Detection of vancomycin variable enterococci (VVE) among clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium collected across India-first report from the subcontinent

PurposeEmergence of vancomycin variable enterococci (VVE) poses a challenge to empiric vancomycin therapy. Vancomycin-variable enterococci (VVE) are vanA-positive, yet phenotypically vancomycin-susceptible enterococci that can switch to a vancomycin-resistant phenotype when exposed to vancomycin. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of VVE in India.MethodsIsolates of phenotypically vancomycin susceptible Enterococcus faecium from 20 tertiary care hospitals across India were collected and tested for the presence of vanA, vanR, vanS, vanB and vanC genes by conventional PCR using previously published primers. Isolates positive for vanA gene were considered as VVE.ResultsThe prevalence of VVE was 1.5% (5/340). Only one VVE isolate was positive for vanR and vanS, and all the isolates were negative for vanB and vanC.ConclusionsAlthough the prevalence is low, our finding emphasizes the importance of routinely screening for van genes in enterococci that are phenotypically susceptible. Silenced vanA able to escape detection and revert to resistance during vancomycin therapy represents a new challenge in clinical settings.     

儿童肺炎克雷伯菌血流感染临床特征及菌株药物敏感性分析

摘要：目的 探讨儿童肺炎克雷伯菌血流感染(Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream infection, KPBSI)临床特征及肺炎克雷伯 菌(Klebsiella pneumoniae, KP)对常用抗菌药物的敏感性，为儿童KPBSI合理治疗提供参考。方法 回顾性分析2014年1月至2019 年12月在重庆医科大学附属儿童医院住院的KPBSI患儿临床资料。结果 共纳入110例患儿，64例(58.2%)为院内感染，72例 (65.5%)有基础疾病，以血液系统肿瘤最多见。110例患儿PRISM Ⅲ评分为16.0(7.0~20.8)，其中74例(67.3%)发生脓毒症，15例 (13.6%)发生脓毒性休克，18例(16.4%)发生呼吸衰竭，15例(13.6%)需有创机械通气，院内死亡共13例(11.8%)。KP菌株对阿米卡 星、碳青霉烯类抗菌药物敏感率＞90%，对头孢噻肟、头孢曲松和头孢他啶的敏感率分别为58.3%、60.9%和70.9%，对头孢哌 酮/舒巴坦和哌拉西林/他唑巴坦的敏感率分别为59.5%和82.7%。检出ESBLs+菌株39株(39/86，45.3%)，耐碳青霉烯类肺炎克雷 伯菌(CRKP)菌株10株(10/110，9.1%)，ESBLs+KP菌株和CRKP在各年龄组间分布无统计学差异。结论 儿童KPBSI多见于有基 础疾病的患儿，脓毒症、脓毒性休克和呼吸衰竭发生率高；KP菌株对头孢他啶和哌拉西林/他唑巴坦敏感性较高，可经验性治 疗轻症KPBSI患儿。     

毛霉目病原真菌的实验室鉴定及体外抗真菌药物敏感 性分析

摘要:目的以分子测序为参考 ,评估形态学、基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱对毛霉目真菌的鉴定能力,分析毛霉目真菌对两性霉素B、泊沙康唑的体外药敏特点。方法收集 2018年1月-2022年2月广东省人民医院25例毛霉病住院患者标 本,进行镜检并对培养的茵落行形态学鉴定、质谱鉴定、分子测序和体外药敏试验。结果KOH 湿片法阳性率(76%)高于革兰染色法(32%),差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);形态学鉴定可将68%的菌株鉴定到属水平,3株鉴定错误,2株无法鉴定;将所 有菌株进行质谱鉴定,单用IVD和RUO数据库鉴定率分别为56%和44%,两库联合可将鉴定率提高为64%。毛霉目真菌对两性霉素B的抑制50%菌株生长的最小抑菌浓度(MIC3o)为1μg/mL,根霉属相比其他属对两性霉素B表现出较高的MIC 值,其中2株MIC>32 μg/mL,另2株MIC为8 μg/mL;根霉属对泊沙康唑的MICso为0.5 μg/mL,横梗霉属MICgo为4 μg/ mL,小克银汉霉属MICg0为2 μg/mL,有部分菌株表现出较低MIC值,同样亦有部分菌株对泊沙康唑表现出较高的MIC 值。结论 将传统镜检、培养与质谱技术和分子技术相结合,尽量将毛霉目真菌准确鉴定到种,并积极开展毛霉体外药敏试验,可为临床治疗提供参考依据。     

