Isolation of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci from patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and comparison of different molecular techniques for discriminating isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) have emerged as an important pathogen in nosocomial infections. About 80%-90% of CNS isolates associated with hospital infections are methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCNS). The aims of this study were to screen for MRCNS isolates in the flora of a small population of patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and to evaluate the discriminatory power of different molecular methods: pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), mecA location, ClaI/mecA polymorphism and arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) for characterizing isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE). Seventy-nine CNS isolates were recovered from the 11 CAPD patients studied. Using a methicillin screening agar and a DNA specific mecA probe we verified that 30 of the 79 (38%) CNS isolates were resistant to methicillin (MRCNS). Twenty-two of the 30 MRCNS (73%) were MRSE, 7 (23%) methicillin-resistant S. haemolyticus (MRSH(ae)) and 1 (3%) methicillin-resistant S. hominis (MRSH(om)). All patients analyzed carried MRCNS in their flora, in one or more sites. Since CAPD patients have high risk for developing peritonitis, the colonization of these patients with MRCNS might represent an additional problem, due to the therapeutic restrictions imposed by these multiresistant isolates. A wide genetic diversity was verified when the PFGE of the MRSE isolates was analyzed. The 22 MRSE isolates displayed a total of 15 PFGE different patterns (11 PFGE types and 4 subtypes). The location of mecA in the SmaI-fragmented genome DNA did not bring any additional advantage for epidemiologic characterization of the isolates. The ClaI/mecA polymorphism was able to correctly discriminate 12 from the 15 PFGE patterns. In addition, the DNA of 20 MRSE isolates were used for AP-PCR typing. These isolates belonged to 14 PFGE patterns (11 types and 3 subtypes) and displayed 15 genotypes (for the association of PFGE, mecA location and ClaI/mecA polymorphism). A total of 17 different amplification patterns was verified using the primer 1. Only for 2 genotypes, strains having identical genetic backgrounds were further discriminated by AP-PCR (2 of 15 genotypes (87%) for AP-PCR and 1 of 15 genotypes for PFGE; (93%). Concluding, our results indicated that the AP-PCR can be an alternative and useful tool for monitoring and genotyping MRSE colonization and also to molecular characterizing MRSE outbreaks in hospitals.     

Investigation of nosocomial respiratory infection due to Pseudomonas cepacia by Arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction

We used DNA fingerprinting by the arbitrarily primed polymemse chain reaction (AP-PCR) technique for an epidemiologic investigation of Pseudomonas cepacia nosocomial isolates obtained from patients attending our hospital. This approach was compared with conventional phenotypic typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The patterns of gel electrophoresis of the products of AP-PCR differed significantly according to differences in the concentration of Mg²⁺ and in pH. AP-PCR and PFGE was identical in their resolving power, as the two methods generated four different profiles and identified the same group of strains. The AP-PCR method constitutes an easy alternative to the well-establislted PFGE method.     

Characteristics related to antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation of widespread methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis ST2 and ST23 lineages in Rio de Janeiro hospitals, Brazil

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections, mostly associated with the use of medical devices in seriously ill or immunocompromised patients. Currently, the characteristics of methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) isolates from Rio de Janeiro hospitals are unknown. In this study, staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) types, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, biofilm formation genes, and multilocus sequence types (MLST) were investigated in 35 MRSE clinical isolates. The collection of isolates was previously well characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) into 2 main genotypes (A and B, 22 isolates) and 10 sporadic genotypes (13 isolates). MLST revealed a total of 8 different sequence types (STs), but ST2 and ST23, which were icaAB-positive, represented the majority (71.4%) of MRSE isolates tested. Almost all isolates (91.4%) belonged to clonal complex 2. SCCmec types III and IV were identified among 71.4% of the isolates, while the remaining was nontypeable. The predominant MRSE genotypes were defined as SCCmec type III/ST2 (PFGE type A) and SCCmec type IV/ST23 (PFGE type B) isolates, which were both associated with high antimicrobial resistance and presence of biofilm-related genes.     

