The aim of this work was to determine the differences between indoor and outdoor aeromicological composition. The aerobiological study was performed, from 15 January to 14 April 2008, using two volumetric spore traps, one placed indoors and another positioned outdoors on the roof of the Faculdade de Ciências building. A total of 23 000 spores were sampled outdoors and 15 500 spores were identif...

Clostridium difficile is the causative agent of the majority of antibiotic associated diarrhoea cases. C. difficile spores are recognized as the persistent and infectious morphotype as well as the vehicle of transmission of CDI. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how C. difficile spores interact with the host's epithelial surfaces. In this context, we have characterized the ability of C. ...

A statistical evaluation of viable count procedures utilized for obtaining treatment survival curve data for Bacillus subtilis NCTC 8236 spores is described. Within the various recovery conditions tested, incubation on nutrient agar containing 1% dextrose for 48 hr at 37 C was found to promote the highest count of viable spores surviving a variety of bactericidal treatments involving gamma irra...

BACKGROUND Bacterial spores are protected by a coat consisting of about 60 different proteins assembled as a biochemically complex structure with intriguing morphological and mechanical properties. Historically, the coat has been considered a static structure providing rigidity and mainly acting as a sieve to exclude exogenous large toxic molecules, such as lytic enzymes. Over recent years, how...

Spores of Bacillus species are said to be committed when they continue through nutrient germination even when germinants are removed or their binding to spores' nutrient germinant receptors (GRs) is both reversed and inhibited. Measurement of commitment and the subsequent release of dipicolinic acid (DPA) during nutrient germination of spores of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis showed that...

AIMS To determine the effects of Mn levels in Bacillus megaterium sporulation and spores on spore resistance. METHODS AND RESULTS Bacillus megaterium was sporulated with no added MnCl(2) and up to 1 mmol l(-1) MnCl(2). The resultant spores were purified and loosely bound Mn removed, and spore Mn levels were found to vary c. 100-fold. The Mn level had no effect on spore γ-radiation resistance,...

Spores are essential particles for the survival of many organisms, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic. Among the eukaryotes, fungi have developed spores with superior resistance and dispersal properties. For the human fungal pathogens, however, relatively little is known about the role that spores play in dispersal and infection. Here we present the purification and characterization of spores from...

The fungus Stachybotrys chartarum has been implicated in cases of nonspecific indoor air quality complaints in adults and in cases of pulmonary hemorrhaging in infants. The effects that have been described have been attributed to mycotoxins. Previous dose-effect studies focused on exposure to a single mycotoxin in a solvent, a strategy which is unlikely to accurately characterize the effects of...

BACKGROUND Removing spores of Clostridium difficile and Bacillus anthracis from skin is challenging because they are resistant to commonly used antimicrobials and soap and water washing provides only modest efficacy. We hypothesized that hygiene interventions incorporating a sporicidal electrochemically generated hypochlorous acid solution (Vashe(®)) would reduce the burden of spores on skin. ...

Bacillus anthracis spore germination is usually detected in vitro by alterations in spore refractility, heat resistance, and stainability. We developed a more quantitative, sensitive, and semi-automated procedure for detecting germination by using a microtiter kinetic reader for fluorescence spectrophotometry. The procedure was based on the increase in fluorescence of spores with time during th...