The book covers updated topics on the genus Staphylococcus, including the latest discoveries. In each chapter, the author discusses the results obtained and published during her 20-plus years as a researcher in this area. The book is divided into eight chapters, with a presentation of the genus Staphylococcus, current classification, general characteristics of these bacteria and the clinical significance of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), which are often classified as mere blood culture contaminants, but are the etiological agents most commonly associated with neonatal infections and peritonitis in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Coagulase-negative staphylococci can colonize the surface of catheters and produce an extracellular polysaccharide that leads to the formation of biofilms which potentiate their pathogenicity. The book also focuses on the identification of CoNS, virulence factors responsible for the symptoms and severity of infections caused by Staphylococcus spp. These factors include membrane-active toxins, called cytotoxins, and a group of pyrogenic toxin superantigens. Several current aspects related to the virulence of S. aureus and CoNS are discussed, including isolates of different origins, phenotypic and genotypic techniques for the detection of these toxins, and the gene regulation mechanism involved in the expression of these toxins. Another extremely important topic which is discussed is the resistance of these microorganisms to antimicrobial agents. MRSA currently represent a serious threat to public health worldwide due to the rapid dissemination and diversification of pandemic clones. The epidemiology of MRSA infections is discussed highlights the importance of understanding why specific clones predominated in different regions in order to develop more effective control strategies and to choose more appropriate antimicrobial therapy. In this book, the topics are explained in a clear and objective manner and should be useful for postgraduate students, physicians and researchers.

Agriculture is the product of a complex mixture of behavioural, biophysical and market drivers. Understanding how these factors interact to produce crops and livestock for food has been the focus of economic investigation for many years. The advent of optimisation algorithms and the exponential growth in computing technology has allowed significant growth in mathematical modelling of the dynamics of agricultural systems. The complexity of approaches has grown in parallel with the availability of data at increasingly finer resolutions. Farm-level models have been widely used in agricultural economic studies to understand how farmers and land owners respond to market and policy levers. This book provides an in-depth description of different methodologies and techniques currently used in farm-level modelling. While giving an overview of the theoretical grounding behind the models, an applied approach is also used. Case studies range from the application of modelling to policy reforms and the subsequent impacts on rural communities and food supply. This book also provides descriptions of the use of farm-level models in much wider fields such as aggregation and linking with sectoral models. Its purpose is to show the reader the methods that have been employed to inform decision-makers about how to improve the economic, social and environmental goals required to achieve the aims of multidimensional policy.

This book provides an overview of the different topics of staphylococcal research in recent years. Severe infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have become a global health problem in the twenty-first century. Chapter One discusses MRSA as a major cause of healthcare or hospital-associated infections (HA-MRSA) in burn patients, indicated as a high-risk group for invasive staphylococcal infection. Types of MRSA, which have traditionally been tackled as exclusive agents of healthcare-associated infections, are now recognized as the causative agents of severe disease acquired in the community. The second chapter discusses these infections as they occur mainly in special populations. For example, we may cite people living with HIV/AIDS, older adults living in long-term care facilities and patients with chronic diseases, notably diabetes mellitus. In Chapter Three, a third epidemiological form of MRSA is discussed, which is known as livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA). Chapter Four emphasizes the current scenario of highly adaptable clonal complexes. Among these strains, LA-MRSA belonging to clonal complex (CC) 398 are particularly important, and nosocomial infections caused by strains of CC398 are frequently reported. Confirmation of the presence of microorganisms in blood cultures is one of the most important roles of clinical microbiology laboratories. Blood culture testing - the gold standard for the diagnosis of sepsis - is able to elucidate the etiology of infection and to establish appropriate antibiotic treatment in order to improve the prognosis of septic patients and, consequently, to reduce morbidity and mortality; this is the subject discussed in Chapter Five. Nosocomial infections manifest more intensely and more frequently in newborns when compared to children or adults. Staphylococcus aureus infections in newborns is discussed in Chapter Six. Staphylococcus spp. are an important cause of peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis (PD), frequently requiring change of the dialysis technique and causing an important impact on the mortality of PD patients, another matter of great importance which is discussed in Chapter Seven. Finally, the epidemiology and experimental evidence that S. aureus and its products, the superantigens, are directly related to the development or exacerbation of autoimmune diseases, which are discussed in Chapter Eight. This book provides an excellent overview of the different applications of staphylococcal research for clinicians, researchers and students who intend to address these issues, and permits continued high-quality research involving these important pathogens.