We assessed two procedures for the initial processing of urine specimens: (i) manual screening of urine samples by inoculation into tryptic soy broth and incubation for 3 to 6 h, and (ii) examination of agar plates inoculated with urine and incubated for 4 to 6 h. Of the urine samples with greater than 10(5) colony-forming units per ml, 73.6 and 90.1% were detected with the broth cultures after...

Standard methods for quantification of airborne bacteria are based on cultivation and counting of grown colonies. From complex natural environments it is known that only a small fraction of the total number of cells can be cultivated on routinely used agar-media. Direct microscopic cell counting after DNA-staining usually generates higher concentrations of one to two magnitudes. The objective o...

OBJECTIVES To determine the quantity and quality of bacterial and fungi on money coins and to identify those that could pose a public health risk. DESIGN Random sampling of coins from subjects within predetermined categories. SETTING Westlands division of Nairobi Metropolitan province. SUBJECTS Twenty-shilling coin samples were collected from matatu (a common commuter vehicle in Kenya) ta...

AIMS A microbiological study of uncooked ready-to-eat organic vegetables was undertaken to determine the microbiological quality of these vegetables on retail sale in the UK. METHODS AND RESULTS Organic vegetables were collected and examined according to a standardized protocol. The majority (3185 of 3200; 99.5%) of samples were found to be of satisfactory/acceptable quality whilst only 15 (0...

The diagnosis of ASB is the most important step in managing ASB. As stated at the article the most important point for diagnosis is microbiological tests. In this context the number of specimens for culture is crucial. In guidelines ASB in men is defined as the isolation of ≥ 105 cfu/mL bacteria in a single cleancatch voided urine specimen. On the other hand in women, two consecutive urine spec...

Frequent use of Xylitol may decrease the S. mutans levels. However, very little is known about whether this effect on the levels of cariogenic bacteria is maintained after the interruption of short-term usage of xylitol. This study aimed at evaluating changes in mutans streptococci (MS) salivary levels after using a chewing gum containing xylitol. Twelve volunteers harboring > or = 10(5) CFU MS...

This research illustrates the qualitative and quantitative composition of the mycoflora of both a green compost (thermophilically produced from plant debris) and a vermicompost (mesophilically produced by the action of earthworms on plant and animal wastes after thermophilic preconditioning). Fungi were isolated using three media (PDA, CMC, PDA plus cycloheximide), incubated at three temperatur...

Bacterial suspension containing 10 colony forming units (cfu) of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae was used for inoculating detached leaves of 6 commercial rice cultivars In vitro as well as for testing these cultivars in pots in growth chamber conditions by three methods of inoculation i.e., clipping, pin prick and brush respectively. Clipping method resulted in much more lesion length development...

Contamination of hospital surfaces by bacteria is increasingly recognized. We assessed commonly touched surfaces using contact plates and Petrifilms (3M, St. Paul, MN) and compared the results against proposed microbiology standards. Toilet door handles were the most heavily contaminated (7.97 ± 0.68 colony forming units [CFU]/cm(2)) and exceeded proposed standards on 74% of occasions. Petrifil...