No abstract

Multi-resistant strains from three UK centres, previously identified as Burkholderia (formerly Pseudomonas) cepacia, and associated with morbidity, mortality and transmission among patients with cystic fibrosis have been further characterised. Biochemical tests and fatty acid analyses indicate these strains to possess some characteristics atypical of B. cepacia but bearing close resemblance to Burkholderia gladioli, an organism previously regarded solely as a plant pathogen and a hindrance to the identification of B. cepacia. In contrast to the majority of reference strains, all multi-resistant clinical isolates possessed rough lipopolysaccharide which may be a major factor responsible for their increased antibiotic resistance and virulence. In view of the potential clinical and social problems in CF patients posed by these multi-resistant strains, it would seem prudent to consider the isolation of either B. cepacia or B. gladioli as of equal significance.

An environmental survey of 55 sites yielded only 12 Burkholderia cepacia isolates, none of which displayed the phenotypic properties of a multiresistant epidemic strain associated with pulmonary colonization in patients with cystic fibrosis. Although the environment probably poses a low risk for patients with cystic fibrosis as a source of B. cepacia, the pathogenic potential of individual environmental strains remains unclear. We advise caution in the development of B. cepacia as a biocontrol agent.

The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation's forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests and National Grasslands, it strives-as directed by Congress-to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation.The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.USDA is committed to making its information materials accessible to all USDA customers and employees. The Forest Inventory and Analysis Program collected, analyzed, and summarized field data on 46 forested plots on the island of Guam. Estimates of forest area, tree stem volume and biomass, the numbers of trees, tree damages, and the distribution of tree sizes were summarized for this statistical sample. Detailed tables and graphical highlights provide a summary of Guam's forest resources and a baseline from which to detect future change following remeasurement of the permanent field plots. AuthorsKeywords: Guam, biomass, damage, FIA, forest inventory, volume. SummaryThe Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program established a systematic sample of forest field plots on Guam to estimate forest area, tree stem volume and biomass, tree damages, and associated understory vegetation. Thirty-two permanent field plots were established in limestone forest and 14 in volcanic forest. Land cover was mapped from high-resolution satellite data and merged with the soil layer in a geographic information system to stratify the field sample. The forest area onGuam occupies approximately 63,830 acres, with limestone forest accounting for about 70 percent of that total. About 18 percent of Guam was classified as urban land and includes roads, towns, airstrips, and military facilities. We estimated gross tree stem volume to be about 91 million cubic feet, inclusive of all tree size classes.Aboveground stem weight for all trees greater than or equal to 5 inches in diameter at breast height was estimated to be about 1 million tons. About 21 percent of the trees sampled exhibited some form of physical damage. Of those damaged trees, evidence of decay was found in nearly one-third of the individuals. Physical breakage owing to...

Summary. The immunological response of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigens of Pseudomonas cepacia was investigated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) with either P. cepacia whole cells or extracted core LPS from a clinical isolate of P. cepacia as antigen were used to measure serum IgG and sputum IgA anti-P. cepacia antibodies. The ELISA with core LPS distinguished nine CF patients colonised by P. cepacia from nine age-and sex-matched non-colonised CF patients. The rate of increase of anti?. cepacia IgG antibodies after bacteriologically proven P. cepacia colonisation varied in individual patients: in some patients the first isolation of P. cepacia was preceded or accompanied by a two-to-four-fold rise in anti-P. cepacia LPS IgG titres. Absorption studies and immunoblot analysis of serum from patients colonised with P. cepacia demonstrated that a significant component of the anti-P. cepacia core LPS antibodies was specific for P. cepacia and did not react with the core LPS of P. aeruginosa. Immunoblotting also illustrated that there may be a degree of core heterogeneity between different isolates of P. cepacia. Detection of P. cepacia LPS specific antibodies in serum (IgG) and sputum (IgA) from CF patients is recommended to assist the identification of P. cepacia colonisation in CF patients.