Bacillus cereus is one of the important food pathogens. Since B. cereus group cells, such as B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, B. anthracis and B. mycoides, share many phenotypical properties and a high level of chromosomal sequence similarity, it is interesting to investigate the virulence profiles for B. cereus group cells, including B. cereus strains isolated from foods and samples associated with food‐poisoning outbreaks. For this investigation, the presence of enterotoxin genes, such as those of haemolysin BL, B. cereus enterotoxin T and enterotoxin FM, were assayed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Meanwhile, their enterotoxin activities were assayed using the BCET‐RPLA kit, haemolytic patterns on sheep blood agar and their cytotoxicity to Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Results showed that there were 12 enterotoxigenic profiles for the 98 B. cereus group strains collected. In addition, if any of the three types of enterotoxins was present in the B. cereus group cells, these cells were shown to be cytotoxic to the CHO cells. Similar enterotoxigenic profiles could be found among strains of B. cereus, B. mycoides and B. thuringiensis. Thus, all B. cereus group strains may be potentially toxigenic and the detection of these cells in foods is important. We thus designed PCR primers, termed Ph1/Ph2, from the sphingomyelinase gene of B. cereus cells. These primers were specific for all B. cereus group strains and could be used for the detection of B. cereus cells contaminated in food samples.

We report a case of a male newborn with Schimmelpenning syndrome, which presented as diffuse sebaceous nevi covering the left side of the body, from the lower chin midface to the lower leg; cardiac-ocular comorbidities were also present. We present photographs of this patient's sebaceous nevi, which may assist physicians in the early diagnosis of this condition and prevent unnecessary examinations and inadequate therapies.

Aim Endophytic bacterial diversity in four rice cultivars grown in two soil-types, their plant-probiotic features and rhizospheric deployment under P-stress were investigated. Methods Oryza sativa cvs. TCN1, TCS10, TK8, and TN71 were cultivated in greenhouse using non-sterile acidic and near-neutral paddy soils for 60 days. Root, stem and leaf tissues were screened for culturable bacterial endophytes using nutrient agar. Endophytes were identified and profiled for plant-probiotic features. The richness, Shannon-Weiner diversity, evenness and Venn's distribution in terms of endophytic strains were evaluated. Seed-borne endophytes were characterized through DGGE. The deployment of endophytes into the rhizosphere in TCN1 and TK8 under gnotobiotic P-stress was assessed.Results A total of 52 distinct endophytic bacterial strains affiliated to 5 classes and 20 discrete genera exhibiting differential plant-probiotic features were isolated from various tissues of four different rice cultivars. The diversity and distribution of endophytes fluctuated with soil-type, tissue-type and rice genotype. Gnotobiotic insoluble P treatment revealed significantly enhanced deployment of P-solubilizing rhizobacteria in TCN1 as compared to soluble P and P-lacking control. Conclusions Rice endophytic bacteria are diverse, and their distribution within the plant and deployment as rhizobacteria were found to be influenced by host genotype, edaphic factors and nutrient stress.

Pleomorphic fibroma of the subungual region is an unusual cutaneous tumor with histologic features that may cause confusion with true sarcomas. This is only the second case reported of a subungual pleomorphic fibroma. Pleomorphic fibroma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pleomorphic subungual tumors.

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