Development of a real-time fluorescence resonance energy transfer PCR to identify the main pathogenic Campylobacter spp.

A simple real-time fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) PCR, targeting the gyrA gene outside the quinolone resistance-determining region, was developed to identify Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. These species were distinguished easily, as the corresponding melting points showed a difference of 15 degrees C. A second assay using the same biprobe and PCR conditions, but different PCR primers, was also developed to identify the less frequently encountered Campylobacter fetus. These assays were applied to 807 Campylobacter isolates from clinical specimens. Compared to phenotypic identification tests, the FRET assay yielded the same results for all except three of the isolates. Analysis by standard PCR and 16S rDNA sequencing demonstrated that two of these isolates were hippurate-negative C. jejuni strains, resulting in an erroneous phenotypic identification, while the third was an isolate of C. coli that contained a gyrA gene typical of C. jejuni, resulting in misidentification by the FRET assay. The FRET assay identified more isolates than standard PCR, which failed to yield amplification products with c. 10% of isolates. It was concluded that the FRET assays were rapid, reliable, reproducible and relatively cost-efficient, as they require only one biprobe and can be performed directly on boiled isolates.     

Typhoid fever due to a Salmonella typhi strain of reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones

Objective: To report a case of typhoid fever contracted in Portugal in 1994 due to a Salmonella typhi isolate which had reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolone (MIC 1 mg/L of ciprofloxacin) and high level resistance to nalidixic acid (MIC ≥56 mg/L).
Methods: Molecular studies of reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones comprised complementation tests with a wild-type allele and sequencing directly from PCR products of the gyrA gene.
Results: Complementation tests and DNA sequencing showed that a mutation occurred in the gyrA gene of this clinical isolate, resulting in a substitution of phenylalanine for serine at position 83 of GyrA.
Conclusions: Because quinolones may be regarded as a treatment of choice in typhoid fever, it seems important now to recommend cautious use of these drugs as first-line therapy and possibly use of nalidixic acid resistance as a marker for detection of 'first-step' resistance to fluoroquinolones in S. typhi.     

Clonality among ampicillin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolates in Sweden and relationship with ciprofloxacin resistance

Objective  To investigate clonal relationships in a nationwide sample of human Enterococcus faecium isolates.
Methods  Biochemical fingerprinting (PhP (PhenePlate) typing) was used to compare 180 fecal ampicillin-resistant E. faecium (ARE) isolates with 169 matched fecal ampicillin-susceptible E. faecium (ASE) isolates from patients in 23 hospitals, collected in 1998, and to study 39 fecal ARE isolates from non-hospitalized individuals collected in 1998, and five ARE and 29 ASE isolates from the early 1990s. Representative ARE and ASE isolates were subjected to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of genomic DNA and sequencing of the regions encoding the fluoroquinolone targets of the enzymes GyrA and ParC.
Results  Both PhP and PFGE results showed a higher homogeneity among ARE than among ASE isolates ( P  < 0.001). One PhP type (FMSE1) comprised 73% of the hospital ARE isolates (53% of ARE isolates from non-hospitalized individuals, and four of five ARE isolates from the early 1990s), but only 1% of the ASE isolates. PFGE of the hospital E. faecium isolates revealed that 23 of the 25 ARE isolates and one of the 22 ASE isolates were of one dominating type. High-level resistance to ciprofloxacin (MIC > 16 mg/L) was present in 91% of ARE isolates, whereas only low-level resistance (MIC 4–16 mg/L; 35% of isolates) was found among ASE isolates. One mutation in parC (codon 80) and one of two mutations in gyrA (codons 83 or 87) were detected in all ARE isolates tested with high-level ciprofloxacin resistance, but were lacking in ARE and ASE isolates with low-level ciprofloxacin resistance.
Conclusion  Most ARE isolates in Sweden were clonally related. High-level ciprofloxacin resistance was found in ARE isolates of PhP type FMSE1 as well as in other PhP types, but never in ASE isolates.     

