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Sarcina ventriculi is a bacterium with a specific histological morphology and infection can present with symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and occasionally fatal complications. Delayed gastric emptying is regarded as the most significant risk factor for infection. Its pathogenicity is currently unknown and treatment options are inconsistent. Here we report a case of gastric bezoars secondary to a mixed infection of Sarcina ventriculi and G + bacilli, which is diagnosed by a pathological biopsy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In 1842, when John Goodsir was Conservator to the Museum of the RCSEd, he saw a 19-year-old male patient who vomited a large volume of acidic, fermented-smelling, watery fluid every morning. Under his microscope, Goodsir found the vomitus to be populated with a micro-organism he named Sarcina ventriculi , which he considered to be causative. In so-doing, Goodsir became one of the first people to link a specific micro-organism with a disease. Goodsir recommended small doses of creosote as an antiseptic and claimed that the boy was eventually cured of the vomiting condition. In August of 1863 Charles Darwin was hugely celebrated by the scientific community and the public, but he had suffered from severe stomach problems all his adult life and at this point, he was vomiting daily. He read Goodsir's paper and contacted him and asked if he could send some vomitus samples to Edinburgh in the hope that Goodsir might find Sarcina in it and solve the mystery of his debilitating stomach symptoms and perhaps cure them with creosote. Goodsir examined samples in his microscope, but failed to find Sarcina . Sadly, Darwin went on to suffer constantly from severe stomach problems, recently attributed to lactose intolerance, until he died in 1882, some 20 years later.

Sarcina species are anaerobic gram-positive cocci rarely seen in the upper gastrointestinal tract and associated with delayed gastric emptying. We present 3 cases of Sarcina infection with varying clinical presentations including the first reported case of Sarcina in a patient with eosinophilic esophagitis. Although the pathogenesis of Sarcina is unclear, awareness of the bacteria is important as they can usually only be detected on histopathologic examination of upper gastrointestinal biopsies. Treatment in symptomatic patients may prevent severe complications such as emphysematous gastritis and gastric perforation.

An 11 yr old spayed female domestic longhair cat was presented for an acute onset of vomiting. Abdominal radiographs and ultrasound revealed severe gastric dilatation (GD) without evidence of gastric outflow obstruction. On esophagogastroduodenoscopy, the duodenal mucosa was mildly erythematous, and a moderate, diffuse, chronic enteritis was found by histological examination of duodenal biopsies. Large numbers of Sarcina-like bacteria without associated inflammation were present in gastric mucosal biopsies. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of GD associated with colonization by Sarcina-like bacteria in a cat. Gastric colonization by Sarcina-like bacteria should be suspected when cats are presented with acute onset of GD and vomiting.

Sarcina ventriculi is an increasingly common gram-positive coccus, recognized in gastric biopsies, particularly of patients with delayed gastric emptying. It occurs most commonly in adult women and can be identified easily by its characteristic morphologic features, such as basophilic staining, cuboid shape, tetrad arrangement, red blood cell-sized packets, flattened cell walls, and refractile nature on light microscopy. Although the pathogenesis of the organism is debated, it has been implicated in cases of gastric perforation, emphysematous gastritis, and peritonitis as well as occurring in the background of gastric adenocarcinomas. This review of the literature discusses the clinical features, endoscopy findings, histopathology, ancillary studies, microbiology, pathogenesis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of this bacterium based on 19 published cases.

Sarcina is a Gram-positive anaerobic coccus that has been consistently reported in the upper gastrointestinal tract biopsies of patients with evidence of gastric stasis. The pathogenic role of Sarcina in humans is not entirely known. We describe an infant who was surgically treated for posterior urethral valve and the urine showed pathogenic Sarcina., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: None declared., (2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

Sarcina was first described by Goodsir. The appearance of this bacterium is so characteristic that the diagnosis can be made on light microscopy. Although the original description of Sarcina was made more than 150 years ago, little is known about its role in various human diseases. This study was undertaken with the aim to analyze critically the reason for this sudden recent interest in human Sarcina infection. The results indicate that Sarcina is a histopathological marker of functional or anatomical causes of gastric stasis, and has a possible association with life-threatening emphysematous gastritis. Hence, its documentation in the final report is warranted as the patient might need further work-up., (© 2016 APMIS. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

