PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “environmental isolates”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Comparison of physiological, cytopathogenic and immunological properties between two environmental isolates of Acanthamoeba spp.

The aim of this study was to determine whether pathogenic and less-pathogenic isolates of environmental Acanthamoeba exhibit differences in adhesion to human erythrocytes. Based on physiological properties of temperature, tolerance, and rapid growth, Acanthamoeba were divided into pathogenic and less-pathogenic isolates. Acanthamoeba were tested for their ability to produce cytopathic effects (CPE) using two human cell lines, HEp-2 and KB cells. Both ameba isolates caused CPE to both cell lines with the same pattern without significant difference. Human erythrocytes from 20 healthy volunteers were used to study the erythrocyte reactivity of Acanthamoeba by co-incubation with trophozoites. The pathogenic Acanthamoeba exhibited significantly higher erythrocyte adhesion as compared to the less-pathogens (p<0.05). Erythrocyte activity occurred in the presence of plasma in all blood samples, suggesting the role of plasmatic components and contact-dependent mechanisms to produce host cell cytotoxicity. The present results showed correlation between the physiological properties and erythrocyte reactivity of Acanthamoeba.

Acanthamoeba↗

Serotype and PCR-fingerprints of clinical and environmental isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

From May 1999 to April 2000, serotypes of clinical and environmental isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans were studied in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand. Three hundred and eighty-five environmental samples, of which 100 were dove droppings, 55 pigeon droppings and 230 eucalyptus flower, were collected from 7 Amphoes in Chiang Mai. C. neoformans was isolated from 45 of 100 (45.0%) dove dropping samples, 9 of 55 (16.4%) pigeon dropping samples and 2 of 230 (0.9%) eucalyptus flower samples. Serotypes of 56 environmental isolates and 75 clinical isolates of C. neoformans,obtained during the same period, were determined by the slide agglutination test. Fifty-six environmental and 74 clinical isolates belonged to C. neoformans serotype A (C. neoformans var. grubii), and only one clinical isolate belonged to C. neoformans serotype AD. The isolation of C. neoformans var. grubii from eucalyptus flower samples suggests contamination of avian droppings. PCR-fingerprinting, using (GACA)4 as a primer, discriminated 131 clinical and environmental isolates into 2 groups (group I and II). Seventy-five clinical and 54 environmental isolates were of group I, which had two major specific bands of approximately 1,250 and 960 base pairs. Two environmental isolates, one from pigeon excreta and the other from a eucalyptus flower sample were of group II, which had two major specific bands of approximately 1,180 and 500 base pairs.

Animals↗

Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of clinically and environmentally isolated Cryptococcus neoformans in Nagasaki.

We examined clinical (pulmonary cryptococcosis and cryptococcal meningitis) and environmental (pigeon excreta) isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans (serotype A) in the southern Japanese prefecture of Nagasaki. The random amplified polymorphic DNA profiles obtained by using three primers revealed six patterns among 21 clinical isolates and three patterns among 8 environmental isolates. Pattern I was the most common (18 of 29 isolates) and was found among isolates obtained throughout the entire Nagasaki Prefecture. Patterns I, III, and IV were found among both clinical and environmental isolates. Patterns I and IV had a characteristic distribution, and in particular, pattern IV was isolated exclusively (five of six isolates) from isolates from Nagasaki City. Two environmental isolates from two locations associated strongly with two patients revealed identical random amplified polymorphic DNA patterns (patterns I and IV) for isolates from each patient. Our results suggest that clinical and environmental isolates belong to the same pool of C. neoformans isolates and that these isolates have certain geographic locations, although the number of isolated strains was limited.

