Scholarship & Research
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Item Human leukocytes adhere, penetrate, and respond to Staphylococcus aureus biofilms(2002-11) Leid, Jeff G.; Shirtliff, Mark E.; Costerton, J. William; Stoodley, PaulStaphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen responsible for nosocomial and community infections. It readily colonizes indwelling catheters, forming microbiotic communities termed biofilms. S. aureus bacteria in biofilms are protected from killing by antibiotics and the body's immune system. For years, one mechanism behind biofilm resistance to attack from the immune system's sentinel leukocytes has been conceptualized as a deficiency in the ability of the leukocytes to penetrate the biofilm. We demonstrate here that under conditions mimicking physiological shear, leukocytes attach, penetrate, and produce cytokines in response to maturing and fully matured S. aureus biofilm.Item Resident bacterial flora in the skin of C57BL/6 mice housed under SPF conditions(2010-09) Tavakkol, Zarry; Samuelson, Derrick; Pulcini, Elinor D.; Underwood, Robert A.; Usui, Marcia L.; Costerton, J. William; James, Garth A.; Olerud, John E.; Fleckman, PhilipResearch in cutaneous biology frequently involves models that use mice housed in SPF conditions. Little information is available concerning the species of bacteria that normally inhabit the skin of these mice. The aim of this study was to characterize the bacterial skin flora of mice housed under SPF conditions. Skin biopsies from C57BL/6 mice under normal and surgically prepped conditions were both cultured and analyzed by using DNA extraction and sequencing. The species isolated most commonly from culture were staphylococci. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated more frequently than was Staphylococcus aureus. Molecular sequencing yielded several additional organisms not found by culture. Overall, culturing of isolates yielded 14 species of bacteria, and molecular sequencing identified another 6 species. Investigators conducting cutaneous research in mouse models should aware of the cutaneous bacterial flora present on these mice.Item New methods for the detection of orthopedic and other biofilm infections(2011-03) Costerton, J. William; Post, J. C.; Ehrlich, Garth D.; Hu, Fen Z.; Kreft, R.; Nistico, L.; Kathju, S.; Stoodley, Paul; Hall-Stoodley, Luanne; Maale, G.; James, Garth A.; Sotereanos, N.; DeMeo, P.The detection and identification of bacteria present in natural and industrial ecosystems is now entirely based on molecular systems that detect microbial RNA or DNA. Culture methods were abandoned in the 1980s because direct observations showed that <1% of the bacteria in these systems grew on laboratory media. Culture methods comprise the backbone of the Food and Drug Administration-approved diagnostic systems used in hospital laboratories, with some molecular methods being approved for the detection of specific pathogens that are difficult to grow in vitro. In several medical specialties, the reaction to negative cultures in cases in which overt signs of infection clearly exist has produced a spreading skepticism concerning the sensitivity and accuracy of traditional culture methods.We summarize evidence from the field of orthopedic surgery, and from other medical specialties, that support the contention that culture techniques are especially insensitive and inaccurate in the detection of chronic biofilm infections. We examine the plethora of molecular techniques that could replace cultures in the diagnosis of bacterial diseases, and we identify the new Ibis technique that is based on base ratios (not base sequences), as the molecular system most likely to fulfill the requirements of routine diagnosis in orthopedic surgery.