Salinicoccus luteus sp. nov., isolated from a desert soil

A moderately halophilic bacterium, strain YIM 70202(T), was isolated from a desert soil sample collected from Egypt and was subjected to a taxonomic investigation. In a phylogenetic dendrogram based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain YIM 70202(T) was affiliated to the Salinicoccus clade, showing 94.5-96.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the recognized species of the genus Salinicoccus, in which Salinicoccus roseus CCM 3516(T) was the nearest neighbour. The DNA-DNA relatedness value of the novel isolate with S. roseus CCM 3516(T) was 12.7 %. The novel isolate grew at temperatures between 4 and 45 degrees C and at pH values ranging from 7.0 to 11.0, with an optimum of 30 degrees C and pH 8.0-9.0, respectively. Strain YIM 70202(T) grew optimally in the presence of 10 % NaCl (w/v) and growth was observed at NaCl concentrations in the range 1-25 % (w/v). Chemotaxonomic data revealed that strain YIM 70202(T) contained MK-6 as the predominant respiratory quinone, possessed L-Lys-Gly(5) as the cell-wall peptidoglycan, had phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and an unknown glycolipid as the polar lipids and contained i-C(15 : 0) and ai-C(15 : 0) as the predominant fatty acids. The DNA G+C content was 49.7 mol%. The biochemical and chemotaxonomic properties demonstrate that strain YIM 70202(T) represents a novel species of the genus Salinicoccus. The name Salinicoccus luteus sp. nov. is proposed with strain YIM 70202(T) (=CGMCC 1.6511(T)=KCTC 3941(T)) as the type strain.

Bacterial diversity in aphthous ulcers

INTRODUCTION

Recurrent aphthous ulcers are common lesions of the oral mucosa of which the etiology is unknown. This study aimed to estimate the bacterial diversity in the lesions and in control mucosa in pooled samples using a culture-independent molecular approach.

METHODS

Samples were collected from ten healthy individuals and ten individuals with a clinical history of recurrent aphthous ulcers. After DNA extraction, the 16S ribosomal RNA bacterial gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction with universal primers; amplicons were cloned, sequenced and matched to the GenBank database.

RESULTS

A total of 535 clones were analyzed, defining 95 bacterial species. We identified 62 putative novel phylotypes. In recurrent aphthous ulcer lesions 57 phylotypes were detected, of which 11 were known species. Control samples had 38 phylotypes, five of which were already known. Only three species or phylotypes were abundant and common to both groups (Gemella haemolysans, Streptococcus mitis strain 209 and Streptococcus pneumoniae R6). One genus was found only in recurrent aphthous ulcer samples (Prevotella) corresponding to 16% of all lesion-derived clones.

CONCLUSION

The microbiota found in recurrent aphthous ulcers and in the control groups diverged markedly and the rich variety of genera found can provide a new starting point for individual qualitative and quantitative analyses of bacteria associated with this oral condition.

Infectious Crystalline Keratopathy Caused by Gemella haemolysans

PURPOSE

To report a novel case of infectious crystalline keratopathy after penetrating keratoplasty caused by Gemella haemolysans.

METHODS

Observational case report. Patient notes and literature review.

RESULTS

A 51-year-old woman presented with the clinical picture of infectious crystalline keratopathy 18 months after a second penetrating keratoplasty was performed for corneal decompensation secondary to recurrent herpes simplex infection. Corneal biopsy yielded a heavy growth of G. haemolysans. Initial treatment was made up of frequent topical vancomycin 0.5% and was later changed to topical cefuroxime 5% and ofloxacin 0.3%. Snellen visual acuity after complete resolution of the keratitis was 6/60 as a result of a residual corneal scar.

CONCLUSIONS

Gemella haemolysans may be an etiologic agent in infectious crystalline keratopathy. A corneal biopsy may be diagnostic but may also promote healing by allowing direct access of antibiotics to deep-seated infected tissue and by altering the growth environment of the organism.

