Human-caused changes in land use and land cover have dramatically altered ecosystems worldwide and may facilitate the spread of infectious diseases. To address this issue, we examined the influence of land-cover changes between 1942 and 2000 on the establishment of an invasive pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, which causes the forest disease known as Sudden Oak Death. We assessed effects of land-...

The combination of efficacious treatment against bacterial infections and mitigation of antibiotic resistance amplification in gut microbiota is a major challenge for antimicrobial therapy in food-producing animals. In rats, we evaluated the impact of cefquinome, a fourth-generation cephalosporin, on both Klebsiella pneumoniae lung infection and intestinal flora harboring CTX-M-producing Entero...

IMPORTANT POINTS The following key points are discussed: • Quality control microbiology tests require controlled levels of inocula and require fresh preparations of cells for those inocula • The concentration of cells in a suspension can be estimated by optical density, but this must be confirmed by plate count • The optical density readings against cell mass are specific to the microorganism s...

Rhodococcus equi is one of the most important causes of disease in foals. Infection is typically characterized by pyogranulomatous pneumonia although extrapulmonary infections occur occasionally. Uveitis and polysynovitis have been reported in foals naturally infected with R. equi and are thought to be the result of an immune-mediated process. However, the pathogenesis of these conditions is po...

Foliar hosts of Phytophthora ramorum are often susceptible to root infection but the epidemiological significance of such infections is unknown. A standardized test system was developed to quantify inoculum in runoff from root-infected Viburnum tinus ?Spring Bouquet? or Rhododendron ?Cunningham's White? cuttings. Cuttings of both species gave off a maximum amount of inoculum 1 to 3 weeks after ...

Maintaining quinolone concentrations outside the mutant selection window (MSW) between the MIC and mutant prevention concentration (MPC) was suggested by in vitro and in vivo studies to prevent the selection of resistant mutants. However, selection also may depend on the presence of resistant bacterial mutants at the start of treatment, which is highly dependent on the initial inoculum size. In...

We appreciate the attention given to our publication regarding the mechanism associated with the immunopathogenic response in experimental vulvovaginal candidiasis that employed mice resistant (CD-1) and susceptible (C3H/HeN) to chronic colonization/infection (6). We respect data presented by Gabrielli et al. (1) regarding the achievement of a chronic colonization condition in the CD-1 strain o...

In view of the increase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan content, the culture condition for S.cerevisiae were optimized in this study. The influence of culture condition such as original pH, inoculum size, and temperature on mannan production were evaluated using Response surface methodology. The mathematical model was established by the quadratic rotary combination design. with the order of ...