Adolescent↗

Molecular epidemiology of clinical and environmental isolates of the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex reveals a high genetic diversity and the presence of the molecular type VGII mating type a in Colombia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological relationships of clinical and environmental isolates of the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex in Colombia. The current study reflects data from 1987 to 2004. In Colombia serotypes A and B are most frequently recovered from patients and the environment. Of the 178 clinical isolates studied, 91.1% were of serotype A, 8.4% serotype B and 0.5% serotype C. Of the 247 environmental isolates, 44.2% were of serotype A, 42.6% serotype B and 13.2% serotype C. No serotype D isolates were isolated. Serotype AD has not been recovered in Colombia. PCR fingerprinting with the primers M13, (GACA)4 and (GTG)5 and URA5 gene restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis grouped the majority of clinical serotype A and environmental serotype B isolates into the molecular types VNI (98.1%) and VGII (100%), respectively. Mating type alpha was determined in 99.3% of serotype A isolates, but 96.6% of serotype B isolates were of mating type a. Similar profiles between clinical and environmental isolates suggest that the patients may have acquired the infection from the environment. The data presented form part of the Colombian contribution to the ongoing global survey of the C. neoformans species complex.

Animals↗

Genetic diversity of clinical and environmental isolates of Vibrio cholerae determined by amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting.

Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of major epidemics of diarrheal disease in Bangladesh, South America, Southeastern Asia, and Africa, was isolated from clinical samples and from aquatic environments during and between epidemics over the past 20 years. To determine the evolutionary relationships and molecular diversity of these strains, in order to understand sources, origin, and epidemiology, a novel DNA fingerprinting technique, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), was employed. Two sets of restriction enzyme-primer combinations were tested for fingerprinting of V. cholerae serogroup O1, O139, and non-O1, O139 isolates. Amplification of HindIII- and TaqI-digested genomic DNA produced 30 to 50 bands for each strain. However, this combination, although capable of separating environmental isolates of O1 and non-O1 strains, was unable to distinguish between O1 and O139 clinical strains. This result confirmed that clinical O1 and O139 strains are genetically closely related. On the other hand, AFLP analyses of restriction enzyme ApaI- and TaqI-digested genomic DNA yielded 20 to 30 bands for each strain, but were able to separate O1 from O139 strains. Of the 74 strains examined with the latter combination, 26 serogroup O1 strains showed identical banding patterns and were represented by the O1 El Tor strain of the seventh pandemic. A second group, represented by O139 Bengal, included 12 strains of O139 clinical isolates, with 7 from Thailand, 3 from Bangladesh, and 2 from India. Interestingly, an O1 clinical isolate from Africa also grouped with the O139 clinical isolates. Eight clinical O1 isolates from Mexico grouped separately from the O1 El Tor of the seventh pandemic, suggesting an independent origin of these isolates. Identical fingerprints were observed between an O1 environmental isolate from a river in Chile and an O1 clinical strain from Kenya, both isolated more than 10 years apart. Both strains were distinct from the O1 seventh pandemic strain. Two O139 clinical isolates from Africa clustered with environmental non-O1 isolates, independent of other O139 strains included in the study. These results suggest that although a single clone of pathogenic V. cholerae appears responsible for many cases of cholera in Asia, Africa, and Latin America during the seventh pandemic, other cases of clinical cholera were caused by toxigenic V. cholerae strains that appear to have been derived locally from environmental O1 or non-O1 strains.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

Concordance of clinical and environmental isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii by random amplification of polymorphic DNA analysis and PCR fingerprinting.

