB case contamination (OR: 2.91, p < 0.001. 95% CI: 1.72-4.92), and a higher quantity of GNB in cases (mean colony-forming unit/case ± SD: 28,286 ± 131,935 vs. 6477 ± 60,447, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Lens case hygiene can be improved by effective communication of instructions. Contact lens wearers should be actively discouraged from rinsing contact lens cases with tap water because of the increased risk of GNB contamination.

The microbiological quality of minimally processed vegetables sold in the public fairs of the numerous towns in the Western Region of Parana State, Brazil, was studied. Lettuce, salad rocket, cabbage and chicory randomly collected were sent to the Food Analysis Laboratory (Lanali) in Cascavel, Brazil. The vegetables were analyzed for total and thermotolerant coliforms, aerobic mesophilic bacteria and Salmonella sp. Total coliforms were detected at different rates in all samples of vegetables analyzed. Cabbages from town 5 had the highest contamination rate (3.6x106 UFC/g) and the highest mean contamination rate (4.1x104 UFC/g) in terms of thermotolerant coliforms in 147 samples, at different count rates. In all the samples collected and analyzed, Salmonella sp. occurred in 10. Results show that vegetables sold in the public fairs in the Western Region of Parana, Brazil were not good for human consumption due to feces-originated bacteria or high mesophilic counts. In fact, they are the possible sources of toxin and infections caused by pathogens. Key words: Coliforms, Salmonella, vegetables.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis by culture in most resource-limited settings is hampered by high contamination rate varying up to 31%. Reduction of oral microorganism loads by mouth rinse with antiseptic before sputum collection showed a reduction of contamination. Moreover, knowing the characteristic of residual contaminant microorganisms would be an asset to understand contamination issues. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of mouth rinsing with chlorhexidine on mycobacteria culture contaminations and to characterize morphologically the residual contaminants. Methods: We consecutively included 158 patients in a TB center. Each of them supplied two sputa: The first before mouth rinse, and the second after 60sec of mouth rinsing with chlorhexidine (0.1%). Petroff method and Lowenstein-Jensen media were used for sputum decontamination and inoculation respectively. The contamination rates were compared, and the type of residual contaminants were characterized and compared. Results: The contamination rate did not differ before and after the mouth rinse (respectively 58/150 (39 %) vs 61/150 (41 %), p=0.7). The major residual contaminants were Gram positive spore forming bacteria (94%). Conclusion: Chlorhexidine mouth rinsing before sputum collection did not reduce mycobacterial culture contamination rate. This is probably due to spore forming bacteria, highlighted as major residual contaminants. Keywords: Oral rinse, sputum, Mycobacteria culture, contamination rate, residual contaminants.

Objectives: This study aims to measure the level of knowledge of the nurses who collect blood cultures at our hospital, and after providing the necessary training, evaluate the distribution of microbial growth and rate of contamination in blood cultures that are referred to our laboratory during a 1-year term. Methods and Materials: A survey was conducted to assess the level of knowledge regarding blood culture acquisition with the participation of 99 nurses at our hospital in October 2017. Blood cultures sent to our laboratory during 2017 May-October were retrospectively evaluated in terms of their results, contamination rates, and number of bottles. Taking survey results into account, monthly trainings were provided to the nurses for 6 months starting from October 2017, and blood culture results and error rates were investigated prospectively. Results: It was determined from the survey results that the level of knowledge regarding the need to wipe the rubber septum of the blood culture bottle with alcohol prior to adding the blood sample (23.2%) and definition of a blood culture set (25.3%) were quite low. It was found that while the contamination rate prior to training was 6.4%, it fell to 3.7% after training, and although the rate of single-bottle cultures was 6.3% before training, it decreased by 2.0%. Conclusions: Standardizing blood culture acquisition with the provided training will produce maximal benefit for every laboratory in terms of cost and workload.

Objective To evaluate the contamination rate of the public parks of Isfahan city with Toxocara spp. eggs. Methods A total of 140 soil samples were collected from 28 public parks of Isfahan City, Central Iran, during the summer of 2014. Soil samples were investigated for the presence of Toxocara eggs by flotation method using sucrose solution. The prepared wet mount slides were examined under light microscope using 10× and 40× objectives. Results Toxocara spp. eggs were found in 21 (75%) out of 28 studied public parks. Also Toxocara spp. eggs were observed in 40 (28.6%) out of 140 collected soil samples. Conclusions Contamination rate with Toxocara spp. eggs in Isfahan is fairly high. Isfahan is a city that has lots of parks and gardens. The stray dogs and cats that roam around the parks contaminate the soil. Therefore preventive measures, especially for children, should be implemented.

The performance of the BacT/Alert FA Plus and FN Plus resin bottles was evaluated in comparison with that of standard aerobic (SA) and standard anaerobic (SN) bottles. Twenty milliliters of blood from adult patients was equally distributed into four types of bottles: FA Plus, FN Plus, SA, and SN. The detection of clinically significant organisms and the time to detection (TTD) were monitored for each bottle. Among the 3,103 blood culture sets that were requested, the blood volume of each bottle was over 4 ml in 1,481 sets (47.7%). Among these 1,481 sets, 158 cultures grew in the FA Plus and SA bottles, and 136 grew in the FN Plus and SN bottles. Growth in only one type of bottle was more commonly observed for the FA Plus ( n = 38) than for the SA ( n = 14) ( P = 0.001) bottles and for the FN Plus ( n = 27) than for the SN ( n = 10) ( P = 0.008) bottles. Gram-negative bacilli were more frequently isolated in the resin bottles ( P < 0.05). The skin contamination rate was 1.2% in the resin bottles and the standard bottles. The mean TTD was 11.1 h in the FA Plus bottles versus 13.1 h in the SA bottles ( P < 0.001) and 12.0 h in the FN Plus bottles versus 12.8 h in the SN bottles ( P = 0.083). Clinically significant bacteria, including Gram-negative bacilli, were isolated more frequently from the resin bottles than from the standard bottles. Clinically significant bacteria were detected faster using the aerobic resin bottles than using the standard aerobic bottles. This finding might not be applicable to the standard-practice 10-ml protocol for each bottle because the results from using a smaller volume (5 ml) might be less pronounced.