The use of biotyping and DNA fingerprinting in typing Candida albicans from hospitalized patients

The application of typing procedures for the purpose of strain differentiation among isolates of Candida albicans obtained from hospitalized patients has been limited. We have applied biotyping and DNA restriction fragment analysis (DNA fingerprinting) by using EcoRI to the study of C. albicans isolates obtained from hospitalized patients. A total of 68 isolates from 15 patients were studied. Thirteen subtypes were identified by biotyping, 8 by DNA fingerprinting, and 21 by a combination of the biotyping and DNA fingerprinting approaches (composite subtype). Both techniques were highly reproducible. In examining the strain variation among isolates obtained from multiple anatomic sites over time, we found that similar, if not identical, strains were recovered from the oropharynx, urine, stool, and blood in a given patient, and these strains persisted. Only rarely did two patients share the same composite subtype suggesting sporadic nosocomial transmission. The combination of biotyping and DNA fingerprinting improved strain discrimination compared to either method alone. Further investigation with these and other epidemiologic typing methods will be necessary to enhance the understanding of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of candidiasis in hospitalized patients.     

耐碳青霉烯类大肠埃希菌临床分布、耐药特征及携带mcr 基因分析

目的　分析临床耐碳青霉烯类大肠埃希菌（carbapenem-resistance Escherichia coli , CREC）分布及耐药特征,检测其碳青霉烯酶合成基因及质粒介导的多黏菌素耐药（mobile colistin resistance, mcr）基因携带情况,为多重耐药菌防控提供参考。方法　收集2020 年7 月～ 2021 年6 月期间安徽医科大学第二附属医院住院患者送检的各类临床标本分离非重复CREC 菌株,微量肉汤稀释法进行药敏试验。聚合酶链反应（polymerase chain reaction, PCR）扩增及测序技术检测碳青霉烯酶基因及mcr 系列基因。多黏菌素诱导试验检测mcr-9 阳性菌株的诱导耐药特征,脉冲凝胶电泳（pulsedfieldgel electrophoresis, PFGE）分析其同源性。结果　共收集CREC 菌株33 株,主要分离自尿液标本（30.3%）、痰液标本（24.2%）、脓液/ 分泌物标本（18.2%）及血液标本（15.2%）,菌株呈现多重耐药表型。PCR 检测结果显示,23 株CREC（69.7%）携带blaNDM 基因,8 株CREC（24.2%）携带blaKPC 基因。有3 株（9.1%）blaNDM 阳性CREC 菌株同时携带mcr-9 基因,PFGE 分析显示3 株细菌间无同源性。上述mcr-9 阳性菌株经过1/2 倍最低抑菌浓度（minimuminhibitory concentration, MIC）多黏菌素B 药物诱导6h 后,对多黏菌素B 的MIC 值均升高。结论　临床CREC 呈现多重耐药,主要碳青霉烯酶基因为blaNDM 及blaKPC。部分菌株同时携带blaNDM 及mcr-9 基因,且呈现多黏菌素诱导耐药特征。实验室应加强监测,防控其流行播散。     

In vitro activities of ceftobiprole, tigecycline, daptomycin, and 19 other antimicrobials against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains from a national survey of Belgian hospitals

The in vitro activities of 22 antimicrobial agents, including ceftobiprole, daptomycin, and tigecycline, against 511 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from 112 Belgian hospitals were studied by using the CLSI agar dilution method. Isolates were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis and by PCR detection of determinants of resistance to aminoglycosides, macrolides-lincosamides-streptogramins, and tetracyclines. A representative set of isolates with different PFGE genotypes was further characterized by multilocus sequence typing, determination of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type, and multiplex PCR for toxic shock syndrome type 1 (TSST-1) and Panton-Valentine leukocidin genes. MRSA isolates belonged to nine epidemic MRSA clones, of which sequence type 45 (ST45)-SCCmec IV and ST8-SCCmec IV were predominant, accounting for 49 and 20% of isolates, respectively. The distribution of antimicrobial resistance and TSST-1 genes was strongly linked to clonal types. Ceftobiprole, daptomycin, and tigecycline showed high activity against all isolates of these sporadic and epidemic MRSA clones, as indicated by MIC(90)s of 2 mg/liter, 0.5 mg/liter, and 0.25 mg/liter, respectively. The MIC distribution of daptomycin and tigecycline was not different in isolates with decreased susceptibility to glycopeptides or tetracyclines, respectively. Ceftobiprole MICs were not correlated with oxacillin and cefoxitin MICs. These data indicate excellent activity of the newly developed agents ceftobiprole, daptomycin, and tigecycline against MRSA isolates recently recovered from hospitalized patients in Belgium, supporting their therapeutic potential for nosocomial MRSA infections.     

