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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.

Drug Resistance, Bacterial↗

Nomenclature of major antimicrobial-resistant clones of Streptococcus pneumoniae defined by the pneumococcal molecular epidemiology network.

The emergence of disease caused by penicillin-resistant and multidrug-resistant pneumococci has become a global concern, necessitating the identification of the epidemiological spread of such strains. The Pneumococcal Molecular Epidemiology Network was established in 1997 under the auspices of the International Union of Microbiological Societies with the aim of characterizing, standardizing, naming, and classifying antimicrobial agent-resistant pneumococcal clones. Here we describe the nomenclature for 16 pneumococcal clones that have contributed to the increase in antimicrobial resistance worldwide. Guidelines for the recognition of these clones using molecular typing procedures (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, BOX-PCR, and multilocus sequence typing) are presented, as are the penicillin-binding profiles and macrolide resistance determinants for the 16 clones. This network can serve as a prototype for the collaboration of scientists in identifying clones of important human pathogens and as a model for the development of other networks.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Successful multiresistant community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus lineage from Taipei, Taiwan, that carries either the novel Staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec) type VT or SCCmec type IV.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates carry the methicillin resistance gene (mecA) on a horizontally transferred genetic element called the staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec). Community-acquired MRSA (CAMRSA) isolates usually carry SCCmec type IV. We previously reported that 76% of 17 CAMRSA isolates (multilocus sequence type 59) obtained from pediatric patients with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) from Taipei did not carry SCCmec types I to IV. We used DNA sequence analysis to determine that the element harbored by these nontypeable isolates is a novel subtype of SCCmec V called SCCmec V(T.) It contains a ccrC recombinase gene variant (ccrC2) and mec complex C2. One SSTI isolate contained molecular features of SCCmec IV but also contained ccrC2 (a feature of SCCmec V(T)), suggesting that it may harbor a composite SCCmec element. The genes lukS-PV and lukF-PV encoding the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) were present in all CAMRSA SSTI isolates whether they contained SCCmec type IV or V(T). SCCmec V(T) was also present in 5 of 34 (14.7%) CAMRSA colonization isolates collected from healthy children from Taipei who lacked MRSA risk factors. Four (80%) of the these isolates contained lukS-PV and lukF-PV, as did 1 of 27 (3.7%) SCCmec IV-containing colonization isolates. A total of 63% (10 of 16) of the SSTI isolates and 61.7% (21 of 34) of the colonization isolates tested were resistant to at least four classes of non-beta-lactam antimicrobials. SCCmec V(T) is a novel SCCmec variant that is found in multiply resistant CAMRSA strains with sequence type 59 in Taipei in association with the PVL leukotoxin genes.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Clonal composition of Staphylococcus aureus isolates at a Brazilian university hospital: identification of international circulating lineages.

In only a few instances has the clonal composition of Staphylococcus aureus collections that include methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) been extensively characterized. In order to investigate the clonal composition of MSSA and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and examine whether the infections diagnosed at our hospital were related to internationally distributed S. aureus lineages, we collected 89 clinical S. aureus isolates from patients at a public university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from September 1999 to June 2000. All S. aureus isolates were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus restriction fragment typing (MLRFT), and a subset (n = 17) was further characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The 34 MRSA isolates were additionally characterized by SCCmec typing. The MSSA population (n = 55) was grouped into 18 restriction fragment types (RFTs); of these, five RFTs accounted for 67% (37) of the MSSA isolates. MRSA isolates were clustered into only three RFTs (P = 0.02). The majority of MSSA RFTs were related to sequence type 30 (ST30) (12 isolates, 22%), ST1, ST188, and ST432 (6 isolates, 11% each). The predominant MRSA RFT comprised 31 (91%) of 34 isolates; four randomly selected isolates of this RFT were ST239, the previously described widely disseminated Brazilian clone. However, a fifth isolate belonging to this RFT was the ST644, a new single locus variant of ST239. By applying MLRFT and MLST, we found evidence for a clonal structure in MSSA isolates and detected the dissemination of MSSA clonal complexes 1, 5, 8, 30, and 45.