Pure culture is important for taxonomic, physiological and various application studies of fungi. Many protocols for obtaining pure cultures have been reported, of which single spore isolation was used most frequently in mycological studies. However, previously reported methods were relatively complicated and time consuming. In this paper, an optimized protocol of single spore isolation is introduced. Compared to previous protocols, this protocol is favorable in terms of its lower contamination rate, is less time consuming, and requires only simplified procedures with common and easily accessible apparatus.

This study represents the first European report of a risk assessment for the contamination of grain by roof rats’ (Rattus rattus L.) faeces in silo structures that have traditionally been considered to be rodent-contaminant proof. In this work, we estimated the rate and magnitude of grain and grain transport silo technology contamination by faeces of R. rattus and identified the routes of entry of rodent faeces into grain stored in silos. We also compared the sizes of rat faeces and stored barley grains to determine whether they could easily be separated using sieves. We found that roof rats were able to heavily contaminate grain surfaces and conveyor belts with faecal deposits during a 3-week observation period. The average contamination rate was 6.90 ± 0.92 faeces/m2 (range 0–26 faeces/m2) for grain surfaces and 34.80 ± 8.03 faeces/m2 (range 8–87 faeces/m2) for conveyor belts. The size measurements (length, width and surface area) of rat faeces and barley grains showed their high similarity; these results therefore indicate that the physical separation of the two materials using sieves will be problematic.

Frequency of contamination in home slaughtered meat Jimma town south west Ethiopia was examined in the present study. The microbiological safety and quality issue is the pro-active measure to prepare the meat for consumption. A total 48 raw meat samples including beef (n = 4), Mutton (n = 37), chevron (n = 7) were collected from individual household and small food seller house in the town were analyzed for microbiological contamination using conventional culture methods. The bacterial spp. isolated from the samples were Bacillus, Micrococcus species, Salmonella species, Enterobacteriacea, coliform, Staphylococcus species and other gram positive rods, some of which harbor human pathogens of public health concern. The aerobic mesophilic counts varied from 0.19 to 3.67 log10 CFU/g. Coliforms were encountered in all samples. Staphylococci were present at 0.95 to 2.28 log10 CFU/g in 36% (8) mutton, and 50% (2) chevron, samples. Salmonella species were present in 10.42 % (5.0) of all the samples. The majority of meat samples investigated in this study had contaminant microorganism and some pathogens. The present study revealed that despite very low contamination rate, foodstuffs particularly beef, chevon and mutton parts could be a potential vehicle for foodborne infections and implementation of preventive measures and consumer food safety education efforts are needed.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the rates of urine contamination and the frequencies of minor adverse events between the vacuum tube and injector techniques methods for the collection of sterile urine specimens. DESIGN: This study was a cross-sectional study. SAMPLE: The sample population was composed of patients who underwent a urodynamics procedure. SETTING: This study was performed at the urodynamics unit of a rehabilitation and care center in Turkey. METHODS: Sterile urine specimens (n = 576) were collected from 144 patients using the vacuum tube technique and the injector technique; the rates of urine contamination and minor adverse events were evaluated. ? Statistics and Fisher exact tests were used to assess the contamination rates and frequencies of minor adverse events during the collection of sterile urine specimens. RESULTS: The contamination rate of urine specimens collected using an injector was 0.9% (P > .05). The rate of minor adverse events during specimen collection was lower when using the vacuum technique than when using an injector and sterile urine container (2 vs 36 events, P < .05). CONCLUSION: The vacuum tube technique of urine specimen collection was not superior to the injector technique in regard to contamination. The use of the vacuum tube technique for the collection of sterile urine specimens can prevent minor adverse events related to spillage/leakage of urine. IMPLICATIONS: More research from multiple settings and work environments is needed to strengthen the evidence base of vacuum tube technique of sterile urine specimen collection. Copyright © 2013 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of Listeria spp., specifically Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods and ascertain the efficiency of detecting L. monocytogenes with different selective culture media. A total of 396 RTE food samples were purchased from hypermarkets and streetside hawker stalls to examine the presence of Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes. The presumptive isolates were characterized biochemically and were further confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Out of 396 samples, Listeria spp. was detected in 71 (17.9%) samples in which 45 (11.4%) were positive for L. monocytogenes. Among the studied RTE foods, salads and vegetables had the highest prevalence (14.7%) of L. monocytogenes, followed by chicken and chicken products (13.2%), beverages (10%), eggs and egg products (9.5%), beef and beef products (6.7%), lunch boxes (6.7%) and seafood and seafood products (6.7%). Both Listeria selective agar and PALCAM agar displayed a low sensitivity and specificity in L. monocytogenes detection compared to CHROMagar™ Listeria which demonstrated 96.9% of sensitivity and 99.1% of specificity in L. monocytogenes detection in naturally-contaminated foods. In conclusion, this work revealed consumption of RTE foods as a potential risk of listeriosis in this region. The high contamination rate of L. monocytogenes in salads and vegetables from hypermarkets and streetside hawker stalls was of great concern due to emerging fresh produce-borne L. monocytogenes globally. The scenario warrants further surveillance and action by the local authority to control the incidence of L. monocytogenes contamination in RTE foods.

The objective of this study was to monitor the occurrence and levels of fumonisin B1 (FB1) and fumonisin B2 (FB2) in animal feeds distributed in South Korea in 2011. The contamination levels of FB1 and FB2 were investigated in 150 samples of compound feeds and in 40 samples of feed ingredients. The contamination rate of feed ingredients with FB1 and FB2 was 50 and 40%, respectively. FB2 was only found in samples contaminated with FB1. Of the compound feeds, 85% were contaminated by FB1 and 47% were contaminated by FB2. The highest contamination rate of FBs was observed in compound feeds for cattle (FB1: 100%; FB2: 80%), followed by poultry feed (FB1: 78%; FB2: 40%) and swine feed (FB1: 76%; FB2: 22%). The highest contamination level (14,600 ng/g) for FB1 were found in poultry broiler feed (early feeding period) samples, which had 82% contamination rate (9/11), and the highest level of FB2 (2,280 ng/g) was found in feed for fatting calves,which had a contamination rate of 100%.

