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PubMed2003

A comparison of the antimicrobial resistance patterns of gram-positive cocci isolated from community-private and university-affiliated hospitals from Puerto Rico.

The antimicrobial resistance patterns of 2,462 selected Gram-positive cocci obtained from three Community-Private Hospitals (CPH) and three University-Affiliated Hospitals (UAH) were evaluated utilizing the institutions' antimicrobial susceptibility reports for the year 2000. The objectives of this study were: 1) to evaluate the in vitro resistance to selected standard antibiotics of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus pneumoniae clinical isolates, and 2) to compare the antimicrobial resistance patterns between community-private (CPH) and university-affiliated hospitals (UAH). Staphylococcus aureus was the most common Gram-positive isolated organism in CPH (63.3%) followed by E. faecalis (31.0%). In UAH, the most prevalent cocci were E. faecalis (51.7%) followed by S. aureus (43.9%). Enterococcus faecium represented 2.3% and 4.4% of CPH and UAH isolates, respectively. Streptococcus pneumoniae represented 3.4% of the total Gram-positive isolates from CPH, no S. pneumoniae was reported in UAH. The antimicrobial susceptibility results showed that for Staphylococcus aureus there was a statistically significant higher resistance to methicillin and thrimethoprim sulfamethoxazole in UAH, while resistance to erythromycin was significantly higher in CPH. There was no difference in the resistance of S. aureus to other antimicrobial agents between hospitals groups. A statistically significant resistant to vancomycin was found between enterococcal isolates from UAH (43%) and CPH (12.7%). High-level aminoglycoside resistance (HLAR) was observed among UAH enterococcal isolates with E. faecium showing a higher resistance than E. faecalis, no data for HLAR in CPH could be obtained. For pneumococci 46% of CPH isolates were resistant to penicillin. In summary, there are important differences in the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance between the Gram-positive bacteria isolated from community and teaching hospitals.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed2006

Molecular epidemiology of hospital-acquired vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains are a significant cause of nosocomial infections in predisposed patients. Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) has been validated recently by use of a global strain collection. In this report, we applied MLVA together with multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to type 14 isolates from three clusters of patients colonized or infected with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and another 10 epidemiologically unrelated isolates from the same hospital. The clusters could be distinguished by all three typing methods, which proved to be concordant. PFGE patterns provided the highest resolution. We observed seven sequence types (ST), six MLVA types (MT), and nine distinct ST/MT combinations. The combination of MLST and MLVA may be an alternative to PFGE in hospital epidemiology, providing the benefits of high accuracy, reproducibility, and portability.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

PubMed1999

Public health issues arising from microbiological and labelling quality of foods and supplements containing probiotic microorganisms.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy and helpfulness of labelling on products containing probiotic bacteria. DESIGN AND SETTING: 52 such products - 44 from the UK (21 supplements, 15 fermented functional foods, eight 'health-care' products) and eight from continental Europe - have been tested for microbiological content, and results compared to the information available on their labels. Products were stored in the dark at 4 degrees C and analysed before their expiry or sell-by date. Careful note was taken of wording on labels, package inserts, packaging, promotional literature and catalogue descriptions, as applicable. Products were cultured on appropriate bacteriological media, and organisms grown were counted and identified. RESULTS: Bioyoghurts gave no indication of numbers, and only five accurately described their bacterial content; results of culture were usually satisfactory. 'Healthcare' products (mostly intended for the bowel) usually indicated the presence of bacteria, but the numerical content was hard to ascertain, and cultural results fell short of label claims. Supplements were sometimes incorrectly labelled in bacteriological terms, and often contained markedly reduced numbers and/or had extraneous strains and/or strains specified on the label were missing. Products from continental Europe (that were sold for specific medical indications) seemed of a higher microbiological standard. The potential pathogen Enterococcus faecium was found in nine products. The most successful of the new functional foods in Britain now contain probiotics, and probiotic preparations are prominent among the expanding range of nutritional supplements presently available to consumers. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings have public health implications, and suggest that improvements are needed in labelling and quality assurance procedures for products containing probiotic organisms. The presence of the potential pathogen Enterococcus faecium (intentionally or as a contaminant) in some products calls for a review of the value of this species as a probiotic.

