Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated from urinary tract infections (UTIs) and endocarditis were analyzed for their ability to adhere to urinary tract epithelial cells (ECs) and Girardi heart (GH) and human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell cultures. UTI isolates adhered to urinary tract ECs more efficiently than to the cultured cells, at the same time showing the least affinity for GH cells. In contrast, endocarditis isolates adhered to GH cell cultures more readily than to urinary tract ECs. Moreover, although strains isolated from endocarditis adhered to GH cells more efficiently than those derived from UTI, the latter strains adhered to urinary tract cells better than the former. Studies of the ability of GH and HEK cells to internalize E. faecalis showed that for UTI isolates, 9 to 74% of adhered bacteria were internalized, while for endocarditis isolates, the percentage varied from 76 to 82%. All strains were able to associate with human neutrophils; endocarditis strains, however, associated less efficiently than UTI isolates. Growth in serum raised the adherence of all tested strains by at least 1.5- to 3-fold, with the greatest increase being observed in UTI strain adherence to GH cells (8-fold). In contrast, the association of serum-grown cells with polymorphonuclear leukocytes was reduced by two- to fivefold. In both cases, the observed serum-dependent alterations were cancelled by a few subcultures in brain heart infusion broth. These results indicate that adhesive properties are important virulence factors in the pathogenesis of UTI and endocarditis and also suggest that UTI strains showing the highest invasion and adhesive potential invade the kidneys, cause bacteremia, and, after having expressed the serum-dependent surface modification, colonize the heart.

During the period from July 10-26, 1984, 33 cases of serologically confirmed leptospirosis occurred in a small town in central Italy. The fatality rate, including the deaths of two unconfirmed cases, was 8.6% (3 of 35). Based on serologic evidence, the infection was caused by leptospires of the serogroup Australis. Epidemiologic study showed that the patients contracted the infection by drinking water from a fountain. The source of leptospiral contamination was probably a hedgehog trapped in a reservoir of water not in use but still connected to the water system of the fountain.

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The fatty acid methyl ester composition of a total of 71 marine strains representing the genera Alteromonas, Deleya, Oceanospirillum, and Vibrio was determined by gas-liquid chromatographic analysis. Over 70 different fatty acids were found. The predominant fatty acids were 16:0, 16:1 cis 9, summed-in-feature (SIF) 4 (15:0 iso 2OH and/or 16:1 trans 9) and SIF 7 (18:1 cis 11, 18:1 trans 9, and/or 18:1 trans 6) for all the strains considered, but minor quantitative variations could be used to distinguish the different genera. In addition to a conventional statistical processing method to analyze the data and draw comparison between species and genera, an approach involving neutral network-based elaboration is applied. The statistical analysis and dendrogram representation gave a comparison of the species considered, while the neural network computation provided a more accurate assignment of species to their genera. Moreover, by using neural networks, it was possible to conclude that only 22 fatty acids were important for the identification of the marine genera considered. A database of Alteromonas, Deleya, Oceanospirillum, and Vibrio fatty acid methyl ester profiles was generated and is now routinely used to identify fresh marine isolates.