To investigate whether repeated washing of the ocular surface with 0.25 % povidone-iodine during scleral buckling surgery minimizes ocular surface bacterial contamination at completion of the procedure. A total of 489 consecutive eyes that underwent scleral buckling at a single institution were categorized into two groups according to the intraoperative ocular surface washing method used during two separate time periods--a group using physiological saline (saline group, 222 consecutive eyes) and a group using 0.25 % povidone-iodine (PI group 267, consecutive eyes). In 37 eyes of each group, ocular surface fluids were sampled at the beginning of surgery and at completion of buckling, and subjected to bacteriological culture. Acute scleral buckle infection occurred in one patient, and was caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The incidence of acute scleral buckle infection was 0.45 % (1/222 eyes) in the saline group, and 0 % in the PI group, with no significant difference (P = 0.4540). The bacterial detection rates in ocular surface fluid at the beginning of surgery were 5.4 % (2/37 eyes) using saline and 8.1 % (3/37 eyes) using povidone-iodine, with no significant difference (P = 0.6433). The rates at completion of buckling were 18.9 % (7/37 eyes) using saline and 0 % (0 eye) using povidone-iodine, with a significant difference (P = 0.0114). Repeated washing of the ocular surface with 0.25 % povidone-iodine during scleral buckling procedure reduced the ocular surface bacterial contamination rate to an extremely low level at completion of buckling, suggesting that this method is useful for the prevention of acute scleral buckle infection.

Objective To determine the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) contamination rate of white coats (WC) and surgical scrubs (SS) worn by personnel at the Ontario Veterinary College Health Sciences Centre (OVCHSC) and to identify risk factors associated with clothing contamination. Study Design Cross-sectional study. Sample Population Personnel including clinical faculty, house officers, technicians, and veterinary students working at the OVCHSC. Methods Electrostatic cloths were used to sample WC and SS of hospital personnel. Samples were tested for MRSA and MRSP and isolates were typed. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire and data was evaluated for risk factors. Results Of 114 specimens, MRS were isolated from 20 (17.5%), MRSA from 4 (3.5%), and MRSP from 16 (14.0%). Technicians were 9.5× (OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 1.2–∞, P = .03) more likely than students to have clothing contaminated with MRSA. No risk factors were identified for MRSP or for overall MRS contamination. Conclusions Standard hospital clothing was found to have a high prevalence of MRS contamination in a veterinary teaching hospital and could be a source of hospital-acquired infections.

Fresh vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet and can be agent of transmission of intestinal parasites. A survey was carried out using 200 fresh vegetable samples in Zaria metropolis, Kaduna State for detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in vegetables using sucrose flotation medium of 1.21 specific gravity and modified Ziehl Neelsen staining technique. Seventy (35%) out of the 200 vegetables examined were positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Lettuce had the highest (48%) contamination rate followed by Fluted pumpkin (44%), spinach and Jute mallow (40%) each, waterleaf (36%), tomatoes (32%), carrot (24%) and cabbage (16%). Sabo market had the highest contamination rate of 21 (37.5%) followed by Samaru 22 (34.4%) and Community market 27 (33.8%). Contamination was highest in leafy vegetables (37.3%), followed by fruit vegetables (32%) and root vegetables (24%). Thirty (30%) out of 100 vegetables consumed raw and 40 (40%) out of those cooked before consumption were positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts. There were no significant associations between occurrence of Cryptosporidium oocysts and the types of vegetables sold (χ2 = 8.70; p = 0.2747), markets in which the vegetables were sold (χ2 = 0.22; p = 0.8959), nature of vegetables (χ2 = 1.79; p = 0.4091) and way in which the vegetables are consumed (odds ratio (OR) 0.64; 95% confidence interval (CI) on OR: 0.34

Background and Objectives Ultrasound coupling gel may serve as a vector for the spread of bacteria and has been the causative agent for significant health care–associated infections. The purpose of this study was to document existing infection-control procedures and level of contamination present within nonsterile ultrasound gel from several clinical departments at a single institution. A second purpose was to examine the effectiveness of clinician education and manufacturer-based ultrasound additives on ultrasound gel contamination and in vitro bacterial proliferation, respectively. Methods Compliance with Health Canada recommended infection-control policies were determined by survey. Contamination of in-use ultrasound gel bottles was determined by inspecting cultures after 72 hours of incubation. After infection-control education, a 28-day interval assessment was used to examine contamination rates in newly provided ultrasound gel. The ability of ultrasound gel containing parabens to prevent bacterial growth was examined in cultures grown with and without ultrasound gel. Results Practitioners were not compliant with Health Canada recommendations, but the baseline ultrasound gel contamination rate within these departments was only 2.5%. Education in infection control did not improve the contamination rate over 28 days. Contamination was discovered in ultrasound gel supplied directly from the manufacturer. Ultrasound gel suppressed but did not prevent bacterial growth in a species- and time-specific manner. Conclusions The source of contamination for in-use ultrasound gel may be of manufacturer or human origin. Because additives to the ultrasound gel are not bactericidal, sterile ultrasound gel should be used for invasive and high-risk cases, and improving infection-control policies is warranted.

