Multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae causing invasive pneumococcal disease isolated from a paediatric patient.

The emergence of non-vaccine multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes is on rise. This study was performed to investigate a highly resistant serotype 15A S. pneumoniae isolated from the blood specimen of a 20-month-old patient who died of her infection. The SS40_16 isolate was resistant to erythromycin, co-trimoxazole, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol, as well as to penicillin, ceftriaxone, and cefotaxime (using meningitis cut-off points, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute). The isolate belonged to sequence type 1591 (ST1591) and was related to CC81 clonal complex, suggesting the possibility of horizontal gene transfer. Scanning electron microscopy comparison between resistant and sensitive pneumococcal isolates also indicated similar phenotypic characteristics that confer high resistance. The emergence of highly resistant non-vaccine pneumococci is of great concern to public health and in the clinical setting. Pneumococcal surveillance programs represent a crucial tool, not only for determining the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, but also for monitoring the selective pressure of serotype replacement with regard to the treatment of invasive pneumococcal disease.

A large response range reflectometric urea biosensor made from silica-gel nanoparticles.

A new silica-gel nanospheres (SiO2NPs) composition was formulated, followed by biochemical surface functionalization to examine its potential in urea biosensor development. The SiO2NPs were basically synthesized based on sol-gel chemistry using a modified Stober method. The SiO2NPs surfaces were modified with amine (-NH2) functional groups for urease immobilization in the presence of glutaric acid (GA) cross-linker. The chromoionophore pH-sensitive dye ETH 5294 was physically adsorbed on the functionalized SiO2NPs as pH transducer. The immobilized urease determined urea concentration reflectometrically based on the colour change of the immobilized chromoionophore as a result of the enzymatic hydrolysis of urea. The pH changes on the biosensor due to the catalytic enzyme reaction of immobilized urease were found to correlate with the urea concentrations over a linear response range of 50-500 mM (R2 = 0.96) with a detection limit of 10 mM urea. The biosensor response time was 9 min with reproducibility of less than 10% relative standard deviation (RSD). This optical urea biosensor did not show interferences by Na+, K+, Mg2+ and NH4+ ions. The biosensor performance has been validated using urine samples in comparison with a non-enzymatic method based on the use of p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (DMAB) reagent and demonstrated a good correlation between the two different methods (R2 = 0.996 and regression slope of 1.0307). The SiO2NPs-based reflectometric urea biosensor showed improved dynamic linear response range when compared to other nanoparticle-based optical urea biosensors.

Isotherm kinetics of Cr(III) removal by non-viable cells of Acinetobacter haemolyticus.

The potential use of non-viable biomass of a Gram negative bacterium i.e. Acinetobacter haemolyticus to remove Cr(III) species from aqueous environment was investigated. Highest Cr(III) removal of 198.80 mg g(-1) was obtained at pH 5, biomass dosage of 15 mg cell dry weight, initial Cr(III) of 100 mg L(-1) and 30 min of contact time. The Langmuir and Freundlich models fit the experimental data (R(2)>0.95) while the kinetic data was best described using the pseudo second-order kinetic model (R(2)>0.99). Cr(III) was successfully recovered from the bacterial biomass using either 1M of CH(3)COOH, HNO(3) or H(2)SO(4) with 90% recovery. TEM and FTIR suggested the involvement of amine, carboxyl, hydroxyl and phosphate groups during the biosorption of Cr(III) onto the cell surface of A. haemolyticus. A. haemolyticus was also capable to remove 79.87 mg g(-1) Cr(III) (around 22.75%) from raw leather tanning wastewater. This study demonstrates the potential of using A. haemolyticus as biosorbent to remove Cr(III) from both synthetic and industrial wastewater.