Dietary Supplements↗

PubMed1994

Differential susceptibilities of enterococcal species to elfamycin antibiotics.

The elfamycins are a class of naturally occurring antibiotics not currently used in the therapy of human disease. Enterococcus faecium and closely related species (Enterococcus durans and Enterococcus hirae) are susceptible to these antibiotics, while isolates of Enterococcus faecalis and other enterococcal species are highly resistant. Among enterococci, susceptibility or resistance to elfamycins appears to be determined by the bacterial protein synthesis elongation factor EF-Tu. Elfamycin susceptibility may be a useful adjunct for rapidly distinguishing E. faecalis and E. faecium in the clinical microbiology laboratory and/or as a supplementary test for use in determining the species of enterococci.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed2006

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in bacteriology: towards a reference method for bacteria discrimination.

Rapid and reliable discrimination among clinically relevant pathogenic organisms is a crucial task in microbiology. Microorganism resistance to antimicrobial agents increases prevalence of infections. The possibility of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to assess the overall molecular composition of microbial cells in a non-destructive manner is reflected in the specific spectral fingerprints highly typical for different microorganisms. With the objective of using FT-IR spectroscopy for discrimination between diverse microbial species and strains on a routine basis, a wide range of chemometrics techniques need to be applied. Still a major issue in using FT-IR for successful bacteria characterization is the method for spectra pre-processing. We analyzed different spectra pre-processing methods and their impact on the reduction of spectral variability and on the increase of robustness of chemometrics models. Different types of the Enterococcus faecium bacterial strain were classified according to chromosomal DNA restriction patterns produced by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Samples were collected from human patients. Collected FT-IR spectra were used to verify if the same classification was obtained. In order to further optimize bacteria classification we investigated whether a selected combination of the most discriminative spectral regions could improve results. Two different variable selection methods (genetic algorithms (GAs) and bootstrapping) were investigated and their relative merit for bacteria classification is reported by comparing with results obtained using the entire spectra. Discriminant partial least-squares (Di-PLS) models based on corrected spectra showed improved predictive ability up to 40% when compared to equivalent models using the entire spectral range. The uncertainty in estimating scores was reduced by about 50% when compared to models with all wavelengths. Spectral ranges with relevant chemical information for Enterococcus faecium bacteria discrimination were outlined.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

PubMed2006

High prevalence of ceftazidime-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and increase of imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp. in Korea: a KONSAR program in 2004.

A nationwide antimicrobial resistance surveillance has been conducted since 1997 in Korea. In this study, susceptibility test data generated in 2004 by KONSAR group hospitals were analyzed and compared to those at a commercial laboratory. In hospitals, the rank orders of organisms in 2004 were identical to those in 2003. The most prevalent species was Staphylococcus aureus (20.2%) in hospitals, but Escherichia coli (29.7%) in the commercial laboratory. The proportions of Enterococcus faecium to all isolates of Enterococcus faecalis plus E. faecium were 47.2% in hospitals and 24.9% in the commercial laboratory. The mean resistance rates of significant antimicrobial-organism combinations in hospitals were: oxacillin-resistant S. aureus (68%), oxacillin-resistant (penicillin- nonsusceptible) Streptococcus pneumoniae (68%), vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (25%), cefotaxime-resistant E. coli (14%), ceftazidime- and cefoxitin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (34% and 32%, respectively), and imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (17% and 24%, respectively). In conclusion, oxacillin-resistant staphylococci, expanded-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant K. pneumoniae, and imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. and P. aeruginosa were prevalent in 2004. Increasing trends were observed for vancomycin-resistant E. faecium, cefoxitin- resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae, and imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. and P. aeruginosa. Certain antimicrobial- organism combinations were also prevalent among the commercial laboratory-tested strains.

Acinetobacter↗

PubMed1997

A microbiology investigation on probiotic pharmaceutical products used for human health.

