Sequence types diversity of Legionella pneumophila isolates from environmental water sources in Guangzhou and Jiangmen,China

In this study, 159 Legionella pneumophila strains isolated from various natural and artificial water sources in Guangzhou and Jiangmen, China, were subjected to genotyping by the sequence-based typing (SBT) scheme. These isolates were assigned into 53 sequence types (STs) (50 STs with seven loci data and three unidentified STs with incomplete loci profiles) with ST1 as the dominant one (14.5%), and the index of diversity (IOD) was 0.950. Eight new alleles and 34 new STs were reported here. Notably, most of the newly identified STs with seven loci data (24/34) contained no new allele, implying frequent recombination events in L. pneumophila. Five intragenic recombination events were identified in the concatenated sequences of seven loci. The diversity of STs in natural environmental isolates (41 STs, IOD = 0.956) is higher than that of artificial environmental ones (17 STs, IOD = 0.824). The ST patterns varied in isolates from these two sources: the most common STs from artificial water sources, ST1 and ST752 (39.2% and 13.7%), were only occasionally isolated from natural water sources (2.9% and 3.8%, respectively); while the predominant STs from natural water sources, ST1048, ST739 and ST1267 (15.2%, 6.7% and 6.7%), were less frequently seen in artificial environments (2.0%, 0% and 0%, respectively). We also found out that Legionnaires’ disease associated STs might be more frequently isolated in artificial environments than in natural ones. Our data revealed remarkable genetic diversity of L. pneumophila isolates from environmental water systems of Guangzhou and Jiangmen, and the different ST distribution patterns between natural water and artificial water sources as well.     

Genotypic diversity of multidrug-, quinolone- and extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Thailand

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), which includes multidrug-resistant (MDR-TB), quinolone-resistant (QR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), is a serious threat to TB control. We aimed to characterize the genotypic diversity of drug-resistant TB clinical isolates collected in Thailand to establish whether the emergence of drug-resistant TB is attributable to transmitted resistance or acquired resistance. We constructed the first molecular phylogeny of MDR-TB (n = 95), QR-TB (n = 69) and XDR-TB (n = 28) in Thailand based on spoligotyping and proposed 24-locus multilocus variable-number of tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). Clustering analysis was performed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean. Spoligotyping identified the Beijing strain (SIT1) as the most predominant genotype (n = 139; 72.4%). The discriminatory power of 0.9235 Hunter–Gaston Discriminatory Index (HGDI) with the 15-locus variable-number tandem repeats of mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units typing was improved to a 0.9574 HGDI with proposed 24-locus MLVA, thereby resulting in the subdivision of a large cluster of Beijing strains (SIT1) into 17 subclusters. We identified the spread of drug-resistant TB clones caused by three different MLVA types in the Beijing strain (SIT1) and a specific clone of XDR-TB caused by a rare genotype, the Manu-ancestor strain (SIT523). Overall, 49.5% of all isolates were clustered. These findings suggest that a remarkable transmission of drug-resistant TB occurred in Thailand. The remaining 50% of drug-resistant TB isolates were unique genotypes, which may have arisen from the individual acquisition of drug resistance. Our results suggest that transmitted and acquired resistance have played an equal role in the emergence of drug-resistant TB. Further characterization of whole genome sequences of clonal strains could help to elucidate the mycobacterial genetic factors relevant for drug resistance, transmissibility and virulence.     

Increased genetic diversity of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis W-Beijing genotype that predominates in eastern China

