Yeast Biodiversity of Karst Waters: Interest of Four Culture Media and an Improved MALDI-TOF MS Database.

Karst aquifers are a significant source of drinking water and highly vulnerable to pollution and microbial contamination. Microbiological regulations for the quality of drinking water mostly focus on bacterial levels and lack guidance concerning fungal contamination. Moreover, there is no standardised microbial analysis methodology for identifying fungi in water. Our main objective was to establish the most effective culture and identification methodology to examine yeast diversity in karst waters. We assessed the comparative efficacy of four culture media (CHROMagar Candida, dichloran glycerol 18% [DG18], dichloran rose Bengal chloramphenicol [DRBC], and SYMPHONY agar) for yeast isolation from karst water samples. Furthermore, we investigated the comprehensiveness of databases used in MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for identifying environmental yeast species. In total, we analysed 162 water samples, allowing the identification of 2479 yeast isolates. We demonstrate that a combination of four culture media, each with distinct specifications, more efficiently covers a wide range of yeast species in karst water than a combination of only two or three. Supplementation of a MALDI-TOF MS database is also critical for analysing environmental microbial samples and improved the identification of yeast biodiversity. This study is an initial step towards standardising the analysis of fungal biodiversity in karst waters, enabling a better understanding of the significance of this environmental reservoir in relation to public health.

[Cockett's syndrome, a rare differential diagnosis of unilateral inferior member oedema]. / L'image du mois. Un diagnostic différentiel rare de l'œdème de membre inférieur unilatéral : le syndrome de Cockett.

We present here a typical picture of May-Thurner syndrome, rare but treatable etiology with specific treatment, of unilateral leg oedema and thromboembolic disease of the young woman.

Nous présentons ici une image typique de syndrome de Cockett, étiologie rare mais curable par un traitement spécifique, d'œdème de membre inférieur et de maladie thrombo-embolique chez la femme jeune.

Synthesis of Tertiary Fluorides through an Acid-Mediated Deoxyfluorination of Tertiary Alcohols.

The combination of methanesulfonic acid and potassium bifluoride is reported for the deoxyfluorination of tertiary alcohols. Under metal-free conditions that use readily available, cheap, and easy-to-handle reagents, a range of tertiary alcohols could be converted into the corresponding fluorides in excellent yields (average yields of 85% for 23 examples). Mechanistic investigation showed that the reaction proceeds at 0 °C, in part, through an elimination/hydrofluorination pathway, but no residual alkenes are observed. The application of these conditions for the fluorination of ether and ester is also demonstrated.

[Reexpansion edema : complication of pleural effusion drainage]. / L'image du mois. Œdème de réexpansion compliquant le drainage d'un pneumothorax.

Reexpansion pulmonary edema is a rare complication of pleural effusion drainage (liquid or gas). Its pathophysiology is not fully understood but it seems to be induced by an increase in the permeability of the alveolar-capillary membrane. The purpose of this case report is to present the clinic of reexpansion edema and also to provide practitioners with a management strategy.

Résumé : L'œdème pulmonaire de réexpansion est une complication rare du drainage d'un épanchement pleural (liquide ou gazeux). Sa physiopathologie n'est pas parfaitement comprise, mais elle semble être induite par une augmentation de la perméabilité de la membrane alvéolo-capillaire. Le but de ce rapport de cas est de présenter la clinique de l'œdème de réexpansion et également d'apporter aux praticiens une stratégie de prise en charge.

One Health compartmental analysis of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli on Reunion Island reveals partitioning between humans and livestock.

BACKGROUND: Extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-Ec) is a major cause of infections worldwide. An understanding of the reservoirs and modes of transmission of these pathogens is essential, to tackle their increasing frequency. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the contributions of various compartments (humans, animals, environment), to human colonization or infection with ESBL-Ec over a 3 year period, on an island. METHODS: The study was performed on Reunion Island (Southwest Indian Ocean). We collected ESBL-Ec isolates prospectively from humans, wastewater and livestock between April 2015 and December 2018. Human specimens were recovered from a regional surveillance system representative of the island's health facilities. These isolates were compared with those from livestock and urban/rural wastewater, by whole-genome sequencing. RESULTS: We collected 410 ESBL-Ec isolates: 161 from humans, 161 from wastewater and 88 from animals. Phylogenomic analysis demonstrated high diversity (100 STs), with different STs predominating among isolates from humans (ST131, ST38, ST10) and animals (ST57, ST156). The large majority (90%) of the STs, including ST131, were principally associated with a single compartment. The CTX-M-15, CTX-M-27 and CTX-M-14 enzymes were most common in humans/human wastewater, whereas CTX-M-1 predominated in animals. Isolates of human and animal origin had different plasmids carrying blaCTX-M genes, with the exception of a conserved IncI1-ST3 blaCTX-M-1 plasmid. CONCLUSIONS: These molecular data suggest that, despite their high level of contamination, animals are not a major source of the ESBL-Ec found in humans living on this densely populated high-income island. Public health policies should therefore focus primarily on human-to-human transmission, to prevent human infections with ESBL-Ec.

