Journal of medical microbiology
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Four community-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) isolates expressing high-level mupirocin resistance (MIC >1024 mg l(-1)) were isolated from four sites of a diabetic patient and characterized for the genetic location of their resistance determinants and typed using PFGE, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec), the coagulase gene and multilocus sequence typing to ascertain their relatedness. The presence of genes for resistance to high-level mupirocin (mupA), tetracycline (tetK) and fusidic acid (far1), Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), accessory gene regulators (agr) and capsular polysaccharide (cap) were detected in PCR assays. The isolates were resistant to kanamycin, streptomycin, tetracycline, fusidic acid and cadmium acetate, and harboured mupA, tetK, far1, PVL, agr3 and cap8. ⋯ One of the 21 kb mupirocin-resistance plasmids was derived from the approximately 41 kb plasmid during transfer experiments. The emergence of high-level mupirocin resistance in the ST80-SCCmec IV MRSA clone demonstrates the increasing capacity of CA-MRSA clones to acquire resistance to multiple antibacterial agents. The presence of different plasmid profiles in genetically identical isolates creates difficulty in the interpretation of typing results and highlights the weakness of using plasmid analysis as the sole method for strain typing.
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The composition and antifungal activity of clove essential oil (EO), obtained from Syzygium aromaticum, were studied. Clove oil was obtained commercially and analysed by GC and GC-MS. The EO analysed showed a high content of eugenol (85.3 %). ⋯ Clove oil and eugenol also caused a considerable reduction in the quantity of ergosterol, a specific fungal cell membrane component. Germ tube formation by Candida albicans was completely or almost completely inhibited by oil and eugenol concentrations below the MIC values. The present study indicates that clove oil and eugenol have considerable antifungal activity against clinically relevant fungi, including fluconazole-resistant strains, deserving further investigation for clinical application in the treatment of fungal infections.
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Gordonia species are aerobic Gram-positive bacilli and a rare cause of human disease. To our knowledge, there are only two cases of human infection with Gordonia sputi reported in the literature. We report five cases of bacteraemia due to Gordonia species at our institution since 2005, including four caused by G. sputi. Three of these cases were likely related to chronic indwelling central venous catheters.
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This report describes a case of neonatal bacteraemia and meningitis due to Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus. Based on the identification kit results, this species may have been reported as Streptococcus bovis or S. bovis biotype II. The accurate identification of this organism is mandatory for evaluating the aetiology of neonatal meningitis.
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Molecular detection and surveillance of the resistance genes harboured by Pseudomonas aeruginosa are becoming increasingly important in assessing and controlling spread and colonization in hospitals, and in guiding the treatment of infections. This study analysed the resistance mechanisms of carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa and identified the associated integron-borne metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL)-encoding genes. Twenty-seven imipenem (IPM)-resistant clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa were divided into three groups according to their resistance levels to carbapenems. ⋯ DNA sequencing showed that the MBL-encoding gene cassettes were carried by class 1 integrons. The bla(IMP-1), bla(IMP-7) and bla(IMP-10) gene cassettes were preceded by a hybrid P(ant) promoter, TGGACA-N(17)-TAAACT, and the bla(VIM-2) gene cassette was preceded by a weak promoter, TGGACA-N(17)-TAAGCT. Most of the MBL-encoding genes were linked to one or two resistance genes encoding aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes, such as aac(6')Iae, aac(6')II, aacA7, aacC4, aadA1, aadA2 and aadA6, highlighting the multidrug-resistant properties of these clinical isolates.