External Bacterial Flora and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Staphylococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Isolated from Two Household Cockroaches, Blattella germanica and Blatta orientalis

A study was performed to estimate the prevalence of the external bacterial flora of two domestic cockroaches （Blattella germanica and Blatta orientalis） collected from households in Tebessa （northeast AIgeria）.Three major bacterial groups were cultured （total aerobic, enterobacteria, and staphylococci） from 14 specimens of cockroaches, and antibiotic susceptibility was tested for both Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas isolates. Culturing showed that the total bacterial load of cockroaches from different households were comparable （P〈0.001） and enterobacteria were the predominant colonizers of the insect surface, with a bacterial load of （2.1×10^5 CFU/insect）, whereas the staphylococci group was the minority. Twenty-eight bacterial species were isolated, and susceptibility patterns showed that most of the staphylococci isolates were highly susceptible to chloramphenicol, gentamycin, pristinamycin, ofloxacin, clindamycin, and vancomycin; however, Pseudomonas strains exhibited resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, imipenem, and the second-generation antibiotic cephalosporin cefuroxime.

Bacterial flora of conjunctiva after death

AIM:To evaluate the frequency of bacterial flora of conjunctiva after death(cadaver eyes) which will give information about the bacterial contamination of donor eyes,and the in-vitro sensitivity of isolated bacteria to the commonly used antibiotics in ophthalmic practice.METHODS:Conjunctival swabs were taken from the cadavers(motor vehicle accident deaths and patients who died in the hospital),within 6h after death,and sent for culture and sensitivity test.Conjunctival swabs,taken from the healthy conjunctiva of patients admitted for cataract surgery,were sent for culture and sensitivity as controls(eyes in those of living status).The bacterial isolates were tested against the commonly used antibiotics(chloramphenicol,gentamicin,ciprofloxacin) in ophthalmology practice.RESULTS:Bacteria were isolated in 41 out of 100 conjunctival swabs(41%),taken from 50 cadavers(study group).Coagulase negative staphylococcus was the most common bacteria isolated(15%),followed by pseudomonas aeruginosa(5%).Gentamicin was effective against majority of the bacterial isolates(82%).Bacteria were isolated from 7 out of 100 conjunctival swabs taken as control group(eyes in living state).Coagulase negative staphylococcus was the most common organism(5%) isolated in control group;the others were staphylococcus aureus(1%) and beta hemolyticus streptococci(1%).CONCLUSION:Bacteria were isolated from 41% of the cadaver eyes.High percentage sensitivity of the bacterial isolates to gentamicin(82%) supports the practice of thorough irrigation of the eyes with gentamicin solution before starting the procedure of enucleation followed by immersion of the enucleated eyeballs in gentamycin solution,to prevent the bacterial contamination.

Efficacy of incremental loads of cow's milk as a treatment for lactose malabsorption in Japan

BACKGROUND Lactose intolerance(LI)is commonly seen in East Asian countries.Several studies showed that lactose or milk loading has been used as a treatment for lactose malabsorption(LM)in Western countries,but there have been no reports regarding this type of treatment in Japan.As lactose or milk loading requires ingestion of large amounts of lactose within a short period,this is considered to be too harsh for Japanese people because of their less habitual milk consumption(175 mL per day in average)than Western people.In this study,we demonstrated lactose tolerance acquisition in a suitable way for Japanese.AIM To examine the efficacy of lactose(cow’s milk)loading treatment in patients with LM.METHODS Individuals with abdominal symptoms induced by milk or dairy products(LI symptoms)were identified with a questionnaire.A 20 g lactose hydrogen breath test(LHBT)was carried out to confirm LM diagnosis and to evaluate co-existence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth(SIBO).Respondents diagnosed with LM were selected as study subjects and were treated with incremental loads of cow’s milk,starting from 30 mL and increasing up to 200 mL at 4-7 d intervals.After the treatment,changes in symptoms and LM diagnostic value of 20 g LHBT were investigated.Stool samples pre-and post-treatment were examined for changes in intestinal microbiota using 16S rRNA sequencing.Informed consent was obtained prior to each stage of the study.RESULTS In 46 subjects with LI symptoms(10-68 years old,mean age 34 years old)identified with the questionnaire,35(76.1%)were diagnosed with LM by 20 g LHBT,and 6 had co-existing SIBO.The treatment with incremental cow’s milk was carried out in 32 subjects diagnosed with LM(14-68 years old,median age 38.5 years old).The mean period of the treatment was 41±8.6 d.Improvement of symptoms was observed in 29(90.6%;95%confidence interval:75.0%-98.0%)subjects.Although 20 g LHBT indicated that 10(34.5%)subjects had improved diagnostic value of LM,no change was observed in 16(55.2%)subjects.Analysis of the fecal intestinal microbiota showed a significant increase in Blautia in 7 subjects who became symptom-free after the treatment(P=0.0313).CONCLUSION LM was diagnosed in approximately 75%of the subjects who had LI.Incremental loads of cow’s milk is regarded as a useful treatment for LM without affecting everyday life.