Many studies demonstrate that cancer incidence and mortality patterns among Asian Americans are heterogeneous, but national statistics on cancer for Asian ethnic groups are not routinely available. This article summarizes data on cancer incidence, mortality, risk factors, and screening for 5 of the largest Asian American ethnic groups in California. California has the largest Asian American population of any state and makes special efforts to collect health information for ethnic minority populations. We restricted our analysis to the 4 most common cancers (prostate, breast, lung, colon/rectum) and for the 3 sites known to be more common in Asian Americans (stomach, liver, cervix). Cancer incidence and mortality were summarized for 5 Asian American ethnic groups in California in order of population size (Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese). Chinese Americans had among the lowest incidence and death rate from all cancer combined; however, Chinese women had the highest lung cancer death rate. Filipinos had the highest incidence and death rate from prostate cancer and the highest death rate from female breast cancer. Vietnamese had among the highest incidence and death rates from liver, lung, and cervical cancer. Korean men and women had by far the highest incidence and mortality rates from stomach cancer. Japanese experienced the highest incidence and death rates from colorectal cancer and among the highest death rates from breast and prostate cancer. Variations in cancer risk factors were also observed and were for the most part consistent with variations in cancer incidence and mortality. Differences in cancer burden among Asian American ethnic groups should be considered in the clinical setting and in cancer control planning.

, 19 medical centers collected 4,180 isolates recovered from clinical specimens from patients in intensive care units (ICUs) in Canada. The 4,180 isolates were collected from 2,292 respiratory specimens (54.8%), 738 blood specimens (17.7%), 581 wound/tissue specimens (13.9%), and 569 urinary specimens (13.6%). The 10 most common organisms isolated from 79.5% of all clinical specimens were methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) (16.4%), Escherichia coli (12.8%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.0%), Haemophilus influenzae (7.9%), coagulase-negative staphylococci/Staphylococcus epidermidis (6.5%), Enterococcus spp. (6.1%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (5.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (5.8%), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (4.7%), and Enterobacter cloacae (3.9%). MRSA made up 22.3% (197/884) of all S. aureus isolates (90.9% of MRSA were health care-associated MRSA, and 9.1% were community-associated MRSA), while vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) made up 6.7% (11/255) of all enterococcal isolates (88.2% of VRE had the vanA genotype). Extended-spectrum ␤-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae occurred in 3.5% (19/536) and 1.8% (4/224) of isolates, respectively. All 19 ESBL-producing E. coli isolates were PCR positive for CTX-M, with bla CTX-M-15 occurring in 74% (14/19) of isolates. For MRSA, no resistance against daptomycin, linezolid, tigecycline, and vancomycin was observed, while the resistance rates to other agents were as follows: clarithromycin, 89.9%; clindamycin, 76.1%; fluoroquinolones, 90.1 to 91.8%; and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, 11.7%. For E. coli, no resistance to amikacin, meropenem, and tigecycline was observed, while resistance rates to other agents were as follows: cefazolin, 20.1%; cefepime, 0.7%; ceftriaxone, 3.7%; gentamicin, 3.0%; fluoroquinolones, 21.1%; piperacillin-tazobactam, 1.9%; and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, 24.8%. Resistance rates for P. aeruginosa were as follows: amikacin, 2.6%; cefepime, 10.2%; gentamicin, 15.2%; fluoroquinolones, 23.8 to 25.5%; meropenem, 13.6%; and piperacillin-tazobactam, 9.3%. A multidrug-resistant (MDR) phenotype (resistance to three or more of the following drugs: cefepime, piperacillin-tazobactam, meropenem, amikacin or gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin) occurred frequently in P. aeruginosa (12.6%) but uncommonly in E. coli (0.2%), E. cloacae (0.6%), or K. pneumoniae (0%). In conclusion, S. aureus (MSSA and MRSA), E. coli, P. aeruginosa, H. influenzae, Enterococcus spp., S. pneumoniae, and K. pneumoniae are the most common isolates recovered from clinical specimens in Canadian ICUs. A MDR phenotype is common for P. aeruginosa isolates in Canadian ICUs.

A study was designed to describe the molecular epidemiology of CTX-M-producing Escherichia coli over a 6-year period (2000 to 2005) in a large well-defined Canadian region with a centralized laboratory system. Molecular characterization was done by isoelectric focusing, PCR, and automated sequencing, while genetic relatedness was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis with XbaI. Of the 552 viable extended-spectrum ␤-lactamase-producing E. coli isolates isolated, 354 (64%) were positive for bla CTX-M genes associated with Members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, especially Klebsiella spp. producing extended-spectrum ␤-lactamases (ESBLs), such as the SHV and TEM types, have been recognized since the 1980s as major causes of hospital-acquired infections (20). These infections were mainly associated with epidemic clones in the intensive care setting. From the late 1990s to the present, Enterobacteriaceae (mostly Escherichia coli) producing different ESBLs, such as the CTX-M enzymes, have emerged within the hospital and community settings as important causes of urinary tract infections (UTIs) (1). The majority of studies that have investigated community-onset infections caused by CTX-M-producing E. coli isolates showed that these isolates are often not clonally related, although clusters have been described in the United Kingdom and Canada (25).The CTX-M ␤-lactamases, of which there are now over 50 different types, have originated from Kluyvera spp. and can be divided into five groups on the basis of their amino acid identities (3): the CTX-M-1 group, the CTX-M-2 group, the CTX-M-8 group, the CTX-M-9 group, and the CTX-M-25 group.CTX-M ␤-lactamases have become the most prevalent type of ESBLs described during the last 5 years, especially from certain European and South American countries (7). CTX-M-producing E. coli isolates isolated from hospital and community sites often exhibited coresistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, gentamicin, tobramycin, and ciprofloxacin. The CTX-M enzymes have been associated with the presence of different qnr genes and the production of a novel AAC(6Ј)-Ib aminoglycosidemodifying enzyme that has the additional ability to modify certain fluoroquinolones (7).Very limited data regarding the molecular epidemiology of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in large geographical areas are available (15). Previous studies in the Calgary Health Region of Canada have shown that E. coli is responsible for more than 95% of the ESBL prevalence in that region and that the majority of isolates are positive for bla CTX-M ␤-lactamases (23). We also noted that the majority of infections originated from the community and that a CTX-M-14-producing cluster was responsible for community outbreaks of UTIs during 2000 and 2001 (21, 23). We designed a study that investigated the molecular epidemiology of CTX-M-producing E. coli isolates isolated in the Calgary Health Region over a 6-year period (January 2000 to December 2005) and determined if these bacteria were introduced into regional ...

In conclusion, E. coli, S. aureus (MSSA and MRSA), P. aeruginosa, S. pneumoniae, K. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and Enterococcus spp. are the most common isolates recovered from clinical specimens in Canadian hospitals. The prevalence of MRSA was 27.0% (of which genotypically 27.6% were CA-MRSA), while ESBL-producing E. coli occurred in 4.9% of isolates. An MDR phenotype was common in P. aeruginosa.

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