During a survey of fresh chicken and turkey meat as well as chicken and turkey meat products for the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates in Germany, 32 (37.2%) of 86 samples were MRSA positive. Twenty-eight of these MRSA isolates belonged to clonal complex 398 (CC398), which is widespread among food-producing animals. These CC398 isolates carried SCCmec elements of type IV or V and exhibited spa type t011, t034, t899, t2346 or t6574 and either the known dru types dt2b, dt6j, dt10a, dt10q, dt11a, dt11v, and dt11ab or the novel dru types dt6m, dt10as, and dt10at. In addition, two MRSA sequence type 9 (ST9) isolates with a type IV SCCmec cassette, spa type t1430, and dru type dt10a as well as single MRSA ST5 and ST1791 isolates with a type III SCCmec cassette, spa type t002, and dru type dt9v were identified. All but two isolates were classified as multiresistant. A wide variety of resistance phenotypes and genotypes were detected. All isolates were negative for the major virulence factors, such as Panton-Valentine leukocidin, toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, or exfoliative toxins. In contrast to the MRSA CC398 isolates, the four ST9, ST5, or ST1791 isolates harbored the egc gene cluster for enterotoxin G, I, M, N, O, and U genes. Although the relevance of contamination of fresh poultry meat or poultry products with MRSA is currently unclear, the presence of multiresistant and, in part, enterotoxigenic MRSA emphasizes the need for further studies to elucidate possible health hazards for consumers.

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Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) isolates have been the subject of numerous studies during recent years. The characterization of such isolates has usually also included the determination of their resistance phenotypes and associated resistance genotypes. Analysis of the resistance genes present in LA-MRSA isolates has revealed a number of genes commonly found in S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci of humans and animals. In addition, novel resistance genes and/or resistance genes that have been rarely detected in staphylococci so far have been encountered. These include the phenicol exporter gene fexA, the multiresistance gene cfr, the tetracycline resistance gene tet(L), the trimethoprim resistance gene dfrK, the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance gene erm(T), the lincosamide-streptogramin A-pleuromutilin resistance genes vga(C) and vga(E), and the apramycin resistance gene apmA. Most of these genes were located on multiresistance plasmids in LA-MRSA. The co-localization of these resistance genes with other resistance genes enables their co-selection and persistence. LA-MRSA can therefore act as a donor and a recipient of antimicrobial resistance genes within the Gram-positive gene pool.

Abstract:Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen which play the more and more greater role in the pathogenicity of the human. It is often attached with the hospital environment, in which is able easily to survive for many days even in adverse conditions. Acinetobacter baumannii is the species responsible for a serious nosocomial infections, especially in the intensive care units. Option of surviving in natural niches, and in the hospital environment could also be associated with the efflux pump mechanisms. Mechanisms of efflux universally appear in all cells (eukaryotic and prokaryotic) and play the physiological important role. In prokaryote, the main functions are evasion of such naturally produced molecules, removal of metabolic products and toxins. These pumps could also be involved in an early stage of infection, such as adhesion to host cells and the colonization. Importantly, they remove commonly used antibiotics from the cell in therapy of infections caused by these bacteria. Efflux pumps exemplify a unique phenomenon in drug resistance: a single mechanism causing resistance against several different classes of antibiotics. In Acinetobacter baumannii, the AdeABC efflux pump, a member of the resistance-nodulation-cell division family (RND), has been well characterized. Aminoglicosides, tetracyclines, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim, fluoroquinolones, some β-lactams, and also recently tigecycline, were found to be substrates for this pump. Drugs, as substrates for the AdeABC pump, can increase the expression of the AdeABC genes, leading to multidrug resistance (MDR). From this reason, treatment failure and death caused by Acinetobacter baumannii infections or underlying diseases are common. Because the AdeABC pump is widespread in Acinetobacter baumannii, similarly to other pumps in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, exists a need of searching a new therapeutic solutions. Specific efflux inhibitors of pumps (EPIs), including AdeABC inhibitors, could be suppress the activity of pumps and restore the sensitivity of such important bacteria as Acinetobacter baumannii to commonly used antibiotic.