Introduction Routine monthly monitoring of blood culture (BC) contamination rates detected a spike (>3%) in false-positive BCs drawn in the emergency department. This triggered an ad hoc quality-improvement team to develop and implement a corrective action plan in our 230-bed urban community hospital with 58,000 ED visits annually. Methods Both phlebotomists and nurses draw BCs in the emergency department; therefore all interventions were directed at both groups. These included private conversations with individual staff members associated with higher numbers of contaminated draws compared with peers, ensuring availability of necessary BC collection supplies, re-education of all phlebotomists and ED nursing staff surrounding BC collection best practices, monthly feedback to staff on BC contamination rates, and continuing private conversations as necessary, regardless of the contamination rate. Results Before the spike in the emergency department, the average rate of BC contamination for the hospital as a whole was 1.82% (January-July 2011). Excluding 3 months when ED contamination was greater than 3% and the hospital contamination rate was 2.65% (August-October 2011), the average rate of BC contamination for the hospital dropped to 1.01% after the interventions (November 2011–June 2012). This represents a 44% decrease moving from 1.82% to 1.01% in hospital-wide BC contamination rates and an annualized cost avoidance of approximately $614,000. Discussion The ED BC contamination rate spike occurred over a 3-month period during which the emergency department was transitioning into a new facility on the same campus. The total hospital BC contamination rate never rose above the 3% benchmark, which illustrates the importance of tracking ED-specific data.

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of exchanging surgical gloves, forceps and the normal saline during surgeries in lowering the level of the contamination. Methods/Statistical Analysis: 92 colon cancer surgeries were randomly allotted into one of four groups. Three different methods were tried: changing gloves in the experimental Group 1, changing forceps in the Experimental Group 2, changing normal saline used for operation in the Experimental Group 3 and no changing any materials with the standard operation method in the control group. After each operation finished, samples were taken and cultured for obtaining the contamination rate. Findings: Study results were as follow: the level of contamination in the experimental group 1 with exchanging gloves after extraction of the lesions of colon was significantly lower than that of the Control Group-Gloves. The method of exchanging the normal saline also demonstrated the effectiveness in lowering the level of contamination of the normal saline. The effectiveness of exchanging forceps was proved as the level of contamination in the experimental group 3 used the method of exchanging the forceps was significantly lower than the control group. Applications: These findings can be utilized as the evidenced foundation to establish the theoretical guidelines or the standards of practice for the surgical instruments to control the surgical site infection effectively.

The study assessed the prevalence of helminths on raw vegetables presented for sales and the level of hygienic practices among vegetable marketers in Maiduguri. All the markets surveyed were categorized into quadrants for the purpose of this study. A total of three hundred and twenty samples of spinach, cabbage, lettuce, carrot, green beans, green pepper, garden egg and tomatoes were collected. Forty samples per each vegetable type were collected in the study, while ten samples per vegetable were collected from every quadrant (market). One hundred questionnaires were administered to 100 vegetable marketers in order to evaluate hygienic practices during sourcing, transportation and retailing of vegetables. Collected vegetables were analysed using standard parasitological technique. In all, 29 (9.06%) vegetables were contaminated with one parasite or the other, consisting of Strongyle egg 5 (1.56%), Taenia egg 4 (1.25%), Nematode larvae 17 (5.31%), Ancylostoma egg 1 (0.31%) and Ascaris lumbricoides egg 2 (0.62%). Based on the type of vegetable; cabbage and lettuce each had 5 (12.5%) parasites, while carrot and green beans had 2 (5.0%) and 17 (42.5%) respectively. Recovered parasites were significantly associated with the vegetable types. Custom/Gamboru Market recorded the highest contamination of 9 (11.25%) parasites, followed by University/Bama Road 7 (8.75%), Baga Road/Monday Market 5 (6.25%), while Bulumkutu/Gomari had least contamination rate of 8 (10.0%). There was no statistically significant association between parasites isolation and the market location. Eighteen (18) (62.07%) of the contaminated vegetables were unwashed. This study had demonstrated an increased prevalence of helminths in the sampled vegetables. Similarly, strong association exists between parasite isolation and hygienic practices especially the type of medium used for washing vegetables and the practice of hand washing prior to handling. These findings are important in view of the type of parasites found, their mode of transmissions and the current socio-economic status of the consumers. Keywords: vegetable, helminths, contamination, insurgency, Maiduguri

Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health emergency and the need to develop better tools for its management have never been urgent. We report a performance evaluation of rapid Mycobacterial Treatment Response Assay (MYTRA) in Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. A total 1840 serially collected sputum samples from TB patients at baseline and during treatment were tested by MYTRA & culture – Mycobacterium growth indicator tube (MGIT) for bacterial load, rate of clearance and MGIT time to positivity (TTP). Treatment response was defined as the change in patient9s bacterial load by MYRA or change in MGIT TTP. Average bacterial load at initiation of therapy was 5.6±1.3 log 10 CFU/ml declining to 0.7±0.4 log 10 CFU/ml by week 12 of treatment. The decline in bacterial load correlated to the increasing MGIT TTP, Spearman r = -0.5, p . The mean SLOPE was -0.8log 10 CFU/ml/week of which 54% of the patients were slow responders, SLOPE -0.3log 10 CFU/ml/week and 46% responded very fast, -1.4log 10 CFU/ml/week. Of the fast responders, 12% had completely cleared (0 log 10 CFU/ml) at 14 days of treatment. Overall, 40% patients had sputum cleared at week 8 increasing to 66% by week 12 of treatment. MYTRA was more sensitive detecting 20% more positive patients compared to MGIT at week 12. MYTRA was reproducible, ANOVA p = 0.4 across four African sites. Time to result was 4h MYTRA compared to 5 – 25 days with MGIT. Whilst MYTRA is not affected by non- M.tuberculosis contaminants, the contamination rate in MGIT was ∼30% with consequent loss of data points. MYTRA is faster, contamination-free and demonstrates the potential to rapidly identify patients performing poorly on treatment and enable timely decisions on suitable regimen.

