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Mycoplasma spp. are rarely recognized agents of infective endocarditis. We report a case of Mycoplasma hominis prosthetic valve endocarditis diagnosed by 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) PCR and culture of valves in a 74-year-old man. We reviewed the literature and found only 8 other cases reported., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Four chromogenic media were compared for their ability to detect urinary tract pathogens in 299 urine specimens, of which 175 were found positive, allowing the growth of 279 microorganisms. After 18 to 24 h of incubation, the CPS ID4, CPSE, CPSO (bioMérieux), and UriSelect4 (Bio-Rad) media showed sensitivities of 97.1%, 99.3%, 99.6%, and 99.6%, respectively., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Three commercial chromogenic agar media were evaluated for Streptococcus agalactiae screening in 200 vaginal swabs from pregnant women. The sensitivity and specificity were 94.3% and 100% for Granada medium (bioMérieux), 100% and 90.3% for Brilliance GBS medium (Thermo Fisher Scientific), and 100% and 98.8% for ChromID STRB medium (bioMérieux), respectively.

Mycobacterium thermoresistibile is a rapidly growing environmental nontuberculous mycobacterium, seldom reported in human infections. Here, we describe a rare case of tibial-nail-related osteomyelitis due to Mycobacterium thermoresistibile. We also review the literature about the infections caused by this pathogen.

The Cepheid Xpert MRSA/SA nasal PCR assay was compared to culture for quantifying Staphylococcus aureus load from 104 nasal samples (r = 0.91, P < 0.0001). Using a bacterial load-based algorithm, the test was found able to predict the carrier state in 32 of 35 healthy volunteers (22 persistent and 13 nonpersistent carriers).

Flocked swabs (Copan) were compared to rayon swabs (Copan) for the nasal detection of Staphylococcus aureus in 90 healthy volunteers sampled sequentially during a 5-week period. The use of flocked swabs improved the number of nasal carriers (P = 0.026), the number of positive specimens (P = 0.01), and the quantity of bacteria in positive samples (P = 0.004).

With the support of a ministerial program for innovative and expensive technologies, dedicated to the economic evaluation of laboratory diagnosis of pertussis by real-time PCR, external quality assessment for real-time IS481 PCR was carried out. Coordinated by the National Centre of Reference of Pertussis and other Bordetelloses (NCR), this study aimed to harmonize and to assess the performances of eight participating microbiology hospital laboratories throughout the French territory. Between January 2006 and February 2007, 10 proficiency panels were sent by the NCR (ascending proficiency program), representing a total of 49 samples and including eight panels to analyze and evaluate the global sensitivity and specificity of real-time PCR, one to assess the limit of detection, and one to evaluate nucleic acid extraction methods. As part of the descending proficiency program, extracted DNA from clinical samples was sent by the eight participating laboratories in different panels and analyzed by the NCR. In the ascending proficiency analysis, the sensitivity and specificity of the real-time PCR methods were 92.2% and 94.3%, respectively. The limit of detection of the different methods ranged between 0.1 and 1 fg/microl (0.2 to 2 CFU/microl). The nucleic acid extraction methods showed similar performances. During the descending proficiency analysis, performed with 126 samples, the result of the NCR for 15 samples (11.9%) was discordant with the result obtained by the source laboratory. Despite several initial differences, harmonization was easy and performances were homogeneous. However, the risk of false-positive results remains quite high, and we strongly recommend establishment of uniform quality control procedures performed regularly.

To investigate the risk of transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) via semen in assisted reproduction techniques, semen samples from 32 men chronically infected with HCV attending a center for assisted procreation were tested for HCV RNA by a reverse transcription-PCR protocol by using a modified version of the Cobas AMPLICOR HCV assay (version 2.0; Roche Diagnostics). The sensitivity of the test was 40 copies/ml. Four of 32 seminal plasma samples (12.5%) were found to be positive for the presence of HCV RNA. The median HCV load in blood was significantly higher in patients who were found to be positive for the presence of HCV RNA in semen than in those who tested negative (P = 0.02). In one man, seven consecutive seminal plasma samples tested positive for HCV RNA, as did two consecutive motile spermatozoon fractions; the corresponding fractions obtained after migration of the spermatozoa remained negative. Despite the absence of the proven infectivity of virus in semen samples that test positive for HCV RNA, these findings highlight the fact that seminal fluid may exhibit prolonged HCV RNA excretion. The usefulness of HCV RNA detection in both seminal plasma and spermatozoon fractions before the start of a program of medically assisted reproduction in couples in whom the male partner is chronically infected with HCV would need to be evaluated prospectively with a larger population of subjects exhibiting HCV RNA in their semen.