Actinomyces species play an important role in the pathogenesis of oral diseases and infections. Susceptibility testing is not always routinely performed, and one may oversee a shift in resistance patterns. The aim of the study was to analyze the antimicrobial susceptibility of 100 well-identified clinical oral isolates of Actinomyces spp. against eight selected antimicrobial agents using the agar dilution (AD) and E-Test (ET) methods. We observed no to low resistance against penicillin, ampicillin-sulbactam, meropenem, clindamycin, linezolid and tigecycline (0–2% ET, 0% AD) but high levels of resistance to moxifloxacin (93% ET, 87% AD) and daptomycin (83% ET, 95% AD). The essential agreement of the two methods was very good for benzylpenicillin (EA 95%) and meropenem (EA 92%). The ET method was reliable for correctly categorizing susceptibility, in comparison with the reference method agar dilution, except for daptomycin (categorical agreement 87%). Penicillin is still the first-choice antibiotic for therapy of diseases caused by Actinomyces spp.

This thesis presents results from a two part, prospective study using honey collected from Guelph and surrounding area in southwestern Ontario. The first part determined the antibacterial of honey by collecting 26 samples of honey over two summers (2011-2012) and conducting microbroth and agar dilution assays and comparing the results to those of the criterion standard, Medihoney™ (100% manuka honey paste). Some honey samples from southwestern Ontario had antibacterial activity that was not significantly different from that of Medihoney™. The second part evaluated the effects of storage and gamma irradiation on the antibacterial activity of highly antibacterial honeys. It was found that storage for 8 months at 4°C and -20°C reduced the antibacterial activity of honey. The antibacterial activity of honey was not altered after gamma irradiation. / Pet Trust Fund

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T15:30:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao CrystianeAraujo.pdf: 881195 bytes, checksum: da026b75ed78f3c38d78f44f6a15271e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-31 / Dermatophytes are keratinophilic fungi that colonize and invade the stratum corneum of the skin, hair and nails causing the dermatophytosis. An increasing number of antifungal agents has become available for the treatment of dermatophytosis, however not all species have the same susceptibility pattern and may occur relative or absolute resistance of some dermatophytes. The document M38-A developed by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) for determining the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of different antifungal agents against filamentous fungi, has not included the dermatophytes. The broth microdilution method has been evaluated by various researchers, and some parameters as inoculum size, temperature and duration of incubation and endpoint determination has been investigated. In this study, the in vitro activity of fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, griseofulvin and terbinafine against 60 dermatophyte isolates, belong to three species, using the broth microdilution technique, with modifications at temperature and incubation time was used. Additionally, the MIC values obtained by broth microdilution method were compared with those obtained by the agar dilution technique. The results obtained by broth microdilution method showed that all isolates produced clearly detectable growth at 28oC and the MIC values could be determined after 4 days of incubation for the isolates of Trichophyton mentagrophytes and 5 days for T. rubrum and Microsporum canis isolates. Itraconazole, ketoconazole and terbinafine had the lowest MIC values (0.03 μg/ml) for 33.3%, 31.6% and 15% of the isolates, respectively. A good concordance was observed between the agar dilution and broth microdilution methods. The levels of agreement were 91.6% with ketoconazole and griseofulvin, 83.3% with itraconazole, 81.6% with terbinafine and 73.3% with fluconazole for all the tested isolates. In summary, the results of this study suggest that an incubation time of 5 days and temperature at 28oC used in broth microdilution and agar dilution methods can contribute to define and to better interpret the MIC values. Beside, until a reference method for testing the susceptibilities of dermatophytes is standardized, the similar results with broth microdilution method become the agar dilution useful for testing the susceptibility of these fungi. / Os dermatófitos são fungos filamentosos queratinofílicos capazes de colonizar e invadir o extrato córneo da pele, pêlo e unhas produzindo as dermatofitoses. Há vários agentes antifúngicos disponíveis para o tratamento das dermatofitoses, entretanto as espécies de dermatófitos possuem perfis de suscetibilidade diferentes, podendo ocorrer resistência relativa ou absoluta. O documento M38-A desenvolvido pelo Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) para determinar a concentração inibitória mínima (CIM) de diferentes agentes antifúngicos para fungos filamentosos, não inclui os dermatófitos. O método de microdiluição em caldo tem sido avaliado por vários pesquisadores, e alguns parâmetros como tamanho do inóculo, temperatura e tempo de incubação e determinação das leituras de CIM são investigados. Neste trabalho, foi avaliada a atividade in vitro de fluconazol, itraconazol, cetoconazol, griseofulvina e terbinafina para 60 isolados de dermatófitos, pertencentes a três espécies, através da técnica de microdiluição em caldo, com modificações na temperatura e tempo de incubação. Adicionalmente, os valores de CIM obtidos pelo método de microdiluição em caldo foram comparados com aqueles obtidos pela técnica de diluição em ágar. Os resultados encontrados através do método de microdiluição em caldo mostraram que todos os isolados produziram crescimento claramente detectável a temperatura de 28oC e os valores de CIMs foram determinados após 4 dias de incubação para os isolados de Trichophyton mentagrophytes e 5 dias para os isolados de T. rubrum e Microsporum canis. Itraconazol, cetoconazol e terbinafina mostraram os menores valores de CIM (0,03 μg/ml) para 33,3%, 31,6% e 15% dos isolados, respectivamente. Uma boa concordância foi observada entre os métodos de diluição em ágar e microdiluição em caldo. A concordância entre os dois métodos foi de 91,6% para cetoconazol e griseofulvina, 83,3% para itraconazol, 81,6% para terbinafina e 73,3% para fluconazol para todos os isolados analisados. Em conclusão, os resultados deste estudo sugerem que uma incubação de 5 dias e temperatura de 28oC, utilizados no método de microdiluição em caldo e diluição em ágar, podem contribuir para definir e melhor interpretar os valores de CIM. Além disso, até que um método de referência de teste de suscetibilidade para dermatófitos seja padronizado, os resultados similares entre os métodos de microdiluição em caldo e diluição em ágar tornam este último útil para testar a suscetibilidade in vitro destes fungos.