AIMS To detect and isolate Bacillus anthracis from the air by a simple and rapid procedure. METHODS AND RESULTS One hundred litres of air were filtered through an air monitor device. After the membrane was suspended in PBS, spores of B. anthracis were added. The suspension was plated on Bacillus cereus selective agar (BCA) plates to detect B. anthracis colonies. The suspension was also heated...

We adapted a nested Aspergillus PCR to a nested qualitative real-time format on a Light Cycler system. An evaluation using 134 clinical specimens showed that the real-time PCR assay significantly reduced the time for results to be made available without compromising sensitivity and was less labor-intensive. Its use will aid in the rapid diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a widely accepted and increasingly popular form of dialysis. The invention and technological advancement of the PD cycler further makes PD a convenient option. Prescription-specific parameters are entered into the cycler, which then automatically carries out the steps involved in continuous cycling PD. We review the basics, technical aspects, challenges, and advancem...

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is usually described as a simple, sensitive and rapid technique that uses oligonucleotide primers, dNTPs and a heat stable Taq polymerase to amplify DNA. It was invented by Mullis and co-workers [1,2] in the early eighties, who were awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize for chemistry for this discovery. With the discovery of real-time PCR in the nineties the method to...

There is increasing use of intermittent dosing of antibiotics to treat peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related peritonitis. The disposition of intravenous cefazolin and tobramycin was studied in automated PD (APD) patients. Ten patients were recruited and received a single intravenous dose of cefazolin (15 mg/kg) and tobramycin (0.6 mg/kg). Blood and dialysate samples were collected at the beginning, ...

Cryptosporidium spp. are protozoan parasites that infect various vertebrate hosts. Although 10 species are recognized, at least five types have been found to infect human(1). Thus, the identification of Cryptosporidium spp. and genotypes is important for the assessment of public health issues and for tracking infection or contamination sources(2). Presently, the identification of Cryptosporidiu...