Comparison of quantitative susceptibility mapping methods on evaluating radiation-induced cerebral microbleeds and basal ganglia at 3T and 7T

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) has the potential for being a biomarker for various diseases because of its ability to measure tissue susceptibility related to iron deposition, myelin, and hemorrhage from the phase signal of a T₂*-weighted MRI. Despite its promise as a quantitative marker, QSM is faced with many challenges, including its dependence on preprocessing of the raw phase data, the relatively weak tissue signal, and the inherently ill posed relationship between the magnetic dipole and measured phase. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of background field removal and dipole inversion algorithms on noise characteristics, image uniformity, and structural contrast for cerebral microbleed (CMB) quantification at both 3T and 7T. We selected four widely used background phase removal and five dipole field inversion algorithms for QSM and applied them to volunteers and patients with CMBs, who were scanned at two different field strengths, with ground truth QSM reference calculated using multiple orientation scans. 7T MRI provided QSM images with lower noise than did 3T MRI. QSIP and VSHARP + iLSQR achieved the highest white matter homogeneity and vein contrast, with QSIP also providing the highest CMB contrast. Compared with ground truth COSMOS QSM images, overall good correlations between susceptibility values of dipole inversion algorithms and the COSMOS reference were observed in basal ganglia regions, with VSHARP + iLSQR achieving the susceptibility values most similar to COSMOS across all regions. This study can provide guidance for selecting the most appropriate QSM processing pipeline based on the application of interest and scanner field strength.     

江西省锐尖山香圆亲缘关系与群体结构的ISSR分析

目的:利用简单序列重复区间扩增多态性(ISSR)分子标记技术对江西省锐尖山香圆进行亲缘关系和遗传结构分析,为该药材资源的保护和利用提供理论依据。方法:采集江西省4个县6个采样地的22份锐尖山香圆叶片样本,利用试剂盒法提取基因组DNA。利用64条通用ISSR分子标记引物进行聚合酶链式反应(PCR)扩增,运用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(PAGE)方法检测条带。选择NTsys 2. 10e软件,采用非加权配对算术平均法(UPGMA)计算遗传相似系数并聚类分析。利用Structure 2. 1软件分析群体遗传结构。结果:有48条ISSR引物扩增后获得了产物,多态性条带百分率处于45. 45%～100%。UPGMA聚类分析表明4个县的锐尖山香圆资源不能按照行政区域划分分别聚为一类,群体遗传结构分析表明22份锐尖山香圆群体可以划分为3个类群。结论:江西省锐尖山香圆群体间存在着基因交流,会影响该药材不同地理来源种质资源的遗传结构组成。     