Staphylococcus sciuri is a principally animal-associated bacterial species, but its clinical relevance for humans is increasing. Our study aimed to provide the first insight into the prevalence of this bacterium in a hospital environment. A 3-month surveillance was conducted in a hospital located in Belgrade, Serbia, and 1,028 samples taken from hands of medical personnel, medical devices, and various hospital surfaces were screened for S. sciuri presence. In total, 108 isolates were obtained, which resulted in a relatively high rate of colonization (10.5%). These isolates, along with 7 S. sciuri strains previously isolated in the same hospital (n ‫؍‬ 115), were phenotypically and genotypically characterized. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that 73% of the strains were resistant to one or more antibiotics, with 4.3% strains displaying multiresistance. Examination of 16S-23S ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer length polymorphism identified the strains at the subspecies level, and 74 (64.3%) strains of S. sciuri subsp. sciuri, 37 (32.2%) strains of S. sciuri subsp. rodentium, and 4 (3.5%) strains of S. sciuri subsp. carnaticus were established. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis showed 21 distinct pulsotypes, including 17 main types and 4 subtypes. One dominant cluster with 62 strains was found, while 19 (90.5%) of the PFGE types and subtypes identified had 5 or fewer strains. The predominance of small PFGE clusters suggests that the ubiquitous presence of S. sciuri in the outside environment presents the continuous source for colonization of the hospital environment. The presence of one dominant PFGE cluster of strains indicates that some S. sciuri strains may be capable for adaptation to hospital environment conditions and continuous existence in this environment.Staphylococcus sciuri is a coagulase-negative, novobiocinresistant, oxidase-positive staphylococcal species. The organism is considered a principally animal bacterial species and is commonly present on skin and mucosal surfaces of a wide range of pets and farm and wild animals (11,15,16,27) and in food of animal origin (10, 23). It is also known to occur in environmental reservoirs, such as soil, sand, water, and marsh grass (15). S. sciuri may be found as a colonizing organism in humans, with low carrier rates in the nasopharynx, skin, and urogenital tract (8,30,31). The clinical relevance of S. sciuri in humans appears to be increasing, since the bacterium has been associated with various infections, such as endocarditis (12), peritonitis (35), septic shock (13), urinary tract infection (30), endophthalmitis (3), pelvic inflammatory disease (31), and, most frequently, wound infections (17,25,28).The capacity of this species to carry antimicrobial resistance determinants has been well documented (8,17,20,25,28). Furthermore, it was suggested that the mecA gene of methicillin-resistant strains of staphylococci originated from an evolutionary relative of the mecA homologue that has been identified in S. sciuri (7, 16).Isolation o...

Since about twenty years, following the introduction into therapeutic of news β-lactam antibiotics (broad-spectrum cephalosporins, monobactams and carbapenems), a very significant number of new β-lactamases appeared. These enzymes confer to the bacteria which put them, the means of resisting new molecules. The genetic events involved in this evolution are of two types: evolution of old enzymes by mutation and especially appearance of new genes coming for some, from bacteria of the environment. Numerous mechanisms of enzymatic resistance to the carbapenems have been described in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The important mechanism of inactivation carbapenems is production variety of b-lactam hydrolysing enzymes associated to carbapenemases. The metallo-β-enzymes (IMP, VIM, SPM, GIM types) are the most clinically significant carbapenemases. P. aeruginosa posses MBLs and seem to have acquired them through transmissible genetic elements (plasmids or transposons associated with integron) and can be transmission to other bacteria. They have reported worldwide but mostly from South East Asia and Europe. The enzymes, belonging to the molecular class B family, are the most worrisome of all β-lactamases because they confer resistance to carbapenems and all the β-lactams (with the exception of aztreonam) and usually to aminoglycosides and quinolones. The dissemination of MBLs genes is thought to be driven by regional consumption of extended -spectrum antibiotics (e.g. cephalosporins and carbapenems), and therefore care must be taken that these drugs are not used unnecessarily.

