Epidemiological typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and antibiogram. (41/12137)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most common nosocomial pathogens. In April 1997, there were five MRSA-infected patients among 16 patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Seoul National University Hospital, which is a tertiary-care hospital with 1,500 beds. The infections had spread from twin patients with MRSA who had transferred from Hospital C. MRSA was isolated from the axilla of 15 (94%) of the 16 patients, including the two patients with obvious infections. Three (19%) of 16 doctors and nine (30%) of 30 nurses had MRSA colonization of the anterior nares. Six different PFGE patterns (A through F) were identified in the 53 isolates of MRSA tested. Twelve of 13 isolates from infected sites of five patients showed pattern F. Three MRSA strains obtained from hospital C showed closely or possibly related pattern F. MRSA of type F was isolated from three of 16 patients' axilla, and one of 3 doctors' and three of 30 nurses' nasal swabs. The antibiogram code for 12 of 13 MRSA isolates from five infected patients was 66,754. PFGE patterns of these isolates were either F, F1, F2 or Fa. Only one of three strains isolated from clinical specimens of patients in Hospital C showed the antibiogram code 66754, although they were all PFGE types F1 and Fa. In conclusion, the presumptive sources of the outbreak of MRSA infection in NICU were the twin patients transferred from hospital C. Antibiogram correlated reasonably well to the PFGE type. An effective notification system is needed when a MRSA-infected patient is transferred to another hospital to control the spread of the infection.  (+info)

Surface display of functional fibronectin-binding domains on Staphylococcus carnosus. (42/12137)

The surface expression in Staphylococcus carnosus of three different fibronectin binding domains (FNBDs), derived from fibronectin binding proteins of Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus, has been investigated. Surface localization of the chimeric proteins containing the FNBDs was demonstrated. All three surface-displayed FNBDs were demonstrated to bind fibronectin in whole-cell enzyme-linked binding assays. Furthermore, for one of the constructs, intranasal immunizations with the recombinant bacteria resulted in improved antibody responses to a model immunogen present within the chimeric surface proteins. The implications of the results for the design of live bacterial vaccine delivery systems are discussed.  (+info)

In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities of a novel glycylcycline, the 9-t-butylglycylamido derivative of minocycline (GAR-936). (43/12137)

The 9-t-butylglycylamido derivative of minocycline (TBG-MINO) is a recently synthesized member of a novel group of antibiotics, the glycylcyclines. This new derivative, like the first glycylcyclines, the N,N-dimethylglycylamido derivative of minocycline and 6-demethyl-6-deoxytetracycline, possesses activity against bacterial isolates containing the two major determinants responsible for tetracycline resistance: ribosomal protection and active efflux. The in vitro activities of TBG-MINO and the comparative agents were evaluated against strains with characterized tetracycline resistance as well as a spectrum of recent clinical aerobic and anaerobic gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. TBG-MINO, with an MIC range of 0.25 to 0.5 microgram/ml, showed good activity against strains expressing tet(M) (ribosomal protection), tet(A), tet(B), tet(C), tet(D), and tet(K) (efflux resistance determinants). TBG-MINO exhibited similar activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), penicillin-resistant streptococci, and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (MICs at which 90% of strains are inhibited, < or = 0.5 microgram/ml). TBG-MINO exhibited activity against a wide diversity of gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, most of which were less susceptible to tetracycline and minocycline. The in vivo protective effects of TBG-MINO were examined against acute lethal infections in mice caused by Escherichia coli, S. aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates. TBG-MINO, administered intravenously, demonstrated efficacy against infections caused by S. aureus including MRSA strains and strains containing tet(K) or tet(M) resistance determinants (median effective doses [ED50s], 0.79 to 2.3 mg/kg of body weight). TBG-MINO demonstrated efficacy against infections caused by tetracycline-sensitive E. coli strains as well as E. coli strains containing either tet(M) or the efflux determinant tet(A), tet(B), or tet(C) (ED50s, 1.5 to 3.5 mg/kg). Overall, TBG-MINO shows antibacterial activity against a wide spectrum of gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria including strains resistant to other chemotherapeutic agents. The in vivo protective effects, especially against infections caused by resistant bacteria, corresponded with the in vitro activity of TBG-MINO.  (+info)

In vitro activities of two ketolides, HMR 3647 and HMR 3004, against gram-positive bacteria. (44/12137)

