The Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance highlights the importance of training all healthcare professionals. No study has assessed patterns of students’ knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning antibiotic use simultaneously across different healthcare course types. We conducted a cross-sectional multi-center survey among UK students. The survey was advertised through local survey coordinators at 25 universities. The online survey was accessible from 10th October to 17th November 2016 (before European Antibiotic Awareness Day). A total of 255 students from 25 universities participated, including students on medicine, pharmacy, nursing, physician associate, dentistry and veterinary medicine courses. Antibiotic resistance was considered to be a more important global challenge than climate change, obesity or food security (p < 0.001). Most students (95%) believed that antibiotic resistance will be a problem for their future practice, but fewer (69%) thought that the antibiotics they will prescribe, administer or dispense will contribute to the problem. A fifth of students felt they had sufficient knowledge of antibiotic use for their future work. Our exploratory study suggests that UK human and animal healthcare students are aware of the importance of antibiotic resistance, but many still have certain misconceptions. Campaigns and improved educational efforts applying behavioral insights methodology could address these.

The ability of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus RAG-1 to adhere to human epithelial cells was investigated and compared with its ability to adhere to a test hydrocarbon (hexadecane). RAG-1, a microorganism originally isolated for growth on hydrocarbon, adhered to epithelial cells when grown under conditions which promote its adherence to hexadecane; similarly, RAG-1 cells adhered poorly to epithelial cells when grown under conditions which cause the cells to possess low affinity towards hexadecane. A mutant derived from RAG-1, MR-481, deficient in its ability to adhere to hydrocarbon, was similarly unable to adhere to epithelial cells. RAG-1 adherence to epithelial cells was not blocked by a number of sugars tested. Streptococcus pyogenes, whose adherence to epithelial cells has been previously attributed to hydrophobic interactions, was also able to adhere to hexadecane. Results suggest that hydrophobic interactions mediate adherence of the strains studied to both epithelial cells and hydrocarbon.

The purified extracellular emulsifying factor produced by Arthrobacter RAG-1 (EF-RAG) emulsified light petroleum oil, diesel oil, and a variety of crude oils and gas oils. Although kerosine and gasoline were emulsified poorly by EF-RAG, they were converted into good substrates for emulsification by addition of aromatic compounds, such as 2-methylnaphthalene. Neither aromatic nor aliphatic fractions of crude oil were emulsified by EF-RAG; however, mixtures containing both fractions were emulsified. Pure aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons were emulsified poorly by EF-RAG. Binary mixtures containing an aliphatic and an aromatic hydrocarbon, however, were excellent substrates for EF-RAGinduced emulsification. Of a variety of alkylcyclohexane and alkylbenzene derivatives tested, only hexylor heptylbenzene and octylor decylcyclohexane were effectively emulsified by EF-RAG. These data indicate that for EF-RAG to induce emulsification of hydrocarbons in water, the hydrocarbon substrate must contain both aliphatic and cyclic components. With binary mixtures of methylnaphthalene and hexadecane, maximum emulsion was obtained with 25% hexadecane.

The effects of sugars and glycoproteins that are known to bind to lectins of liver tissue on the clearance of cells of Escherichia coli from mouse blood was investigated. The administration of 100 mg per mouse of methyl-at-D-mannoside, methyl-a-D-glucoside, or methyl-cx-D-fucoside, but not of methyl-a-D-galactoside or L-rhamnose, markedly inhibited the blood clearance of cells of E. coli 346. Clearance was similarly inhibited by 0.1 and 1.0 mg per mouse of asialofetuin or ovalbumin, respectively, whereas fetuin had no effect. The inhibitory effects of the sugars on blood clearance was abolished by pretreating the E. coli cells with antibodies against whole organisms. All of these effects were equal for fimbriated and nonfimbriated phenotypes of E. coli 346. Homogenates of mouse liver tissue coaggregated with nonfimbriated cells of E. coli. The aggregation was blocked by 100 mM solutions of methyl-a-D-mannoside, or methyl-oa-D-glucoside, 1 mg of bacterial lipopolysaccharide per ml, or 10 mM EDTA but not by L-rhamnose. These results suggest that the mannose-N-acetylglucosamine hepatic lectin recognizes specific sugars on the surface of E. coli and may be centrally involved in the nonimmune clearance of nonfimbriated E. coli from the blood of the infected host.255:4607-4613. 7. Firon, N., I. Ofek, and N. Sharon. 1983. Carbohydrate specificity of the surface lectins of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumo-

In the present study, we assayed protein iodination in human granulocytes after interaction of the cells with mannose-specific (MS) type 1 fimbriated (MS') and nonfimbriated (MS-) phenotypes of Escherichia coli pretreated with various amounts of anti-E. coli and antifimbrial antibodies. The MS' phenotype stimulated protein iodination in granulocytes and possessed potent MS activity as measured by yeast aggregometry. In contrast, the MS-phenotype lacked all these activities. MS' pretreated with moderate concentrations of antibodies, however, showed up to a 15-fold increase in granulocyte stimulation as compared to 1334 on July 16, 2020 by guest http://iai.asm.org/ Downloaded from