Nosocomial meningitis caused by Staphylococcus other than S. aureus in children: multicentre study

Analysing 101 cases of nosocomial meningitis due to staphylococci other than S. aureus within last 15 years, coagulase negative staphylococci represented the commonest pathogen. Major risk factor for staphylococcal meningitis was prior neurosurgery, mainly ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion. Ten of 101 cases were caused by glycopeptide intermediate resistant strains in patients pretreated with multiple combination of antibiotics including vancomycin and shunt exchanges: 76% of strains were also oxacillin resistant.

Salinicoccus jeotgali sp. nov., isolated from jeotgal, a traditional Korean fermented seafood

A novel, moderately halophilic, Gram-positive coccus, designated strain S2R53-5(T), was isolated from jeotgal, a traditional Korean fermented seafood. The organism was strictly aerobic, non-motile, non-sporulating and catalase- and oxidase-positive. Strain S2R53-5(T) grew in the presence of 0.5-15 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 6.5-11.0, with optimum growth at 5 % (w/v) NaCl and pH 7.0. The temperature range for growth was 20.0-30.0 degrees C, with an optimum temperature of 30 degrees C. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain S2R53-5(T) belongs to the family Staphylococcaceae and was most closely related to Salinicoccus roseus DSM 5351(T) (96.8 % gene sequence similarity), Salinicoccus hispanicus DSM 5352(T) (96.1 %), Salinicoccus alkaliphilus T8(T) (95.2 %) and Jeotgalicoccus halotolerans YKJ-101(T) (95.1 %). The genomic DNA G+C content was 47.0 mol%, which is in the range of 46-51 mol% that is characteristic for the genus Salinicoccus. Levels of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain S2R53-5(T) and S. roseus DSM 5351(T), S. hispanicus DSM 5352(T) and S. alkaliphilus KCTC 13928(T) were 32.2, 15.4 and 4.6 %, respectively. Chemotaxonomic data (major menaquinone, MK-6; major fatty acids, iso-C(15 : 0) and anteiso-C(15 : 0); cell-wall murein type, Lys and Gly) and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis supported the affiliation of strain S2R53-5(T) with the genus Salinicoccus. The combined evidence from the low DNA-DNA relatedness, physiological, biochemical and other genotypic data indicate that strain S2R53-5(T) clearly represents a novel species of the genus Salinicoccus, for which the name Salinicoccus jeotgali sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S2R53-5(T) (=KCTC 13030(T)=LMG 23640(T)).

Meningitis due to Gemella haemolysans in a pediatric case

Gemella haemolysans is a rare pathogen in cases of bacterial meningitis. We present a case of meningitis due to G. haemolysans in a 17-month-old boy. This is the first reported case of Gemella meningitis in a child. The patient completely recovered following intravenous therapy with linezolid and chloramphenicol.

Pulmonary Nodules Associated With Gemella Bacteremia

Gemella morbillorum and Gemella haemolysans are normal oral flora that can also be pathogenic. We report 2 cases of adolescents with osteosarcoma who developed multiple pulmonary nodules associated with Gemella bacteremia. These nodules mimicked metastatic disease. To our knowledge, this manifestation of Gemella infection has not been previously reported. In the setting of malignancy, infectious pulmonary nodules must be distinguished from metastatic nodules in order to treat appropriately.

[Search for lactate oxidase producer microorganisms]

Using the method of enrichment cultures, eight lactate oxidase producer strains of the fungus Geotrichum candidum were identified. The microorganisms were isolated from diverse specimens of fermented vegetables and manure. Variation in the content of glucose and lactate and the degree of aeration made it possible to attain lactate oxidase activities of up to 130-140 U per 11 grown medium containing microbial cells.

Gemella haemolysans infectious crystalline keratopathy

PURPOSE

To report a case of infectious crystalline keratopathy caused by Gemella haemolysans.

METHODS

Observational case report. A 65-year-old woman underwent penetrating keratoplasty for contact lens-related Acanthamoeba keratitis and developed a nonhealing epithelial defect. Despite continued prophylaxis with topical gatifloxacin, small superficial stromal opacities were noted and cultured 6 months after penetrating keratoplasty. The opacities coalesced into a fine, crystalline keratopathy in the superficial stroma with persistent overlying epithelial defect.

RESULTS

Culture results from corneal scraping showed more than 100 colonies of G. haemolysans. Topical vancomycin was instituted, with complete resolution of the crystalline keratopathy and epithelial defect over the next 2 months.

