Microbial Synergy

Bacteria are ubiquitous; they can be found on the skin, in the soil, and inside the body. Because of the very nature of this ubiquity, it is important to be able to determine between different strains of bacteria. An example of this is determining the causative agent for a disease so that the patient will be treated with the appropriate antibiotics. It may be important to determine the bacteria in a certain region, because like with enteric bacteria, it is normal to find them in the digestive tract as they are in a symbiotic relationship with our bodies in this area; however, they also cause opportunistic infections in places outside of the digestive tract to our detriment, such as with a urinary tract infection. Some strains of bacteria are common to nosocomial infections, and identifying these bacteria as such helps create the guidelines for healthcare workers in antiseptic technique. All of the morphology and characteristics of each strain of bacteria help us to better understand the role of bacteria in the body as well as helps us understand how they can cause illness, and what treatment regimen to set in place. In lab this semester, a sample of unknown

A sample of the patients bacteria causing the urinary tract infection can only be used if a urine sample is bacteriologically viable (1 Radar). Infected urine and sterile urine are common samples used for the diagnosis of patients (1 Radar). It is important to gain further knowledge of multiple organisms’ resistance to antibiotics that cause urinary tract infections (1Radar). Escherichia coli has distinct characteristics and structures that help identify their unique properties (2 Johnson). Escherichia coli is the most common and most prevalent bacteria present in the fecal flora of the human colon (2 Johnson). Because of Escherichia coli unique ability to overcome the obstacles of a new environment, it makes easy for bacteria to spread into the urinary tract and produce a discomforting infection (2 Johnson). All research conducted lead to the belief that Escherichia coli was the Enterobacteriaceae pathogen causing the UTI in the patient. In order to confirm this prediction a set of differential tests and biochemical test must be conducted.

faecalis has a low pathogenicity (scilo), it is a virulent, opportunistic pathogen to be reckoned with and is thought of as a super-bug. This is not only due to its ability to resist a variety of antibiotics, but also its ability to travel and employ biofilm formations. It can grow and adapt in many different environments. It can thrive in a wide range of temperatures and has disregard whether salt or oxygen are present, or whether the pH is basic or acidic. Its resilience on inanimate objects makes it a perfect candidate for transmission to occur within the hospital environment from hand to instrument, but it can also be spread via hand-to-hand contact and from food contamination (Public Health Agency of

Bacteria, single-cell microorganisms, are found all over the planet. Some can be beneficial to their enviroment, while others can be pathogenic. Enterococcus faecalis is a resilient bacterium that resides in the intestinal tract of humans and mammals. Due to their ability to colonize at a rapid rate, E. faecalis cause a multitude of infections. To determine an unknown bacteria, one gram stain and two biochemical tests, a catalase and RBC hemolysis test, were performed. The gram stain showed gram-positive cocci bacteria, which lead to the catalase test. The test for

Enterobacter cloacae is a common Gram-negative bacterium. It belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. Enterobacter cloacae is an opportunistic bacteria and has emerged as a nosocomial pathogen within the last decade.1 E. cloacae is more prominant within intensive care units, especially those patients who are on mechanical ventilation.1 Antibiotic-resistance is one of the well-known features of this microorganism.1 A trail was conducted to determine how exactly Enterobacter cloacae works in regards to its pathogenicity, but unfortunately only a few mechanisms are understood. The few processes that are known include its ability to produce biofilms as well as secrete numerous cytotoxins.1

Necrotizing fasciitis Staphylococcus auerus can occur in many forms, one being methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus auerus (MRSA). This specific strand of bacterium that has evolved to become antibiotic resistant. This makes MRSA necrotizing fasciitis almost impossible to treat with antibiotics alone, and often requires extensive surgical procedures. In The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers highlighted MRSA as a root cause of numerous cases of monomicrobial necrotizing fasciitis reported in Los Angeles in 2003 (7).

aureus is due to several factors. It is coagulase positive which forms accesses and prevents phagocytosis. It produces several exotoxins that create different responses in the body such as exfoliative toxin which causes scalded skin syndrome and enterotoxin which causes Staphylococcal food poisoning. Exotoxins produced by S. aureus are also responsible for Toxic Shock Syndrome, which is associated with tampon use and wound packing. In general, S. aureus is resistant to penicillin and some strains are resistant to methicillin (MRSA). According to the Minnesota Department of Health, most skin infections caused by S. aureus are self-limiting and do not require antibiotic treatment, but in cases where immunity is suppressed or skin is broken due to surgery or injury, infections may require antibiotic treatment or abscess drainage to prevent more serious infection

When a person contracts a UTI, drugs are usually the first thing taken to try to get rid of the UTI. But, in recent studies, e.coli’s resistance to common UTI drugs is rising. Veronique Greenwood conducted a study in 2012 that showed the rise in drug resistance of e.coli bacterias. The study showed a 14% increase in resistance in the drug ciprofloxacin, a 6% increase in trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, the two most prescribed drugs. As the e.coli becomes resistant to these drugs, large problems can arise for many people. For instance, when the drugs become fully ineffective, a large population of people can become sick from the e.coli bacteria, or become harmed from the toxic drugs doctors would have moved onto. Also, is the bacteria is left untreated, the infection can spread from the urinary tract to the bladder and eventually to the kidneys causing kidney failure. In brief, whether contracted from a fecal incident, or unsanitized food, e.coli can be extremely dangerous and can result in a sickness or