Background: Laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis has undergone a rapid change during last few years and a number of techniques for culture as well as molecular diagnosis have been used with their respective advantages and disadvantages. Sporadic studies have also reported the isolation of M. tuberculosis on standard blood agar (BA), which at one time was not considered as a suitable medium for mycobacterial culture. The present study was conducted to evaluate the routine use of 5% sheep BA in a mycobacteriology laboratory by comparing isolation rates and time for isolation of mycobacteria from pulmonary and extrapulmonary samples with those on Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium. Material and Methods: BA with antibiotics was prepared and dispensed as slants in McCartney bottles. LJ was prepared and dispensed following the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) guidelines. A total of 500 suspected tuberculosis samples were inoculated on both media in duplicate, incubated at 370C, and observed daily until the appearance of growth. Results: Out of 500 inoculated samples, 99 showed growth on BA and 112 showed growth on LJ medium. Mean growth time on BA was less as compared to LJ medium. The contamination rate was found to be more on BA (7.2%) than on LJ (4.8%). Conclusions: Mycobacterial growth time was less on BA as compared to LJ.

Os objetivos da pesquisa são descrever o perfil das ocorrências de acidentes de trabalho com material biológico em servidores da saúde no Estado da Bahia, além de identificar o perfil dos profissionais acidentados e delinear o tipo de exposição nos acidentes com material biológico. Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico, retrospectivo, descritivo com abordagem quantitativa. A coleta de dados foi realizada no banco de dados do SINAN. Os dados foram analisados no Excel (2007). No período de cinco anos (2011 a 2015) foi notificado um total de 10.863 casos de acidente de trabalho com material biológico, sendo o ano de 2014 os profissionais estavam com maior risco, pois representou a taxa de 16,6% (2.506). O perfil é predominantemente com nível técnico (73%), sexo feminino (78%), a faixa etária de 30 a 39 anos (36,3%). O material biológico com maior transmissão é o sangue (87%) e a sorologia positiva para HIV apresentam 57 casos. Conclui-se que o conhecimento de dados epidemiológicos na instituição pode contribuir na compreensão de cenários de riscos nos quais os trabalhadores estão expostos e nesse contexto intervir com políticas e programas que visam estratégias de prevenção.

Earlier targeted therapy for bacteraemia optimizes patient outcomes and reduces broad spectrum antibiotic use. Standardized susceptibility testing results are available at 36–48 h. Direct disc susceptibility testing from blood culture broth reduces time to results but the inoculum is not standardized. No studies have looked at the clinical utility of direct susceptibility results. This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the correlation between direct and formal testing methods as well as the clinical utility of direct susceptibility results. 160 episodes of bacteraemia with paired direct and formal susceptibility testing were studied. Direct disc testing was performed on blood culture broth. Formal testing was performed on isolates, using automated broth microdilution or Etests. The rate of error was 9.0 % (95 % CI 7.0–11.6 %). In 10 cases (6.3 %, 95 % CI 3.0–11.2 %), inappropriate antibiotics were used due to direct susceptibility results, including two cases with ineffective (as opposed to too broad) antibiotics being used. Antibiotics were changed in 28.1 % of cases once direct susceptibility data was available. There was a decreased time to effective antibiotics in 9.3 % (95 % CI 5.3–15.0 %), and a decreased time to a targeted antibiotics in 14.3 % (95 % CI 9.3–20.8 %) of cases. Despite the error rate, the advantages of earlier times to effective and targeted antibiotics justifies continuing direct testing in bacteraemia episodes with Gram-negative rods. In the Gram-positive group, given the contamination rate, the availability of adjunctive PCR, and the fact that early identification of the isolate could equally influence antibiotic choices, direct susceptibility testing may no longer be warranted.

The Planck catalogue of SZ sources limits itself to a significance threshold of 4.5 to ensure a low contamination rate by false cluster candidates. This means that only the most massive clusters at redshift z>0.5, and in particular z>0.7, are expected to enter into the catalogue, with a large number of systems in that redshift regime being expected around and just below that threshold. In this paper, we follow-up a sample of SZ sources from the Planck SZ catalogues from 2013 and 2015. In the latter maps, we consider detections around and at lower significance than the threshold adopted by the Planck Collaboration. To keep the contamination rate low, our 28 candidates are chosen to have significant WISE detections, in combination with non-detections in SDSS/DSS, which effectively selects galaxy cluster candidates at redshifts $z\gtrsim0.5$. By taking r- and z-band imaging with MegaCam@CFHT, we bridge the 4000A rest-frame break over a significant redshift range, thus allowing accurate redshift estimates of red-sequence cluster galaxies up to z~0.8. After discussing the possibility that an overdensity of galaxies coincides -by chance- with a Planck SZ detection, we confirm that 16 of the candidates have likely optical counterparts to their SZ signals, 13 (6) of which have an estimated redshift z>0.5 (z>0.7). The richnesses of these systems are generally lower than expected given the halo masses estimated from the Planck maps. However, when we follow a simplistic model to correct for Eddington bias in the SZ halo mass proxy, the richnesses are consistent with a reference mass-richness relation established for clusters detected at higher significance. This illustrates the benefit of an optical follow-up, not only to obtain redshift estimates, but also to provide an independent mass proxy that is not based on the same data the clusters are detected with, and thus not subject to Eddington bias., 13 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in A&A