CONCLUSIONS

G. haemolysans can be a causative organism of infectious crystalline keratopathy. This infection can arise in a postkeratoplasty patient despite prophylaxis with a fourth-generation fluoroquinolone.

Molecular epidemiology of macrolide and tetracycline resistances in commensal Gemella sp. isolates

The epidemiologic relatedness of 29 erythromycin-resistant Gemella sp. strains from normal flora, characterized previously, were evaluated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Three isolates carried the tet(O) gene and the tet(M) gene. The msr(A) gene was found in two Gemella morbillorum strains in combination with the erm(B) or mef(E) gene. The sequences of the mef(A/E), erm(B), and msr(A) genes showed a high similarity to the corresponding sequences of other gram-positive cocci. All the strains harboring the mef(A/E) gene and the msr(D) gene possessed open reading frame 3 (ORF3)/ORF6. The 16 G. morbillorum isolates represented 15 distinct DNA profiles. Four clusters were identified (>or=80% genetic relatedness). The 12 Gemella haemolysans strains belonged to different PFGE types. The clonal diversity found suggests that horizontal transfer may be the main route through which erythromycin resistance is acquired.

Recurrent upper airway infections and bacterial biofilms

BACKGROUND

Bacterial biofilms identified in various medical devices used in otorhinolaryngology, including tympanostomy tubes, voice prostheses, and cochlear implants, can directly colonise mucosal tissues. The upper airways seem to be at high risk for this type of colonisation. Chronic and/or recurrent upper airway infections may be related to the complex structural and biochemical (quorum sensing) organisation of the biofilm which interferes with the activity of antibiotics (including those with proven in vitro efficacy), thus promoting the establishment of a chronic infection eradicable only by surgical treatment. Biofilm formation plays a role in upper respiratory infections: it not only explains the resistance of these infections to antibiotic therapy but it also represents an important element that contributes to the maintenance of a chronic inflammatory reaction.

OBJECTIVES

To document the presence of biofilms in surgical tissue specimens from patients with recurrent infection diseases, and identify their possible role in the chronicity of these infectious processes.

METHOD

We examined 32 surgical specimens from the upper respiratory tract (tonsils, adenoids, mucosa from the ethmoid and maxillary sinuses) of 28 patients (20 adults, eight children) with upper airway infections that had persisted despite repeated treatment with anti-inflammatory agents and antibiotics with demonstrated in vitro efficacy. Tissues were cultured using conventional methods and subjected to scanning electron microscopy for detection of biofilm formation.

RESULTS

Over 80 per cent (26/32; 81.3 per cent) of the tissue specimens were culture-positive. Bacterial biofilms (associated in most cases with coccoid bacteria) were observed in 65.6 per cent of the tissue samples.

Gemella endocarditis: consider the colon

Gemella species, including Gemella morbillorum, are part of the normal flora of the human oropharynx, upper respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract. Differentiation of Gemella from viridans streptococci in the laboratory may be difficult. Although uncommonly pathogenic, they have been implicated in a variety of human infections, most notably infective endocarditis. Dental instrumentation appears to be the usual source of infection. The case is reported of Gemella morbillorum native valve endocarditis, which was associated with an underlying colonic carcinoma. An association with colonic neoplasm has been described in three previous cases of endocarditis attributed to Gemella. It is well documented that Streptococcus bovis endocarditis may occur in the setting of colonic neoplasia. It is suggested that colonic investigation should be considered in patients with Gemella endocarditis, in whom no other source is apparent.

A case of septic arthritis due to infection with Gemella morbillorum

Gemella morbillorum is a facultatively anaerobic Gram-positive coccus which forms part of the normal flora of the oro-pharynx and the upper respiratory tract. It rarely causes human infection but has been described previously in cases of empyema and lung abscess, septic shock, endocarditis, meningitis, and osteomyelitis. We describe a case of septic arthritis due to G. morbillorum occurring in an otherwise healthy 42-year old man and review previous reports of infection in the literature.