A rapid increase in macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes isolated in Poland during 1996-2002

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate Polish clinical isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes collected during a 7 year period using phenotypic and genotypic techniques. METHODS: A total of 816 isolates of S. pyogenes recovered from 33 medical centres in Poland were tested for their susceptibility to various antimicrobial agents. Erythromycin-resistant isolates were analysed by PFGE, multilocus sequence typing and emm typing methods. RESULTS: The tetracycline resistance rate was high (43%) among all S. pyogenes strains. Ninety-eight (12%) isolates were resistant to erythromycin. A low prevalence of the M phenotype (5.1%) associated with the presence of the mef(A) gene was found. All the isolates of the iMLSB phenotype harboured the erm(TR) gene. Out of the cMLSB isolates, 71.4% and 28.6% carried erm(TR) and erm(B), respectively. All isolates with erm(B) were resistant to telithromycin. PFGE analysis discerned 13 different patterns, A-N, with two predominant PFGE profiles--A (41 isolates) and B (25 isolates)--that in multilocus sequence typing corresponded, respectively, to a novel sequence type (ST) 367 and ST63. Overall, the representatives of these clones accounted for >90% of isolates of the iMLSB phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: A significant increase in erythromycin resistance was observed among clinical S. pyogenes collected in Poland over a 7 year period driven by the spread of two epidemic clones.     

引起儿童腹泻的沙门菌属临床分离株的耐药特点及分子流行病学研究

目的 研究儿童腹泻患者粪便分离的沙门菌属临床分离株的耐药特点及分子流行病学特征.方法 从儿童腹泻患者粪便中分离沙门菌72株,采用血清学凝集试验确定沙门菌血清型;采用K-B纸片扩散法检测抗菌药物的敏感性;采用琼脂稀释法测定头孢噻肟(CTX)和头孢他啶(CAZ)的MIC值;ESBL、ISEcpI和AmpC基因采用PCR法和DNA测序法;采用接合试验测定耐药基因的转移性;PFGE法测定鼠伤寒沙门菌的同源性.结果 从感染性腹泻患儿粪便中共分离出72株沙门菌,其中鼠伤寒沙门菌为主要血清型,占86%(62/72).鼠伤寒沙门菌和汤普森沙门菌通常对临床常用抗菌药物耐药.其中鼠伤寒沙门菌对氨苄西林的耐药率最高(90%,56/62),其次是四环素(81%,50/62),甲氧苄啶/磺胺甲基异(噁)唑(74%,46/62)和氯霉素(66%,41/62).17株(27%,17/62)鼠伤寒沙门菌和2株汤普森沙门菌对CTX耐药.对氨苄西林耐药的49株鼠伤寒沙门菌和2株汤普森沙门菌经PCR扩增后并测序为blaTEM-1b,62株鼠伤寒沙门菌中ESBL基因阳性的有13株(21%,13/62),且主要是blaCTX-M型,其中8株为blaCTX-M-14,3株为blaCTX-M-15,1株为blaCTX-M-55,另外1株为同时blaCTX-M-14和blaCTX-M-55阳性.所有blaCTX-M阳性的菌株均检测出存在上游的插入序列ISEcpl.在1株对头孢西丁耐药的汤普森沙门菌检测出blaDHA-1型AmpC.62株鼠伤寒沙门菌经PFGE分型,发现A型和D型是最主要两个克隆,分别占19%(12/62)和50%(31/62).7株产blaCTX-M型ESBL基因的菌株属于D型.结论 鼠伤寒沙门菌和汤普森沙门菌耐药性严重且blaCTX-M型ESBL基因检出率高;在沙门菌属中发现blaCTX-M-55,在汤普森沙门菌中发现blaDHA-1°克隆性传播是造成鼠伤寒沙门菌流行的主要原因.