ObjectivesTo determine the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) strains in a Chinese population predominately infected with strains of the W-Beijing family.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in three counties of eastern China. M. tuberculosis strains were collected at TB clinics, and patients were interviewed by trained physicians at the time of TB diagnosis. RD105 and RD181 were used to identify W-Beijing and modern W-Beijing strains, respectively, while seven-locus variable numbers of tandem repeat–mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit (VNTR–MIRU) analysis was employed to differentiate the genotypes of these strains.ResultsOf 441 strains studied, 394 (89.3%) were identified as W-Beijing family strains; of them, 299 were modern W-Beijing strains. VNTR–MIRU identified 409 genotypes from 426 strains, including 395 unique patterns and 14 clusters. Ancestral W-Beijing strains were more likely to be clustered (OR = 1.32, 95%CI: 0.58–2.97) compared to modern W-Beijing strains. The proportions of clustered strains were 14.6%, 4.2% and 0% at sites Funing (FN), Deqing (DQ) and Yinzhou (YZ), respectively. Of the seven MIRU loci, VNTR3820 was found to have the highest discriminatory power and allelic diversity.ConclusionsVNTR–MIRU typing appears to be a reliable method for analyzing M. tuberculosis transmission in relatively closed populations. The low clustering proportions indicate that endogenous relapse may be a main source of TB cases in eastern China. Furthermore, our results indicate that migration has played may play an important role in the recent transmission of the W-Beijing family of M. tuberculosis.     

不同串联重复序列位点组合用于中国结核分枝杆菌基因分型的能力比较分析

目的 初步评价不同串联重复序列(VNTR)位点在中国8省市结核分枝杆菌基因分型中的应用,寻找适合中国地区结核分枝杆菌基因分型的位点组合.方法 从中国8个省(市、自治区)2800余株结核分枝杆菌临床分离菌株中以简单数字表法随机抽取140株,采用多位点数目可变串联重复序列分析方法(MLVA)对27个数目可变VNTR位点进行基因多态性检测,采用BioNumerics数据库软件进行单位点和不同位点组合的分辨率(Hunter-Gaston指数,HGI)分析,并比较分析其对140株菌的基因分型鉴定能力.同时采用间隔区寡核苷酸分型(Spoligotyping)将140株菌分为北京家族和非北京家族,评价上述不同VNTR位点组合在北京家族和非北京家族中的分型能力.结果 140株菌主要可分为2个基因群,即北京家族112株,占80%;非北京家族28株,占20%.Spoligotyping分型对140株结核分枝杆菌的HGI为0.4589.MLVA分析结果显示不同位点在不同菌株群存在明显的多态性,不同位点的HGI具有较大差异(0～0.809),对全部菌株、北京家族菌株、非北京家族菌株的HGI达到0.5以上的VNTR位点数分别为8、7和14个.27个VNTR位点进行不同的位点组合:优化筛选的8位点组合、国际推荐的12个、15个和24个位点组合.4个组合的HGl分别为0.9991、0.9882、0.9980和0.9986;在北京家族菌株中,上述组合的HGI依次为0.9987、0.9318、0.9969和0.9975;在非北京家族菌株中分别为1、0.9894、1和1.结论不同的VNTR位点和不同VNTR位点组合在中国8省市结核分枝杆菌中的HGI均存在明显差异;本研究优化的8个位点组合MLVA分型方法在中国结核分枝杆菌流行病学研究可能具有良好的应用前景.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular characterization of Mycobacterium intracellulare in China

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is the most common non-tuberculosis mycobacterial pathogen isolated from respiratory samples, mainly including two species, Mycobacterium avium (M. avium) and Mycobacterium intracellulare (M. intracellulare). Although these two species belong to the same group, M. avium and M. intracellulare reveal significantly differences in pathogenicity and biology. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the drug resistant details profile of M. avium or M. intracellulare instead of MAC. Here, we examined the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of 52 clinical M. intracellulare isolates against fourteen antimicrobial agents, which are widely selected for the treatment of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection. The drug susceptibility test revealed that clarithromycin (47/52, 90.4%), rifampicin (41/52, 78.8%) and capreomycin (40/52, 76.9%) revealed highly antimicrobial activities against M. intracellulare isolates in vitro. Furthermore, all clarithromycin resistant isolates harbored mutations in the 23S rRNA gene, and the percentage of amikacin resistant ones with mutation in the rrs gene is 62.5% (10/16). The Hunter–Gaston Discriminatory Index (HGDI) value for the 16-loci Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (VNTR) typing of M. intracellulare isolates was 0.994, and M. intracellulare resistance to moxifloxacin was significantly more commonly found in clustered strains than in nonclustered strains (χ² = 5.551, P = 0.040). In conclusion, our data demonstrated that clarithromycin and capreomycin revealed highly antimicrobial activities against M. intracellulare isolates, and clarithromycin and amikacin resistance could be detected more readily and rapidly using molecular scanning of corresponding drug target than conventional drug susceptibility testing. We also found that infection by clustered strains was significantly associated with resistance to moxifloxacin.     

Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Baja California,Mexico: A result of human migration?

The State of Baja California (BC) exhibits the highest incidence and prevalence rates of tuberculosis (TB), and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in Mexico. However information about the circulation of M. tuberculosis lineages in BC and Mexico as a whole is limited. Here, we describe the genetic relationship and genetic diversity among M. tuberculosis clinical isolates (n = 140) collected in BC between October 2009 and April 2011 with other regions of Mexico, the United States, and Latin America. All specimens were genotyped based on 24 mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units (MIRU)-variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) loci. Population structure and minimum spanning tree (MST) analyses were used to assess the genetic diversity and distribution of BC isolates in comparison to USA and South America strains. Among the nine lineages observed, LAM, Haarlem and S were the most frequent identified in BC. Population structure analysis clustered most BC isolates (41%) into three distinctive groups that included strains from San Diego and South America, whereas other BC strains (22%) clustered with other Mexican strains. A subset of isolates (12%) seemed to be autochthonous of BC, while 25% were cosmopolitan and grouped into multiple clusters. It is highly likely that the TB genetic structure observed in BC is due to human migration.Additional studies are required to determine the mechanism involved in the phylogeographic distribution of M. tuberculosis in Mexico. Implementation of domestic molecular TB surveillance programs is required to better understand the molecular epidemiology of TB not only in the region but at the national level.     

Molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in the Cross River State,Nigeria

This study provides with a first insight on Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex epidemiology and genetic diversity in the Cross River State, Nigeria. Starting with 137 smear positive patients recruited over a period of 12 months (June 2008 to May 2009), we obtained 97 pure mycobacterial isolates out of which 81 (83.5%) were identified as M. tuberculosis complex. Genotyping revealed a total of 27 spoligotypes patterns with 10 clusters (n = 64% or 79% of clustered isolates, 2–32 isolates/cluster), with patients in the age group range 25–34 years being significantly associated with shared-type pattern SIT61 (p = 0.019). Comparison with SITVIT2 database showed that with the exception of a single cluster (SIT727/H1), all other clusters observed were representative of West Africa; the two main lineages involved were LAM10-CAM (n = 42/81% or 51.8%) of M. tuberculosis and AFRI_2 sublineage of Mycobacterium africanum (n = 27/81% or 33.3%). Subsequent 12-loci MIRU typing resulted in a total of 13 SIT/MIT clusters (n = 52 isolates, 2–9 isolates per cluster), with a resulting recent n ? 1 transmission rate of 48.1%. Available drug-susceptibility testing (DST) results for 58/81 clinical isolates revealed 6/58% or 10.4% cases of multiple drug-resistance (MDR); 5/6 MDR cases were caused by strains belonging to LAM10-CAM lineage (a specific cluster SIT61/MIT266 in 4/6 cases, and an orphan spoligotype pattern in 1/6 case). Additionally, MIT266 was associated with streptomycin resistance (p = 0.016). All the six MDRTB isolates were concomitantly resistance to streptomycin and ethambutol; however, 4/6 MDR strains with identical MIRU patterns were characterized by consecutive strain numbers hence the possibility of laboratory cross contamination could not be excluded in 3/4 serial cases. The present preliminary study underlines the usefulness of spoligotyping and 12-loci MIRU–VNTRs to establish a baseline of circulating genotypic lineages of M. tuberculosis complex in Nigeria.     

