The growth and survivability of Streptococcus pneumoniae clinical isolates subjected to various environmental conditions

In vitro growth of pneumococcal isolates representing 23 different serotypes

Background

Although there are established methodologies for pneumococcal carriage studies, recent studies have extended these by conducting a culture amplification step prior to pneumococcal identification or serotyping. However, few data are available comparing the growth of different serotypes.

Findings

We compared the growth of individual isolates representing 23 serotypes in serum broth, and Todd-Hewitt broth from four different manufacturers. Following overnight incubation of low inocula, there were differences in the final growth densities of individual isolates. These can be minimised with the use of optimal media.

Conclusions

These data caution against using broth culture amplification of nasopharyngeal samples for some applications.

Challenges, successes and hopes in the development of novel TB therapeutics

Despite efficacious drugs for treatment, TB continues to affect enormous numbers of patients throughout the world. Failure to control TB may be related to the biological characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the nature of susceptible hosts often impoverished and poorly supported by healthcare infrastructure and the complex treatment regimens that must be used. Challenges to anti-TB drug development include the organism's slow replication, the ability of M. tuberculosis to survive in a dormant state and to persist despite therapy, its impregnable cell wall and its capacity to develop resistance to drugs. The need for extended therapy using combinations of drugs remains a practical obstacle to effective control in poor, malnourished and diseased communities most susceptible to TB. High-throughput screening of candidate agents and investigation of drugs already in use for other infections are yielding promising new candidates for TB treatment. New families of drugs entering clinical trials include 5-nitroimidazoles, diarylquinolines and ethylene diamines. Increasing funding initiatives, advances in the biology of TB and strategies for drug discovery have rejuvenated the pipeline of new drugs for TB, promising an expanding armamentarium of effective drugs with improved tolerability and potential to treat drug-resistant cases.

Optimization of culture conditions to obtain maximal growth of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae

BACKGROUND

Streptococcus pneumoniae, particularly penicillin-resistant strains (PRSP), constitute one of the most important causes of serious infections worldwide. It is a fastidious microorganism with exquisite nutritional and environmental requirements to grow, a characteristic that prevents the development of useful animal models to study the biology of the microorganism. This study was designed to determine optimal conditions for culture and growth of PRSP.

RESULTS

We developed a simple and reproducible method for culture of diverse strains of PRSP representing several invasive serotypes of clinical and epidemiological importance in Colombia. Application of this 3-step culture protocol consistently produced more than 9 log10 CFU/ml of viable cells in the middle part of the logarithmic phase of their growth curve.

CONCLUSION

A controlled inoculum size grown in 3 successive steps in supplemented agar and broth under 5% CO2 atmosphere, with pH adjustment and specific incubation times, allowed production of great numbers of PRSP without untimely activation of autolysis mechanisms.

The effect of broth media on pneumococcal growth and the latex serotyping result

The aim was to test Todd-Hewitt broths (TH-broths) for the ability to propagate pneumococci and thereafter to evaluate the serotyping result obtained by the Pneumotest-Latex kit (SSI). TH-broths from four different producers (Oxoid, Sigma, Difco, and SSI) were tested and compared separately and with Serum broth (SSI). Twenty-three pneumococcal strains (different serotypes) were inoculated into the broths with start inoculums of 10(1), 10(3), and 10(6) CFU/ml. After incubation, overnight viable bacterial counts and visible growth were recorded. All pneumococci were serotyped with the Pneumotest-Latex kit. After incubation, the bacterial counts in all TH-broths were within the range of log 4.65-log 7.76 CFU/ml, while Serum broth showed an average growth ranging from log 8.05-log 8.90 CFU/ml. Comparing the growth of the four TH-broths showed no significant differences. In general, Serum broth had a more pronounced visual growth than each of the four TH-broths. Serotyping with Serum broth showed in general positive and correct latex typing results for all serotypes and initial inoculum, while the outcome of the TH-broths showed some false negative results depending on inoculum and serotype. Overall the Serum broth was found to be superior to the four TH-broths tested both with regard to CFU/ml and when used with the Pneumotest-Latex kit. However, if the Pneumotest-latex kit is only used on broths with visible growth as stated in the instruction manual, then the differences between the performances of the broths from the different producers was not significant and all broths could be used for Pneumotest-Latex typing.