Many and different probiotic pharmaceutical products are presently commercialised in the world. On this regard, a microbiological investigation was carried out to screen the microorganisms incorporated into these products, commonly used for human health. After determination of the cell number and viability of bacteria, several experiments were performed in vitro in order to characterise the microorganisms and to evaluate their probiotic value. Among all the strains identified, best results were obtained with Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Enterococcus faecium and Saccharomyces cerevisiae as far as regards growth rates, pH and bile salts tolerance. Moreover, the identification profiles of microorganisms showed a better reliability for the products containing a single species whereas the ones composed of different strains were usually not satisfactory. In some cases, the presence of Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces species was in disagreement with the claimed composition of the product and some species of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria and streptococci were found not viable. In defined mixed cultures experiments, the antagonism of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Enterococcus faecium versus Yersinia enterocolitica was demonstrated and explained as acid and/or antimicrobials production.

Antibiosis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic relatedness of high-level aminoglycoside-resistant enterococci isolated from poultry carcasses.

Approximately 46% (75/162) or poultry enterococci collected between 1999 and 2000 exhibited high-level resistance to gentamicin (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] > or = 500 microg/ml), kanamycin (MIC > or = 500 microg/ml), or streptomycin (MIC > or = 1000 microg/ml). Forty-one percent of the isolates were resistant to kanamycin (n = 67), whereas 23% and 19% were resistant to genramicin (n = 37) and streptomycin (n = 31), respectively. The predominant species identified was Enterococcus faecium (n = 105), followed by Enterococcus faecalis (n = 40) and Enterococcus durans (n = 8). Using polymerase chain reaction, the isolates were examined for the presence of 10 aminoglycoside resistance genes [ant(6)-Ia, ant(9)-Ia, ant(4')-Ia, aph(3')-IIIa, aph(2")-Ib, aph(2")-Ic, aph(2")-Id, aac(6')-Ie-aph(2")-Ia, and aac(6')-Ii]. Five aminoglycoside resistance genes were detected, most frequently aac(6')-Ii and ant(6)-Ia from E. faecium. Seven E. faecalis isolates resistant to gentamicin, kanamycin, or streptomycin were negative for all genes tested, indicating that additional resistance genes may exist. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates were genetically different with little clonality. These data indicate that enterococci from poultry are diverse and contain potentially unidentified aminoglycoside resistance genes.

Aminoglycosides↗

PubMed1993

Antimicrobial susceptibility of enterococci in vitro.

Treating patients with enterococcal infections has become difficult because of the emergence of several resistant traits in the past decade, including high-level resistance to gentamicin, beta-lactamase production, non-beta-lactamase-associated penicillin resistance and vancomycin resistance. To determine the antimicrobial susceptibility and to survey the antibiotic resistance of enterococci, we tested 111 clinical isolates of enterococci from the National Taiwan University Hospital from 1990 to 1991. There were 102 isolates of Enterococcus faecalis, five of Enterococcus faecium, and four of other enterococcal species. All these isolates were tested in vitro by the agar dilution method for determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), by the broth microdilution test for screening of high-level resistance to gentamicin and by the rapid chromogenic cephalosporin method for detection of beta-lactamase production. The effect of the combination of two antimicrobial agents against 20 of the 111 isolates, including strains with high-level and low-level resistance to gentamicin, were further checked by the checkerboard titration method. Among 17 antimicrobial agents, the most active agent was ampicillin, followed by vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and penicillin. Although none included in these were beta-lactamase producers or vancomycin-resistant strains, there was a high proportion (62%) with high-level resistance to gentamicin among our isolates. There were 11 isolates, seven Enterococcus faecalis and four Enterococcus faecium, which had MICs beyond the clinically achievable level of penicillin (MIC > or = 64 micrograms/mL). Because these resistant isolates of enterococci have important therapeutic implications, periodic surveillance and MIC testing are suggested.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed2005

Molecular characterization, technological properties and safety aspects of enterococci from 'Hussuwa', an African fermented sorghum product.