IntroductionBlood cultures are commonly performed in hospitals daily as it is employed to detect infections that are spreading through the bloodstream (eg; bacteremia, septicemia). This is possible because the bloodstream is usually a sterile environment. Positive blood cultures indicate either bacteremia, or false positive blood cultures from contamination with bacterial skin flora through improper technique. False positive blood cultures are associated with unnecessary hospitalization and/or extended length of stay with consequent financial burden. False positive blood culture rates in Emergency Departments (ED) are often twice as high as on the medical wards. We present the results of an intervention – ANTT (Aseptic Non-touch technique) to decrease false Positive blood culture rates at Hamad General Hospital during the period from Nov 2014 through Nov 2015.AimThe HGH Microbiology lab indicator showed that our blood culture contamination rate has been consistently higher than the international benchmark, thereby we aim to reduce it in the critical area of ED BY 50% by the end of July 2015 and at least 90% by end of February 2016.MethodsA pilot area was chosen in the Emergency Dept. to do a study for 44 weeks after which blood culture kits (previously trolleys & trays were used) containing sterile gloves, masks, and blood culture supplies were introduced into the Critical area of ED-HGH in August 2015. Training included- new instructions to have two staff members present when drawing blood cultures (Preceptor-preceptee methodology) there by prohibiting drawing blood cultures from pre-existing lines and proper follow-up of every step. False positive blood culture rates were measured in the weeks preceding and the weeks following, this intervention.ResultsIn the 8 weeks following the intervention, the average false positive blood culture contamination rate in HGH ED reached 1.9%–(which was the benchmark) out of 318 blood culture samples. In the 6 months preceding, the blood culture contamination rates ranged from 4% to 1.5% each month.Conclusion:Blood culture kits and educational training on proper technique resulted in significant reduction (> 60%) in the false positive blood culture rate in the Critical areas of ED-HGH. Studies at other institutions have suggested that reducing the false positive blood culture rate could decrease costs by preventing unnecessary hospitalizations and administration of unnecessary antibiotics, as well as helping to prevent the development of multi-drug resistant organisms.

Introduction: The use of the traditional herbal medicinal products (THMPs) has been increasing worldwide due to the readily availability of raw materials and low cost compared to the synthetic industrial preparations. With this trend in mind, the safety and quality of THMPs need to be addressed so as to protect the community. The present study evaluated the magnitude and risk factors associated with microbial contamination of liquid THMPs marketed in Mwanza. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mwanza city involving 59 participants from whom 109 liquid THMPs were collected and processed following the standard operating procedures. The data were analyzed using STATA software version 11. Results: The median age (interquartile range) of participants was 35 (27-43) years, with males accounting for 36 (61%). Of 109 liquid THMPs collected, 89 (81.7%) were found to be contaminated; with predominant fecal coliforms being Klebsiella spp and Enterobacter spp. fortunately, no pathogenic bacteria likeSalmonella spp and Shigella spp were isolated. There was a significant association of liquid THMPs contamination with low education level (p< 0.001), lack of formal training on THMPs (p=0.023), lack of registration with the Ministry of Health (p=0.001), lack of packaging of products (p

Introduction: Total rating impact of particulate matter in ground air layer recently takes on particular significance in evaluation of health risk. Indeed particulate matter is of interest to many research centres, however in so far PM related works the probability of adverse health impacts were not taken into account triggered with impact of additional presence of particulate matter from secondary dusting. The aim of the work: The work target was determination of secondary emission of Cu, Ni and Pb measured in streets with high traffic volume in many towns of Silesia Voivodeship. Materials and methods: Dust collected from the distance of about 200 m from busy roads in Upper Silesia cities was analyzed by the method of plasma spectrophotometry. The phenomenon of secondary dusting was defined by few coefficients of: secondary emission, enrichment, contamination and parameter of extra mass of a given metal in widespread air pollution. Results: It was concluded that absorbed dose of Cu and Pb changes depends on the area under study and decreases along with child’s age. Decrease of absorbed age depending doses is explained, so far, by significant increase of body mass in comparison to anatomically conditioned size of respiratory system.Also health risk estimated in relation to children residing in selected areas is diversified.. And it also decreases along with the children growing older. It appears, however, that health risk is determined by the volume of secondary PM emission and to children mostly threatened with Ni belong those who are particularly exposed to secondary emission of this metal. The secondary dusting is particularly dangerous for respiratory system and plays more important role than averaged content of this chemical in the environment.

INTRODUCTION: Early laboratory diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis (TBP) is crucial to start antitubercular chemotherapy and to prevent its complications. However conventional methods are either less sensitive or time consuming. Hence the diagnostic potential of BacT/ALERT and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was evaluated in this study. MATERIAL AND METHOD : The study group comprised of 21 cases and nine controls. The cases were divided into confirmed sub group (seven cases) - smear or culture or histopathologically proven and probable subgroup (fourteen cases) - clinically suspected cases. Ziehl Neelsen (ZN), Auramine Phenol (AP) staining, Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) culture, BacT/ALERT and nested Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting IS6110 were carried out on all the patients. RESULTS: Sensitivity of ZN, AP staining and LJ culture were found to be 23.8%, 28.5% and 57.1% respectively. Whereas BacT/ALERT and nested PCR showed a sensitivity of 76.1% and 90.4% respectively. The mean detection time of growth by LJ culture was 32.10 days where as that of BacT/ALERT was 21.28 days. The contamination rates in LJ culture and BacT/ALERT were 5.0%% and 10.0% respectively. CONCLUSION: Nested PCR and BacT/ALERT found to be more sensitive compared to LJ culture and smear microscopy. BacT/ALERT detects mycobacterial growth at a faster rate with less contamination rate compared to LJ culture. As both false negative and false positive results are reported on nested PCR, so alone it should not be used as a criterion for initiating or terminating the therapy but should be supported by

SUMMARYBackground Significant efforts have been made towards bacterial risk minimization by limiting the chance of bacteria entering into collected blood, detecting its presence and eliminating them by pathogen reduction technology. Improved skin disinfection and the use of diversion pouch are effective upstream measures to reduce the risk of bacterial sepsis. Here we report on our experience with the use of blood bags with diversion pouch. Materials and methods An observational study was performed to compare the bacterial contamination rate for two periods of time, i.e. before and after introduction of diversion pouch into blood bags. The incidence of bacterial contamination was monitored by the existing bacterial surveillance programme using pooled samples from 5 units of random donor platelets underwent aerobic culture in the BacT/ALERT 3D system. Results Between 1 June 2004 and 31 May 2006 (blood bag without diversion pouch), 50 (0·0213%) out of 234 252 units of random donor platelets were found to have bacteria on culture whereas 15 (0·0057%) isolates out of 262 156 units were found from 1 June 2007 to 31 May 2009 (after diversion pouch was introduced). Overall, there was an 85% reduction in bacterial contaminated risk due to skin flora (P