An unusual case of brain abscess by Gemella morbillorum

A case of deep brain abscess by Gemella morbillorum is described. Due to high fever, lethargy, severe headache, and the risk of intraventricular rupture of the suppurative lesion, a CT-guided stereotactic aspiration of the abscess was successfully performed. The patient responded well to a 6-week course of meropenem, metronidazole, and fluconazole. Gemella spp. should not be considered as trivial commensals of the mucous membranes, but appear as emerging pathogens involved in endocarditis, septic shock, and necrotizing pneumonia, as well as in serious intracranial infections.

Streptococci dominate the diverse flora within buccal cells

Previously, we reported that intracellular Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Tannerella forsythensis were present within buccal epithelial cells from human subjects, as lesser components of a polymicrobial flora. In this study, we further characterized that intracellular flora by using the same double-labeling techniques to identify Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, oral Campylobacter species, Eikenella corrodens, Treponema denticola, Gemella haemolysans, Granulicatella adiacens, and total streptococci within buccal epithelial cells. All those species were found within buccal cells. In every case, species recognized by green-labeled species-specific probes were accompanied by other bacteria recognized only by a red-labeled universal probe. Streptococci appeared to be a major component of the polymicrobial intracellular flora, being present at a level from one to two logs greater than the next most common species (G. adiacens). This is similar to what is observed in oral biofilms, where diverse species interact in complex communities that often are dominated by streptococci.

Ocular infection secondary to gemella

PURPOSE

To report four cases of ocular infection caused by Gemella species.

METHODS

Microbial identification was carried out using the MicroScan Walkaway system (Dade Behring) and/or Vitek-2 (bioMérieux) and susceptibility testing with either Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion and/or Vitek-2. The paper is presented as an interventional case report.

RESULTS

Four patients developed infection due to Gemella species. All responded to vancomycin or fortified aminoglycosides and broad-spectrum antibiotics.

CONCLUSION

Gemella spp. can cause opportunistic infections in the eye.

[Microflora of the mucous membrane of human tonsils in the normal state and in pathology]

A total of 50 healthy persons and 50 chronic tonsillitis patients were examined with the use of the bacteriological method. The microflora of tonsillar mucous membrane was represented by 8 genera of facultative anaerobic microorganisms. In the biocenosis of the tonsillar mucosa of the healthy subjects the occurrence of Streptococcus was 1.5-fold greater than in that of the patients; microorganisms of the genus Staphylococcus prevailed on the tonsillar mucosa of chronic tonsillitis patients 1.3-fold prevailed more often and Klebsiella and Neisseria prevailed 4-fold more often. Among the microorganisms isolated from the patients, cultures simultaneously having two or more pathogenicity markers occurred twice as often as among the representatives of the microbiocenosis obtained from the healthy subjects. The microflora of the tonsillar mucosa of the chronic tonsillitis patients was characterized by resistance to penicillins, macrolides and aminoglygosides, but was simultaneously sensitive to lincosamides and glycopeptides.

Pleural empyema associated with Gemella morbillorum: report of a case and review of the literature

Gemella morbillorum, a microaerophilic Gram-positive coccus, is a natural inhabitant of the human oropharyngeal, gastrointestinal and urogenital flora. However, it is an infrequently isolated organism and a rare cause of pulmonary or pleural infections. We report on a 26-y-old male subject with a past medical history of epilepsy and intravenous drug abuse, who presented with imminent sepsis and respiratory failure. Computed tomography of the thorax revealed a pleuropulmonary consolidation of the left lower lobe, and ultrasound guided thoracentesis resulted in aspiration of pus. Microbiological analysis revealed Gemella morbillorum in the pleural fluid. Thoracic drainage and antibiotic therapy resulted in full recovery. We discuss previous cases of pleuropulmonary infections due to Gemella morbillorum and review the available literature of this rare occurrence.

In vitro inhibition of SARS virus replication by human interferons

Four different types of human interferon, interferon-beta (IFN-beta), recombinant IFN-alpha2a and IFN-alpha2b and natural IFN-alpha were tested for antiviral activity against SARS-coronavirus. The experiments were performed using in vitro cultivated monkey Vero E6 cells. IFN-beta was found to be the most highly active antiviral agent, followed by natural IFN-alpha, whereas the 2 recombinant IFN-alpha2 species were poorly active in the system used. These results suggest that IFN-beta as well as natural IFN-alpha may be used for the treatment of SARS.