title: Detection of non-culturable Shigella dysenteriae 1 from artificially contaminated volunteers' fingers using fluorescent antibody and PCR techniques.
abstract: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that hands may be an important vehicle for transmission of shigellosis. The present study was carried out to find out the survival potential of Shigella dysenteriae 1 on fingers of volunteers. Finger surface was inoculated with 10(5) cfu of S. dysenteriae 1 and then the bacteria were detected using conventional culture, PCR and fluorescent antibody (FA) techniques after different time intervals. It was found that S. dysenteriae 1 survived for up to one hour in culturable form but up to four hours in non-culturable form on human fingers. The non-culturable S. dysenteriae was detected by PCR and FA techniques. This study elaborates on the role that fingers have in the transmission of shigellae.
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh. sislam@icddrb.org
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.forename: M Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Felsenstein
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Sack
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Albert
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005385:Fingers / Q000382:microbiology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012762:Shigella dysenteriae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014838:Volunteers
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial