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Biomedical subjects

T G Winstanley

Publications and source records attributed to T G Winstanley.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

A pyrolysis mass spectrometry study of temperature-dependent compositional shifts in Xanthomonas (Pseudomonas) maltophilia.

Xanthomonas (Pseudomonas) maltophilia strains are frequently susceptible to aminoglycoside antibiotic and polymixin B when incubated at 37 degrees C, but resistant at 30 degrees C. Five strains showing temperature dependent resistance, and five that did not were examined by pyrolysis-mass spectrometry, a characterisation method that gives fingerprint data reflecting cell composition. Cultures grown at 30 degrees C and 37 degrees C in the absence of antibiotic were analysed. Strains showing temperature-dependent resistance exhibited a characteristic compositional difference between cells grown at the two temperatures, whereas strains not showing this type of resistance varied widely in the extent and nature of temperature-dependent differences in composition. The precise nature of the chemical differences cannot be elucidated at present, but could be determined by examining purified cell constituents.

Mass Spectrometry↗
PubMed1997

Applications of pyrolysis mass spectrometry in studies on the mode of action of antimicrobial agents.

Changes in overall cell composition during exposure to antimicrobial agents were investigated by pyrolysis mass spectrometry (Py-MS) in parental (O+K+), K antigen deficient (O+K-), and O and K antigen deficient (O-K-) strains of Klebsiella aerogenes NCTC 5055. Changes followed distinct patterns that correlated with mode of action: penicillin binding protein (PBP) 3 blockade (ceftazidime, piperacillin); PBP 2 blockade (imipenem); membrane disruption (colistin); bacteriostatic (chloramphenicol), and bactericidal (gentamicin) protein synthesis inhibition; and DNA synthesis inhibition (ciprofloxacin). Changes were pronounced after exposure for 1 hour at 10 x MIC. In general, the O-K- strain showed the largest compositional shifts, and the parental O+K+ strain the least shifts, correlating with bactericidal kinetic studies. Py-MS may be useful in studies of the mode of action of antimicrobial agents, particularly in early screening of new compounds, and in rapid detection of the effects of antimicrobial agents on micro-organisms.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1997

A 10 year survey of the antimicrobial susceptibility of urinary tract isolates in the UK: the Microbe Base project.

Microbe Base is a national computerized database comprising in excess of 1.7 million patient records down-loaded from the laboratory computer systems of 61 participating UK laboratories over 10 years. This paper highlights the antimicrobial susceptibilities of organisms isolated from the urinary tract which comprise around 50% of all isolates in the database. These data may be used to determine trends in antimicrobial susceptibilities; to formulate local antibiotic policies; to compare local with national data and, overall, to assist clinicians in the rational choice of antibiotic therapy and to prevent misuse, or overuse, of antibiotics.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1996

True identity of control Staphylococcus aureus strains and their performance in the tube coagulase test.

One hundred laboratories were asked to submit their control Staphylococcus aureus strains to determine the true identity of strains presumed to be S. aureus NCTC 6571, and also to evaluate the performance of those strains being used as controls in the tube coagulase test (TCT). Of the 60 who replied, 55 laboratories sent at least one strain labelled as S. aureus NCTC 6571 (total of 64 strains). Of these, 84% were identified as S. aureus, and were indistinguishable from a fresh type strain by a combination of phenotypic methods including biotyping, antibiotic susceptibility testing and phage typing. Six-to-ten strains (9-16%), depending on the degree of stringency, were not identifiable as S. aureus NCTC 6571. The time since last retrieval from storage ranged from daily to > or = 3 years, but there was no correlation between this duration and the likelihood of differing from S. aureus NCTC 6571. Forty-seven laboratories submitted 51 strains used as controls in the TCT; these included 31 strains labelled as S. aureus NCTC 6571, eight wild strains, three other NCTC strains and nine strains of uncertain origin. Generally, the S. aureus NCTC 6571 strains produced weaker clots than the remainder. None of the S. aureus NCTC 6571 strains was found to be inoculum dependent but four of the other control strains were. The study demonstrates that some laboratories must improve procedures for ensuring that control S. aureus strains retain their true identity, particularly by avoiding repeated subcultures. Laboratories are divided in their use of strong or weak (S. aureus NCTC 6571) positive controls for the TCT. S. aureus NCTC 6571 is a more stringent control for the TCT than other control strains presently being used and is, therefore, to be preferred.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1995

Quality assessment of Microbe Base antimicrobial susceptibility data.

AIMS: To assess the quality of centres contributing antimicrobial susceptibility data to a centralised database. METHODS: Twelve organisms were distributed to 31 regional microbiology laboratories contributing data to a centralised susceptibility database. Participants were asked to determine susceptibilities to certain antibiotics by their routine method and return the data to the Department of Microbiology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, for analysis. RESULTS: Results for the overwhelming majority of organism/antibiotic combinations were in agreement with expected results. Reasons for discrepancies included the non-bimodal distribution of susceptibilities, the use of different content discs, and, more importantly, minimum inhibitory concentrations falling close to breakpoint values. CONCLUSIONS: It is inevitable that any large multicentre database will contain a degree of inaccurate data. This study has highlighted several areas where discrepant results have occurred and has enabled Glaxo Laboratories to approach individual laboratories to address this problem. This study emphasises the value and consistency of Microbe Base as the largest database, of its kind, nationally.

