[Comparative Genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Skin Lesions, Nasal Cavities, and Feces of Children with Atopic Dermatitis].

Background: The lesion of skin of the majority atopic dermatitis patients is chronically colonized by bacteria belonging to the species Staphylococcus aureus. Topical antibacterial and anti-inflammatory therapy treatment are often ineffective due to fast recolonization by S. aureus and exacerbation of allergic process. Aims: Our aim was to determine a frequency of S. aureus colonization in skin lesions, mucous membranes of the nasal cavity and intestine of children with atopic dermatitis, to compare the genotypes of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from different biotopes of atopic dermatitis patients, and to clarify whether the intestinal and nasal cavities microbiota may act as a source of S. aureus recolonization of skin lesions. Materials and Methods: Bacteriological examination of fecal samples, skin, and nasal swabs was conducted in 38 atopic dermatitis patients. The pure bacterial cultures of S. aureus were identified using API Staph (Biomerieux, France) and Vitek 2 MS (Biomerieux, France). Isolates of S. aureus were subjected to genotyping by analysis of rRNA internal 16S-23S rRNA spacer regions and high resolution melting analysis (HMR) of polymorphic spa X-regions. Results: 99% S. aureus strains were successfully identified using MALDI-TOF mass-spectrometry. S. aureus cultures were isolated from all biotopes in 31,6% of children, from skin and nasal cavities ­ in 42% of cases, from skin and feces ­ in 2,6% of cases, only from skin ­ in 10,5%, from nasal cavities and feces ­ in 2,6%, and only from nasal cavities ­ in 2,6% of cases. In 8% of children, S. aureus was not detected in any of the biotopes. Genotyping of the isolates enabled the detection of 17 different genotypes. A match between the genotypes of skin and nasal strains, and skin and fecal strains was observed in 88% and 61% of the cases respectively. Conclusions: The observed a high-frequency matching genotypes suggests the possibility of migration of S. aureus strains inside biotopes in humans and the absence of specialization to colonization of any of the niches.

Draft Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus fermentum NB-22.

We announce here a draft genome sequence of Lactobacillus fermentum NB-22, a strain isolated from human vaginal microbiota. The assembled sequence consists of 190 contigs, joined into 137 scaffolds, and the total size is 2.01 Mb.

[Qualitative and quantitative composition of intestinal microflora in healthy young children]. / Izuchenie kachestvennogo i kolichestvennogo sostava mikroflory kishechnika u klinicheski zdorovykh detei v rannem vozraste.

The results of the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the microflora of the large intestine in 45 healthy children aged 6, 8, 10 months and 1 year, living in Moscow, are presented. During the first year of life high concentrations and detection rate of not only bifidobacteria, enterococci, nonpathogenic Escherichia, but also bacteria, commonly regarded as opportunistic were typical. The latter include lecithinase positive Clostridium, citrate assimilating enterobacteria, as well as Escherichia with low biochemical activity and capacity for hemolysin production. In addition, this group also includes coagulase-positive staphylococci. Later on, as these children become older, opportunistic bacteria are partially or completely eliminated under normal conditions. Suggestion is made that the composition of intestinal microflora depends on protective and other systems of the host at different periods of life, as well as on the character of nutrition and the microbial contamination of the environment.

[Comparative study of the effects of different sour milk products on the intestinal microflora of healthy infants]. / Sravnitel'naia otsenka vliianiia razlichnykh kislomolochnykh produktov na kishechnuiu mikrofloru u detei rannego vozrasta: neodnoznachnost' éffektov.

Our study was aimed to investigate in comparable conditions the composition of intestinal microflora of healthy infants who were given 9 types of fermented milk products. There were observed 103 practically healthy infants aged from 4 month to 1,5 years old. The obtained data have shown that studied products improve intestinal microflora in infants. Significant increase of bifidobacteria in infants intestines was promoted by fermented milk products containing alive bifidobacteria with rather high acidity. The most of products which contain bifidobacteria decreased the level of hemolisinproducing Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive staphylococcus. The products which not contain bifidobacteria decreased the level of Candida albicans and protei.