Sixty-one clinical and forty-nine environmental isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii from Australia and the United States were analyzed by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD), using 12- to 22-mer primers in pairs, and/or PCR fingerprinting with a single primer derived from the microsatellite core sequence of the wild-type phage M13 (5' GAGGGTGGCGGTTCT 3'). Three major genetic profiles were identified by both typing techniques. A single RAPD profile (VGI) predominated among clinical isolates (44 of 48, 92%) and isolates from host eucalypts (45 of 45, 100%) from Australia. Of the 94 Australian isolates, 4 (3 clinical and 1 environmental) were assigned to profile VGII; 2 of these were recovered from patients and one was recovered from plant debris from Western Australia. Only one Australian clinical isolate was assigned to profile VGIII. A different distribution of RAPD profiles (four VGIII, two VGII, and one VGI) was found among four clinical and three environmental isolates from the United States. RAPD profiles of 8 of the 101 isolates studied revealed minor genetic variants, 4 of profile VGI and 4 of profile VGII. Genetic concordance between the majority of clinical and environmental isolates in Australia is consistent with the hypothesis that human disease is acquired from exposure to host eucalypts. Profiles of clinical isolates were independent of body site of infection, and profiles of all isolates were stable over time. Analysis by PCR fingerprinting confirmed the RAPD results. A second RAPD profile (VGII) was associated with infection in southwest Western Australia, where the two host eucalypts do not occur naturally. This raises the possibility of an alternative and as yet unidentified natural habitat of C. neoformans var. gattii. Our results indicate that RAPD analysis is a sensitive and useful method for investigating environmental sources of human infection with this biotype.

Australia↗

Transcription of quorum-sensing system genes in clinical and environmental isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Quorum sensing (QS)-based transcriptional responses in Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been defined on the basis of increases in transcript levels of QS-controlled genes such as lasB and aprA following the hierarchical transcriptional increases of central controllers such as the lasR gene. These increases occur at high bacterial concentrations such as early-stationary-phase growth in vitro. However, the extent to which the increases occur in a variety of clinical and environmental isolates has not been determined nor is there extensive information on allelic variation in lasR genes. An analysis of the sequences of the lasR gene among 66 clinical and environmental isolates showed that 81% have a sequence either identical to that of strain PAO1 or with a silent mutation, 15% have nucleotide changes resulting in amino acid changes, and 5% have an insertion sequence in the lasR gene. Using real-time PCR to quantify transcript levels of lasR, lasB, and aprA in the early log and early stationary phases among 35 isolates from bacteremia and pneumonia cases and the environment, we found most (33 of 35) strains had increases in lasR transcripts in early stationary phase but with a very wide range of final transcript levels per cell. There was a strong correlation (r(2) = 0.84) between early-log- and early-stationary-phase transcript levels in all strains, but this finding remained true only for the 50% of strains above the median level of lasR found in early log phase. There were significant (P < 0.05) but weak-to-modest correlations of lasR transcript levels with aprA (r(2) = 0.2) and lasB (r(2) = 0.5) transcript levels, but again this correlation occurred only in the 50% of P. aeruginosa strains with the highest levels of lasR transcripts in early stationary phase. There were no differences in distribution of lasR alleles among the bacteremia, pneumonia, or environmental isolates. Overall, only about 50% of P. aeruginosa strains from clinical and environmental sources show a lasR-dependent increase in the transcription of aprA and lasB genes, indicating that for about 50% of clinical isolates this regulatory system may not play a significant role in pathogenesis.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Comparative in vitro bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity of trovafloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin against clinical and environmental isolates of Legionella spp.

The susceptibility of 140 Legionella spp isolates (106 clinical and 34 environmental isolates) to trovafloxacin (TRFX), levofloxacin (LEVX), moxifloxacin (MOFX), ciprofloxacin (CIPX), ofloxacin (OFLX), erythromycin (ERY), azithromycin (AZI) and rifampicin (RIF) was studied using a standard microdilution method and buffered yeast extract broth (BYE) supplemented with 0.1% alpha-ketoglutarate. The post-antibiotic effects (PAEs) of the study drugs against 10 clinical isolates of Legionella pneumophila sg.1 were compared. The MIC inhibiting 90% of strains tested on BYEalpha broth were 0.008, 0.016, 0.016, 0.06, 0.125, 0.5, 0.5, and 0.004 mg/l for TRFX, LEVX, MOXX, CIP, OFLX, ERY, AZI, and RIF, respectively. The MBC/MIC ratios ranged from one to eight depending on the antibiotic tested: TRFX [1x-2 x MIC], LEVX, MOFX, CIPX and OFLX [1x-4 x MIC], RIF [2x-4 x MIC], ERY and AZI [2x-8 x MIC]. TRFX, RIF, LEVX, MOFX, CIPX, OFLX, ERY and AZI showed similar activity against Legionella species other than L. pneumophila. One-hour exposures to the study antimicrobial agents at a concentration of 4 x MIC resulted in PAEs as follows (average in hours): TRFX: 2.68 h; RIF: 2.63 h; CIPX: 2.62 h; MOFX: 2.56 h; LEVX: 2.41 h; OFLX: 2.25 h; AZI: 1.65 h; and ERY: 1.54 h. In conclusion, our in vitro data confirm that trovafloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin and rifampicin have excellent bacteriostatic and bactericidal activity against Legionella spp and show significant post-antibiotic effect.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