First identified in humans by Goodsir in 1842, Sarcina were already known to cause fatal abomasal bloat in animals. Their pathogenicity in humans has only recently been characterized. Sarcina is not inherently pathogenic but, with a gastric ulcer and delayed gastric emptying, can result in perforation. We present a case report of a 32-year-old woman status post-gastric banding presenting with epigastric pain. Upper endoscopy revealed a gastric ulcer near the band. After deflation, upper gastrointestinal series showed passage of contrast and no perforation. Ulcer biopsy showed gastric contents composed of Sarcina. Proton pump inhibitors and antibiotics were administered. Follow-up endoscopy at an outside institution resulted in perforation. This case report supports a growing body of literature that Sarcina organisms contribute to ulcers and perforation. This is the first report of Sarcina in elective bariatric surgery patients, highlighting the high suspicion needed among pathologists evaluating ulcers in this unique surgical population., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pulmonary gangrene is a life-threatening condition, which represents the fulminant end of the infectious lung diseases usually caused by polymicrobial infection. Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria act synergistically to produce massive tissue necrosis which might be augmented by the angioinvasive nature of fungi like Mucor. We report a successfully treated case of pulmonary gangrene in a poorly controlled diabetic patient, which was associated with polymicrobial infection. It was caused by Rhizopus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and unusual anaerobic organism Sarcina. This is the first report describing the presence of Sarcina organisms in a case of pulmonary gangrene. Adequate glycemic control, treatment of coexisting polymicrobial infection and prompt antifungal therapy along with surgical intervention were useful in the index patient. This case also highlights the effectiveness of combined medical and surgical intervention in a case of pulmonary gangrene.

Background: In 1872, in British Medical Journal (BMJ) Dr. David Ferrier published that Sarcina ventriculi (Goodsir) constantly occurred in the blood of man and the lower animals. His observation was based on bleeding experiments, incubation of blood at 100°F (37.8°C) and later examination. He found "immense numbers of beautifully formed sarcinæ". In the next issue of BMJ Dr. Charlton Bastian expressed concerns that Sarcina might indeed be "really a living thing" or "might be partly organic and partly mineral in its constitutions"., Case Presentation: Anaerobic gram-positive giant coccae assembled in tetrads were recovered from one anaerobic blood culture bottle of a 48-year-old female who in her early childhood was diagnosed with congenital chloride diarrhoea. This is a rare recessively inherited disease that belongs to the Finnish disease heritage. The bacteria were identified with the 16S rRNA gene sequencing., Conclusions: Here, after more than a century we present the first report that Sarcina ventriculi can indeed cause bacteremia in a susceptible person.

Sarcina ventriculi is a Gram positive organism, which has been reported to be found rarely, in the gastric specimens of patients with gastroparesis. Only eight cases of Sarcina, isolated from gastric specimens have been reported so far. Sarcina has been implicated in the development of gastric ulcers, emphysematous gastritis and gastric perforation. We report a case of 73-year-old male, with history of prior Billroth II surgery and truncal vagotomy, who presented for further evaluation of iron deficiency anemia. An upper endoscopy revealed diffuse gastric erythema, along with retained food. Biopsies revealed marked inflammation with ulcer bed formation and presence of Sarcina organisms. The patient was treated with ciprofloxacin and metronidazole for 1 wk, and a repeat endoscopy showed improvement of erythema, along with clearance of Sarcina organisms. Review of reported cases including ours suggests that Sarcina is more frequently an innocent bystander rather than a pathogenic organism. However, given its association with life threatening illness in two reported cases, it may be prudent to treat with antibiotics and anti-ulcer therapy, until further understanding is achieved.

Sarcina organisms were first observed in and recorded from the stomach contents of a patient suffering from vomiting by John Goodsir in 1842. Since that time, their fine structure, phylogenetic classification, and biochemical characteristics have been described. Although numerous cases of fatal disease have been attributed to this organism in the veterinary literature, only a few human cases have been documented. As a result, whether this organism causes disease in humans has not been definitively established. We report the clinicopathologic findings in a series of 5 patients with Sarcina-like organisms identified in upper gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsies with molecular confirmation. Our findings have shown that the organism is most commonly found in patients with a history of gastric outlet obstruction or delayed gastric emptying. Although many of the patients do not demonstrate direct mucosal injury from the organism, the presence of a concurrent gastric ulcer puts the patient at increased risk for complications such as emphysematous gastritis or perforation. The finding of Sarcina organisms should prompt further investigation for functional causes of gastric outlet obstruction and delayed gastric emptying, such as occult malignancy.

