A collection of 68 Hafnia strains previously identified to the species level by 16S rRNA gene sequencing were investigated for simple phenotypic properties that could aid in their recognition in the clinical laboratory. Four tests, including malonate utilization, fermentation of salicin and D-arabinose, and expression of -glucosidase activity, correctly assigned each strain to either Hafnia alvei or H. paralvei. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles were generated for 35 H. alvei and H. paralvei isolates using Etest strips for 24 antibiotics. All strains were susceptible to aminoglycosides, quinolones, carbapenems, and monobactams. Most of the Hafnia isolates had a colistin MIC of >2 g/ml. Sequencing of an internal ampC gene fragment allowed genotypic differentiation of the two Hafnia species. Approximately 70% of the hafniae tested additionally produced a cytolytic toxin active on Vero cells which may play a role in gastroenteritis.
We report the second human case of infection caused by an organism identified as the proposed
Bartonella
species, “
B
.
washoensis
.” The organism was isolated from a blood sample from a patient presenting with meningitis and early sepsis.
Oropsylla montana
fleas were implicated as the vector for disease transmission in this case.
Naturally contaminated alfalfa seeds, epidemiologically linked to foodborne disease outbreaks in Oregon and British Columbia, were tested for the presence of Salmonella. Ten sample units from the suspected lot were sprouted and grown for 4 days. After enrichment of the grown sprouts, an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and culture method (modified procedure of the Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual) were used for the detection and isolation of Salmonella. Four of the 10 sample units were positive with the EIA; however, 5 of the 10 sample units were culture positive (four were positive for Salmonella serotype Newport and a fifth was positive for Salmonella serotype Albany and serotype Schwarzengrund). The positive alfalfa seed sample units were further tested after shredding, soaking, and washing before culturing. Results suggest that sprouting and shredding methods may yield greater detection and recovery rates of Salmonella, but more research with a larger sample size is warranted.
Over the past several decades, the appearance of pink-pigmented bacteria in clinical specimens has gone from being a microbiologic curiosity in the clinical laboratory to the recognition of these aerobic microorganisms as etiologic agents of human disease, most notably bloodstream infections. Advances in the fields of molecular taxonomy and phylogenetics indicate that at least four distinct genera and eight different species are associated with clinical infections in susceptible patient populations. However, these bacteria are slow growing and present multiple diagnostic challenges to the microbiology laboratory including culture, isolation, and identification to species rank. This article provides a current review of these unusual non-fermentative chromogenic bacteria including their disease spectrum, taxonomy, and laboratory identification. The review also highlights the pitfalls or shortcomings we currently have in our knowledge of these microbes and their disease-producing capabilities.
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