By using a gnotobiotic rat model system to study the induction of protective immune responses by anti-idiotype (anti-id) vaccines specific for antibodies directed at the cariogenic microorganism Streptococcus mutans, it was shown that administration of such an anti-id vaccine provided partial protection against dental caries after challenge with virulent microorganisms. Protective effects were ...

Biopsy specimens of gastric and duodenal mucosa from 326 patients were examined bacteriologically and histologically to determine the correlation between chronic gastritis and H. pylori colonization. H. pylori was identified in 111 (66.5%) patients with evidence of chronic gastritis and in 97 (82.2%) individuals who had gastritis associated with other pathology (gastric o duodenal ulcer, carcin...

In contrast to the healthy population, distal airway bacterial colonization may occur in patients with chronic lung diseases, who often have altered pulmonary defences. However, the information dealing with this issue is insufficient and is based mainly on nonspecific samples, such as sputum cultures. Using quantitative cultures of bronchoscopic protected specimen brush (PSB) and bronchoalveola...

Microbes occupy countless ecological niches in nature. Sometimes these environments may be on or within another organism, as is the case in both microbial infections and symbiosis of mammals. Unlike pathogens that establish opportunistic infections, hundreds of human commensal bacterial species establish a lifelong cohabitation with their hosts. Although many virulence factors of infectious bac...

BACKGROUND The bronchial mucosa is protected by a specialized immune system focused on the prevention of colonization and infection by potentially pathogenic microorganisms (PPMs). Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the principal antibody involved in this mechanism. A defective immune barrier may facilitate the recurrent presence of PPMs in COPD. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to determine IgA-medi...

INTRODUCTION The use of the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry has shown to be effective and fast in some clinical specimens for the identification of colonizing microorganisms. The objective of the study was to analyze the validity values for the prediction of colonization and catheter-related bloodstream infection (C-RBSI) of the MALDI-TOF...

Owing to a high prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among residents, long-term-care facilities (LTCFs) have become substantial reservoirs of this microorganism. Few data on the natural history of MRSA colonization in this setting are available. The cumulative incidence appears to be approximately 20% per year, and more than half of carriers have persistent colonizat...

Group A Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes), group B Streptococcus (Streptococcus agalactiae) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) are host-adapted bacterial pathogens among the leading infectious causes of human morbidity and mortality. These microbes and related members of the genus Streptococcus produce an array of toxins that act against human cells or tissues, resulting in impair...

introduction : staphylococcus aureus colonization has been recognized as one of the most important risk factors for subsequent infections with this microorganism. in this study, we intended to identify all patients who were mrsa-positive upon admission and compare the prevalence of mrsa colonization on different days of study admitted in imam reza hospital in mashhad, iran. methods : this cross...