Prevalence and genetic diversity of arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) in clinical isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci: Identification of ACME type I variants in Staphylococcus epidermidis

Arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME), a genomic island consisting of the arc and/or opp3 gene clusters found in staphylococcal species, is related to increased bacterial adaptability to hosts. Staphylococcus epidermidis is considered a major ACME reservoir; however, prevalence and genetic diversity of ACME in coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) have not yet been well characterized for clinical isolates in Japan. A total of 271 clinical isolates of CNS in a Japanese hospital were investigated for the presence and genotype of ACME and SCCmec. The prevalence of ACME-arcA was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in S. epidermidis (45.8%) than in other CNS species (3.7%). ACME in S. epidermidis isolates (n = 87) were differentiated into type I (n = 33), variant forms of type I (ΔI, n = 26) newly identified in this study, type II (n = 6), and type ΔII (n = 19). ACME-type ΔI, which were further classified into three subtypes, lacked some genetic components between the arc and opp3 clusters in archetypal type I, whereas the arc and opp3 clusters were intact. The arc cluster exhibited high sequence identity (95.8–100%) to that of type I ACME; in contrast, the opp3 cluster was highly diverse, and showed relatively lower identities (94.8–98.7%) to the identical regions in type I ACME. Twenty-one isolates of ΔI ACME-carrying S. epidermidis possessed SCCmec IVa and belonged to ST5 (clonal complex 2). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that isolates harboring ACME ΔI in this study clustered with previously reported S. epidermidis strains with other lineges, suggesting that S. epidermidis originally had some genetic variations in the opp3 cluster. In summary, ACME type ΔI, a truncated variant of ACME-I, was first identified in S. epidermidis, and revealed to be prevalent in ST5 MRSE clinical isolates with SCCmec IVa.     

Molecular epidemiology and antibiotic resistance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus circulating in the Russian Federation

The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns of antimicrobial resistance and molecular features of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates in Russia. Isolates recovered from hospital patients (n = 480), healthy medical personnel (n = 25), and healthy carriers (n = 13) were included in the study. Hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) demonstrated high resistance to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and chloramphenicol (76%–92%), moderate – to tetracycline, erythromycin, clindamycin, and rifampicin (38%–54%), and low – to fusidic acid, co-trimoxazole, mupirocin, and daptomycin (2%–7%). Elevated MIC (2.0 μg/ml) of vancomycin was detected in 26% of isolates. All isolates were susceptible to linezolid and tigecycline. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) revealed that CC8 isolates (ST8 + ST239) constituted 83.1% of HA-MRSA and that this genetic lineage dominated in all regions from Krasnoyarsk to Saint Petersburg. A local ST239 variant harboring the tst gene (ST239_Kras) was detected in Krasnoyarsk. The other HA-MRSA isolates belonged to clonal complex 5 (CC5) (21 isolates, 12.2%) and CC22 (2, 1.2%). The majority of CC5 isolates were affiliated with sequence type 228 (ST228) and were characterized with decreased susceptibility to ceftaroline (MIC = 2 μg/ml). We also detected, for the first time in Russia, livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) from clusters CC398 and CC97 in humans. Among the 2053 healthy persons screened for nasal carriage of S. aureus, the bacteria were isolated from 426 (21%); among them, 13 carried isolates identified as community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). Eleven of 13 CA-MRSA isolates belonged to ST22 (spa types t223, t3243, and t3689; SCCmec types IVa and IVc, agr type I, tst-positive) and were similar to the EMRSA-15/Middle Eastern variant (Gaza strain).     

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and genotyping of Mycobacterium avium isolates of two tertiary tuberculosis designated hospital,China

