Microbiology time
September 7, 2021
Happy September, everyone! Time to leave summer behind and go back to the fantastic world of microbiology! We just updated our scientific studies database , and among the studies uploaded, these are the three top picks:
- A new study aiming to evaluate Legionella pneumophila viability and nucleic acids’ stability in SRK™ medium over time (0, 24, 48, and 72 hours) at different storage conditions (room temperature or 2–8 C). SRK™ medium supported Legionella culture viability within the expected range. Moreover, by analyzing samples with Real-time PCR, Martinelli et al. appropriately detected Legionella pneumophila DNA at each temperature condition, dilution, and time point, demonstrating a good performance of SRK™ medium for the recovery of environmental Legionella.
- D’Andrea et al. report the quality and efficacy of self-collected mid turbinate dry FLOQSwabs® , comparing it to traditional nasopharyngeal FLOQSwabs® sampling. The paper demonstrates that self-collected mid-turbinate dry swabs ensure accuracy of 97.3% compared to the standard nasopharyngeal swabs collected by health care workers. Moreover, the mid-turbinate FLOQSwabs® can be stored without medium for six days at room temperature without affecting the molecular diagnosis of the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- A study on antibiotic resistances in Belgian and Dutch farms. This study aimed to quantify ESBL-E, carbapenem- and ciprofloxacin-resistant Escherichia coli in animal feces on broiler and pig farms in the Netherlands and Belgium, collecting samples with FecalSwab™. The study results showed marked differences in antibiotic resistance between countries, farms, and within farms. Curiously, the observed variation couldn’t be explained by the quantity of antibiotic use, suggesting more complex interactions that need further investigation.