AIMS: To identify enterococci from Hussuwa, a Sudanese fermented sorghum product, and determine their technological properties and safety for possible inclusion in a starter culture preparation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-two Enterococcus isolates from Hussuwa were identified as Enterococcus faecium by using phenotypic and genotypic tests such as 16S rDNA gene sequencing, RAPD-PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism of the 16S/23S intergenic spacer region fingerprinting. Genotyping revealed that strains were not clonally related and exhibited a considerable degree of genomic diversity. Some strains possessed useful technological properties such as production of bacteriocins and H2O2 or utilization of raffinose and stachyose. None produced alpha-amylase or tannase. A safety investigation revealed that all strains were susceptible to the antibiotics ampicillin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline and streptomycin, but some were resistant to ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, penicillin and vancomycin. Production of biogenic amines or presence of genes encoding virulence determinants occurred in some strains. CONCLUSIONS: Enterococcus faecium strains are associated with fermentation of Sudanese Hussuwa. Some strains exhibited useful technological properties such as production of antimicrobial agents and fermentation of indigestible sugars, which may aid in stabilizing and improving the digestibility of the product respectively. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Enterococci were shown to play a role in the fermentation of African foods. While beneficial properties of these bacteria are indicated, their presence in this food may also imply a hygienic risk as a result of antimicrobial resistances or presence of virulence determinants.

Biogenic Amines↗

PubMed1989

High-level penicillin resistance among isolates of enterococci. Implications for treatment of enterococcal infections.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent and clinical significance of high-level penicillin-resistant Enterococcus faecium at our institution. DESIGN: Surveillance of clinical enterococcal isolates, in-vitro susceptibility and timed survival studies, and determination of antibiotic efficacy in an experimental model of enterococcal endocarditis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: For a 6-month period, 14% of enterococcal isolates (30 of 212) were identified as E. faecium. One third of the isolates were highly resistant to penicillin G (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC], greater than or equal to 200 micrograms/mL) but did not produce beta-lactamase. The findings from in-vitro survival studies showed that this high-level resistance resulted in the loss of bactericidal activity normally observed when an aminoglycoside antibiotic agent is combined with penicillin. An experimental rat model of endocarditis provided in-vivo data that confirmed our in-vitro observations. After the rats received therapy for 72 hours, penicillin G either alone or in combination with gentamicin did not significantly decrease the numbers of enterococci in vegetations on heart valves compared with untreated controls (P = 0.62 and P = 0.58, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Enterococcus faecium accounts for a notable proportion of clinical enterococcal isolates. Many strains from patients at our institution, as well as from patients at other institutions throughout the country, are highly resistant to penicillin. Because high-level penicillin resistance has important therapeutic implications, periodic surveillance and MIC testing of significant enterococcal isolates, especially E. faecium, are suggested.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

[Epidemiological study on vancomycin-resistant enterococci from fecal samples in the east area of Japan].

Recently, Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have become important nosocomial pathogens in the world. In Japan, the VRE-infection was first reported in 1996. However, an epidemiological study on VRE has not been aggressively done in Japan. We conducted a survey study to explore the incidence and antimicrobial susceptibility of vancomycin-resistant enterococci isolated from fecal samples at 45 hospitals in the east area of Japan (Kanto, Koshinetsu, Tohoku, and Hokkaido) during June 1998 to March 1999. The Enterococcosel agar containing vanocomycin (BBL) was used for screening VRE from fecal samples in each hospital. The susceptibilities of the isolates to 8 antimicrobials were determined by the broth microdilution method and the definitions of resistance were based on current standards of the NCCLS standards. The VRE genotypes (vanA, vanB, vanC1, and van C2/3) were confirmed by amplifying the respective genes by PCR. Eight hundred and ninety four strains of enterococci were tested by the microtiter plates hybridization method (WAKUNAGA SEIYAKU, Japan). One thousand five hundred eighty three strains of enterococci were collected from 6,914 patients in 45 hospitals. These strains included 72 (4.5%) strains Enterococcus faecalis, 33 (2.1%) strains Enterococcus faecium, 17 (1.1%) strains Enterococcus avium, 1,040 (65.7%) strains Enterococcus gallinarum, 386 (24.4%) strains Enterococcus cassliflavus, and 35 (2.2%) strains Enterococcus flavescens. These strains of vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis were isolated from 3 patients, two of these 3 strains had van A gene and other one had van B gene. Those 3 strains were in the Kanto area, and 2 of 3 strains were in Tokyo, Generally, though van A type VRE was highly resistaant to both vancomycin and teicoplanin. In our study, two strains of van A type E. faecalis were highly resistant to vancomycin (MICs > 128 micrograms/ml) and susceptible to teicoplanin with MICs 4 micrograms/ml. Those two strains were different in susceptibilities of minocycline and ofloxacin. The result of the analysis of PFGE had also different patterns. VanB type E. fecalis was highly resistant to vancomycin and susceptible to teicoplanin (MICs 0.25 microgram/ml). For ampicillin and imipenem, 3 strains of E. faecalis were susceptible (MIC < or = 1 microgram/ml). One of 562 strains of E. gallinarum had vanB and vanC1 genes and was moderately resistant to vancomycin and susceptible to teicoplanin. All strains of E. casseliflavus and E. flavescens had vanC2/C3 gene only. All strains of E. faecium and E. avium did not detect van genes. From this result, it was supposed that VRE were very rare in the east of Japan.