对喹诺酮类药物耐药的志贺菌gyrA基因突变的研究

目的研究福氏志贺菌对喹诺酮类药物的耐药机制。方法对38株耐药的福氏志贺菌gyrA基因的N末端编码区进行PCR扩增后,用SSCP方法检测突变,然后测序。结果福氏志贺菌gyrA基因PCR-SSCP显示有8株突变,测序结果揭示存在2个导致氨基酸改变的基因点突变:83位TCG(Ser)→TTG(Leu)突变和87位GAC(Asp)→GGC(Gly)突变。结论gyrA基因点突变与福氏志贺菌对喹诺酮类药物的高水平耐药有密切关系。     

淋病奈瑟氏菌中国流行株gyrA和parC基因与喹诺酮类耐药性的相关性

目的　调查中国地区淋病奈瑟氏菌 (NG)对喹诺酮类的耐药性状况 ,探讨高水平耐药的基因突变株对喹诺酮类耐药机制的作用 .方法　对 9a来临床分离保存淋球菌流行株进行了体外环丙沙星 (CIP)药敏实验 .筛选出 76株高水平CIP耐药株 ,通过 PCR扩增了其中的 1 8株 NG的 gyr A和par C喹诺酮耐药决定区基因 ,并对扩增子直接测序 .通过N he I酶切、脉冲电场凝胶电泳 (PFEG)分析了这些菌株的遗传关系 .结果　环丙沙星的耐药检出率有逐年增高的趋势 ,MIC≥ 1 .0 mg· L- 1的菌株由 1 993年的 5 .1 %上升到 2 0 0 1年的 2 1 .4% .对照组中的 1 8株敏感菌只有两株发生了 gyr A的单一突变 ,未发现 par C变异 ;而耐药组中 89% (1 6 )菌株的gyr A发生了 Ser- 91向 Phe的单一突变株或 (和 ) par C的双突变 .88.9% (1 5 )的菌株的 gyr A发生了 Ser- 91向 Phe和 Asp-95向 Gly的突变 .在发生 par C突变中 72 %属于 Asp- 86向Asn突变 .PFEG分析发现 1 0株具有完全一致的 gyr A和par C突变模式 .同时也发现来自不同地区的菌株的 PFEG指纹图是不同的 .结论　研究表明 ,在中国 NG流行株对喹诺酮类耐药率呈增长趋势 ;NG流行株对喹诺酮产生耐药性与gyr A和 par C基因双重突变有着密切的关系     

耐喹诺酮类福氏志贺菌基因突变分析

目的研究福氏志贺菌DNA旋转酶gyrA基因、拓扑异构酶ⅣparC基因突变与其喹诺酮类药物耐药的关系.方法对临床收集的1株喹诺酮类药物敏感福氏志贺菌、2株喹诺酮类药物耐药程度不同的福氏志贺菌,对上述2个靶基因进行聚合酶链反应(PCR)扩增及核酸序列分析.结果首次发现临床分离喹诺酮类耐药福氏志贺菌parC基因突变,导致121,129,131,134,141,L51位5个位点氨基酸编码改变;耐药程度较高的菌株共发现gyrA、parC基因上6个突变位点,耐药程度较低的菌株发现gyrA基因1个突变位点.结论福氏志贺菌DNA旋转酶gyrA基因和拓扑异构酶ⅣparC基因突变均与其喹诺酮类药物耐药有关,靶基因突变位点数量可能与喹诺酮类药物耐药程度有关,临床耐药株靶基因突变存在多态性.     