[Environmental Isolates of Sporothrix schenckii in China].

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 25 environmental isolates of Sporothrix schenckii from northeastern China was investigated. Based on the mtDNA-RELP patterns with Hae III, 6 isolates were confirmed to be S. schenckii, while the other 19 isolates were confirmed to be species distinct from S. schenckii. The mtDNA RFLP patterns of the 19 non-S. schenckii were identical to each other. The non-S. schenckii isolates could not be discriminated from S. schenckii by their macro- or micro-morphological features, and were not pathogenic in guinea pigs. Serological and delayed hypersensitivity cross-reactions were found between S. schenckii and the non-S. schenckii species, suggesting antigenic similarity. These results indicate that RFLP analysis of mtDNA is essential for the identification of environmental isolates of S. schenckii.

Animals↗

A rapid and simple PCR analysis indicates there are two subgroups of Vibrio vulnificus which correlate with clinical or environmental isolation.

Vibrio vulnificus is an estuarine bacterium which is the causative agent of both food-borne disease and wound infection. Although V. vulnificus is commonly found in molluscan shellfish at high numbers, the incidence of disease is relatively low, leading to the hypothesis that not all strains of V. vulnificus are equally virulent. Unfortunately, there is currently no easy test to identify virulent strains of this species. We have previously identified a 200 bp randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR amplicon associated with clinical isolates. DNA sequence data from this locus in six clinical and four environmental isolates showed that the strains could be divided into two groups, which we termed C-type (correlates with clinical origin) and E-type (correlates with environmental origin). We designed PCR primers that could distinguish between the two groups, and typed 55 randomly selected strains. We found that 90% of the C-type strains were clinical isolates, while 93% of environmental isolates were classified as E-type. The region directly downstream of this locus contained a heptanucleotide sequence repeated various times depending on the strain. Using a PCR-based assay to detect the repeat number present in a given strain, we found a statistically significant correlation with the C/E type classification and the number of repeats. The data reported here are consistent with the existence of two genotypes of V. vulnificus, with the C-type being a strong indicator of potential virulence.

Animals↗

Comparison of antifungal activities and 16S ribosomal DNA sequences of clinical and environmental isolates of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

In recent years, the gram-negative bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia has become increasingly important in biotechnology and as a nosocomial pathogen, giving rise to a need for new information about its taxonomy and epidemiology. To determine intraspecies diversity and whether strains can be distinguished based on the sources of their isolation, 50 S. maltophilia isolates from clinical and environmental sources, including strains of biotechnological interest, were investigated. The isolates were characterized by in vitro antagonism against pathogenic fungi and the production of antifungal metabolites and enzymes. Phenotypically the strains showed variability that did not correlate significantly with their sources of isolation. Clinical strains displayed remarkable activity against the human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans. Antifungal activity against plant pathogens was more common and generally more severe from the environmental isolates, although not exclusive to them. All isolates, clinical and environmental, produced a range of antifungal metabolites including antibiotics, siderophores, and the enzymes proteases and chitinases. From 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing analysis, the isolates could be separated into three clusters, two of which consisted of isolates originating from the environment, especially rhizosphere isolates, and one of which consisted of clinical and aquatic strains. In contrast to the results of other recent investigations, these strains could be grouped based on their sources of isolation, with the exception of three rhizosphere isolates. Because there was evidence of nucleotide signature positions within the sequences that are suitable for distinguishing among the clusters, the clusters could be defined as different genomovars of S. maltophilia. Key sequences on the 16S ribosomal DNA could be used to develop a diagnostic method that differentiates these genomovars.

