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J Sutherst

Publications and source records attributed to J Sutherst.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Frequency and spatial distribution of environmental Campylobacter spp.

Humans are exposed to Campylobacter spp. in a range of sources via both food and environmental pathways. For this study, we explored the frequency and distribution of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in a 10- by 10-km square rural area of Cheshire, United Kingdom. The area contains approximately 70, mainly dairy, farms and is used extensively for outdoor recreational activities. Campylobacter spp. were isolated from a range of environmental samples by use of a systematic sampling grid. Livestock (mainly cattle) and wildlife feces and environmental water and soil samples were cultured, and isolates were presumptively identified by standard techniques. These isolates were further characterized by PCR. Campylobacter jejuni was the most prevalent species in all animal samples, ranging from 11% in samples from nonavian wildlife to 36% in cattle feces, and was isolated from 15% of water samples. Campylobacter coli was commonly found in water (17%) and sheep (21%) samples, but rarely in other samples. Campylobacter lari was recovered from all sample types, with the exception of sheep feces, and was found in moderate numbers in birds (7%) and water (5%). Campylobacter hyointestinalis was only recovered from cattle (7%) and birds (1%). The spatial distribution and determinants of C. jejuni in cattle feces were examined by the use of model-based spatial statistics. The distribution was consistent with very localized within-farm or within-field transmission and showed little evidence of any larger-scale spatial dependence. We concluded that there is a potentially high risk of human exposure to Campylobacter spp., particularly C. jejuni, in the environment of our study area. The prevalence and likely risk posed by C. jejuni-positive cattle feces in the environment diminished as the fecal material aged. After we took into account the age of the fecal material, the absence or presence of rain, and the presence of bird feces, there was evidence of significant variation in the prevalence of C. jejuni-positive cattle feces between grazing fields but no evidence of spatial clustering beyond this resolution. The spatial pattern of C. jejuni is therefore consistent with that for an organism that is ubiquitous in areas contaminated with cattle feces, with a short-scale variation in infection intensity that cannot be explained solely by variations in the age of the fecal material. The observed pattern is not consistent with large-scale transmission attributable to watercourses, wildlife territories, or other geographical features that transcend field and farm boundaries.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Genotypic and antibiotic susceptibility characteristics of a Campylobacter coli population isolated from dairy farmland in the United Kingdom.

Campylobacter infections are the most common cause of bacterial enteritis in humans, and nearly 8% of such infections are caused by Campylobacter coli. Most studies have concentrated on Campylobacter jejuni, frequently isolated from intensively farmed poultry and livestock production units, and few studies have examined the spread and relatedness of Campylobacter across a range of geographical and host boundaries. Systematic sampling of a 100-km2 area of mixed farmland in northwest England yielded 88 isolates of C. coli from a range of sample types and locations, and water was heavily represented. Screening for antibiotic resistance revealed a very low prevalence of resistance, while genotyping performed by using three methods (flaA PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism [RFLP], pulsed-field gel electrophoresis [PFGE], and fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism [fAFLP]) provided insights into the genomic relatedness of isolates from different locations and hosts. Isolates were classified into 23 flaA groups, 34 PFGE groups, and five major fAFLP clusters. PFGE banding analysis revealed a high level of variability and no clustering by sample type. fAFLP and flaA analyses successfully grouped the isolates by sample type. We report preliminary findings suggesting that there is a strain of C. coli which may have become adapted to survival or persistence in water and that there is a group of mainly water-derived isolates from which unusual flaA PCR fragments were recovered.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1999

The effect of cyclic temperatures on the growth of Fasciola hepatica and Lymnaea viatrix.

The experiment aimed to measure the effect of constant and variable temperatures on the growth of Lymnaea viatrix snails, on the development of a Peruvian isolate of Fasciola hepatica eggs and on the development of F. hepatica in the snails. This was carried out by cultivating infected and uninfected snails and fluke eggs in artificial, temperature controlled chambers. L. viatrix snails were found to develop at a rate dependent on environmental temperature, but developed at least as well under conditions of varying temperature as at the same mean constant temperature. F. hepatica eggs held at constant or varying temperatures, developed at a rate comparable to other reports. However, eggs developing at varying temperatures appeared to have reduced hatchability. Parasite development within the snails was slow, though within the limits calculated from the literature, and varying temperature did not appear to reduce development compared to constant temperatures.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

The fluid bridge test for urethral incompetence. A comparison of results in women with incontinence and women with normal urinary control.

A new urodynamic test which detects the entry of fluid into the proximal urethra has been used in the investigation of women with urinary incontinence. The test is positive if a "fluid bridge" is established between the bladder and a test point in the urethra. The test results from 30 incontinent patients were compared with those from 30 women with normal urinary control who had been matched for age and parity. Twenty-four of the incontinent women had a positive fluid bridge test (FBT) at 0.5 cm from the bladder neck compared with 6 of the women in the control group. The difference between the test results in the two groups was highly significant (X2 = 19.27, p less than 0.001). In the incontinent patients a diagnosis was made after full clinical examination (which included an attempt to demonstrate stress leakage), cystometry and urethral closure pressure profile measurement. In a number of cases (23%) the only evidence of urethral incompetence was a positive FBT. We conclude that the FBT is a more sensitive index of sphincter weakness than are other non-radiological urodynamic tests.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Assessing the severity of urinary incontinence in women by weighing perineal pads.

50 women with normal urinary control and 100 women with urinary incontinence wore a series of preweighed sanitary towels for 1 h. The pads were weighed again after use. Mean pad weight increase was less than 1 g/h in normal women and 12.2 g/h in women with incontinence. In each case the pad-weighing test provided information about the severity and the pattern of incontinence which was not easy to obtain either from patient interview or from clinical examination.

Female↗
PubMed1980

Sexual dysfunction associated with urinary incontinence.

208 female patients attending an incontinence clinic gave information about their marital lives and sexual habits. 90 women (43%) maintained that their urinary disorder had adversely affected sexual relations. Women with bladder instability had a significantly higher incidence of sexual dysfunction than women with pure stress incontinence.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

A test for bladder neck competence: the fluid bridge test.

The momentary entry of urine into the proximal urethra during coughing can be demonstrated by a new test which can be conducted using apparatus now commonly available for urodynamic investigations. If the bladder neck opens, a fluid bridge is established between points of pressure measurement in the bladder and in the proximal urethra. Thus, the pressures at these two points momentarily become equal. The clinical value and relevance to physiology may not become clear for some time, but the relatively simple apparatus and procedure, and the ease with which the results can be translated into physical facts, provide important advantages over other dynamic tests of the urethra which are currently possible.

Female↗