Abstract：

Objective To investigate molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella spp. isolates recovered from the stool samples of children with diarrhea. Methods Seventy-two isolates of Salmonella spp. were collected from children with diarrhea. The serum type of Salmonella spp.was determined by serology agglutinating method. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by K-B disk diffusion method and MICs of cefotaxime and ceftazidime were measured by agar dilution method for Salmonella spp. isolates. PCR and DNA sequencing were used for detecting ESBL, ISEcpl and AmpC genes; The transfer of cefotaxime resistance was determined by conjugation experiments. PFGE was performed for determining the homogeneity of the S. typhimurium isolates. Results A total of 72 isolates of Salmonella spp. were collected, among which S. typhimurium accounted for 86 % (62/72) and was the main serum type. S. typhimurium isolates and S. thompson isolates were often resistant to most of clinically used antimicrobial agents. Resistance of S. thompson isolates to ampicillin was the highest (90%, 56/62),followed by tetracycline (81%, 50/62), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (74%, 46/62) and chloramphenicol (66%, 41/62). Seventeen S. typhimurium isolates (27%, 17/62) and two S. thompson isolates were resistant to cefotaxime. Forty-nine S. typhimurium isolates and two S. thompson isolates were positive for blaTEB-1b and resistant to ampicillin. Thirteen ESBL-producing S. typhimurium isolates (21%, 13/62) were positive for blaCTX-M (eight for blaCTX-M-14, three for blaCTX-M-15, one for blaCTX-M-55, one for both blaCTX-M-14 and blaCTX-M-55). All isolates harboring blaCTX-M genes were positive for upstream insert sequence ISEcpl. blaDHA-1was detected in a cefoxitin-resistant S. thompson isolate. Two main clones (PFGE type A and D) accounting for 19% (12/62) and 50% (31/62) respectively were found among 62 S. typhimurium isolates. Seven CTXM-producing isolates belonged to PFGE type D. Conclusions The multi-resistance to antimicrobial agents and high prevalence of blaCTX-M genes are found among S. typhimurium and S. thompson clinical isolates. blaCTX-M-55 is first found in S. typhimurium isolates and blaDHA-1 is found in S. thompson isolates. Clonal spread is responsible for the dissemination of S. typhimurium isolates.     

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of recent and archived Erysipelothrix spp. isolated from Brazilian swine

One hundred fifty-one Erysipelothrix spp. isolates from Brazilian swine were characterized by serotyping, determination of antimicrobial susceptibility, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Among all isolates, 139 were classified in 18 different serotypes and serotype 2b was the most frequent. The susceptibility profiles of the isolates were very similar among each other, which did not permit subtyping Erysipelothrix spp. isolates by the antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Despite the fact that AFLP and PFGE provided the same discriminatory index (0.98), PFGE was more discriminatory than AFLP, given the types of groups it generates. Regardless the technique employed (AFLP or PFGE), no discrimination between recent and historical isolates was established, neither a fixed epidemiologic pattern for their grouping was observed. Nevertheless, AFLP could be an interesting alternative for discriminating the Erysipelothrix species, while PFGE could be an indication for discerning this bacterium according to the serotypes.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility and genetic relatedness of Salmonella serovars isolated from animal-derived dog treats in the USA

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine the potential risk of dog treats in transmitting Salmonella to humans in the USA, and to characterize genetic relatedness and antimicrobial resistance among the isolates. METHODS: A total of 158 dog treats derived from pig ears and other animal parts were randomly collected nationwide and assayed for the presence of Salmonella. The Salmonella isolates were characterized using serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. RESULTS: Forty-one percent (65/158) of samples were positive for Salmonella. Eighty-four Salmonella isolates, comprising 24 serotypes, were recovered from the 65 positive samples. Fourteen samples were contaminated with more than one Salmonella serotype. PFGE analysis of 78 Salmonella isolates yielded 64 patterns. S. Infantis with PFGE patterns indistinguishable from those of strains identified in Canadian outbreaks in 1999 were recovered in several dog treat products. The majority of Salmonella isolates were susceptible to the antimicrobials tested; however, resistance was observed to tetracycline (26%), streptomycin (23%), sulfamethoxazole (19%), chloramphenicol (8%) and ampicillin (8%). Twenty-eight (36%) Salmonella isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial and 10 (13%) isolates displayed resistance to four or more antimicrobials. Two isolates were identified as S. Typhimurium DT104 with the characteristic penta-resistance phenotype (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline). One S. Brandenburg isolate was resistant to eight antimicrobials. Seven Salmonella isolates also contained class I integrons encoding resistance genes to aminoglycosides, beta-lactam and streptothricin antimicrobials. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that animal-derived dog treats in the USA could be a potential source of animal and human infections with Salmonella, including multidrug-resistant Salmonella strains.     