The skin consists of multiple layers and provides a physical barrier to infection. The sebaceous and sweat glands help establish an acidic environment with high salt concentration that kills microorganisms and the epidermis sheds regularly to discourage colonisation and prevent infection. The human body also contains an abundance of normal flora such as Escherichia coli that are important for health and compete with foreign microbes for attachment sites and nutrients to prevent colonisation. When these barriers fail, the human body can elicit a non - specific inflammatory response to cause vasodilation and form a fibrin clot to localise the infection. This triggers a phagocytic response that engulfs and destroys the foreign microbes to return the body to normal (Willey et al.,

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a strain of staph bacteria which has developed resistance to the antibiotics designed to treat common staph infections (Winterstein, 2009, p.189). Originally viewed as a hospital pathogen, MRSA has now begun to appear in the community. Hence, the infection is now distinguished by its origin, defined as hospital-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA), or community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). The close proximity of athletes, who often share soap, towels, and other items commonly used in the dressing room, as well as the vigorous physical contact involved in sporting activity (both practice and competition), have led to MRSA becoming a concern in athletics. MRSA is a concern because it can lead to severe infection and even morbidity (Indeed, athletes have become a target population for MRSA. A recent study of 377 varsity college athletes at Vanderbilt University confirms that those involved in contact sports were more than twice as likely to carry MRSA (Jiminez-Truque, 2014). It is believed that the higher prevalence of MRSA in contact sports is a result of the increased skin-to-skin contact which can lead to abrasions and cuts, which permit the superbug to enter the body and colonize it (Jiminez-Truque, 2014). Treatment of MRSA involves draining of abscesses, combined with administration of powerful antibiotics, usually intravenously (Winterstein, 2009, p.187). Since MRSA is resistant to the antibiotics developed to treat it

Similar to the majority of living organisms, bacteria are able to adapt and change depending on their environment. Contrary to other larger living organisms such as humans, bacteria are able to transform and multiply at a more rapid pace, allowing these microorganisms to evolve and become resistant to medications that are commonly used to treat them such as antibiotics. These altered bacteria are oftentimes referred to as “super bugs” as they are unaffected by typical treatments involving the use of antibiotics (NIH, n.d.). Two highly infectious examples of these bacteria are Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) and Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE). In the physical therapy setting, physical therapist and physical therapist assistants

Sepsis is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally, the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the second leading cause of death in non-cardiac intensive care units [1]. Each year between 400,000 and 500,000 cases of sepsis occur in the United States and the cost of caring for a septic patient is high, resulting in a national economic burden of almost 17 billion dollars per year [1-2]. Sepsis is a serious health concern and a better understanding of the causes and potential interventions is necessary. Since 1987, gram-positive bacteria have been the major causative agents of sepsis [1]. Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are two of these causative agents and together cause the majority of nosocomial sepsis infections in United States hospitals [3]. Forty percent of the S. aureus strains, that cause an estimated 292,000 hospitalizations in the United States each year, are resistant to the first line option of antimicrobial therapy, methicillin/nafcillin (β-lactamase resistant penicillins), making them extremely difficult to treat [4].

Escherichia coli is a gram negative bacteria which is the main aerobic commensal bacteria found in the intestines of animals; it can also become pathogenic if it gets into the urinary tract ot the blood (Erb et. al., 2007). Staphylococcus aureus is a gram positive bacteria. It is the leading cause of bacterial infections in humans involving the skin, blood, and lower respiratory tract in America (De Leo et. al., 2009); Natural selection of antibiotic resistance in S. aureus has led to the emergence of increased resistance to penicillin, methicillin, and vancomycin within the human population (De Leo et. al., 2009). One important difference between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria is the structure of their cell walls. The cell walls

Recently, Stapylococcus aureus joint infection pathogenesis has become a major burden for patients and healthcare providers. A unique biofilm formation process allows bacteria to resist standard treatments used for infections. Specifically, a serious medical issue confronted by orthopedic surgeons is the prevalence of staph infections associated with joint reconstructions and replacements. According to the National Hospital Discharge Survey compiled in 2010, there are more than 7 million individuals just in the United States

Bacterial urinary tract infections represent the most common type of nosocomial infections. Often, the ability of bacteria to both establish and maintain these infections are directly related to biofilm formation on indwelling devices or within the urinary tract itself (30). Enterococci (especially E. faecalis) are one of the main causative agents of urinary tract infection and Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) besides gram-negative pathogens (31, 32). In these infections Biofilm provides a favorable milieu for microbial survival within the host as the organisms are shielded from the host immune response, as well as antibiotics and antimicrobial agents (33, 34). Several studies conducted to introduce main virulence genes of enterococci that are associated with biofilm formation in these bacteria (11, 13,-17), but virulence mechanism and related genes for biofilm formation are not well understood (35). In this study we investigated biofilm formation of clinical enterococci isolates isolated from Urinary tract infections. These strains were characterized for presence of adhesions and secretory virulence factors. Isolates had diverse presence of virulence from lack to highest amount of virulence genes. Several previous studies investigated relation of virulence genes and biofilm formation, especially presence of esp and gel. Enterococci esp has been implicated as a contributing factor in colonization and persistence of infection within the urinary tract