Demographische und historische Analyse der Hamburger Hornhautbank uber 30 Jahre Purpose: To evaluate donor demographics, trends in donor tissue procurement and tissue storage over a long period. Methods: A retrospective, longitudinal, descriptive analysis was undertaken of data from the Hamburg Eye Bank Data Base (HEB-DB) that had been collected between 1981 and 2010. Data on 54 parameters of cornea donors [including clinical history, age, death cause, gender and death-to-explantation interval (DEI)]and of cultivated corneas (endothelial quality and development in culture, cultivation period, microbiological contamination) were retrieved. These data were analysed statistically, focusing on the historical development of the eye bank. Results: At the time of retrieval (June 2010), the HEB-DB contained data on 10 943 corneas (5503 donors). Most donors were men (65%) and had died from cardiopulmonary (n = 801) ⁄ cerebral (n = 261) failure or as the result of a polytraumatic accident ⁄ suicide (n = 602). Within these years, donor age,DEI and storage time increased. The percentage of stored corneas suitable forntransplantation displayed a variable but increasing trend; in 2007, almost 75% of the stored corneas were transplanted. Between 1995 and June 2010, the median microbiological contamination rate was 5.3%. A change in the procurement procedure from enucleation to corneoscleral explantation in 2008 led to a briefly increased contamination rate. Conclusion: Donor demographic data run parallel to the general demographic development. Our analysis indicates a dynamic development of the eye bank over the last 30 years and emphasizes the need for an active quality management in coping with the challenges of modern eye banking.

Contaminated blood cultures constitute diagnostic challenges and place a burden on healthcare services. An observational retrospective study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of routine labelling of blood culture bottles with the initials of the healthcare worker who drew them, followed by individualized feedback, on blood culture contamination rates. The contamination rate of the entire facility was 2.6% before the procedural change, and this decreased significantly to 1.5% after the procedural change (P

BACKGROUND: The Pan Genera detection (PGD) test is used to screen platelet (PLT) products for bacterial contamination. We report the experience of using the PGD test on whole blood–derived PLTs (WBPs) at two large centralized transfusion services (CTS). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Records of PGD test results were retrospectively reviewed. The PGD test was performed on individual WBP units or pools of WBPs ranging in size from 2 to 6 units at the time of issue. Bacterial culture was performed on PLT products with positive PGD tests, and at one CTS, the available cocomponents. RESULTS: A total of 70,561 WBP pools were screened with the PGD test. There were seven true-positive PGD tests and 242 false-positive tests (positive predictive value of PGD test, 2.81%). The overall contamination rate was 99 per 106 WBP pools (1:10,080; 95% confidence interval [CI], 40-204), and the false-positive rate was 3430 per 106 WBP pools (1:292; 95% CI, 3011-3890). All seven bacterial isolates were Gram positive. The median age of the individual WBP units in the seven contaminated pools was 5 days (range, 3-5 days) compared to 4 days (range, 1-5 days) in the false-positive pools (p = 0.0012). The same bacteria isolated from a positive PLT pool also grew in one red blood cell cocomponent. CONCLUSION: After testing more than 70,000 WBP pools at two large CTSs, the rate of contaminated WBP pools detected by the PGD test was 99 per 106 pools (1:10,080).

In the course of a study of parasitic infections by cyst and ova on fruits and vegetable sold in middle-belt Nigeria, three different major public markets was selected. Six different fruits and vegetables total to 2406 samples were examined.Data obtained were statistically analyzed using anova for the level of significance difference where appropriate. Of the 1755 fruits examined, 4.3% were positive for parasites ova and 2.5% for cysts. Of the 761 vegetables examined, 4.6% were positive for parasites ova and 2.8% for cysts.The contamination rate of protozoan cyst and ova found are Giardia lamblia (2.61%) Entamoebs histolytica (0.66%). The difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05).Cases of contamination rate of protozoan cyst and ova were small compared to helminthic contamination. However, helminths such as Strongylodies stercoralis Trichiuris trachura and Ascaris lumbricoides were predominant in that order. The public health implication on the subjects is discussed. Through washing of all fruits and vegetables with clean water prior to consumption is recommended.

Bloodstream infections remain a major challenge in medicine. Optimal detection of pathogens is only possible if the quality of preanalytical factors is thoroughly controlled. Since the laboratory is responsible for this preanalytical phase, the quality control of critical factors should be integrated in its quality control program. The numerous recommendations regarding blood culture collection contain controversies. Only an unambiguous guideline permits standardization and interlaboratory quality control. We present an evidence-based concise guideline of critical preanalytical determinants for blood culture collection and summarize key performance indicators with their concomitant target values. In an attempt to benchmark, we compared the true-positive rate, contamination rate, and collected blood volume of blood culture bottles in 5 Belgian hospital laboratories. The true-positive blood culture rate fell within previously defined acceptation criteria by Baron et al. (2005) in all 5 hospitals, whereas the contamination rate exceeded the target value in 4 locations. Most unexpected, in each of the 5 laboratories, more than one third of the blood culture bottles were incorrectly filled, irrespective of the manufacturer of the blood culture vials. As a consequence of this shortcoming, one manufacturer recently developed an automatic blood volume monitoring system. In conclusion, clear recommendations for standardized blood culture collection combined with quality control of critical factors of the preanalytical phase are essential for diagnostic blood culture improvement.