Adolescent↗

Molecular typing of bacteria directly from cerebrospinal fluid.

Using Streptococcus pneumoniae as an example, the ability of multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to characterise isolates directly from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was investigated. A nested multiplex polymerase chain reaction method that amplifies the seven housekeeping gene fragments used for pneumococcal MLST was applied to 30 CSF samples from suspected cases of bacterial meningitis. The fragments were amplified from all 14 samples from which Streptococcus pneumoniae was cultured, and, after direct sequencing, the allelic profiles obtained from ten of the samples corresponded to those of clones previously associated with invasive pneumococcal disease. MLST could also predict the penicillin susceptibility and serotype of the CSF isolates.

Alleles↗

Streptococcus suis sequence type 7 outbreak, Sichuan, China.

An outbreak of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 emerged in the summer of 2005 in Sichuan Province, and sporadic infections occurred in 4 additional provinces of China. In total, 99 S. suis strains were isolated and analyzed in this study: 88 isolates from human patients and 11 from diseased pigs. We defined 98 of 99 isolates as pulse type I by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis of SmaI-digested chromosomal DNA. Furthermore, multilocus sequence typing classified 97 of 98 members of the pulse type I in the same sequence type (ST), ST-7. Isolates of ST-7 were more toxic to peripheral blood mononuclear cells than ST-1 strains. S. suis ST-7, the causative agent, was a single-locus variant of ST-1 with increased virulence. These findings strongly suggest that ST-7 is an emerging, highly virulent S. suis clone that caused the largest S. suis outbreak ever described.

Animals↗

Molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated in Tunisia.

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are an emerging problem, especially related to the production of staphylococcal toxins. In this study we investigate the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of 72 Tunisian MRSA. Our results revealed that these strains are multiresistant. Using multiplex polymerase chain reaction, we detected staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV and IVA in 66 isolates. The latter are Panton-Valentine leukocidin positive. The leukotoxin genes lukE-lukD were found in most strains (92.4%). The amplification of gamma-hemolysin gene was detected only in 2 MRSA isolates. Among all strains, only 1 expressed the exfoliatin A. fnbA gene was detected in 12 strains, fnbB gene in 2 strains, and both fnbA and fnbB genes in 2 other strains. The most predominant accessory gene regulator group identified was group III. Full characterization of these MRSA strains requires the association of SCCmec typing with other molecular methods such as pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, multilocus-sequence typing, and spa typing.

Adolescent↗

Type V staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec in community staphylococci from Australia.

Twenty Australian community staphylococci harboring the type V staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) were found to belong to eight multilocus sequence types. Five were previously unreported novel type V SCCmec elements. The mec complexes were of two types, based on the polymorphisms in the IS431 transposase genes. Five isolates were multiresistant.

Australia↗

Determinants of acquisition and carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in infancy.

Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus is a major risk factor for invasive S. aureus disease. The aim of this study was to define factors associated with carriage. We conducted a prospective, longitudinal community-based study of infants and their mothers for a period of 6 months following delivery. The epidemiology of carriage was examined for 100 infant-mother pairs. Infant carriage varied significantly with age, falling from 40 to 50% during the first 8 weeks to 21% by 6 months. Determinants of infant S. aureus carriage included maternal carriage, breastfeeding, and number of siblings. Bacterial typing of S. aureus was performed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. The majority of individuals carried a single strain of S. aureus over time, and the mother was the usual source for colonizing isolates in infants. The effect of other components of the normal nasal flora on the development of S. aureus carriage was examined in 157 consecutive infants. Negative associations (putative bacterial interference) between S. aureus and other species occurred early in infancy but were not sustained. An increasing antistaphylococcal effect observed over time was not attributable to bacterial interference. S. aureus carriage in infants is likely to be determined by a combination of host, environmental, and bacterial factors, but bacterial interference does not appear to be an ultimate determinant of carrier status.