Do Contact Precautions Reduce the Incidence of Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections? The DPCPYO (Detection and Contact Precautions for Patients With P. aeruginosa) Cluster-Randomized Crossover Trial.

BACKGROUND: The issue of contact precautions as contributory factors for reducing Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) infections in intensive care units (ICUs) remains questioned. We evaluated the impact of the addition of contact precautions to standard precautions for Pa-positive patients on incidence of ICU-acquired Pa infections. METHODS: In this multicenter, cluster-randomized crossover trial, 10 French ICUs were randomly assigned (1:1) to sequence 0-1 (6-month control period [CP]/3-month washout period/6-month intervention period [IP]) or sequence 1-0 (6-month IP/3-month washout period/6-month CP). A surveillance screening program for Pa was implemented. Competing-risks regression models were built with death and discharge without the occurrence of ICU-acquired Pa infection (the primary outcome) as competing events. Models were adjusted for within-ICU correlation and patient- and ICU-level covariates. The Simpson diversity index (SDI) and transmission index (TI) of Pa isolates were derived from pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing. RESULTS: Within recruited ICUs, the cumulative incidence and incidence rate of ICU-acquired Pa infections were 3.38% (55/1625) versus 3.44% (57/1658) and 3.31 versus 3.52 per 1000 patient-days at risk during the CP and IP, respectively. Multivariable models indicated that the intervention did not significantly change the cumulative incidence (subdistribution hazard ratio, .91; 95% confidence interval [CI], .49-1.67; P = .76) or rate (cause-specific hazard ratio, 1.36; 95% CI, .71-2.63; P = .36) of the primary outcome. SDI and TI did not significantly differ between CP and IP. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of contact precautions to standard precautions for Pa-positive patients with a surveillance screening program does not significantly reduce ICU-acquired Pa infections in non-outbreak situations. Clinical Trials Registration. ISRCTN92710225.

Tracking Pseudomonas aeruginosa transmissions due to environmental contamination after discharge in ICUs using mathematical models.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an important cause of healthcare-associated infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Understanding how this multi-drug resistant pathogen is transmitted within intensive care units (ICUs) is crucial for devising and evaluating successful control strategies. While it is known that moist environments serve as natural reservoirs for P. aeruginosa, there is little quantitative evidence regarding the contribution of environmental contamination to its transmission within ICUs. Previous studies on other nosocomial pathogens rely on deploying specific values for environmental parameters derived from costly and laborious genotyping. Using solely longitudinal surveillance data, we estimated the relative importance of P. aeruginosa transmission routes by exploiting the fact that different routes cause different pattern of fluctuations in the prevalence. We developed a mathematical model including background transmission, cross-transmission and environmental contamination. Patients contribute to a pool of pathogens by shedding bacteria to the environment. Natural decay and cleaning of the environment lead to a reduction of that pool. By assigning the bacterial load shed during an ICU stay to cross-transmission, we were able to disentangle environmental contamination during and after a patient's stay. Based on a data-augmented Markov Chain Monte Carlo method the relative importance of the considered acquisition routes is determined for two ICUs of the University hospital in Besançon (France). We used information about the admission and discharge days, screening days and screening results of the ICU patients. Both background and cross-transmission play a significant role in the transmission process in both ICUs. In contrast, only about 1% of the total transmissions were due to environmental contamination after discharge. Based on longitudinal surveillance data, we conclude that cleaning improvement of the environment after discharge might have only a limited impact regarding the prevention of P.A. infections in the two considered ICUs of the University hospital in Besançon. Our model was developed for P. aeruginosa but can be easily applied to other pathogens as well.