Antibiosis↗

Use of a repetitive DNA probe to type clinical and environmental isolates of Aspergillus flavus from a cluster of cutaneous infections in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Aspergillus flavus is second to A. fumigatus as a cause of invasive aspergillosis, but no standard method exists for molecular typing of strains from human sources. A repetitive DNA sequence cloned from A. flavus and subcloned into a pUC19 vector, pAF28, was used to type 18 isolates from diverse clinical, environmental, and geographic sources. The restriction fragment length polymorphisms generated with EcoRI- or PstI-digested genomic DNA and probed with digoxigenin-labeled pAF28 revealed complete concordance between patterns. Eighteen distinct fingerprints were observed. The probe was used to investigate two cases of cutaneous A. flavus infection in low-birth-weight infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Both infants were transported by the same ambulance and crew to the NICU on the same day. A. flavus strains of the same genotype were isolated from both infants, from a roll of tape used to fasten their umbilical catheters, from a canvas bag used to store the tape in the ambulance, and from the tape tray in the ambulance isolette. These cases highlight the need to consider exposures in critically ill neonates that might occur during their transport to the NICU and for stringent infection control practices. The hybridization profiles of strains from a second cluster of invasive A. flavus infections in two pediatric hematology-oncology patients revealed a genotype common to strains from a definite case patient and a health care worker. A probable case patient was infected with a strain with a genotype different from that of the strain from the definite case patient but highly related to that of an environmental isolate. The high degree of discrimination and reproducibility obtained with the pAF28 probe underscores its utility for typing clinical and environmental isolates of A. flavus.

Ambulances↗

Clinical and environmental isolates of Burkholderia cepacia exhibit differential cytotoxicity towards macrophages and mast cells.

Burkholderia cepacia is an emerging opportunistic pathogen that causes fatal infections in patients suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic granulomatous disease. Various environmental isolates of B. cepacia are, however, capable of degrading environmental pollutants, such as trichloroethylene, 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), etc., and are also highly effective in controlling plant diseases caused by nematodes and fungi. Such strains have therefore been proposed for environmental release to clean up toxic dump sites or as biopesticides. Various efforts to distinguish between clinical and environmental isolates of B. cepacia with regard to their virulence characteristics have produced ambiguous results, suggesting that newer methods are needed to test for the presence or absence of pathogenic potential in B. cepacia strains proposed for environmental release. We now report that several clinical strains of B. cepacia secrete cytotoxic factors that allow macrophage and mast cell death in the presence of external ATP. Several environmental strains had reduced activity in this regard. We also demonstrate that, while all the strains secrete enzymes that have nucleoside diphosphate kinase (Ndk), adenylate kinase (Ak) and 5'-nucleotidase activity, the level of secretion of the 5'-nucleotidase (and/or ATPase/phosphatase) appears to be lower in the environmental strains than in the clinical strains. The secretion of these enzymes is specifically activated in the presence of eukaryotic proteins such as alpha2-macroglobulin. As macrophage-or mast cell surface-associated P2Z receptors promote their cell death in the presence of mM concentrations of ATP, and as the secreted ATP-using enzymes generate various phosphorylated or non-phosphorylated adenine nucleotides that may even be better agonists than ATP in activating the P2Z receptors or may act through the activation of additional purinergic receptors, such enzymes may play an important role in allowing B. cepacia to evade host defence.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

[Studies on the enteropathogenic mechanism of non-O1 Vibrio cholerae. I. Enteropathogenicity of clinical and environmental isolates].

