We developed single-point genome signature tags (SP-GSTs), a generally applicable, high-throughput sequencing-based method that targets specific genes to generate identifier tags from well-defined points in a genome. The technique yields identifier tags that can distinguish between closely related bacterial strains and allow for the identification of microbial community members. SP-GSTs are det...

Molecular characterizations of bacteria often employ ribosomal DNA (rDNA) to establish the identity and relationships among organisms, but the use of rRNA sequences can be problematic as the result of alignment ambiguities caused by indels, the lack of informative characters, and varying functional constraints over the molecule. Although protein-coding regions have been used as an alternative t...

Sole reliance on biochemical methods can limit the clinical microbiology laboratory's ability to identify bacterial pathogens. This study describes the incorporation of DNA pyrosequencing-based identification for routine pathogen identification of atypical clinical isolates in a large children's hospital. The assay capitalized on the highly conserved nature of 16S rRNA genes by positioning ampl...

Emerging and reemerging bacterial infectious diseases are a major public health concern worldwide. The role of bacteriophages in the emergence of novel bacterial pathogens by horizontal gene transfer was highlighted by the May 2011 Escherichia coli O104:H4 outbreaks that originated in Germany and spread to other European countries. This outbreak also highlighted the pivotal role played by recen...

Bacterial endophytes do have several potential applications in pharmacy, medicine and agricultural biotech industry. The main objective of this study was to understand types of bacterial endophytes associated with dicotyledonous (dicot) and monocotyledonous (monocot) plant species. Isolation of the endophytic bacteria was performed using surface-sterilized various tissue samples, and identifica...

Background PCR-based tools for detection of bacterial infections can considerably shorten the timespan from patient admission to initiation of targeted antibiotherapy. As culture-based methods are operator-sensitive and yield lower rates of identification in longer timespans, dependent on speciesspecific growth rates, there is a need for new techniques leading to rapid identification of the pat...

Rapid identification of the causative bacteria of sepsis in patients can contribute to the selection of appropriate antibiotics and improvement of patients' prognosis. Genotypic identification is an emerging technology that may provide an alternative method to, or complement, established phenotypic identification procedures. We evaluated a rapid protocol for bacterial identification based on PC...

OBJECTIVE To describe findings from an external quality assessment programme involving laboratories in Africa that routinely investigate epidemic-prone diseases. METHODS Beginning in 2002, the Regional Office for Africa of the World Health Organization (WHO) invited national public health laboratories and related facilities in Africa to participate in the programme. Three surveys comprising s...

conclusions the bacterial isolates exhibited strong biofilm formation potential, while the extracts of acacia arabica significantly inhibited biofilm formation among the isolates and, therefore, could be executed in the development of cost-effective biofilm inhibitor medicines. results pseudomonas aeruginosa (kc417303-05), staphylococcus hemolyticus (kc417306), and staphylococcus hominis (kc417...