INTRODUCTION Maternal vaginal colonization by Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) has an important impact on neonatal health but has not been studied in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The aim of this study was to determine its frequency and influencing factors. METHODOLOGY Vaginal samples (n = 509) for bacteriological analysis were collected from women in Bukavu, eastern DR Congo, during their ...

We read with interest the paper by Shan et al. [1] in a recent issue. It is an interesting paper concluding that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) omp18 is indirectly affecting long term bacterial colonization by successfully influencing IFN-γmediated immune response. Nevertheless, we found that some statements could not support the final conclusion. H. pylori infects the gastric mucosal layer of...

There is a wide range of variability in the reported frequencies of fungal colonization in NICUs due to several factors. Inconsistencies in surveillance culture policies make it difficult to compare the incidence rates of different settings and institutions: as a result, NICUs performing weekly (or semiweekly) cultures for each patient will claim higher incidence rates of colonization than thos...

Innate immune responses function as a first line of host defense against the development of bacterial infection, and in some cases to preserve the sterility of privileged sites in the human host. Bacteria that enter these sites must counter host responses for colonization. From the host's perspective, the innate immune system works expeditiously to minimize the bacterial threat before colonizat...

fective. For example, we have published work that demonstrates that patient-to-patient transmission is important for colonization acquisition of ESBL-producing Klebsiella spp. and Escherichia coli (5). We believe that a couple of points require clarifi cation. In our article, we looked at risk factors for colonization with ESBL-producing bacteria on admission to an intensive care unit. We did n...

Colonization of the lower respiratory tract by enteric Gram-negative bacilli (EGNB) has been a frequent finding in patients with long-term tracheostomies; however, the association of hospitalization and certain features of serious illness with this phenomenon has not been clearly established. Because such factors can render the oropharynx more susceptible to EGNB colonization, we sought to disc...

Acquisition and loss rates and estimates of duration of oral and vaginal Candida species colonization and candidiasis were examined among 868 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive and 437 at-risk HIV-seronegative women monitored prospectively during 1993-1999. Colonization and candidiasis acquisition rates, both oral and vaginal, were significantly higher among HIV-seropositive women;...

Receipt of fluoroquinolones was the predominant risk factor for Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) during an epidemic in Quebec, Canada. To determine the role of antimicrobial drugs in facilitating healthcare-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization and infection and to compare this role with their effects on methicillin-susceptible S. aureus infec...

The outbreak of diarrhoea and haemolytic uraemic syndrome that occurred in Germany in 2011 was caused by a Shiga toxin-producing enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) strain. The strain was classified as EAEC owing to the presence of a plasmid (pAA) that mediates a characteristic pattern of aggregative adherence on cultured cells, the defining feature of EAEC that has classically been assoc...