[Effect of bifidobacteria and lactobacillus and antibiotics in combination with common gnotobiological isolation on the survival of mice with acute radiation sickness]. / Vliianie na vyzhivaemost' myshei pri ostroi luchevoi bolezni bifido- i laktobakterii i antibiotikov v komplekse s obshchei gnotobiologicheskoi izoliatsiei.

The influence of the combined use of bacterial preparations (Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus) and antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, lomefloxacin and amikacin) on the survival rate of irradiated mice placed under the conditions of general gnotobiological isolation was studied. Bacterial strains used in combination with quinolones (ciprofloxacin, lomefloxacin) significantly increased the mean survival time of the animals (p < 0.05) when introduced in a dose of 1.0 x 10(9) microbial cells per mouse on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 after irradiation. At the same time a short course of treatment with bacterial preparations (two injections on days 5 and 7 after irradiation) proved to be insufficient for increasing the survival rate of the animals. The mean survival time of the irradiated mice was higher after the use of bacterial preparations in combination with lomefloxacin or ciprofloxacin than after their use with amikacin.

[The primary screening of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli strains to develop effective probiotic preparations based on them]. / Pervichnyi skrining shtammov bifidobaterii i laktobakterii s tsel'iu razrabotki na ikh osnove éffektivnykh preparatov-probiotikov.

10 Bifidobacterium strains and 10 Lactobacillus strains were studied for their antagonistic activity with respect to Escherichia coli, Klebsiella ozaenae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and for their sensitivity to antibiotics, widely used in clinical practice. L. acidophilus strain 5/4, L. acidophilus strain 18/4, B. adolescentis strain UX, B. longum strain 44 exhibited the highest antagonistic activity and the highest degree of antibiotic resistance. The restriction analysis of the chromosomal DNA of these strains was then made and their plasmid content was studied, making it possible to recognize these strains in future in the course of in vivo experiments.

[The antagonistic activity of bifidobacteria in vitro and in vivo studied by using gnotobiological technology]. / Izuchenie antagonisticheskoi aktivnosti bifidobakterii in vitro i in vivo s izpol'zovaniem gnotobiologicheskoi tekhnologii.

The antagonistic activity of 4 strains of bifidobacteria (B. adolescentis 2 F1, B. longum Z4, B. breve R2 and B. bifidum G1), isolated from the vagina of healthy females of the reproductive age, with respect to Escherichia coli, Klebsiella ozaenae, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gardnerella vaginalis were studied in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro experiments revealed that all above-mentioned bifidobacteria were capable of inhibiting the growth of all indicator bacterial strains. Still of all the bifidobacteria under study had different levels of activity. B. adolescentis strain 2 F1 exhibited the highest inhibiting activity in vitro. In contrast to in vitro experiments, in vivo experiments with B. breve R2 demonstrated its high antagonistic activity with respect to E. coli. The data thus obtained indicate that in the study of antagonistic activity the use of the in vivo model as also expedient, for it is mainly in vivo that probiotic preparations show their activity.

[The vaginal Bifidobacterium flora in women of reproductive age]. / Izuchenie bifidoflory vlagalishcha u zhebshchin reproduktivnogo vozrasta.

The composition of vaginal bifidoflora in 56 clinically healthy women of reproductive age was studied. The study revealed that four species of bifidobacteria, viz. Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. breve, B. adolescentis 2 and B. longum, dominated in the composition of this bifidobacterial population. Nine out of 11 isolated strains were found to be capable of inhibiting indicator microorganisms Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis when tested in vitro; in addition, strains B. adolescentis 2 F1, B. bifidum G1, B. breve P2 and B. longum Z4 inhibited Klebsiella ozaenae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and were also active acid producers. Three of these 4 bifidobacterial strains were capable of adhesion to vaginal epitheliocytes, while B. bifidum G1 was practically incapable of adherence to these cells, similarly to B. bifidum strain 791 of intestinal origin. In addition, the spectra of antibiotic susceptibility varied from strain to strain, but all bifidobacterial strains were susceptible to benzylpenicillin and resistant to lomefloxacin, most of them being also resistant to cyprofloxacin and gentamicin. Thus the data presented in this work are indicative of the possibility and advantages of using bifidobacterial strains belonging to this ecological niche as probiotics for the correction of the microflora of the urogenital tract in females.