Enteropathogenicity and plasmid DNA of clinical and environmental isolates of non-O1 V. cholerae were examined. Results were as follows: 1). The frequencies of enteropathogenic strains judged by the results from both ligated rabbit ileal loop (RIL) and suckling mouse tests were 36/38 (95%) for isolates from overseas travellers, 15/15 (100%) for isolates from food poisoning, 33/44 (75%) for isolates from fish and sea water, and 1/10 (10%) for isolates from river water. 2). Plasmid DNA was detected in eight of the 40 isolates examined, but the presence of plasmid did not correlate with enteropathogenicity. These results indicate that approximately three fourths of the strains isolated from fish and sea water are enteropathogenic, and that the genes controlling the enteropathogenicity of this organism probably exist in chromosomal DNA.

Animals↗

Ribotype differences between clinical and environmental isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Burkholderia pseudomallei is isolated frequently from the soil in regions where the disease melioidosis occurs. However, recent surveys in Thailand have shown that the frequency of isolation of the organism from soil samples is not directly related to the incidence of melioidosis in an area. To determine whether strain populations of B. pseudomallei prevalent in soil are gentypically related to strains causing clinical disease, rRNA BamHI restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) of 139 soil environmental isolates and 228 human isolates were compared. Two groups of ribotype patterns were found. Group I comprised 37 different ribotype patterns which were characterised by five to eight hybridisation bands of 2.8- > 23 kb. All of these ribotypes were identified among the clinical isolates, and 18 of them were also found in 59 environmental isolates. Group II was represented by 12 ribotypes found only in environmental strains. These ribotype patterns comprised one to five bands in the size range 9- > 23 kb. All but one of the 73 isolates in this group grew on a minimal medium supplemented with L-arabinose. In contrast, only 3% of the 66 isolates from the environment with group I ribotype patterns could utilise this sugar as their sole energy source. These findings suggest that B. pseudomallei strains that utilise arabinose constitute a population that is genetically distinct from other environmental and clinical strains.

Arabinose↗

Legionella pneumophila: monoclonal antibody typing of clinical and environmental isolates.

Forty-one clinical isolates of Legionella pneumophila from sporadic cases of legionella pneumonia were collected from laboratories throughout the United Kingdom and were compared with 300 routine environmental isolates using two panels of monoclonal antibodies, covering serogroups 1-10. Eighty-five per cent of the clinical isolates belonged to the subgroup Pontiac of serogroup 1, whilst only 13% of the environmental isolates did. Approximately half of the clinical isolates tested came from patients with a recent history of foreign travel, mainly to southern Europe.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

Environmental isolates of Aeromonas spp. harboring the cagA-like gene of Helicobacter pylori.

We investigated the presence of cagA-like gene of Helicobacter pylori in environmental isolates of Aeromonas spp. from different water samples of Calcutta, India, by colony hybridization using a cagA-specific DNA probe and by PCR with cagA-specific primers. Nucleotide sequencing of five PCR products revealed 97 to 98% homology to canonical cagA of H. pylori 26695 as well as to four clinical H. pylori strains from Calcutta. The cagA-like gene of the environmental isolates was unstable in laboratory conditions and tended to be lost upon subculturing.

Aeromonas↗

Lack of association between clinical and environmental isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in hospital wards.

Seventy-three environmental and clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovered from a single hospital over a 6-month period were compared for epidemiological type characteristics. Environmental isolates were obtained from sinks, taps and water, in rooms where patients were treated. The strains represented only six O-antigenic types and 8.2% of them were not typable. Serotype 011 was most frequent in the environment, whereas serotypes 06, 012 and 02,5 predominated among clinical isolates. More than 60% of all isolates belonged to four pyocin types (1, 10, 33 and 45), and approximately 80% were phage typable. Environmental isolates were more sensitive to antibiotics than clinical isolates. There was little correspondence between the types of strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from patients and those isolated from the environment. However, isolates of identical type were frequently recovered from different patients within the same clinic and were found to be related in time and location. We conclude that the environment was not an important source of P. aeruginosa infection and that transfer of organisms was mainly from patient-to-patient.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