Characterization of nasal and blood culture isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from patients in United States Hospitals

A total of 299 nares and 194 blood isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), each recovered from a unique patient, were collected from 23 U.S. hospitals from May 2009 to March 2010. All isolates underwent spa and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element (SCCmec) typing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing; a subset of 84 isolates was typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using SmaI. Seventy-six spa types were observed among the isolates. Overall, for nasal isolates, spa type t002-SCCmec type II (USA100) was the most common strain type (37% of isolates), while among blood isolates, spa type t008-SCCmec type IV (USA300) was the most common (39%). However, the proportion of all USA100 and USA300 isolates varied by United States census region. Nasal isolates were more resistant to tobramycin and clindamycin than blood isolates (55.9% and 48.8% of isolates versus 36.6% and 39.7%, respectively; for both, P < 0.05). The USA300 isolates were largely resistant to fluoroquinolones. High-level mupirocin resistance was low among all spa types (<5%). SCCmec types III and VIII, which are rare in the United States, were observed along with several unusual PFGE types, including CMRSA9, EMRSA15, and the PFGE profile associated with sequence type 239 (ST239) isolates. Typing data from this convenience sample suggest that in U.S. hospitalized patients, USA100 isolates of multiple spa types, while still common in the nares, have been replaced by USA300 isolates as the predominant MRSA strain type in positive blood cultures.     

Genotyping of Bacteroides fragilis isolates from stool specimens by arbitrarily-primed-PCR

In order to determine genetic relatedness of Bacteroides fragilis isolates from different clinical sources, arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (AP-PCR) was used to compare 17 strains isolated from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and 20 strains isolated from foals with diarrhea. Three reference ATCC strains were also analyzed. Eighteen unique types were identified with a 22-mer arbitrary primer (ERIC-2) among the 20 patient isolates. Types 1 (enterotoxigenic) and 9 (nonenterotoxigenic), were each found in the stools of two patients. All other isolates showed a distinct and unique DNA banding pattern indicating a high degree of genotypic variability. Eleven types were identified among the foal isolates. Type 20, a nonenterotoxigenic type, was present in 30% of the foals. No correlation was found between the human and horse isolates. No clear relationship between a disease state (diarrhea or IBD) and specific types was observed. AP-PCR will be useful as a rapid method to determine genetic relatedness and in future epidemiologic studies of diarrheal diseases due to B. fragilis.     

Evolution of erythromycin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae in Italy

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate erythromycin resistance in recent invasive isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Italy, to study the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of the isolates, and to compare data with those obtained in a previous survey. METHODS: Invasive pneumococcal isolates were obtained from 56 laboratories throughout the country, in 2001-2003. Isolates were serotyped and antimicrobial susceptibilities determined by Sensititre panels and Etest. A new PCR was performed to detect erythromycin resistance genes. Typing methods for selected erythromycin-resistant isolates included PFGE and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-five isolates out of 444 (34.9%) were resistant to erythromycin: 95 isolates (21.4%) carried erm(B), 56 (12.6%) carried mef(A) and three carried both genes. One isolate, carrying neither erm(B) nor mef(A), showed a point mutation in domain V of the 23S rRNA genes. The mef(A)-positive isolates carried subtype mef(A) (47 isolates), subtype mef(E) (nine isolates), and both subtype mef(E) and erm(B) (three isolates). All subtype mef(A) strains, except two, belonged to serotype 14, appeared to be clonally related by PFGE and related to the England14-9 clone by MLST. The two isolates belonging to other serotypes showed different genetic backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: Erythromycin resistance in S. pneumoniae has increased in the last few years in Italy. erm(B) is still the predominant resistance determinant; however, the increase in erythromycin resistance (34.9% versus 28.8% of the previous years) is mainly due to an increase in the proportion of isolates carrying the efflux pump mef(A), whereas the proportion of isolates carrying erm(B) has not changed.     

