First report of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carrying the mecC gene in human samples from Iran: prevalence and molecular characteristics.

There is a lack of information concerning mecC clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains throughout the world. In the present survey, 345 MRSA strains were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec element (SCCmec) typing. mecC-positive MRSA isolates were characterized by study of biofilm formability, adhesion and virulence analysis, multilocus sequence typing, accessory gene regulator (agr) typing, S. aureus protein A locus (spa) typing and staphylocoagulase typing. The present study found ten SCCmec types, with the majority being SCCmec type III (38.3%). The presence of mecC was confirmed in three isolates from skin wounds (two isolates) and burn wounds (one isolate). All the mecC-positive isolates carried SCCmec XI and belonged to coa type III. Molecular typing showed that these isolates belonged to clonal complex/ST130-spa type t843-agr type III (two isolates) and clonal complex/ST599-spa type 5930-agr type I. The presence of SCCmec type IV confirms the hypothesis of extensive infiltration from the community to the hospital. Detection of MRSA isolates harbouring the mecC gene highlights the need to perform routine detection methods and molecular investigations in order to identify these emerging strains and limit their transfer in hospitals and communities.

Comparison of Antimicrobial Sensitivity to Older and Newer Quinolones versus Piperacillin-Tazobactam, Cefepime and Meropenem in Febrile Patients with Cancer in two Referral Pediatric Centers in Tehran, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Infection in pediatric cancer patients has become a concerning problem due to increasing antimicrobial resistance. The goal of this study was to determine the antimicrobial resistance patterns of blood isolates from pediatric oncology patients in Iran to determine if there was significant resistance to quinolones. METHODS: Children with cancer who were admitted with or developed fever during admission to Aliasghar Children's Hospital or Mahak Hospitals July 2009 through June 2011 were eligible for enrollment. Two blood cultures were obtained. Antimicrobial sensitivity test was performed for ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, gatifloxacin, meropenem, cefepime, and piperacillin-tazobactam on isolates from children who were bacteremic. RESULTS: Blood cultures were positive for 38 episodes in 169 enrolled children but 9 episodes were excluded as blood cultures were thought to be contaminated, yielding a bacteremia rate of 29/160 (18%). The mean age of children and the stage of malignancy did not differ between those with and without bacteremia. Meropenem was the most likely antibiotic to cover isolates (97%) with cefepime having the lowest coverage rate (21%). Quinolone coverage ranged from 63% to 76%. CONCLUSION: Quinolones may not be suitable for use as empiric therapy in febrile pediatric oncology patients in Iran.