Breast Feeding↗

Related clones containing SCCmec type IV predominate among clinically significant Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates.

SCCmec is a mobile genetic element that carries the gene (mecA) mediating methicillin resistance in staphylococci. For Staphylococcus aureus, four SCCmec types have been described, one (type IV) of which has been associated with newly identified community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus. However, the distribution of SCCmec types among S. epidermidis is not known. SCCmec typing of a collection of 44 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) isolates recovered between 1973 and 1983 from the blood of patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) was performed by PCR amplification of key genetic elements (mecA, mecI, IS1272, and ccrAB). Of the 44 isolates, 1 (2%) harbored SCCmec type I, 15 (34%) harbored type II, 12 (28%) harbored type III, and 16 (36%) harbored type IV. The complete nucleotide sequence of SCCmec type IV was determined for 16 isolates and found to be identical in size (24 kb) and 98% homologous to DNA sequences published for S. aureus. Type IV SCCmec was also common (5 of 10 isolates) among a geographically dispersed collection of 10 recent (1998 to 2001) S. epidermidis bloodstream isolates. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) (using the same seven genes presently employed for S. aureus MLST) of these MRSE isolates and of 10 additional recent geographically dispersed methicillin-susceptible isolates demonstrated that all 16 PVE isolates and 2 of 5 recent isolates harboring type IV SCCmec were in three related clonal groups. All three MSSE PVE isolates recovered from patients between 1976 and 1979 were in the same clonal groups as type IV SCCmec MRSE isolates. These data support the hypothesis of intra- and interspecies transfer of type IV SCCmec and suggest that there are clonal associations in S. epidermidis that correlate with SCCmec type.

Alleles↗

Illustration of a common framework for relating multiple typing methods by application to macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes.

The studies that correlate the results obtained by different typing methodologies rely solely on qualitative comparisons of the groups defined by each methodology. We propose a framework of measures for the quantitative assessment of correspondences between different typing methods as a first step to the global mapping of type equivalences. A collection of 325 macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes isolates associated with pharyngitis cases in Portugal was used to benchmark the proposed measures. All isolates were characterized by macrolide resistance phenotyping, T serotyping, emm sequence typing, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), using SmaI or Cfr9I and SfiI. A subset of 41 isolates, representing each PFGE cluster, was also characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The application of Adjusted Rand and Wallace indices allowed the evaluation of the strength and the directionality of the correspondences between the various typing methods and showed that if PFGE or MLST data are available one can confidently predict the emm type (Wallace coefficients of 0.952 for both methods). In contrast, emm typing was a poor predictor of PFGE cluster or MLST sequence type (Wallace coefficients of 0.803 and 0.655, respectively). This was confirmed by the analysis of the larger data set available from http://spyogenes.mlst.net and underscores the necessity of performing PFGE or MLST to unambiguously define clones in S. pyogenes.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Genetic relatedness between group B streptococci originating from bovine mastitis and a human group B Streptococcus type V cluster displaying an identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern.

Twenty isolates of group B streptococcus (GBS) were recovered from the milk of cows with bovine mastitis on three farms located in the south and south-east of Brazil between 1987 and 1988. These isolates were characterised by molecular methods and compared with a collection of 103 human GBS isolates from colonised and infected patients in the same region between 1980 and 2003. Some of the bovine isolates shared identical or similar pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns with a PFGE clone of human GBS type V. In addition, these bovine and human isolates also possessed the same ribotype. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of representative isolates confirmed the genetic relationship between the human and bovine GBS isolates with identical PFGE patterns, which clustered in the same ST-26 clonal complex. These data support the hypothesis that some bovine GBS strains are related closely to human isolates and may infect humans, or vice versa. Further comparative genomic analyses of GBS isolates from bovine and human origins are required to investigate this hypothesis further.

