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Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Coagulase is a protein enzyme produced by several microorganisms that enables the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. In the laboratory, it is used to distinguish between different types of Staphylococcus isolates. Importantly, S. aureus is generally coagulase-positive, meaning that a positive coagulase test would indicate the presence of S. aureus or any of the other 11 coagulase-positive Staphylococci.[1] A negative coagulase test would instead show the presence of coagulase-negative organisms such as Staphylococcus epidermidis or Staphylococcus saprophyticus. However, it is now known that not all S. aureus are coagulase-positive.[2][3] Whereas coagulase-positive staphylococci are usually pathogenic, coagulase-negative staphylococci are more often associated with opportunistic infection.[4]
It is also produced by Yersinia pestis.[5]
Coagulase reacts with prothrombin in the blood. The resulting complex is called staphylothrombin, which enables the enzyme to act as a protease to convert fibrinogen, a plasma protein produced by the liver, to fibrin. This results in clotting of the blood. Coagulase is tightly bound to the surface of the bacterium S. aureus and can coat its surface with fibrin upon contact with blood. The fibrin clot may protect the bacterium from phagocytosis and isolate it from other defenses of the host.[6] The fibrin coat can therefore make the bacteria more virulent. Bound coagulase is part of the larger family of MSCRAMM adhesin proteins.
The coagulase test has traditionally been used to differentiate Staphylococcus aureus from coagulase-negative staphylococci. S.aureus produces two forms of coagulase (i.e., bound coagulase and free coagulase). Bound coagulase, otherwise known as "clumping factor", can be detected by carrying out a slide coagulase test, and free coagulase can be detected using a tube coagulase test.
A slide coagulase test is run with a negative control to rule out autoagglutination. Two drops of saline are put onto the slide labeled with sample number, Test (T) and control (C). The two saline drops are emulsified with the test organism using a wire loop, straight wire, or wooden stick. A drop of plasma (rabbit plasma anticoagulated with EDTA is recommended)[7] is placed on the inoculated saline drop corresponding to test, and mixed well, then the slide is rocked gently for about 10 seconds.
If the slide coagulase test is negative, a tube test should follow as a confirmation. Clumping in both drops is an indication of autoagglutination, so a tube test should be carried out. Tube test is not performed each institutions but most of the result depends on blood cultures from lab.
The tube test uses rabbit plasma that has been inoculated with a staphylococcal colony (i.e., Gram-positive cocci which are catalase positive). The tube is then incubated at 37 °C for 1.5 hours. If negative, then incubation is continued up to 18 hours.
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Baird-Parker agar is a type of agar used for the selective isolation of gram-positive Staphylococci species. It contains lithium chloride and tellurite to inhibit the growth of alternative microbial flora, while the included pyruvate and glycine promote the growth of Staphylococci. Staphylococcus colonies show up black in colour with clear zones produced around them.
Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from Penicillium moulds, principally P. chrysogenum and P. rubens. Eight species of Penicillium, in the section Chrysogena, produce penicillins. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using deep tank fermentation and then purified. A number of natural penicillins have been discovered, but only two purified compounds are in clinical use: penicillin G (intramuscular or intravenous use) and penicillin V (given by mouth). Penicillins were among the first medications to be effective against many bacterial infections caused by staphylococci and streptococci. They are still widely used today for various bacterial infections, though many types of bacteria have developed resistance following extensive use. In the United States, 10% of the population claims penicillin allergies, but because the frequency of positive skin test results decreases by 10% with each year of avoidance, 90% of these patients can eventually tolerate penicillin. Additionally, those with penicillin allergies can usually tolerate cephalosporins (another group of β-lactam) because the immunoglobulin E (IgE) cross-reactivity is only 3%. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by the Scottish physician Alexander Fleming as a crude extract of P. rubens. Fleming's student Cecil George Paine was the first to successfully use penicillin to treat eye infection (neonatal conjunctivitis) in 1930. The purified compound (penicillin F) was isolated in 1940 by a research team led by Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain at the University of Oxford. Fleming first used the purified penicillin to treat streptococcal meningitis in 1942. The 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was shared by Chain, Fleming and Florey. Several semisynthetic penicillins are effective against a broader spectrum of bacteria: these include the antistaphylococcal penicillins, aminopenicillins, and antipseudomonal penicillins.
Streptococcus (from Ancient Greek στρεπτός (streptós) 'twisted' and κόκκος (kókkos) 'grain') is a genus of gram-positive spherical bacteria that belongs to the family Streptococcaceae, within the order Lactobacillales (lactic acid bacteria), in the phylum Bacillota. Cell division in streptococci occurs along a single axis, thus when growing they tend to form pairs or chains, which may appear bent or twisted. This differs from staphylococci, which divide along multiple axes, thereby generating irregular, grape-like clusters of cells. Most streptococci are oxidase-negative and catalase-negative, and many are facultative anaerobes (capable of growth both aerobically and anaerobically). The term was coined in 1877 by Viennese surgeon Albert Theodor Billroth (1829–1894), from Ancient Greek στρεπτός (streptós), meaning "twisted", and κόκκος (kókkos), meaning "grain". In 1984, many bacteria formerly grouped in the genus Streptococcus were separated out into the genera Enterococcus and Lactococcus. Currently, over 50 species are recognised in this genus. Streptococcus species play a large role in human health and disease. Most exist commensally as parts of the human microbiome, for example in the mouth, skin, intestine, and upper respiratory tract. Some exist as pathogens and cause infections collectively known as streptococcosis, such as streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat), pink eye, meningitis, bacterial pneumonia, endocarditis, erysipelas, and necrotizing fasciitis (the 'flesh-eating' bacterial infections). A few are opportunistic, being able to switch between friend and foe. Streptococcus are also used in the production of food, with S. thermophilus being used to make Emmentaler ("Swiss") cheese and yogurt.
Coagulase is a protein enzyme produced by several microorganisms that enables the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. In the laboratory, it is used to distinguish between different types of Staphylococcus isolates. Importantly, S. aureus is generally coagulase-positive, meaning that a positive coagulase test would indicate the presence of S. aureus or any of the other 11 coagulase-positive Staphylococci. A negative coagulase test would instead show the presence of coagulase-negative organisms such as Staphylococcus epidermidis or Staphylococcus saprophyticus. However, it is now known that not all S. aureus are coagulase-positive. Whereas coagulase-positive staphylococci are usually pathogenic, coagulase-negative staphylococci are more often associated with opportunistic infection. It is also produced by Yersinia pestis. Coagulase reacts with prothrombin in the blood. The resulting complex is called staphylothrombin, which enables the enzyme to act as a protease to convert fibrinogen, a plasma protein produced by the liver, to fibrin. This results in clotting of the blood. Coagulase is tightly bound to the surface of the bacterium S. aureus and can coat its surface with fibrin upon contact with blood. The fibrin clot may protect the bacterium from phagocytosis and isolate it from other defenses of the host. The fibrin coat can therefore make the bacteria more virulent. Bound coagulase is part of the larger family of MSCRAMM adhesin proteins.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.