Objective To investigate the performance of “tofu-whey liquid medium” for the propagation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strain H37Rv. Method Two hundred micro liters (200 μl) of 1 McFarland standard (1 mg/ml-bacillary suspension) were inoculated into different batches of tofu-whey liquid medium. Each series contained three trials of test (tofu-whey liquid medium) and control media (Middlebrook 7H9 medium). Turbidity was measured within three weeks of inoculation using a nephelometer. The combinations of various tofu-whey liquid culture media were as follows; T1 (tofu-whey + ADC + glycerol + Potassium sulfate + Magnesium citrate + Sodium glutamate); T2 (tofu-whey + ADC + glycerol + Potassium sulfate + Magnesium citrate); T3 (tofu-whey + ADC + glycerol + Potassium sulfate); T4 (tofu-whey + ADC + glycerol); T5 (tofu-whey + ADC); and T6 (tofu-whey only). Results In all test and control liquid culture media, the multiplication of M. tuberculosis was documented under light and fluorescence microscopy. Of various tofu-whey medium used, T1 demonstrated the most potential for MTB propagation. The increased turbidity reading represented by the value in “unit drop of % transmittance” was higher (25 scores) in the T1 tofu-whey medium, compared with the T6 tofu-whey medium (8 scores). The overall growth was significantly better in Middlebrook 7H9 culture media, although by the third day of incubation, the bacillary growth was superior in the T1 tofu-whey culture media. Sub-cultures in Lowenstein–Jensen (L–J) medium yielded between 87% (47 of 54) and 89% (48 of 54) recovery rate with between 7% and 13% contamination rate with coagulase-negative staphylococci. Conclusion Tofu-whey media can be used as an economical alternative to Middlebrook 7H9 in resource-limited settings.

In mass rearing of anopheline mosquitoes, pupae are usually separated from larvae on a daily basis to prevent unwanted adult emergence from trays. Depending on the device and species, 2 physical characteristics have most often been used for separation: buoyant density and size. In this report, we describe a system for continuous separation of Anopheles arabiensis larvae from pupae based on the natural difference in buoyant density and behavior between the 2 stages. We determined that temperatures 4-15 degrees C caused neither mortality nor reduction in likelihood of pupation or emergence. Separation improved as temperatures decreased down to 4 degrees C. We devised and demonstrated a 15 degrees C water vortex separator that we anticipate can process approximately 1 million larvae and pupae per hour with a0.3% pupal contamination rate and which operates unattended.

We present a multi-waveband analysis of a 126 galaxy sub-sample of the 12 micron galaxy sample (12MGS), for which we have carried out a detailed X-ray spectral analysis of in a previous paper. We present optical activity classes and we characterise these by their X-ray, 12 um and [OIII] luminosities and by their X-ray spectral properties. Our most interesting results are: Seyfert (Sy) 1s and Sy 2s show significantly different LX distributions from each other; Sy 2s with a detection of an HBLR show a significantly higher LX than those without a detection; Sy 1s also present a significantly different L(12um) distribution from both Sy1.2-1.9s and Sy 2s; the Sy 2 fraction decreases towards high LX; X-ray indications of AGN power agree well with the optical classifications; There is X-ray evidence for the presence of an AGN in 17% of HII/AGN composites and 40% of LINERs; we advocate the use of a LX >10^41 erg/s in the X-ray selection of AGN, which gives a contamination rate of only 3% from star-forming galaxies; Sy 1s and Sy 2 have the same intrinsic {\Gamma}; in 24% of cases the absorption measured in X-rays does not correspond directly with that implied in the optical band from the visibility of the BLRs; the obscured fraction in AGN is a strong function of LX peaking at 10^42 erg/s; The average obscured and Compton thick fractions for this sample are 62\pm5% and 20\pm4% respectively, which are higher than hard X-ray and optically selected samples; we assess the use of the T ratio (FX/F[OIII]) for selecting Compton thick candidates. We conclude here that this quantity can often be unreliable due uncertainties in the extinction corrections to the [OIII] flux. These results have important impacts on AGN selection and unification and the results from the 12MGS are particularly useful as a local analogue to z=1 24 um samples.

We report a microbiological process for the documentation of prosthetic joint infection (PJI). Intraoperative periprosthetic tissue samples from 92 consecutive patients undergoing revision surgery for PJI were submitted to mechanized beadmill processing: specimens were aseptically collected in polypropylene vials, filled with sterile water and glass beads and submitted to mechanized agitation with a beadmill. The documentation rate of PJI following culture on solid and liquid media was 83.7% and the contamination rate 8.7%. Final documentation was obtained after overnight culture for 51.9% of cases and with 7 days of broth culture for all documented cases.

The aim of this study was to determine the degree of contamination caused by Cryptosporidium oocyts in regularly consumed salad vegetables sold at various wholesale and retail markets in northern part of Bangladesh. A total number of 165 samples of salad vegetables collected from different wholesale and retail markets were examined for detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts using sucrose flotation medium of 1.18 specific gravity and Ziehl Neelsen staining technique with some modifications. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 47 (30%) of the total examined samples. About 40 Tomato, 35 Cucumber, 20 Lettuce, 35 Carrot and 35 Mint’s leaf samples were examined while Lettuce had the highest (40%) contamination rate followed by Tomato (32.5%), Carrot (31.4%), Cucumber (25.7%), and Mint’s leaf (22.8%). There was no significant difference (x2 = 2.278; p

Background The use of nasal irrigation in the management of postoperative endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) patients is commonplace; however, the potential contamination of these bottles is concerning. The Sinugator® cordless pulsating nasal wash (NeilMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Santa Rosa, CA) is a battery-operated, positive pressure, pulsatile pump with a unidirectional flow. The principal aim of this study was to determine the incidence of cross-contamination using the pulsating nasal irrigation device and compare it with the traditional squeeze bottle. Methods Eleven post-ESS patients were given a NeilMed Sinugator nasal wash to use 3 times per day. A sterile nasal swab was obtained at the initial and second postoperative visits. A swab of the plastic irrigation reservoir was collected at the second visit. Results The overall contamination rate of bottles was found to be 45%. During the study several different organisms were cultured in the nose and bottles. The most commonly isolated organisms were coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus. We did not observe concomitant organisms in the nasal cultures and bottles in any subject. Conclusion Despite using a motorized irrigation device, patients and their bottles grew positive cultures. However, no cross-contamination between the patients and bottles was identified, which can be attributed to a design that minimizes backwash.