Evaluation of a PCR assay to detect Enterococcus faecalis in blood and determine glycopeptides resistance genes: van A and van B

Bacteremia due to Enterococcus faecalis is usually caused by strains resistant to most antibiotics. Effective management of the disease is dependent on rapid detection and characterization of the bacteria, and determination its sensitivity pattern to antimicrobial drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate a more rapid and reliable assay for simultaneous diagnosis of enterococcal bacteremia and its sensitivity pattern to antimicrobial drugs. Several bacterial suspensions with different content of two standard strains of Enterococcus faecalis resistant to vancomycin were used for inoculation to defibrinated sheep blood samples. PCR and routine assay was performed on all blood samples with different bacterial content. Routine assay and PCR for all inoculated blood samples with >/= 5 cfu/ml was positive. Mean time for PCR and routine assays was 10 hours and 5 days, respectively. PCR is a more rapid and sensitive assay for simultaneous detection and characterization for Enterococcus faecalis, and determination of its sensitivity pattern to vancomycin

[Seroprevalence of Chlamydia pneumonia in patients with myocardial infarction]

Several predisposing and risk factors are introduced as main causes of coronary atherosclerosis which is the main cause of myocardial infarction [MI]. In recent years, chronic and persistent infections are considered as such factors. This study is basically on determination of seropositivity to Chlamydia pneumonia to reveal the role of acute and chronic infections due to these bacteria as a risk factor for MI. 273 serum samples from MI patients and 109 samples from control group were examined by using commercial quantitative ELISA kits to measure specific anti Chlamydia pneumonia antibodies [IgM and IgG]. Two groups were matched for age and sex. IgM titers [ELISA] were negative in all patients and control cases, indicating lack of acute Chlamydial infection, but IgG titers were positive in 273 patients [94.4%], [mean average titer: 108 RU/ml] and in 109 control cases [84.4%] [mean average of titer: 61.9 RU/ml]. We found no significant relationship between seropositivity to Chlamydia pneumonia antibodies [lgG] with MI [P=0. 104]. In this study, no significant relationship was observed between serpositivity to Chlamydia pneumonia and subsequent incidence of MI. It seems that a large scale serological study with a diagnostic molecular methods for detection of genome in biopsy tissue of atherosclerotic coronary artery will be more helpful to reveal the expected relationship