Background: Mycobacterium avium is frequently isolated from clinical samples, while the bacteriological features of M. avium clinical isolates from China have never been well defined.Methods: A total of 50 M. avium isolates were recruited from two tertiary tuberculosis designated hospitals, one located in Beijing whereas another in Fujian Province, which are northern and southern parts of China, respectively. Subspecies identification was conducted by sequencing the variable 3′ end of the hsp65 gene. The susceptibility against 15 antimicrobial agents, widely administered for the treatment of non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) infections, was tested by broth microdilution assay. Variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) assay was also performed using the 16-loci genotyping method.Results: All of the 50 M. avium isolates were identified as M. avium subsp. hominissuis. The drug susceptibility test revealed that clarithromycin (98%, 49/50) and moxifloxacin (86%, 43/50) had the best antimicrobial activities in vitro against the M. avium isolates. The overall Hunter–Gaston Discriminatory Index (HGDI) value for the VNTR typing was 0.95. However, the genotyping method yielded much greater discriminative power for isolates of northern China than that of southern China (1.00 V.S. 0.86, P < 0.05).Conclusion: M. avium subsp. hominissuis is the dominate subspecies among M. avium clinical isolates in China. The 16-loci VNTR genotyping method is more discriminative in Beijing than in Fujian Province. The bacteriological features of M. avium isolates from different regions of China demonstrated dramatic variations, and stressed the importance of building up knowledge from the local isolates.     

Genotyping of Brucella melitensis and Brucella abortus strains currently circulating in Xinjiang,China

Brucellosis is a well-known zoonotic disease that can cause severe economic and healthcare losses. Xinjiang, one of the biggest livestock husbandry sectors in China, has gone through increasing incidence of brucellosis in cattle and small ruminants recently. In this paper, 50 B. melitensis strains and 9 B. abortus strains collected from across Xinjiang area (from 2010 to 2015) were genotyped using multiple locus variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Based on 8 loci (MLVA-8), 50 B. melitensis strains were classified into three genotypes. Genotypes 42 (n = 38, 76%) and 63 (n = 11, 22%) were part of the East Mediterranean group, and one genotype with pattern of 1-5-3-13-2-4-3-2 represents a single-locus variant from genotype 63. MLVA-16 resolved 50 B. melitensis strains into 28 genotypes, of which 15 are unique to Xinjiang and 10 are in common with those in adjacent country Kazakhstan and neighboring provinces of China. Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) analysis implies that B. melitensis strains collected from across Kazakhstan, Xinjiang and China areas may share a common origin. Nine B. abortus strains were sorted into three genotypes by MLVA-8, genotypes 36 (n = 7, 77.8%), 86 (n = 1, 11.1%) and a new genotype with pattern of 4-5-3-13-2-2-3-1. Each B. abortus strain showed distinct MLVA-16 genotypes, suggesting that B. abortus species may possess more genetic diversity than B. melitensis. Using MLST, most B. melitensis strains (n = 49) were identified as sequence type ST8, and most B. abortus strains (n = 8) were recognized as ST2. Two new sequence types, ST37 and ST38, represented by single strain from B. melitensis and B. abortus species respectively, were also detected in this study. These results could facilitate the pathogen surveillance in the forthcoming eradication programs and serve as a guide in source tracking in case of new outbreaks occur.     

Clonal nature and diversity of resistance,toxins and adhesins genes of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus collected in a Spanish hospital

In this study we determined the prevalence of genes coding for antimicrobial resistance, toxins, enzymes, immunoevasion and adhesins factors among 189 meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated from a third level hospital in Valladolid (Spain) between 2005 and 2008 in order to examine the relationship between these pathogenicity determinants, both individually and in combination, and the genetic background of main MRSA strains that are presents in Spanish hospitals. MRSA isolates were first characterised epidemiologically by a combination of molecular typing strategies like spa, SCCmec and multilocus sequence typing, and then, a cluster analysis based on pathogenicity factors genes was performed according to the hybridisation pattern of 65 virulence, 36 resistance, 15 adhesins, and 11 set/ssl genes on a Diagnostic DNA microarray (Alere StaphyType DNA microarray Jena, Germany). CC5-agr type II [ST125-SCCmecIV/VI (32.2%) or ST125-IV (19.1%), ST228-I (19.1%), ST146-IV (13.7%) and ST5- IV (0.5%)] isolates was widely distributed. CC8-agr type I [ST8-IV (11.5%), USA300 clone (0.5%), and ST239-III (1.1%)]; CC45-agr type II [ST45- IV (1.6%)], and the CC97-agr type I [ST97-IV] were also detected. We identified 42 different resistance genes profiles, 22 set/ssl genes profiles, and 91 different virulence profiles. However although the high genetic diversity of MRSA strains, mainly with respect to virulence factors genes, the results of the simultaneous assessment of resistance and virulence genes and the genetic background illustrated a correspondence relationship (p < 0.001) between the different clones and same resistance and virulence genes or clusters of them. During the study period we observed changes in molecular epidemiology of MRSA isolates and as a consequence we report the changes of the resistance and virulence potential of MRSA strains produced over time in our institution.     

