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Eighty-one tetracycline-resistant Aeromonas sp. strains were isolated from farm-raised catfish. Morphological and biochemical characteristics indicated that 23 of the 81 aeromonads were Aeromonas hydrophila, 7 isolates were Aeromonas trota, 6 isolates were Aeromonas caviae, 42 isolates were Aeromonas veronii, and 3 isolates were Aeromonas jandaei. However, the AluI and MboI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of the PCR-amplified 1.4-kb 16S rRNA gene from all 81 tetracycline-resistant aeromonads from catfish were identical to the RFLP banding patterns of A. veronii ATCC 35626, indicating that all 81 isolates were strains of A. veronii. A multiplex PCR assay successfully amplified the 5 tetracycline-resistant genes (tetA to E) from the genomic DNA of all 81 isolates. The assay determined that tetE was the dominant gene occurring in 73/81 (90.0%) of the aeromonads. Plasmids (2.0 to 20 kb) were isolated from 33 of the 81 isolates. Dendrogram analysis of the SpeI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis identified 15 distinct macrorestriction patterns among the isolates. Our results indicate the need for use of 16S rRNA in the identification of Aeromonas spp. and the prevalence of catfish as a reservoir of tet genes.The United States produces more than $500 million per annum of pond-raised channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), primarily in the southeastern part of the country (4). Infectious diseases reduce catfish production by nearly 10% every year. Motile aeromonad septicemia, caused by Aeromonas hydrophila, is one of the common diseases accounting for the reduced production (5). Antimicrobials agents, such as oxytetracycline and Romet 30 (sulfadimethoxine-ormetoprim), are used to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases (5, 32). However, widespread use of drugs may result in the selection of tetracycline-and sulfonamide-resistant bacteria in the aquaculture environment and may play a role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes to clinical aeromonad strains (20,22).Aeromonads have been implicated in the cause of numerous human infections, such as gastroenteritis, cellulitis, meningitis, bacteremia, soft-tissue infections, peritonitis, and bronchopulmonary infections (8,15,(18)(19). Direct contact with contaminated water and soil is the most frequent cause of gastrointestinal and wound infections in humans (15). Broad-spectrum antibiotics, such as tetracycline, are prescribed clinically for the treatment of such infections.The molecular epidemiology of tetracycline-resistant aeromonads, especially Aeromonas salmonicida, has been well documented (2,3,29). These studies indicate that tetracycline resistance is plasmid-encoded and that, among the different classes of tetracycline-resistant genes, tetA is predominant. Schmidt et al. (29) reported the isolation and characterization of oxytetracycline-sulfonamide/trimethoprim-resistant aeromonads from Danish rainbow trout farms. Their PCR data indicate tetE as the predominant determinant, followed by tetA and tetD. Earlier, DePaola et al. ...

A fast, reliable, and inexpensive Triton X-100 boiling procedure for RNA isolation from both the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was developed. The yield of RNA was 0.2-2 mg per 10 ml bacterial culture. The method was tested on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria of eight genera and nine species and yielded reproducible results. In parallel experiments, the Qiagen and hot phenol extraction methods both yielded RNA that contained contaminating 16S and 23S rRNA. The Triton X-100 boiling method reported here yielded RNA that was free from 16S and 23S rRNA, contained full-length transcripts and did not require additional purification. The presence of specific mRNA in one of the RNA samples obtained by this procedure was demonstrated by partial amplification of a 732 bp vancomycin resistance gene, vanA, by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The presence of a full-length transcript (1031 bases) of the vanA gene was verified by Northern hybridization and probing with a digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled vanA PCR partial product. The method provides a rapid, reliable, and simple tool for the isolation of good quality RNA suitable for various molecular biology experiments.

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Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are an important group of opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms that cause infections in hospital settings and are generally resistant to many antimicrobial agents. We report on phenotypic and genotypic virulence characteristics of a select group of clinical, mecA-positive (encoding penicillin-binding protein 2a) CoNS isolates. All CoNS were resistant to two or more antimicrobials with S. epidermidis strain 214EP, showing resistance to fifteen of the sixteen antimicrobial agents tested. Aminoglycoside-resistance genes were the ones most commonly detected. The presence of megaplasmids containing both horizontal gene transfer and antimicrobial resistance genetic determinants indicates that CoNS may disseminate antibiotic resistance to other bacteria. Staphylococcus sciuri species produced six virulence enzymes, including a DNase, gelatinase, lipase, phosphatase, and protease that are suspected to degrade tissues into nutrients for bacterial growth and contribute to the pathogenicity of CoNS. The PCR assay for the detection of biofilm-associated genes found the eno (encoding laminin-binding protein) gene in all isolates. Measurement of their biofilm-forming ability and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient analyses revealed that the results of crystal violet (CV) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) assays were significantly correlated (ρ = 0.9153, P = 3.612e-12). The presence of virulence factors, biofilm-formation capability, extracellular enzymes, multidrug resistance, and gene transfer markers in mecA-positive CoNS clinical strains used in this study makes them powerful opportunistic pathogens. The study also warrants a careful evaluation of nosocomial infections caused by CoNS and may be useful in studying the mechanism of virulence and factors associated with their pathogenicity in vivo and developing effective strategies for mitigation.