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August 14 – August 17, 2023, Kiel (Germany) – Kiel (Germany) CAU pherPraO

14.09.2021 – 17.09.2021 Kiel (Germany) – Kiel (Germany) MNF-Pher-110 The main purpose of the ALKOR cruise AL564 was the training of students in observational techniques used in physical oceanography. The students who participated in the trip attend the module "Measurement Methods of Oceanography" which is offered in the Bachelor program "Physics of the Earth System" at CAU Kiel. During the AL564 the students were instructed in instrument calibration and in the interpretation of measurement data at sea. In addition, the students had the opportunity to learn about working and living at sea and to explore and study the impact of physical processes on the western Baltic Sea, the sea at their doorstep. In addition, the students had the opportunity to learn about working and living at sea and to explore and investigate the effects of physical processes in the western Baltic Sea, the sea on their doorstep. During AL564 the students spend two nights at sea (September 14th to 16th 2021) and also visited the Boknis Eck time series site (September 17th 2021) where the students have been introduced in testing of equipments and yoyo CTD profiling.

Oct. 07 2019 – Oct. 10, 2019 Kiel (Germany) – Kiel (Germany) MNF-Pher-110The main purpose of the ALKOR cruise AL529 was the training of students in observational techniques applied by physical oceanographers. The students who participated in the trip attend the module "Measurement Methods of Oceanography" which is offered in the Bachelor program "Physics of the Earth System" at CAU Kiel. During the AL529 the students were instructed in instrument calibration and in the interpretation of measurement data at sea. In addition, the students had the opportunity to learn about working and living at sea and to explore and study the impact of physical processes in the western Baltic Sea, the sea at their doorstep. The observations show a quasi-synoptic picture of the hydrography and currents in the western Baltic Sea. Twice-repeated hydrographic and current sections across the Fehmarn Belt show well the short time scales where significant changes occur. A zonal section along the deepest topography, from about 10°40'E to 014°21'E, shows very nicely the two-layer system of outflowing low salinity and inflowing North Sea water. A bottom shield anchorage shows the currents in the water column and the near-bottom temperature and salinity variations in the Fehmarnbelt area.

Background: Resistance to carbapenem antibiotics is emerging worldwide among Enterobacteriaceae. To prevent hospital transmission due to unnoticed carriage of carbapenemase producing micro-organisms in newly admitted patients, or follow-up of patients in an outbreak setting, a molecular screening method was developed for detection of the most prevalent carbapenemase genes; bla(OXA-48), bla(VIM), bla(IMP), bla(NDM), and bla(KPC). Methods: A real-time multiplex PCR assay was evaluated using a collection of 86 Gram negative isolates, including 62 carbapenemase producers. Seven different laboratories carried out this method and used the assay for detection of the carbapenemase genes on a selection of 20 isolates. Results: Both sensitivity and specificity of the multiplex PCR assay was 100%, as established by results on the strain collection and the inter-laboratory comparisons. Conclusions: In this study, we present a multiplex real-time PCR that is a robust, reliable and rapid method for the detection of the most prevalent carbapenemases bla(OXA-48), bla(VIM), bla(IMP), bla(NDM), and bla(KPC), and is suitable for screening of broth cultured rectal swabs and for identification of carbapenemase genes in cultures.

A broth for the screening of group B streptococcal (GBS) carriage during pregnancy is about to be introduced. Simulating conditions in everyday practice, we have compared the sensitivity of this Granada tube broth (GT) with that of classical Amies transport medium (AT) in vitro. A total of 1,485 GT and 1,485 AT were tested with 33 well-characterized GBS strains in three different concentrations, five different incubation times, and three different temperatures. After initial incubation at room temperature (RT) or 4A degrees C, GT were placed at 37A degrees C. GT were scored for the presence of orange pigment. GT and AT were subcultured on blood agar (BA). Pigment was observed in 98% of GT incubated at 37A degrees C. GBS could be cultured in 91%, 73%, and 55% of GT incubated at 37A degrees C, RT, or 4A degrees C, respectively. For AT, these percentages were only 20% at 37A degrees C, 52% at RT, and 59% at 4A degrees C. When GT initially incubated at RT or 4A degrees C were subsequently incubated at 37A degrees C, the sensitivity improved significantly. We conclude that GT is a more sensitive GBS transport and culture medium than the conventional method, especially for low inocula and prolonged transport/incubation times. GT does not exclude the presence of GBS, and should always be incubated at 37A degrees C and subcultured on solid agar for optimal sensitivity.

Two multicentre external quality assessments (EQA) for the molecular detection and genotyping of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were arranged. Firstly, 11 samples containing various amounts of inactivated MRSA strains, meticillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), meticillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) or Escherichia coli were distributed to 82 laboratories. Samples containing 10(2) or 10(3) MRSA cells were correctly scored in only 16 and 46% of the datasets returned, respectively. Two of the used MSSA strains contained an SCCmec cassette lacking the mecA gene. There was a marked difference in the percentage of correct results for these two MSSA strains (37 and 39%) compared to the MSSA strain lacking the SCCmec cassette (88%). Secondly, a panel for MRSA genotyping, consisting of ten samples (two identical, three genetically related and five unique strains) was distributed to 19 laboratories. Seventy-three percent of the datasets recorded all samples correctly. Most pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) protocols proved to be suboptimal, resulting in inferior resolution in the higher or lower fragment regions. The performance of molecular diagnostics for MRSA shows no significant changes since our first EQA in 2006. The first molecular typing results are encouraging. Both assessments indicate that programme expansion is required and that major performance discrepancies continue to exist.

Background: Most clinicians in developed, non-malaria endemic countries have limited or no experience in making clinical assessments of malaria disease severity and subsequent decisions regarding the need for parenteral therapy or high-level monitoring in febrile patients with imported malaria. In the present study, the diagnostic accuracy of plasma soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1), neopterin and procalcitonin levels as biomarkers for severe Plasmodium falciparum disease was evaluated in 104 travellers with imported malaria (26 patients with non-P. falciparum malaria, 64 patients with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria and 14 patients with severe P. falciparum malaria). Methods: TREM-1, neopterin and procalcitonin were determined in serum using commercially available ELISA or EIA tests. The diagnostic performance of these biomarkers for severe disease was compared with plasma lactate, a well-validated parameter for disease severity in patients with malaria, as reference. Severe malaria was defined according to the modified WHO criteria. Results: No significant differences in TREM-1 levels were detected between the different patient groups. Patients with severe P. falciparum malaria had significantly higher neopterin and procalcitonin levels on admission when compared to patients with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria or non-P. falciparum malaria. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that neopterin had the highest Area-Under-the-ROC curve (AUROC 0.85) compared with plasma lactate (AUROC 0.80) and procalcitonin (AUROC 0.78). At a cut-off point of 10.0 ng/ml, neopterin had a positive and negative predictive value of 0.38 and 0.98 whereas procalcitonin, at a cut-off point of 0.9 ng/ml, had a positive and negative predictive value of 0.30 and 1.00. Conclusion: Although the diagnostic value of neopterin and procalcitonin is limited, the high negative predictive value of both neopterin and procalcitonin may be he