Actinomyces turicensis secondary to oral breast trauma as a cause of recurrent breast abscess

Actinomycosis is a rare chronic infection, caused by species of the bacterium Actinomyces spp. This report proposes oral breast trauma as a cause of infection. An adult female in her 30s presented with a recurrent left breast abscess to a local hospital. She had previously undergone nine operations for abscess in the past 2 years. Shortly prior to her first presentation, a sexual partner with reported dental infection bit her periareolar area. The treating team noted that her bacterial culture from the first operation was positive for Actinomyces spp. She was treated with long-term intravenous antibiotics and had no further recurrences of infection. Oral trauma to the periareolar area by an individual with pre-existing dental disease has led to the introduction and establishment of this pathogen in the ductal system of the breast. This infection should be considered in cases of treatment resistant recurrent breast abscess.

Facilitated loading of horizontal gels using a capillary comb loader

Manual loading of samples into horizontal gels, such as the agarose gels commonly used for DNA fragment sizing and quantification, is laborious and prone to errors. Manual-loading times for highthroughput gels can reach 10 min/gel, and human error can result in incorrect identification of samples because of reverse loading or other errors in the loading process. To reduce gel-loading times and to improve reliability, a novel comb has been developed that uses glass capillaries and hydrostatic pressure to simplify sample loading from microplates. Accurate sample metering is ensured by the uniform length and volume of the capillaries. The loaded comb is placed in the gel boat over a pre-cast agarose gel, and buffer is added to a reservoir at the top of the comb. Once the buffer rises over the ends of the capillaries, the samples are pushed into the wells by hydrostatic pressure. This technique was successfully demonstrated for a 24-lane comb. This capillary comb loader reduces loading time, maintains well-to-well uniformity, and retains the same geometry and appearance of manually loaded bands, making this loading method compatible with existing downstream processes and software for subsequent analysis of the gel image.