Animals↗

Genetic analysis of enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serogroup O103 strains by molecular typing of virulence and housekeeping genes and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

We investigated the genetic relationships of 54 Escherichia coli O103 strains from humans, animals, and meat by molecular typing of housekeeping and virulence genes and by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of seven housekeeping genes revealed seven profiles, I through VII. MLST profiles I plus III cover 45 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O103:H2 strains from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and Northern Ireland that are characterized by the intimin (eae) epsilon gene and carry enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) virulence plasmids. MLST profile II groups five human and animal enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) O103:H2 strains that were positive for intimin (eae) beta. Although strains belonging to MLST groups II and I plus III are closely related to each other (92.6% identity), major differences were found in the housekeeping icdA gene and in the virulence-associated genes eae and escD. E. coli O103 strains with MLST patterns IV to VII are genetically distant from MLST I, II, and III strains, as are the non-O103 E. coli strains EDL933 (O157), MG1655 (K-12), and CFT073 (O6). Comparison of MLST results with those of PFGE and virulence typing demonstrated that E. coli O103 STEC and EPEC have recently acquired different virulence genes and DNA rearrangements, causing alterations in their PFGE patterns. PFGE typing was very useful for identification of genetically closely related subgroups among MLST I strains, such as Stx2-producing STEC O103 strains from patients with hemolytic uremic syndrome. Analysis of virulence genes contributed to grouping of E. coli O103 strains into EPEC and STEC. Novel virulence markers, such as efa (EHEC factor for adherence), paa (porcine adherence factor), and cif (cell cycle-inhibiting factor), were found widely associated with E. coli O103 EPEC and STEC strains.

Adhesins, Bacterial↗

Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) characterization and molecular analysis for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and novel SCCmec subtype IVg isolated from bovine milk in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from bovine milk, and examine the genetic relatedness between MRSA from bovine milk and MRSA from human isolates. METHODS: Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed on MRSA isolated from bovine milk. PCR and sequencing analysis were performed to determine the SCCmec type of MRSA, and to confirm their toxin carriage. Genetic relatedness among the bovine isolates and between bovine and human isolates was detected with PFGE and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). RESULTS: Fourteen MRSA and a silent mecA-carrying methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (smMSSA) were isolated from the milk of cows with an isolation ratio of 0.18%. SCCmec of 14 MRSA strains were designated as new subtype IVg, and one smMSSA strain was not classified. All 14 MRSA strains shared Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) and staphylococcal enterotoxin D (SED), SEI and SEJ; the smMSSA strain had only PVL. All MRSA and smMSSA isolates showed no multidrug resistance and had community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) characteristics. PFGE revealed that all isolates except the smMSSA belonged to the same genetic lineage, and MLST analysis showed that they had no genetic relatedness with CA-MRSA which had caused human infection in Korea. CONCLUSIONS: MRSA isolated from bovine milk harboured a unique SCCmec subtype, and they may not be correlated with the emergence of CA-MRSA in human infection in Korea.

Animals↗

Proposal to create subspecies of Rickettsia conorii based on multi-locus sequence typing and an emended description of Rickettsia conorii.