Molecular epidemiological analysis of Escherichia coli sequence type ST131 (O25:H4) and blaCTX-M-15 among extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing E. coli from the United States, 2000 to 2009

Escherichia coli sequence type ST131 (from phylogenetic group B2), often carrying the extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL) gene bla(CTX-M-15), is an emerging globally disseminated pathogen that has received comparatively little attention in the United States. Accordingly, a convenience sample of 351 ESBL-producing E. coli isolates from 15 U.S. centers (collected in 2000 to 2009) underwent PCR-based phylotyping and detection of ST131 and bla(CTX-M-15). A total of 200 isolates, comprising 4 groups of 50 isolates each that were (i) bla(CTX-M-15) negative non-ST131, (ii) bla(CTX-M-15) positive non-ST131, (iii) bla(CTX-M-15) negative ST131, or (iv) bla(CTX-M-15) positive ST131, also underwent virulence genotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Overall, 201 (57%) isolates exhibited bla(CTX-M-15), whereas 165 (47%) were ST131. ST131 accounted for 56% of bla(CTX-M-15)-positive- versus 35% of bla(CTX-M-15)-negative isolates (P < 0.001). Whereas ST131 accounted for 94% of the 175 total group B2 isolates, non-ST131 isolates were phylogenetically distributed by bla(CTX-M-15) status, with groups A (bla(CTX-M-15)-positive isolates) and D (bla(CTX-M-15)-negative isolates) predominating. Both bla(CTX-M-15) and ST131 occurred at all participating centers, were recovered from children and adults, increased significantly in prevalence post-2003, and were associated with molecularly inferred virulence. Compared with non-ST131 isolates, ST131 isolates had higher virulence scores, distinctive virulence profiles, and more-homogeneous PFGE profiles. bla(CTX-M-15) was associated with extensive antimicrobial resistance and ST131 with fluoroquinolone resistance. Thus, E. coli ST131 and bla(CTX-M-15) are emergent, widely distributed, and predominant among ESBL-positive E. coli strains in the United States, among children and adults alike. Enhanced virulence and antimicrobial resistance have likely promoted the epidemiological success of these emerging public health threats.     

Emergence of multidrug-resistant clones of Salmonella Infantis in broiler chickens and humans in Hungary

OBJECTIVES: The characterization of a Salmonella Infantis strain collection that was set up from isolates of animal and human origin obtained in Hungary in recent years. METHODS: All isolates were phage typed. Antimicrobial resistance was tested by the disc diffusion method, while the presence of the antimicrobial resistance genes and class 1 integrons was investigated by PCR. Genetic relatedness of the isolates was tested by PFGE and plasmid profiling. RESULTS: The majority of the isolates representing different parts of Hungary are characterized by phage types 213 and 217 and the nalidixic acid-streptomycin-sulphonamide-tetracycline resistance type. They harbour a class 1 integron with an aadA1 gene in the 855 bp variable region, a tet(A) gene, a >168 kb plasmid and 66% of them represent one genetic clone as determined by XbaI PFGE fingerprinting. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that broiler chickens constitute a reservoir for one large and a few smaller multidrug-resistant Salmonella Infantis clones in Hungary, which might have spread to humans through chicken meat.     

spa typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from domestic animals and veterinary staff in the UK and Ireland

OBJECTIVES: Region X of the protein A gene (spa) was sequenced from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates originating from animals, humans and the environment at veterinary hospitals in the UK and Ireland. MRSA transmission between animals and veterinary staff was assessed on the basis of spa typing, PFGE and epidemiological data. METHODS: MRSA isolates from dogs (n = 27), horses (n = 9), cats (n = 6), staff (n = 22) and environmental surfaces (n = 3) were analysed by PFGE and spa typing. Known contacts between human and animal MRSA carriers were ascertained from the veterinary hospitals. RESULTS: All feline, most canine (96%) and human (82%) isolates showed PFGE profiles that were either indistinguishable (subtype A1) or closely related (subtypes A2-A10) to that of the epidemic clone EMRSA-15 (CC22), whereas most equine isolates (88%) were related to CC8 (types C, D, E and G). spa polymorphism enabled discrimination among MRSA strains assigned to the same PFGE type. Fifteen spa types clustering into two distinct groups were detected, with t032 being the most prevalent (48%). The spa and PFGE types of MRSA isolated from seven staff members were the same as those of strains isolated from infected animals attended by the staff. CONCLUSIONS: Irrespective of geographical origin, MRSA isolated from equine and small animal hospitals generally clustered into two distinct clonal complexes, CC8 and CC22, respectively. The combined use of spa and PFGE typing allowed better discrimination than each method used individually, and provided useful information on MRSA transmission between animal and human individuals.     

