Gram-positive bacteria

has a low ß-lactam binding affinity. Therefore, it can mediate cell wall synthesis even in the presence of ß-lactam drugs (5). mecA Homolog mecC gene Recently, mec C gene was found to confer ß-lactam resistance in SCCmecXI-carrying S. aureus. The mec C gene was found to share 70% similarity to mec A. Where as mec C encoded PBP2A homolog PBP2C, shares only 63% identity with PBP2A protein. In order to prove its role in Methicillin resistance, a knockout strain was generated.These stains have…

Clostridium tetani is a bacillus, or rod-shaped bacteria responsible for the often-fatal disease tetanus. The word tetanus originated from the Greek word tetanos, which means to ‘stretch’. It is a Gram-positive bacterium and often appears to be shaped like a tennis racket, drumstick, or club when stained. This unusual appearance is the result of sporulation that occurs within the cell. C. tetani is an obligate anaerobe and relies solely on fermentation. Since it is an obligate anaerobe, this…

present in the canned meat. Since its accidental discovery, D. radiodurans has been intriguing scientists with is astonishing resistance to ionizing radiation, UV radiation, electrophilic mutagens, oxidizing agents, and desiccation. This gram-positive bacteria usually forms in spherical pairs or tetrads; it is not only able to survive gamma radiation greater than 2,000 DSBs (per multigenomic cell), but it is also able to flourish endlessly while being treated with chronic radiation. This…

several patients on contact precautions due primarily to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or high counts of gram-positive Escherichia coli bacterium (E. coli) in the urine and blood. A good example of best practice that I witnessed was the proper display and implementation of contact precautions around patients with multidrug-resistant organisms and bacteria (MDROs). If a patient is placed on contact precautions on this ACE unit floor, a large blue hanging bag, called an…

that the handling of the dressing is very important in infection control especially in avoiding the spread of bacteria from an unknown colony. The study observed that catheter dressings treated with chlorhexidine have a 52% reduction in bacterial infections as compared to other dressings treated with alcohol. Furthermore, this type of dressing is able to avoid colonization of the bacteria in infected areas by about 40% (Rickard & Ray-Barruel, 2009). Gilles and colleagues performed a Cochrane…

CONQUERING ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE 2 The genus Staphylococcus is a common inhabitant of the skin and mucous membranes. Staphylococci are organisms that are gram positive clusters or tetrads. They stain purple with the Gram’s stain. The organisms lack spores, flagella and some species are encapsulated. There are about 30 species of Staphylococcus species. Some of the pathogens include…

of a virus and a bacterium. Bacteria and viruses both do not contain a DNA enclosing nucleus; however, these organisms differ greatly in the complexity of their structures. Generally a bacterium is encompassed within a semi-rigid cell wall made of peptidoglycan, which provides structural support. It is classified as gram positive if its cell wall is thick and stains purple when tested for identification. If its cell wall is thin and stains red, it is referred to as gram negative. Under the cell…

sterilization, does not kill all microorganisms which includes resistant bacterial spores. “Disinfection contains two levels, a high-level which destroys all microogranisms except those containing bacterial spores, and a low-level which is able to kill most bacteria, and some viruses, but is unable to kill resistant microorganisms such as tubercle bacilli or bacterial…

that you are now the unhappy host of Mycobacterium abscessus. M. abscessus is considered a gram positive bacterium that stains acid fast. It is aerobic in nature and rod-shaped (Miller-Keane, 2003). While it is of the same genus Mycobacterium that causes leprosy and tuberculosis, it is considered a non-tuberculosis mycobacterium (Jarand et al.,…

- Pseudomonas syringae and the type III secretion system: P. syringae is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium responsible for many diseases on woody plants. It acts opportunistically targeting plants wounded from abiotic or biotic factors. P. syringae is responsible for some severe crop diseases such as bacteria speck, spot, and blight of tomato and soybeans. Interestingly, it has a vast host range with over 50 pathovars. The success of the pathogen is attributed to its specificities (Sarkar &…