Enterococcus↗

PubMed2000

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci isolated from animals and food.

One hundred and one chicken products, boiled ham and turkey cold meat were acquired from 18 different supermarkets in Spain during October 1997 to June 1998 and were analyzed for vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). In the same way, 50 intestinal chicken samples from a slaughterhouse were also studied. VRE were detected in 25 of 92 samples of food of chicken origin (27.2%), but no VRE were found in cooked pork or turkey products. VRE were also detected in 8 of 50 intestinal chicken samples from the slaughterhouse (16%). VRE were identified as Enterococcus durans (n = 11), Enterococcus faecalis (n = 10), Enterococcus faecium (n = 10) and Enterococcus hirae (n = 2). All these strains were characterized as belonging to the vanA genotype by polymerase chain reaction. Ampicillin, quinupristin/dalfopristin and high level aminoglycoside resistance were frequently found among these strains. Heterogeneity was observed in susceptibility patterns among VRE strains, even in those of the same species. The high rate of colonization of chicken products by vanA containing enterococci detected 6 months to 1 year after the banning of avoparcin as a growth promoter, supports other studies suggesting that the food chain could be a source of VRE colonization in humans and thus a source of VRE infections.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Recovery of high-level streptomycin-resistant enterococci from hemodialysis water and dialysate in 85 Greek renal units.

In the 85 renal units of Greece, enterococci were recovered from 10 samples of tap water, 6 of treated hemodialysis water, and 21 of dialysate. Eleven isolates were Enterococcus faecium, and 8 were Enterococcus raffinosus; 6 other additional enterococcal species were found. Twenty-two strains exhibited high-level resistance to streptomycin, 16 were resistant to rifampicin, and one to erythromycin. In our hemodialysis units, treated water and dialysate raise concern regarding transfer to patients of uncommon enterococcal species exhibiting high-level streptomycin resistance.

Cross Infection↗

PubMed2004

Alkali-resistant bacteria in root canal systems.

The aim of this study was to isolate and identify alkali-resistant bacteria from the dentin of infected root canals. Bacteria from homogenized dentin powder made up from infected root canal walls from human teeth were cultured on buffer-enriched Brain Heart Infusion agar supplemented with 4% sheep blood (BHI-blood agar), adjusted to pH 7.0, 9.0 or 10.0. Incubation took place for 7 days at 37 degrees C in an anaerobic glove box. Bacterial strains selected according to colony and morphology were subcultured in buffer-enriched BHI broth adjusted to pH 9.0, 10.0 or 11.0 to confirm their growth as alkali-resistant bacteria. Polymerase chain reaction amplification using specific primer sets and 16S rDNA sequence analysis was performed for identification of alkali-resistant isolates. In the present study, 37 teeth extracted from 37 patients were used for preparation of the dentin powder samples. Bacteria were detected in 25 samples when standard BHI-blood agars (pH 7.0) were used. Of these, 29 strains from 15 samples were alkali resistant, 25 strains growing at pH 9.0 and 4 at pH 10.0. The alkali-resistant strains included Enterococcus faecium (10 strains) and Enterococcus faecalis (2 strains), Enterobacter cancerogenus (1 strains), Fusobacterium nucleatum (1 strains), Klebsiella ornithinolytica (2 strains), Lactobacillus rhamnosus (2 strains), Streptococcus anginosus (2 strains), Streptococcus constellatus (3 strains), and Streptococcus mitis (2 strains). Three strains were also identified as bacteria of genus Firmicutes or Staphylococcus at the genus level. The present study showed that many bacterial species in infected root canal dentin were alkali-resistant at pH 9.0 and/or pH 10.0, and belonged mainly to the genus Enterococcus.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Transferable vanB2 Tn5382-containing elements in fecal streptococcal strains from veal calves.