某院耐碳青霉烯类肠杆菌科细菌耐药基因分析

目的研究某院耐碳青霉烯类肠杆菌科细菌(CRE)在细菌耐药方面的分子流行病学特征,为CRE的防控提供依据。方法收集某院2013—2017年细菌室保存的CRE,对其进行多位点序列分型(MLST)、药敏试验、全基因序列测定,选取部分CRE中携带的碳青霉烯耐药基因进行基因环境分析。结果共收集62株CRE,成功复活51株;其中耐碳青霉烯类肺炎克雷伯菌(CRKP)30株,耐碳青霉烯类大肠埃希菌(CREC)9株,耐碳青霉烯类阴沟肠杆菌(CRECL)6株,耐碳青霉烯类其他肠杆菌6株。CRKP MLST主要包括3株ST147、2株ST11;CREC MLST主要包括3株ST167;CRECL MLST主要包括3株ST93、2株ST88。51株CRE对氨苄西林、头孢噻肟的耐药率最高,均为100%。耐碳青霉烯类耐药基因分布:1株携带blaKPC-2,14株携带blaIMP-4,18株携带blaNDM-1,22株携带blaNDM-5,2株携带blaNDM-9,10株携带blaOXA-1,10株携带blaOXA-10,2株携带blaOXA-23,2株携带blaOXA-66。分析blaNDM-1、blaNDM-5、blaNDM-9、blaIMP-4不同菌种的基因环境,发现几种耐药基因各自的基因环境都与已报道的基因环境相似,无明显的菌种间差异性。结论耐药基因通过水平传播能稳定存在于不同的CRE菌株中,对医院感染防控造成一定的威胁。     

不同地理居群新塔花的ITS2和psbA-trnH序列及聚类分析

目的:分析18个不同地理居群新塔花的内转录间隔区(ITS)2和psbA-trnH序列,为其种质资源评价和基原药用植物遗传多样性分析提供参考。方法:试剂盒法提取新塔花基因组DNA,聚合酶链式反应(PCR)扩增ITS2和psbA-trnH间隔区序列,双向测序,拼接,基于Kimura两参数模型(K2P)构建邻接法(NJ)系统发育树。结果:不同地理居群新塔花ITS2和psbA-trnH序列均有种内差异。ITS2序列长度平均为236 bp,检测有9个单倍型,遗传距离为0～0. 022,不同地理居群新塔花聚为两支,XTH3,XTH6,XTH9等10个地理居群聚为一支,XTH4,XTH5,XTH10等8个地理居群聚为另一支。除XTH6的psbAtrnH序列存在6 bp缺失外,其他地理居群的psbA-trnH序列长度均为355 bp,检测有4个单倍型,遗传距离为0～0. 023,不同地理居群新塔花聚为两支,XTH1,XTH3,XTH4等12个地理居群聚为一支,XTH14,XTH17,XTH18聚为另一支。基于ITS2+psbA-trnH组合序列的系统发育(NJ)树显示,不同地理居群的新塔花可分为两支,XTH11,XTH12,XTH16等12个地理居群聚为一支,XTH14,XTH17,XTH18聚为另一支。结论:不同地理居群的新塔花地理位置接近或相似,相对遗传距离较小,亲缘关系较为接近,说明不同地理居群新塔花的亲缘关系及其遗传多样性与地理位置相关。     

Germline variant burden in multidrug resistance transporters is a therapy-specific predictor of survival in breast cancer patients

Multidrug resistance due to facilitated drug efflux mediated by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters is a main cause for failure of cancer therapy. Genetic polymorphisms in ABC genes affect the disposition of chemotherapeutics and constitute important biomarkers for therapeutic response and toxicity. Here we correlated germline variability in ABC transporters with disease-specific survival (DSS) in 960 breast cancer (BRCA), 314 clear cell renal cell carcinoma and 325 hepatocellular carcinoma patients. We find that variant burden in ABCC1 is a strong predictor of DSS in BRCA patients, whereas candidate polymorphisms are not associated with DSS. This association is highly drug-specific for subgroups treated with the MRP1 substrates cyclophosphamide (log-rank p = 0.0011) and doxorubicin (log-rank p = 0.0088) independent of age and tumor stage, whereas no association was found in individuals treated with tamoxifen (log-rank p = 0.13). Structural mapping of significant variants revealed multiple variants at residues involved in protein stability, cofactor stabilization or substrate binding. Our results demonstrate that BRCA patients with high variant burden in ABCC1 are less prone to respond appropriately to pharmacological therapy with MRP1 substrates, thus incentivizing the consideration of genomic germline data for precision cancer medicine.