Ruling Out Bacillus anthracis

Optimization of methods for ruling out Bacillus anthracis leads to increased yields, faster turnaround times, and a lighter workload. We used 72 environmental non–B. anthracis bacilli to validate methods for ruling out B. anthracis. Most effective were horse blood agar, motility testing after a 2-h incubation in trypticase soy broth, and screening with a B. anthracis–selective agar

VIM-1 Metallo-β-lactamase in Acinetobacter baumannii

In 2004 and 2005, 5 metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-positive Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were found in 2 Greek hospitals. Isolates were unrelated and carried blaVIM-1 in a class 1 integron; blaOXA-51- and blaOXA-58-like carbapenemase genes were also detected. VIM-1 MBL in Acinetobacter spp. causes concern, given the increasing resistance of this species

The first database comprised of flagellin gene (flaA) types of Campylobacter jejuni human clinical isolates from Greece

Flagellin subunit A gene (flaA) typing of Campylobacter has been recognized by several groups as a relatively simple and quick genotyping method. The present study aimed to create, for the first time in Greece, a database with flaA restriction patterns, which could be used for future epidemiological and clinical studies. A total of 207 C. jejuni clinical isolates of known serotype were collected from 5 general hospitals of the area of Attica, during the period 2000-2003. The RFLP profiles of each strain were matched in 44 bins of 0 or 1. Thirty nine different flaA types, designated as flaA 1 GR to flaA 39 GR (GR: Greece) were found. There was no significant association of certain genotypes with certain serotypes. However flaA typing showed a remarkable discriminatory ability inside the non-typable (NT) group. Evaluating our results we observed (i) that there was no clonality of a certain flaA type among the strains and the serotypes examined and (ii) that the discriminatory ability of flaA typing was much better than that of serotyping. Giving a simple and detailed description of the data analysis, we are the first who publish the bin patterns for the flaA genotypes found

VIM-12, a Novel Plasmid-Mediated Metallo-β-Lactamase from Klebsiella pneumoniae That Resembles a VIM-1/VIM-2 Hybrid

A transferable plasmid from Klebsiella pneumoniae carried a class 1 integron containing bla(VIM-12), a novel bla(VIM)-type gene, flanked by two copies of aacA7. bla(VIM-12) was clustered between bla(VIM-1) and bla(VIM-2) and differed from bla(VIM-1) by 18 nucleotides that were all located at the 3′ end and matched the corresponding nucleotides in bla(VIM-2). The bla(VIM-12)-associated 59-base element was identical to that described in bla(VIM-2) alleles

In vitro activities of tigecycline against recently isolated Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria in Greece, including metronidazole-resistant strains

The in vitro activity of tigecycline was compared with those of benzylpenicillin, piperacillin + tazobactam, cefoxitin, imipenem, metronidazole, clindamycin, and tetracycline against 249 Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria (158 Bacteroides fragilis group, 27 non fragilis Bacteroides spp., 44 Prevotella spp., and 20 miscellaneous), recently isolated from 8 general hospitals in Athens, Greece. Overall tigecycline MIC50 and MIC90 were 0.25 and 2 mg/L, respectively, whereas B. fragilis group MICSO and MIC90 were 0.5 and 4 mg/L, respectively. In total, 93% of the isolates were susceptible to tigecycline (MIC <= 4 mg/L) and no high-level resistance (MIC >= 32 mg/L) was detected. In addition, tigecycline exhibited good activity against metronidazole- and tetracycline-resistant isolates (MIC90, 0.5 and 8 mg/L, respectively). In summary, tigecycline exhibits good in vitro activity against Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria isolated in Greece, as well as stability to the most common occurring resistance mechanisms, attributes that make this parenteral agent an attractive alternative for use against infections involving these microorganisms. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Multiple Clones within Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serotype Typhimurium Phage Type DT104

Six distinct clones were present among Greek multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium phage type DT104, since isolates belonging to resistance phenotypes including the ACSSuT (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfonamides, and tetracycline) core could be distinguished with respect to their pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns, int1 integron structures, and presence or absence of antibiotic resistance genes ant(3")-Ia, pse-1, and tem-1