Rouxiella chamberiensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family Enterobacteriaceae isolated from parenteral nutrition bags.

Parenteral nutrition bags for newborns were found contaminated by a previously undescribed member of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The six isolates studied by rrs gene (encoding 16S rRNA) sequence analysis and multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA) formed a discrete branch close to the genera Ewingella, Rahnella, Yersinia,Hafnia and Serratia. Phenotypically, the new taxon was distinct from these five genera. The new taxon gave positive results in Voges-Proskauer, Simmons citrate and o-nitrophenyl-ß-galactoside hydrolysis tests; fermented d-glucose, d-mannitol, l-rhamnose, melibiose, l-arabinose and d-xylose; hydrolysed aesculin; and did not ferment maltose, trehalose, raffinose, d-sorbitol, sucrose or cellobiose. Tests for motility, gas production, urease, gelatinase and nitrate reduction were also negative. All isolates failed to grow at 37 °C. The DNA G+C content of strain 130333T was 53 mol%. On the basis of data obtained in this study, the six isolates represent a novel species of a new genus in the family Enterobacteriaceae, named Rouxiella chamberiensis gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain of the type species is 130333T ( = CIP 110714T = DSM 28324T).

Recurrent Breast Abscesses due to Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii, a Human Pathogen Uncommon in Caucasian Women.

Background. Corynebacterium kroppenstedtii (Ck) was first described in 1998 from human sputum. Contrary to what is observed in ethnic groups such as Maori, Ck is rarely isolated from breast abscesses and granulomatous mastitis in Caucasian women. Case Presentation. We herein report a case of recurrent breast abscesses in a 46-year-old Caucasian woman. Conclusion. In the case of recurrent breast abscesses, even in Caucasian women, the possible involvement of Ck should be investigated. The current lack of such investigations, probably due to the difficulty to detect Ck, may cause the underestimation of such an aetiology.

Persistence of the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus in water and on non-porous surface.

Knowledge of influenza A virus survival in different environmental conditions is a key element for the implementation of hygiene and personal protection measures by health authorities. As it is dependent on virus isolates even within the same subtype, we studied the survival of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic (H1N1pdm) virus in water and on non-porous surface. The H1N1pdm virus was subjected to various environmental parameters over time and tested for infectivity. In water, at low and medium salinity levels and 4°C, virus survived at least 200 days. Increasing temperature and salinity had a strong negative effect on the survival of the virus which remained infectious no more than 1 day at 35°C and 270 parts per thousand (ppt) of salt. Based on modeled data, the H1N1pdm virus retained its infectivity on smooth non-porous surface for at least 7 days at 35°C and up to 66 days at 4°C. The H1N1pdm virus has thus the ability to persist in water and on glass surface for extended periods of time, even at 35°C. Additional experiments suggest that external viral structures in direct contact with the environment are mostly involved in loss of virus infectivity.

Massively parallel pathogen identification using high-density microarrays.

Identification of microbial pathogens in clinical specimens is still performed by phenotypic methods that are often slow and cumbersome, despite the availability of more comprehensive genotyping technologies. We present an approach based on whole-genome amplification and resequencing microarrays for unbiased pathogen detection. This 10 h process identifies a broad spectrum of bacterial and viral species and predicts antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity and virulence profiles. We successfully identify a variety of bacteria and viruses, both in isolation and in complex mixtures, and the high specificity of the microarray distinguishes between different pathogens that cause diseases with overlapping symptoms. The resequencing approach also allows identification of organisms whose sequences are not tiled on the array, greatly expanding the repertoire of identifiable organisms and their variants. We identify organisms by hybridization of their DNA in as little as 1-4 h. Using this method, we identified Monkeypox virus and drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a skin lesion taken from a child suspected of an orthopoxvirus infection, despite poor transport conditions of the sample, and a vast excess of human DNA. Our results suggest this technology could be applied in a clinical setting to test for numerous pathogens in a rapid, sensitive and unbiased manner.

Identification of a novel coronavirus in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has recently been identified as a new clinical entity. SARS is thought to be caused by an unknown infectious agent. METHODS: Clinical specimens from patients with SARS were searched for unknown viruses with the use of cell cultures and molecular techniques. RESULTS: A novel coronavirus was identified in patients with SARS. The virus was isolated in cell culture, and a sequence 300 nucleotides in length was obtained by a polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR)-based random-amplification procedure. Genetic characterization indicated that the virus is only distantly related to known coronaviruses (identical in 50 to 60 percent of the nucleotide sequence). On the basis of the obtained sequence, conventional and real-time PCR assays for specific and sensitive detection of the novel virus were established. Virus was detected in a variety of clinical specimens from patients with SARS but not in controls. High concentrations of viral RNA of up to 100 million molecules per milliliter were found in sputum. Viral RNA was also detected at extremely low concentrations in plasma during the acute phase and in feces during the late convalescent phase. Infected patients showed seroconversion on the Vero cells in which the virus was isolated. CONCLUSIONS: The novel coronavirus might have a role in causing SARS.