ChromID® CARBA Agar Fails to Detect Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae With Slightly Reduced Susceptibility to Carbapenems

After first detections of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in animals, the European Union Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance has provided a protocol for the isolation of carbapenemase-producingEscherichia(E.)colifrom cecum content and meat. Up to now, only few isolates were recovered using this procedure. In our experience, the choice of the selective agar is important for the efficacy of the method. Currently, the use of the prevailing method fails to detect CPE that exhibit a low resistance against carbapenems. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the suitability of selective media with antibiotic supplements and commercial ChromID(R)CARBA agar for a reliable CPE detection. For comparative investigations, detection of freeze-dried carbapenemase-resistant bacteria was studied on different batches of the ChromID(R)CARBA agar as well as on MacConkey agar supplemented with 1 mg/L cefotaxime and 0.125 mg/L meropenem (McC+CTX+MEM). The suitability of the different media was assessed within a time of 25 weeks, starting at least six weeks before expiration of the media. Carbapenem-resistant isolates exhibiting a serine-based hydrolytic resistance mechanism (e.g.,bla(KPC)genes) were consistently detected over 25 weeks on the different media. In contrast, carbapenemase producers with only slightly reduced susceptibility and exhibiting a zinc-catalyzed activity (e.g.,bla(VIM),bla(NDM), andbla(IMP)) could only be cultivated on long-time expired ChromID(R)CARBA, but within the whole test period on McC+CTX+MEM. Thus, ChromID(R)CARBA agar appears to be not suitable for the detection of CPE with slightly increased minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against carbapenems, which have been detected in German livestock and thus, are of main interest in the national monitoring programs. Our data are in concordance with the results of eleven state laboratories that had participated in this study with their ChromID(R)CARBA batches routinely used for the German CPE monitoring. Based on the determined CPE detection rate, we recommend the use of McC+CTX+MEM for monitoring purposes. This study indicates that the use of ChromID(R)CARBA agar might lead to an underestimation of the current CPE occurrence in food and livestock samples

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics' resources: focus on curated databases

The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (www.isb-sib.ch) provides world-class bioinformatics databases, software tools, services and training to the international life science community in academia and industry. These solutions allow life scientists to turn the exponentially growing amount of data into knowledge. Here, we provide an overview of SIB's resources and competence areas, with a strong focus on curated databases and SIB's most popular and widely used resources. In particular, SIB's Bioinformatics resource portal ExPASy features over 150 resources, including UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, ENZYME, PROSITE, neXtProt, STRING, UniCarbKB, SugarBindDB, SwissRegulon, EPD, arrayMap, Bgee, SWISS-MODEL Repository, OMA, OrthoDB and other databases, which are briefly described in this article

Sozialpolitik

Ziegler H. Sozialpolitik. In: Andresen S, Casale R, Gabriel T, Horlacher R, Larcher Klee S, Oelkers J, eds. Handwörterbuch Erziehungswissenschaft. Weinheim: Beltz; 2009: 803-819

Molecular Tracing to Find Source of Protracted Invasive Listeriosis Outbreak, Southern Germany, 2012–2016

We investigated 543 Listeria monocytogenes isolates from food having a temporal and spatial distribution compatible with that of the invasive listeriosis outbreak occurring 2012–2016 in southern Germany. Using forensic microbiology, we identified several products from 1 manufacturer contaminated with the outbreak genotype. Continuous molecular surveillance of food isolates could prevent such outbreaks

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of sialooligosaccharides on arrays for studies of cell surface adhesion

Sialooligosaccharides were generated by direct enzymatic glycosylation on arrays and the resulting surfaces were suitable for the study of carbohydrate-specific cell adhesion