间隔区寡核苷酸分型和多位点可变数量串联重复序列分析在结核分枝杆菌基因分型中的应用

目的评价间隔区寡核苷酸分型(Spoligotyping)及多位点可变数量串联重复序列分析(MLVA)方法在结核分枝杆菌基因分型研究中的应用。方法收集224株结核分枝杆菌临床分离株,分别采用Spoligotyping及MLVA方法进行基因分型,比较两种方法的分型效果,评价两种方法在结核分枝杆菌基因分型中的应用。结果使用Spoligotyping方法,224株结核分枝杆菌呈现出55种基因型,39株具有独特的基因型,其余185株菌呈现出16种基因型;使用MLVA方法时,224株结核分枝杆菌呈现出160种基因型,132株具有独特的基因型,余下的92株菌呈现出28种基因型;当两种方法联合使用时,224株结核分枝杆菌呈现出179种基因型,159株结核分枝杆菌具有独特的基因型,余下的65株菌表现为20种基因型。湖南省和安徽省的菌株中北京家族菌株所占的比例差异有统计学意义(P<0.001),安徽省北京家族菌株所占的比例明显高于湖南省。结论MLVA在结核分枝杆菌株水平的鉴定方面,其分辨能力高于Spoligotyping,但是Spoligotyping在鉴定北京家族菌株和M.bovis方面有一定的优势。将Spoligotyping方法作为一线分型技术,MLVA作为二线分型技术联合应用时,将提高结核病的流行病学调查和病原学监测效果。不同地区的菌株有不同的特点。     

Genetic diversity of Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis strains isolated from humans,pigs, and human living environment

Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) strains are genetically diverse and cause infections in pigs and humans. To elucidate the geographical and host-dependent variations in the genetic diversity of MAH, we performed variable numbers of tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis targeting 19 loci for MAH samples from humans (n = 146), bathroom environments (n = 37), and pigs (n = 75) in Japan; these data were then compared with previously reported VNTR data from other countries. The minimum spanning tree (MST) and the multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analyses based on the VNTR data indicated a high degree of genetic relatedness between isolates from humans and bathrooms in Japan, but a low degree of similarity with the isolates from France and Finland. Moreover, the comparison showed a higher similarity of isolates from Japanese pigs with those from French humans and pigs and Finnish humans and pigs than with other isolates from humans and bathrooms in Japan. The singularity of the Japanese MAH was characterized as the prevalence of hsp65 sequevar code 15 and ISMav6 for the human and bathroom isolates; however, none of the isolates obtained from the pigs belonged to the code 15 or possessed ISMav6. The genetic diversity of MAH and its regional variations imply a possible regional or local specific source of infection and route of transmission of MAH for humans.     

High phylogenetic proximity of isolates of Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis over a two decades-period

The genetic diversity of 47 human isolates of Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) was determined by MIRU-VNTR genotyping. Sixteen unique VNTR patterns and eight clusters including a total 39 isolates were detected; six clusters included strains isolated during at least a 15-year period. Minimum spanning tree analysis showed that 14 VNTR patterns, occurring either as clustered or unique isolates, differed from the nearest one for one allelic variation and that the remaining two patterns differed for two allelic variations. The high phylogenetic proximity of the isolates, even over a long time period, indicates that the MAH genotype is highly homogeneous and conserved.     