A total of 28 staphylococcal isolates from human clinical specimens belonging to the Staphylococcus sciuri group were identified and characterized. The API Staph and ID32 STAPH correctly identified S. sciuri and S. lentus but not S. vitulinus strains. Identification to the subspecies level was possible only by a PCR-based method.Members of the Staphylococcus sciuri group are widespread in nature, and they can be isolated from a variety of farm animals, pets, and wild animals, as well as from various food products of animal origin (6,9,12,14,22,26 (12,26). Staphylococcus pulvereri was a member of the S. sciuri group until recently, when it was shown that S. pulvereri is only a synonym of S. vitulinus (originally S. vitulus) (15, 23). Although they are principally associated with animals, members of the S. sciuri group may colonize humans, and it has been estimated that they may constitute 0.79 to 4.3% of the total number of coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from clinical samples (8,20). However, they have been associated with serious infections such as endocarditis (10), peritonitis (25), septic shock (11), urinary tract infection (20), endophthalmitis (1), pelvic inflammatory disease (21), and, most frequently, wound infections (16,19). The aim of this study was to compare phenotypic (conventional, API Staph, ID32 Staph) and genotypic (PCR) methods for identification of isolates of the S. sciuri group.A total of 28 isolates belonging to the S. sciuri group, recovered from 1998 to 2003 from clinical samples at the Institute of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia, and Regional Hospital Příbram, Příbram, Czech Republic, were analyzed (Table 1). Half of them were isolated from urine samples. Some of these strains have been reported previously (18-21) but not investigated for the characteristics presented in this study. All the isolates were previously identified by conventional methods (5,12,18,26) as S. sciuri (23 strains), S. lentus (3 strains), or S. vitulinus (2 strains).Staphylocoagulase (free coagulase) activity was determined with rabbit plasma (Torlak, Belgrade, Serbia) by using the tube method (5). Oxidase activity was determined with oxidase diagnostic tablets (Rosco, Taastrup, Denmark). Novobiocin susceptibility was determined on Mueller-Hinton agar (Oxoid Limited, Basingstoke, Hampshire, United Kingdom) with a disk containing 5 g of novobiocin (Bioanalyse, Ankara, Turkey). Strains were considered to be resistant to novobiocin if the zone of inhibition was Յ16 mm. Commercial identification kits, namely, API Staph and ID32 STAPH (bioMérieux, Marcy-l'Etoile, France), were used according to the manufacturer's instructions. All the strains were coagulase negative and oxidase positive. In addition, the disk diffusion method with the 5-g novobiocin disk confirmed that all strains were resistant to novobiocin. However, only three S. sciuri strains showed resistance to novobiocin by use of the ID32 STAPH kit. The problem with determination of resistance to novobiocin by ID32 STAPH was also ...

Protein biosynthesis inhibitors (PBIs) represent powerful antimicrobial agents for the control of bacterial infections. In staphylococci, numerous resistance genes are known to be involved in resistance to PBIs, most of which mediate resistance to a specific class/subclass of PBIs, though a few genes do confer a multidrug resistance phenotype-up to five classes/subclasses of PBIs. Plasmids play a key role in the dissemination of PBI resistance among staphylococci, as they primarily carry plasmid-borne PBI resistance genes; however, plasmids also can be vectors for transposon-borne PBI resistance genes. Small plasmids that carry single PBI resistance genes are widespread among staphylococci of human and animal origin. Various mechanisms exist by which they can recombine, form cointegrates, or integrate into chromosomal DNA or larger plasmids. We provide an overview of the current knowledge of plasmid-mediated PBI resistance in staphylococci, with particular reference to the currently known PBI resistance genes, their association with mobile genetic elements, and the recombination/integration processes that control their mobility.