Sarcina species are fastidious Gram-positive anaerobic bacteria that occur in cubical packets of eight or more cells. In 2006 to 2007, they were associated with cases of acute abomasal bloat in young lambs and calves. Two incidents were in lambs aged three to six weeks that were found dead, with one or two cases in each of a group of 15 and 100 lambs. Three incidents were recorded in small groups of calves up to 10 days of age, two cases in each incident, with the calves found dead or dying after a short illness characterised by bloat. Their gross lesions included emphysema and oedema of the abomasal wall, mucosal hyperaemia and haemorrhage, and rupture of the abomasum. Histological lesions included abomasitis with congestion, haemorrhage, emphysema and oedema. Bacteria characteristic of Sarcina species were observed in sections associated with the superficial mucosa of these cases, but the bacteria were not detected in cultures.

A study of abomasal disease in lambs aged 2-5 weeks, made during the period 1993-1998, included 67 cases and 45 non-affected controls. Gross pathological findings included various combinations of bloat, haemorrhage and ulcers in the abomasum. Sarcina -like bacteria were found in sections and smears from the abomasum of 79% (53/67) of the cases. From one case, a lamb with abomasal bloat, the anaerobic "packet"-forming Sarcina ventriculi was cultivated from the abomasal contents and identified by biochemical reactions and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Sarcina -like bacteria were observed microscopically in specimens from 94% (44/47) of the lambs with abomasal gas and in 45% (9/20) of those with ulcers or haemorrhage or both but little gas. On culture, abomasal contents from 41 cases yielded Clostridium fallax from 16 (39%) and Clostridium sordellii from eight (20%); abomasal cultures from 30 control lambs were negative for the three bacterial species. Quantitative cultivation, carried out on abomasal contents from live lambs and lambs dead

An epizootic of abdominal tympany in goat kids as a result of abomasal bloat associated with a short duration of clinical signs was fatal in over 200 kids. Histologic examination of sections of abomasum revealed high numbers of bacteria that were morphologically identical to Sarcina sp. Sarcina sp are anaerobic, gas-producing organisms that could cause abomasal bloat. Other reports have proposed that abomasal bloat is caused by abnormal abomasal flora; we propose that in the goat kids reported here, Sarcina sp may represent the abnormal flora.

Penicillin amidohydrolase productivity of four locally isolated bacterial species is described. Organisms were identified as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Sarcina lutea and Bacillus megaterium. Highest enzyme productivity of 3.2 U/mL with a corresponding dry cell mass of 4.5 g/L was recorded from S. lutea.

Sterile irrigation solution, used in open systems in a conventional orthopedic operating theatre, were examined for bacterial contamination. At the end of 13 of 21 operations (duration greater than or equal to one hour) the solution tested displayed the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis and/or diphtheroid rods and/or other species. It is concluded that irrigation by solutions, kept in open bowls during an operation, is a potential source of contamination.

With the exhaust air from ventilation and air conditioning installations escaping into the open, the heat content is also lost which fresh air from outside obtains at considerable expense of energy and technical equipment. The heat content, on the other hand, consists of about equal proportions of sensible heat and latent heat which is associated with the moisture content of the air. In order to regain the heat content of the escaping air so as to be able to use it again - and this is becoming increasingly important with rising energy costs - heat exchangers are necessary which remove the heat content from the exhaust air and transfer it to the fresh air from outside. With the high proportion of latent heat, this energy exchange is only effective if the latent heat can also be regained. For this purpose it is essential to have exchange surfaces which store and transfer both heat and moisture. To achieve this they must come into contact with the exhaust air stream and the fresh air stream alternately. Technically, this is done in a simple way by resolving rotor-like storage material. But a rigid separation of the air streams is no longer possible. Even if it is known that there are very highly developed sealing elements between the fixed and moving parts, the question whether particles from the exhaust air can get into the newly introduced outside air through the rotating storage material still gains in importance in certain types of usuage. For example, this is of importance for hospitals, especially in the operation areas in which air conditioning is desirable for 24 hours daily on hygienic grounds, but also in schools and offices where the present normal practice, for economic reasons, of recirculating air is to be avoided to stop the transference of infections pathogens and odours. In various places, experiments have been carried out earlier with heat exchangers consisting of asbestos board and with rotating storage material coated with lithium chloride and a particularly high degree of exchange achieved. The experiments are published and had the result that nothing was transferred which could give rise to objection. Yet these experiments have been criticised from various points of view.