Genetic basis of antimicrobial resistance and clonal dynamics of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii sequence type 191 in a Korean hospital

This study investigated the genetic basis of antimicrobial resistance and the epidemiological characteristics of 125 carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) isolates collected from 2011 to 2012 in a Korean hospital. All CRAB isolates showed an extensively drug-resistant phenotype, but were susceptible to tigecycline. The bla_OXA − 23 and armA genes were mainly responsible for resistance to carbapenems and aminoglycosides, respectively. Four colistin-resistant CRAB isolates with different pulsotypes were identified. All four colistin-resistant isolates had a deletion at nucleotide 776 in lpxA, while one also had an insertion at nucleotide 732 in lpxA. All CRAB isolates belonged to three sequence types (STs): ST191 (n = 118), ST208 (n = 6), and ST436 (n = 1), but were classified into 33 arbitrary pulsotypes. Of the CRAB ST191 isolates, two main arbitrary pulsotypes 5 (n = 20) and 18 (n = 17) emerged sequentially, but were not clonally related to CRAB isolates collected from 2009 to 2010 in the same hospital. Furthermore, of the two main pulsotypes identified among CRAB ST191 isolates from 2009 to 2010, one was clonally related to sporadic CRAB ST191 isolates from 2011 to 2012, but the other was not related to any CRAB isolate from 2011 to 2012. In conclusion, this study shows the clonal dynamics of CRAB ST191 isolates in a Korean hospital during the last four years.     

Multilocus sequence typing-based analysis of Moraxella catarrhalis population structure reveals clonal spreading of drug-resistant strains isolated from childhood pneumonia

This work revealed the drug resistance and population structure of Moraxella catarrhalis strains isolated from children less than three years old with pneumonia. Forty-four independent M. catarrhalis strains were analyzed using broth dilution antimicrobial susceptibility testing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The highest non-susceptibility rate was observed for amoxicillin (AMX), which reached 95.5%, followed by clindamycin (CLI) (n = 33; 75.0%), azithromycin (AZM) (61.4%), cefaclor (CEC) (25.0%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) (15.9%), cefuroxime (CXM) (4.5%), tetracycline (TE) (2.3%), and doxycycline (DOX) (2.3%). There was no strain showing non-susceptibility to other six antimicrobials. Using MLST, the 44 M. catarrhalis strains were divided into 33 sequence types (STs). Based on their allelic profiles, the 33 STs were divided into one CC (CC363) and 28 singletons. CC363 contained five STs and ST363 was the founder ST. CC363 contained 63.6%, 33.3%, and 40.7% of CEC non-susceptible, CLI non-susceptible and AZM non-susceptible strains, respectively. The proportions of CEC non-susceptible, CLI non-susceptible and AZM non-susceptible strains in CC363 were higher than that of singletons; these differences were significant for CEC (p = 0.002) and AZM (p = 0.011). Furthermore, CC363 contained more AMX-CLI-AZM co-non-susceptible and AMX-CEC-CLI-AZM co-non-susceptible strains than the singletons (p = 0.007 and p < 0.001, respectively). CC363 is a drug-resistant clone of clinical M. catarrhalis strains in China. Expansion of this clone under selective pressure of antibiotics should be noted and long-term monitoring should be established.     

青海省结核分枝杆菌临床分离株可变数目串联重复序列基因多态性研究

目的 初步了解青海省结核分枝杆菌临床分离株基因多态性和基因分型特征。方法 2009-2012年收集青海省疾病预防控制中心分离的结核分枝杆菌临床分离株,提取DNA,对15个可变数目串联重复序列(VNTR)位点进行PCR扩增和产物电泳分析,使用BioNumerics软件对菌株进行聚类分析。结果 共检测251株结核分枝杆菌临床分离株的15个VNTR位点,显示这些菌株有明显的基因多态性,15个VNTR位点中Hunter-Gaston指数>0.6的VNTR位点有6个,位点分辨能力最高的是MIRU26,经聚类分析,可分为4个基因群,238个基因型。4个基因群分别占4.9%、91.9%、1.6%和1.6%。结论 青海省流行的结核分枝杆菌菌株存在明显的VNTR基因多态性。