BACKGROUND: Rickettsiae closely related to the Malish strain, the reference Rickettsia conorii strain, include Indian tick typhus rickettsia (ITTR), Israeli spotted fever rickettsia (ISFR), and Astrakhan fever rickettsia (AFR). Although closely related genotypically, they are distinct serotypically. Using multilocus sequence typing (MLST), we have recently found that distinct serotypes may not always represent distinct species within the Rickettsia genus. We investigated the possibility of classifying rickettsiae closely related to R. conorii as R. conorii subspecies as proposed by the ad hoc committee on reconciliation of approaches to bacterial systematics. For this, we first estimated their genotypic variability by using MLST including the sequencing of 5 genes, of 31 rickettsial isolates closely related to R. conorii strain Malish, 1 ITTR isolate, 2 isolates and 3 tick amplicons of AFR, and 2 ISFR isolates. Then, we selected a representative of each MLST genotype and used multi-spacer typing (MST) and mouse serotyping to estimate their degree of taxonomic relatedness. RESULTS: Among the 39 isolates or tick amplicons studied, four MLST genotypes were identified: i) the Malish type; ii) the ITTR type; iii) the AFR type; and iv) the ISFR type. Among these four MLST genotypes, the pairwise similarity in nucleotide sequence varied from 99.8 to 100%, 99.4 to 100%, 98.2 to 99.8%, 98.4 to 99.8%, and 99.2 to 99.9% for 16S rDNA, gltA, ompA, ompB, and sca4 genes, respectively. Representatives of the 4 MLST types were also classified within four types using MST genotyping as well as mouse serotyping. CONCLUSION: Although homogeneous genotypically, strains within the R. conorii species show MST genotypic, serotypic, and epidemio-clinical dissimilarities. We, therefore, propose to modify the nomenclature of the R. conorii species through the creation of subspecies. We propose the names R. conorii subsp. conorii subsp. nov. (type strain = Malish, ATCC VR-613), R. conorii subspecies indica subsp. nov. (type strain = ATCC VR-597), R. conorii subspecies caspia subsp. nov. (type strain = A-167), and R. conorii subspecies israelensis subsp. nov. (type strain = ISTT CDC1). The description of R. conorii is emended to accomodate the four subspecies.

Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial↗

Isolation of DNA for PCR assays from noncultivable Campylobacter jejuni isolates.

Isolates of Campylobacter jejuni shipped internationally often arrive in a noncultivable state. We describe a PCR-based methodology whereby phylogenetic information can be recovered from noncultivable C. jejuni stored in Wang's transport medium. The robustness of this methodology was initially tested using 5 previously characterized strains of C. jejuni isolated from various sources associated with poultry production. These isolates were stored in Wang's transport medium before being subjected to 1 of 5 treatments designed to render the stored cells noncultivable: prolonged storage at room temperature, prolonged incubation at 42 degrees C, multiple rounds of freezing and thawing, boiling, or contamination with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). This method resulted in DNA appropriate for PCR. An approximately 400-nucleotide amplicon from the flaA gene and an approximately 800-nucleotide amplicon from 16S rDNA were readily obtained, and a 1.5-kb section of the flaA locus was amplified from about half of the samples. These results indicate that this method may be useful for isolate typing schemes based on PCR amplification of Campylobacter DNA, including flaA short variable region (flaA SVR) sequencing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and flaA PCR-RFLP. By using this method, isolates unrecoverable from transport medium can still be used to provide phylogenetic information for epidemiological studies.

Campylobacter jejuni↗

Identification of novel cps locus polymorphisms in nontypable group B Streptococcus.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is an important pathogen responsible for a variety of diseases in newborns and the elderly. A clinical GBS isolate is considered nontypable (NT) when serological methods fail to identify it as one of nine known GBS serotypes. Eight clinical isolates (designated A1-A4, B1-B4) showed PFGE profiles similar to that of a GBS serotype V strain expressing R1, R4 surface proteins. These unique isolates were further characterized by immunologic and genetic methods. Rabbit sera to isolates A1 and A2 reacted weakly with concentrated HCl extracts of A1-A4 isolates, but not with those of B1-B4 isolates. In addition, a type V capsular polysaccharide (CPS) inhibition ELISA revealed that cell wall extracts from isolates A1-A4, but not from B1-B4, expressed low but measurable amounts of type V CPS. Molecular serotyping with PCR analysis showed that all eight isolates contained a type V-specific CPS gene (cpsO) and harboured the gene encoding the surface protein Alp3. Multilocus sequence typing identified isolate A1 as belonging to a new sequence type (ST) designated ST-173, whereas the other seven isolates keyed to ST-1. Sequencing of the 18 genes (17 736 bp) in the cps locus showed that each NT isolate harboured one to three unique polymorphisms, and also identified an IS1381 element in cpsE of the B4 isolate. Collectively, genetic and immunologic analyses revealed that these NT isolates expressing R1, R4 proteins have a genetic profile consistent with that of type V, an emergent, antigenically diverse and increasingly prevalent GBS serotype.

Animals↗