Three vancomycin-resistant veal calf fecal streptococci, identified as Streptococcus gallolyticus (n = 2) and Streptococcus lutetiensis, were shown to harbor vanB2 Tn5382-like elements earlier described in enterococci. One S. gallolyticus strain had a 1,495-bp IS256-related element inserted in vanS(B). The vanB2 Tn5382 element present in the plasmid-free S. lutetiensis strain was transferable to Enterococcus faecium BM4105-RF, Enterococcus faecalis JH2-2, and its recombination-deficient derivative, UV202. The transfer frequencies were comparable between recipient strains (from 1 x 10(-7) to 7 x 10(-6)). All transconjugants acquired a vanB-containing chromosomal insert of approximately 100 kb, apparently by site-specific integration. Secondary transconjugants were not observed in intraspecies retransfer experiments. These observations are consistent with a conjugative, selftransmissible, integrative element that might be involved in the interspecies spread of vanB2 resistance determinants. Two JH2-2-derived transconjugants had also gained additional copies of large vanB-containing chromosomal fragments, a process that involves unexplained mechanisms that seems to require functional host cell-dependent recombination mechanisms.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Typing and subtyping of 83 clinical isolates purified from surgically implanted silicone feeding tubes by random amplified polymorphic DNA amplification.

In this study, 83 clinical isolates purified from biofilms colonizing 18 silicone gastrostomy devices (12 "buttons" and six tubes converted to skin level devices) were selected for subtype characterization utilizing genetic analysis. The tubes, previously used for feeding, remained in place for 3 to 47 months (mean, 20.0 months) in children ranging in age from 6 months to 17 years. Classification of specific microbes using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis revealed genetic similarities and differences among isolates belonging to the same genus. Both gram-positive and -negative bacteria were investigated, including 2 isolates of Bacillus brevis, 4 isolates of Bacillus licheniformis, 2 isolates of Bacillus pumilus, 3 isolates of Enterococcus durans, 19 isolates of Enterococcus faecalis, 8 isolates of Enterococcus faecium, 2 isolates of Enterococcus hirae, 7 isolates of Escherichia coli, 8 isolates of Lactobacillus plantarum, 19 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, 2 isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis, and 7 isolates of Staphylococcus saprophyticus. Amplified DNA fragments (amplicons) provided species-specific fingerprints for comparison by agarose gel electrophoresis. A total of 62 distinct RAPD types were categorized from the five genera studied. Typing analysis suggested cross acquisition of E. coli, E. faecalis, and S. aureus in three patient pairs. Genomic polymorphism detection proved efficient and reliable for classifying bacterial subtypes isolated from biofilms adhering to various portions of commonly employed enteral access tubes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Comparison of two commercially available selective media to screen for vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

Campylobacter medium (CAMPY, Becton Dickinson [BD] Microbiology Systems, Cockeysville, MD) and Vancomycin Screen Agar (VSA, BD) were compared for their ability to screen for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) from primary plates. A microdilution minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay (Pasco, BD) served as the reference vancomycin MIC. In the random sample of 200 enterococcal clinical isolates tested, the distribution of isolates was as follows: Enterococcus faecium, 113 (97 VRE); Enterococcus faecalis, 71(12 VRE); Enterococcus gallinarum, 10; and Enterococcus casseliflavus, 6. Of the 75 vancomycin-susceptible strains, none grew on CAMPY and 4 grew on VSA, whereas all 109 VRE isolates grew on both screen plates. Of the 16 strains with a Van C phenotype, ie, E. gallinarum and E. casseliflavus, 2 grew on CAMPY and 14 on VSA. Of the 899 clinical specimens plated onto both agars, 45 of 67 VRE were detected with both media, 20 were detected only with CAMPY and 2 were not detected by either screen plate. CAMPY compared with VSA as a primary plating medium was more sensitive and, when used to screen for VRE isolates from primary plates, was more specific for strains displaying Van A and B phenotypes.

Culture Media↗