Alarming Resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a Tertiary Care Hospital of North India

Background: This study attempted to elucidate the spectrum of sexually transmitted infections in a tertiary care centre in North India and to assess the antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Materials and Methods: Antimicrobial resistance pattern of N. gonorrhoeae was determined by the standard techniques. Genotypic detection of gyrA, parC and blaTEM genes was also carried out. The results of gyrA gene by polymerase chain reaction were confirmed by DNA sequencing. Results: N. gonorrhoea was identified in 10 (4.98%) patients, and antimicrobial sensitivity was performed in seven patients. All the seven patients tested were quinolone-resistant N. gonorrhoeae (QRNG), 5/7 were penicillinase-producing N. gonorrhoeae, 1/7 was chromosomally mediated penicillin-resistant N. gonorrhoeae and 3/7 were tetracycline-resistant N. gonorrhoeae. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) by E-test was performed in five strains, and we observed that MIC90 for ciprofloxacin was ≥4 μg/ml, for penicillin was ≥6 μg/ml and for tetracycline was 12 μg/ml, which clearly brackets them as resistant isolates. The presence of TEM gene was confirmed genotypically in six out of seven cases. In all seven cases, gyrA and parC were observed, thus confirming their QRNG status. Conclusion: Alarming increase in the resistance to commonly used antimicrobials for gonorrhoea in our study, especially of fluoroquinolones, is a clarion call for the urgent need for prudence in prescribing them. Observing the rampant resistance exhibited by N. gonorrhoeae, it is clear that the day is not far when it will acquire a superbug status and become intractable to treatment by the available antibiotics.     

Doxorubicin,Paclitaxel and Gemcitabine: a Phase I Study of a New Sequential Treatment in Stage III B - IV Breast Cancer

Abstract

Based on the synergistic interactions of the sequence doxorubicin-paclitaxelgemcitabine obtained in our preclinical study, a Phase I trial was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of this new sequence in breast cancer. Patients with stage IIIBIV breast cancer received doxorubicin on day 1, paclitaxel on day 2 and gemcitabine on day 6 and 13 (steps IIa, III and V) in cohorts of 3 patients. From March 1999 to December 2000, 9 patients were treated. The most important toxicity was hematological. The maximum tolerated dose was reached at the second level because dose-limiting toxicity occurred in 3 patients. Non hematological toxicities were alopecia, diarrhea, asthenia, nausea, mucositis, paresthesia and myalgia. A Phase II trial is ongoing to further investigate the activity of this new sequential treatment with doxorubicin (50 mg/m² day 1), paclitaxel (160 mg/m² day 2) and gemcitabine (800 mg/m² day 6) in advanced breast cancer.     

PCR-SSCP在淋球菌氟喹诺酮耐药基因突变研究中的应用

目的 探讨用PCR-SSCP方法检测淋球菌氟喹诺酮耐药基因突变的研究。方法 自行设计gyrA基因特异性扩增引物，运用PCR-SSCP银染色方法检测基因突变。结果 在30例淋球菌临床分离株中选取13例，对其gyrA基因342bp扩增产物进行DNA序列测定，其91位和95位位点发生突变。结论 通过本研究所使用PCR-SSCP的方法检测临床分离出的淋球菌是否对氟喹诺酮耐药，并通过序列分析了解到淋球菌耐药基因突变以gyrA基因编码91位及95位点的氨基酸的碱基突变为主。通过此方法可以早期、准确、快速地检测出从临床获得的淋球菌菌株是否对氟喹诺酮耐药，从而指导临床用药及治疗。     

gyrA和parC介导的淋病奈瑟菌对环丙沙星耐药机制研究

目的探讨淋病奈瑟菌对环丙沙星的耐药机制。方法采用K-B纸片法检测27株淋病奈瑟菌的耐药率,PCR扩增gyrA和parC基因,测序分析DNA序列。结果27株淋病奈瑟菌对青霉素、四环素以及环丙沙星的耐药率均为100%,而大观霉素和头孢曲松100%敏感;DNA序列分析表明:环丙沙星耐药株均存在gyrA和parC基因的突变,其中gyrA基因的突变位点发生在第91位、95位氨基酸,parC基因的突变发生在第86位、87位、88位和91位氨基酸。结论淋病奈瑟菌的耐药与gyrA和parC基因突变有关。