The in vitro activities of two new ketolides, HMR 3647 and HMR 3004, were tested by the agar dilution method against 280 strains of gram-positive bacteria with different antibiotic susceptibility profiles, including Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Streptococcus spp. (group A streptococci, group B streptococci, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and alpha-hemolytic streptococci). Seventeen erythromycin-susceptible (EMs), methicillin-susceptible S. aureus strains were found to have HMR 3647 and HMR 3004 MICs 4- to 16-fold lower than those of erythromycin (MIC at which 50% of isolates were inhibited [MIC50] [HMR 3647 and HMR 3004], 0.03 microgram/ml; range, 0.03 to 0.06 microgram/ml; MIC50 [erythromycin], 0.25 microgram/ml; range, 0.25 to 0.5 microgram/ml). All methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains tested were resistant to erythromycin and had HMR 3647 and HMR 3004 MICs of > 64 micrograms/ml. The ketolides were slightly more active against E. faecalis than against E. faecium, and MICs for individual strains varied with erythromycin susceptibility. The MIC50s of HMR 3647 and HMR 3004 against Ems enterococci (MIC < or = 0.5 microgram/ml) and those enterococcal isolates with erythromycin MICs of 1 to 16 micrograms/ml were 0.015 microgram/ml. E. faecalis strains that had erythromycin MICs of 128 to > 512 micrograms/ml showed HMR 3647 MICs in the range of 0.03 to 16 micrograms/ml and HMR 3004 MICs in the range of 0.03 to 64 micrograms/ml. In the group of E. faecium strains for which MICs of erythromycin were > or = 512 micrograms/ml, MICs of both ketolides were in the range of 1 to 64 micrograms/ml, with almost all isolates showing ketolide MICs of < or = 16 micrograms/ml. The ketolides were also more active than erythromycin against group A streptococci, group B streptococci, S. pneumoniae, rhodococci, leuconostocs, pediococci, lactobacilli, and diphtheroids. Time-kill studies showed bactericidal activity against one strain of S. aureus among the four strains tested. The increased activity of ketolides against gram-positive bacteria suggests that further study of these agents for possible efficacy against infections caused by these bacteria is warranted.  (+info)

In vitro activities of 13 fluoroquinolones against Staphylococcus aureus isolates with characterized mutations in gyrA, gyrB, grlA, and norA and against wild-type isolates. (45/12137)

The in vitro activities of 13 fluoroquinolones (FQs) were tested against 90 Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates: 30 wild type for gyrA, gyrB, grlA and norA and 60 with mutations in these genes. Clinafloxacin (CI-960), sparfloxacin, and grepafloxacin were the most active FQs against wild-type isolates (MICs at which 90% of isolates were inhibited, 0.06 to 0.1 microgram/ml). Mutations in grlA did not affect the MICs of newer FQs. grlA-gyrA double mutations led to higher MICs for all the FQs tested. Efflux mechanisms affected the newer FQs to a much lesser extent than the less recently developed FQs.  (+info)

Growth in the presence of salicylate increases fluoroquinolone resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. (46/12137)

Salicylate and acetylsalicylate slightly increased fluoroquinolone resistance in ciprofloxacin-susceptible and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Salicylate allowed a greater number of cells from ciprofloxacin-susceptible and -resistant strains to survive on high fluoroquinolone concentrations. Salicylate also increased the frequency with which a susceptible strain mutated to become more resistant to ciprofloxacin.  (+info)

beta-lactam antibiotics. II. Structure-activity relationships of 6-[alpha-(alpha'-ureido-acylamino) acylamino] penicillanic acids. (47/12137)

The influence on the structure-activity relationships (S.A.R.) of the stereochemistry and various alkyl, aryl, aralkyl and heterocyclic substituents at the two chiral centres in the dipeptide side-chain of a new series of penicillins was examined. In many cases the effects of these changes had a pronounced influence on the degree of activity against Gram-positive and especially Gram-negative bacteria. Several compounds indicated that the size, shape and spatial disposition of a substituent were the parameters of importance in influencing activity, rather than it lipophilic or electronic character. The most active homologues in the series provided broad-spectrum penicillins which in terms of their in vitro antibacterial properties showed improvements over certain of the marketed penicillins. Thus 6-[D-alpha(alpha'-ureidoacyl-amino)acylamino]penicillanic acids were found which had a carbenicillin-like profile, with improvements against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella aerogenes, sensitive and beta-lactamase-producing Gram-positive cocci.  (+info)

Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from sputum in cystic fibrosis. (48/12137)

The success in the isolation of Staphylococcus aureus of different methods of sputum processing was investigated in 60 specimens collected from 14 patients with cystic fibrosis during a seven-month period. Fifty specimens (83%) from 11 patients yielded Staph. aureus by one or more methods. Direct plating of purulent portions of sputum on to media designed for general use in respiratory infections gave unsatisfactory results (35% yield of Staph. aureus). Some increase in isolations was obtained with preliminary liquefaction of sputum; but the best results were given by the addition of a medium selective for staphylococci (mannitol salt agar, BBL) or by initial sonication of sputum (each 83% yield). Seven of the 11 strains of Staph. aureus were thymidine-dependent and otherwise atypical in laboratory characteristics; these were isolated from patients who had received co-trimoxazole.  (+info)