Hospital outbreak of multiple clones of Pseudomonas aeruginosa carrying the unrelated metallo-beta-lactamase gene variants blaVIM-2 and blaVIM-4

OBJECTIVES: The possible contribution of metallo-beta-lactamases in the frequent detection of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in a tertiary Greek hospital in Central Greece was investigated.Materials and methods: All carbapenem-resistant (imipenem- and/or meropenem-resistant) P. aeruginosa isolates recovered from separate patients during a 1 year period in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at the University Hospital of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece, were studied for metallo-beta-lactamases. They were tested by Etest MBL, PCR analysis and nucleotide sequencing. DNA fingerprints were obtained by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of XbaI-digested chromosomal DNA. RESULTS: A blaVIM gene was detected in 47 of the 53 (88.7%) carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates. PFGE grouped the blaVIM-positive isolates in six unrelated genotypes; one type included two subtypes. Nucleotide sequencing of the PCR amplicons of a randomly selected isolate from each one of the seven subtypes, detected the variant sequences blaVIM-2 in four and blaVIM-4 in three cases, respectively. They were carried as single gene cassettes or along with an aminoglycoside resistance gene (aacA29a) in class 1 integrons. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that different strains of P. aeruginosa carrying unrelated metallo-beta-lactamase gene variants predominate in our hospital environment.     

Phenotypic and genotypic characterizations of Chinese strains of Escherichia coli producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases.

Twenty-three multi-resistant strains of Escherichia coli were isolated at a single hospital in Beijing, China between January 1997 and May 1998. All isolates produced extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) as detected by the double disk synergy test and the Etest ESBL strip (AB BIODISK, Solna Sweden). Additional antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that most isolates were resistant to gentamicin, tobramycin, tetracycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and cefepime. All isolates remained susceptible to imipenem with MICs of < or = 0.5 microgram/ml. The isolates each produced several beta-lactamases (range 1-4 enzymes/strain) with pI values ranging from 5.2-8.4. Molecular epidemiologic typing revealed four ribotypes and eight pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns with subgroups among the 23 isolates. Clusters of isolates with the same DNA type were observed as follows (ribotype/PFGE): Wards A (242-5/2, and 242-5/3a), B (242-5/4), and C (880-1/1a). Moreover, similar molecular types were observed in patients from two or more different wards. Further use of isoelectric focusing results and co-resistance patterns produced evidence of potential nosocomial dissemination of strains in only two instances (two identical strains on one ward and two identical strains on different wards). There were also strong similarities in beta-lactamase pIs and co-resistances among many of the strains throughout this medical center. These data document the wide genetic diversity among E. coli producing ESBLs, and a potential for nosocomial spread of these highly resistant organisms requiring increasingly more sophisticated molecular-based techniques and local interventions.     

肝移植病房MRSA分子流行病学研究

目的研究我院肝移植病房MRSA同源性分布情况。方法收集我院2005年3月-2006年11月肝移植病人中分离金葡菌共57株，用头孢西丁纸片法进行MRSA表型检测，筛选MRSA，并用脉冲场凝胶电泳（PFGE）对MRSA菌株进行同源性检测。结果57株金葡菌中，46株为MRSA。MRSA经PFGE分为8个型（A～H型）。以A型（27株）、B型（10株）为主。在2005年3月-2006年11月发生了A1亚型的暴发流行。结论MRSA在肝移植病人间流行情况十分严重．及时检测MRSA并进行流行病学研究将有利于控制耐药菌的播散。     

Antimicrobial susceptibility of clinical isolates of Haemophilus influenzae to ampicillin-sulbactam

A total of 1092 clinical isolates of Haemophilus influenzae (306 type b; 786 non-type-b), from five medical centers were obtained during 1987 and 1988. Disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibilities were obtained for all isolates, and broth microdilution susceptibilities were obtained for 502 isolates. Beta-lactamase was produced by 34.3% of type-b and 22.1% of non-type-b isolates, with some geographic variations. Using disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility testing, all isolates were susceptible to ampicillin-sulbactam, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, and rifampin; two isolates were resistant to chloramphenicol. Whether tested using a fixed ratio of ampicillin to sulbactam of 2:1 or a fixed concentration of sulbactam, the ampicillin-sulbactam combination demonstrated good activity against clinical isolates of H. influenzae. Only 8 of the 1092 isolates did not produce beta-lactamase but demonstrated MICs of greater than or equal to 2 micrograms/ml for ampicillin.