Micro-climate tents (pulsed filtered air) are frequently used in burns departments. In the Surgical and Traumatological Intensive Care Unit of the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care of the Henri Mondor Hospital, these tents are used in two types of indications: --placing of a tent over the head end of patients following tracheotomy with free spontaneous ventilation;--placing tents over irregular wounds. In these two categories of use, the aim is to isolate the zone under the tent by protecting it against secondary infection, but also to limit to this micro-climate any possible dissemination from the injured individual placed under the tent. Comparative study of the bacterial flora of the biotopes thus enclosed by micro-climate tents has been attempted.

In a study of a lake having a higher concentration of salts than the Dead Sea, all of the heterotrophic bacteria isolated were aerobes; no strictly anaerobic strains were found. Ninety percent of the strains were euryhalines and ten percent were strict halophiles. The extreme halophiles belonged to the species Halobacterium trapanicum and Halococcus morrhuae.

Using a standardized method for sampling, the aerobic microbial flora of the skin of ninety-five children in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was studied qualitatively and quantitatively. The subjects comprised three groups; group A, thirty-seven normal infants (below the age of 1 year); group B, twenty-nine infants with various bacterial skin lesions; and group C, twenty-nine nursery school children between 4-5 and 7 years. The following observations were made: (I) The quantitative results indicated; (a) great variation between individuals, which was more marked among the females; (b) lower bacterial counts in infants than in older children; (c) counts were not affected by the presence of infection or state of cleanliness; (d) there were some differences between females and males and between different ethnic groups. (2) Qualitatively, the types of organisms isolated were similar to those reported elsewhere. There were differences in carrier rates of many organisms but these were most striking with Staphylococcus aureus and Staph. albus. It is concluded that there are great differences in carrier rates between persons in a tropical African environment and those studied elsewhere. These difference may be due to environmental, geographical or ethnic factors. Such observations call for more studies in this area to establish the normal flora.

We carried out a qualitative and quantitative bacteriological research into the conjunctives of 220 subjects in good health mostly women (180) exempt from recent or previous eyes diseases. In order to gather conjunctival bacteria we employed with a few variations Hadley's et al. (1973 [12]) method. Among the calculated bacterial flora we found as the most numerous ones Staphylococcus epidermidis (mean valor 1960/ml), then Streptococci (480/ml), Micrococci (465/ml), Diphteroides (360/ml), Enterococci (77/ml) and numerous (700/ml) Gram-positives Cocci like Sarcina, Micrococcus tetragenes, Diplococcus, and very rarely bacterial genera Gram-negatives or Iphomycetes, also numerically inferior as regards the researches of other Authors, because owen study is carried by into eyes exempt from diseases.

The antagonistic activity of staphylococci isolated from the mucosa of the anterior parts of the nose of practically healthy persons was studied with respect to 102 strains of Sarcinia. Staphylococcus aureus had the most pronounced inhibitory effect on Sarcinia. No difference in the antagonistic activity of the staphylococci isolated from the carriers of the permanent and transitory types was found. However, Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the permanent carriers had a broader activity spectrum.

The removal of a patient from a laminar air flow room during protected isolation poses the risk of his microbial contamination and infection. Nonetheless, temporary removal from the laminar air flow room may be necessary for certain medical procedures or for psychological relief during prolonged periods of isolation or both. A means for protecting patients during temporary removal from the laminar air flow room is highly desirable. A previously described total body garment has been shown to be microbiologically safe and effective, but is expensive, cumbersome, and not very adaptable to patients of different ages and body sizes. We now present an alternative, microbiologically safe transportation system which delivers, high-efficiency particulate air-filtered air over the head and neck through a modified, lightweight, commercially available helmet and power supply and which can be comfortably and reliably used by isolated patients.