Jean B Patel

..Institutions that are considering the implementation of widespread mupirocin use should consider these resistance issues and develop strategies to monitor the impact of mupirocin use...

..An Inc18-like vanA plasmid was identified in the VRSA isolate from case patient 7. These findings suggest a role of Inc18-like plasmids as vanA donors...

..For coagulase-negative strains at 24 h of incubation, breakpoints of < or = 2 microg/ml for mecA-negative and > or = 4 microg/ml for mecA-positive isolates gave sensitivity and specificity of 94 to 99% and 69 to 80%, respectively...

..Although VRE isolates with the VRSA-associated Inc18-like vanA plasmid were more common in Michigan, they remain rare. Periodic surveillance of VRE isolates for the plasmid may be useful in predicting the occurrence of VRSA...

..Use of standardized MIC or disk tests could enable the detection of emerging high- and low-level mupirocin resistance in S. aureus...

..These results suggest that a cefoxitin test can be used alone to predict mecA-mediated resistance in S. aureus...

..Only 12 (33.3%) strains for which the VA MICs were 4 microg/ml grew on VScr. The differentiation of isolates for which the VA MICs were 2 or 4 microg/ml was difficult for most systems and methods, including the reference methods...

..The potential for interspecies transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes, including resistance to vancomycin, may be enhanced by the microenvironment of a biofilm...

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..In contrast, the proportions of MRSA isolates that were susceptible to chloramphenicol, clindamycin, and erythromycin were lower in 2003 and 2004 than in 2001 and 2002, although none of these differences was statistically significant...

..Restriction analysis of plasmid DNA prepared from transformants revealed a diversity of band patterns, suggesting the presence of different plasmids harboring the bla(KPC) gene, even among isolates of the same ST...

..pneumoniae, particularly when coupled with OmpK36 porin loss...

..0 McFarland inoculum. BHI screen agar with 4 μg/ml vancomycin and casein and a 0.5 McFarland inoculum had the best sensitivity and specificity combination, was easy to perform, and may be useful for clinical detection of hVISA...

..They were also unrelated to the dominant sequence type observed throughout the United States, multilocus sequence type 258. This could represent regional dissemination of another KPC-producing K. pneumoniae strain...

..Comparative genomics between USA300-0114 and three other S. aureus lineages (USA100, USA400, and USA500) defined a set of USA300-0114-specific genes, which may facilitate the strain's pathogenesis within diverse environments...

..In communities with a high prevalence of MRSA, empiric therapy of severe CAP during periods of high influenza activity should include consideration for MRSA...

..Both methods provided reliable detection of oxacillin-resistant S. aureus and facilitated the discovery of a novel, functionally impaired form of PBP2a...

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..After a 24-h incubation, the ERY-CC combinations of 4 and 0.5, 6 and 1, and 8 and 1.5 microg/ml correlated well with the D-zone test...

..As a result, preventing both CRE transmission and CRE infections have become important public health objectives. This review describes the current epidemiology of CRE in the United States and highlights important prevention strategies...

..6%), in addition to beta-lactam agents. This collection provides a reference collection of MRSA isolates associated with invasive disease, collected in 2005 and 2006 in the United States, for future comparison and ongoing studies...

..The vanA sequence was identical to the vanA sequence present in Tn1546. A DNA probe for vanA hybridized to the 120-kb plasmid. This is the second VRSA isolate reported in the United States...

..Restriction analysis and hybridization with a KPC-specific probe showed the bla(KPC-2) genes of these two genera of the family Enterobacteriaceae are carried on a common plasmid...

..These differences in the Tn1546-like elements indicate that the first two VRSA isolates were the result of independent genetic events...

..There were no deaths. Our findings support evidence that B. holmesii may be a true pathogen associated with bacteremia among asplenic patients...

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..dentocariosa and C. aurimucosum; hence, the descriptions of both R. dentocariosa and C. aurimucosum have been amended to include charcoal-black-pigmented variants, and C. nigricans is a pro synonym of C. aurimucosum...

..Four laboratories tested 26 diverse strains and found Etest to be reliable for testing antimicrobial agents used to treat Y. pestis, except for chloramphenicol and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Disk diffusion testing is not recommended...

..missouriensis (type strain H1892(T) = CCUG 52307(T) = CIP 109176(T)) and H. massiliensis comb. nov. (type strain Framboise(T) = CCUG 47968(T) = CIP 107725(T)) and an unnamed genomospecies...

..Six antimicrobial agents were tested against 39 Brucella isolates. Aminoglycoside MICs tended to be 1 log2 dilution higher in CO2 than in AA; tetracycline-class MICs to be 1 log2 dilution lower in CO2...

..These results indicated that a pSK41-like plasmid can facilitate the transfer of an Inc18-like vanA plasmid from E. faecalis to S. aureus, possibly via an extracellular factor produced by pSK41-carrying isolates...