Databases, Factual↗
PubMed1994

Binding of teicoplanin and vancomycin to polymer surfaces.

Both teicoplanin and vancomycin were found to bind to a range of polymer surfaces. The binding of teicoplanin to specimen vessel surfaces was, on average, four times greater than that of vancomycin and was particularly marked with silconized polymers (5.2 micrograms/cm2). Pre-exposure of a polymer surface to human body fluids caused a 60% reduction in teicoplanin binding. Reduction of the negative surface charge on a polymer surface with ferric nitrate resulted in a ten-fold increase in teicoplanin binding. The accumulation of a strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis on silicone rubber catheter segments pre-exposed to glycopeptide antibiotics was examined. In phosphate buffered saline binding of bacteria to vancomycin-treated polymer was greater than to an unexposed control surface. In contrast, in human serum both antibiotics caused reductions in adherent growth. The binding of glycopeptide antibiotics, in particular teicoplanin, to polymer surfaces may interfere with the results of in-vitro assays. However, this phenomenon may be useful in the prevention of bacterial accumulation on the surfaces of medical devices.

Bacterial Adhesion↗
PubMed1993

Susceptibility of alpha-haemolytic streptococci causing endocarditis to benzylpenicillin and ten cephalosporins.

A clinical case of streptococcal endocarditis in which the isolate proved susceptible to third- but not first-generation cephalosporins prompted us to examine the susceptibility of 44 alpha-haemolytic streptococci from cases of endocarditis to ten cephalosporins and benzylpenicillin. Twenty per cent of strains were resistant to penicillin, and 20% were tolerant. Cefazolin, cefuroxime and cefpirome were the most active first-, second- and third-generation cephalosporins tested. Other first-generation cephalosporins tested compared poorly to cefazolin. Cefotaxime and cefpirome were moderately active against some penicillin-resistant strains. Penicillin tolerance was common in Streptococcus gordonii, but a correlation between tolerance and dextran production could not be confirmed.

Cephalosporins↗
PubMed1993

Multipoint identification of Enterobacteriaceae: report of the British Society for Microbial Technology collaborative study.

AIMS: To evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of multipoint identification schemes in a multicentre trial. METHODS: Forty two strains of Enterobacteriaceae were distributed to 22 laboratories for identification by routine multipoint methods. Analysis of results enabled inter- and intralaboratory reproducibility of a variety of tests, and the ability of laboratories to identify individual organisms to be determined. RESULTS: Interlaboratory reproducibility of most of the biochemical tests was acceptable. The least reproducible tests, both within and between laboratories, were citrate utilisation, production of urease and beta galactosidase, detection of motility, and decarboxylation of lysine and ornithine. Inconsistent results for these tests were often associated with misidentified strains. Most laboratories performed identifications satisfactorily. Most isolates (72.1%) were identified correctly to species level; 9.6% were incorrectly identified, and 6.4% could not be identified at all. The most difficult organisms to identify were Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter cloacae, Hafnia alvei and Aeromonas hydrophila. Strains of Enterobacter, Serratia sp, and Providencia sp were difficult to speciate. Several laboratories could not identify organisms exhibiting at least one atypical biochemical reaction. CONCLUSION: This study emphasises the need for quality control of media and reagents for multipoint identification of Gram negative enteric bacilli.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1992

A numerical taxonomic study of the "Streptococcus milleri" group based upon conventional phenotypic tests and pyrolysis mass spectrometry.

Clinical strains presumptively identified as Streptococcus milleri (60), and blind coded collection strains (21) were characterised in conventional tests and pyrolysis mass spectrometry. Comparison of the clusters found by these two approaches revealed five clearly distinct centres of variation. Three corresponded to the DNA homology groups suggested by Whiley and Hardie (1989) as representing the species S. anginosus, S. intermedius and S. constellatus; a fourth comprised three Lancefield group C beta-haemolytic strains; the fifth may represent a biotype of S. anginosus. The characteristics of the latter group are described.

Cluster Analysis↗
PubMed1992

Streptococcus intermedius, Streptococcus constellatus, and Streptococcus anginosus (the Streptococcus milleri group): association with different body sites and clinical infections.

The associations of Streptococcus intermedius, S. constellatus, and S. anginosus (the three species of the S. milleri group) with clinical infections and sites of isolation were investigated by using a simple biochemical scheme to identify a collection of 153 clinical isolates. S. intermedius was associated with abscesses of the brain and liver, while both S. anginosus and S. constellatus were isolated from a wider range of sites and infections. S. anginosus strains predominated in both genitourinary and gastrointestinal sources and exhibited a wider range of phenotypes, particularly in the ability to ferment mannitol and/or raffinose.

Central Nervous System Diseases↗