Applying the Bent Bond/Antiperiplanar Hypothesis to the Stereoselective Glycosylation of Bicyclic Furanosides.

The glycosylation stereoselectivities for a series of bicyclic furanoside models have been carried out in the presence of weak nucleophiles. These results were analyzed through the bent bond/antiperiplanar hypothesis (BBAH) orbital model to test its validity. According to the BBAH, incoming nucleophiles displace one of the two bent bonds of bicyclic oxocarbenium ion intermediates in an antiperiplanar fashion. The glycosylation stereoselectivity is then governed by the displacement of the weaker bent bond as determined by the presence of electron-withdrawing or -donating substituents at C2. Overall, the BBAH analysis expands Woerpel's "inside/outside attack" glycosylation model by considering the stereoelectronic influence of neighboring electron-withdrawing and -donating groups on the nucleophilic addition to oxocarbenium ion intermediates.

Spread of clonal linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis in an intensive care unit associated with linezolid exposure.

The aim of the study was to determine factors associated with spread of linezolid (LNZ)-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates in a surgical intensive care unit (ICU). A case-control study was conducted in one French adult surgical ICU. From January 2012 to December 2016, patients with at least a single positive LNZ-resistant S. epidermidis blood culture were matched to control with LNZ-susceptible S. epidermidis blood culture in a 1:4 manner. Cases were compared to controls regarding baseline clinical characteristics and LNZ exposure before positive blood culture. Bacterial isolates were genotyped by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and MLST. We identified 13 LNZ-resistant S. epidermidis isolates, 1 in 2012, 3 in 2014, 6 in 2015, and 3 in 2016. LNZ use increased steadily from 8 DDDs/100 patient days in 2010 to 19 in 2013 and further decrease by more of 50% in 2015 and 2016. The only independent risk factors associated to LNZ-resistant S. epidermidis isolation were length of stay in ICU before infection (OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.07-1.98), prior exposure to LNZ (OR 109; 95% CI 3.9-3034), and Charlson comorbidities score (OR 3.19; 95% CI 1.11-9.14). PFGE typing showed that all LNZ-resistant isolates were clonal belonging to ST2 and that LNZ-susceptible isolates were highly diverse. We report herein that previous exposure to LNZ substantially increased the risk of occurrence of LNZ resistance in S. epidermidis even in the case of clonal spread of LNZ-resistant isolates. These findings highlight the need for reducing the use of LNZ to preserve its efficacy in the future.

Epidemiology and risk factors of Staphylococcus aureus CC398 bone and joint infections.

BACKGROUND: A particular ability of the Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 398 (CC398) to cause bone and joint infections (BJI) remains questionable, since some studies have described high prevalence of MSSA CC398 in prosthetic joint infection (PJI) and diabetic foot ostemolyelitis (DFO). Here, we described the long-term epidemiology of CC398 among S. aureus isolated from BJI and identified risk factors associated with CC398. METHODS: We included all bone and joint samples with S. aureus-positive culture in our university hospital between January 2010 and December 2017. Logistic regression was used for univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: We identified 124 CC398 isolates among the 958 BJI-associated S. aureus. The proportion of CC398 among S. aureus increased steadily from 4% in 2010 to 26% in 2017. Only 4 isolates of CC398 were resistant to methicillin. The distribution of BJI types due to CC398 and non CC398 isolates was similar. In multivariate analysis, age (p = 0.034, OR = 3.9), McCabe score (p = 0.005, OR = 5) and inoculation mechanism (p = 0.020, OR = 3.7) were associated with PJI-related CC398. The year of infection (p < 0.001, OR = 1.6), Charlson's score (p = 0.001, OR = 1.5) and grade 4 (severe) of the International Working Group of the Diabetic Foot classification (p < 0.001, OR = 8.5) were associated with DFO-related CC398. CONCLUSION: We highlighted here the emergence and spread of CC398-MSSA in BJI. Patients with comorbidities are at high risk of CC398 MSSA PJI and DFO. The spread of CC398 in the community and hospital settings remains unclear and further epidemiological studies are needed to identify the determinants of its success.

Carbapenem-Susceptible OXA-23-Producing Proteus mirabilis in the French Community.

Nineteen Proteus mirabilis isolates producing the carbapenemase OXA-23 were recovered over a 2-year period in 19 French hospitalized patients, of whom 12 had community onset infections. The isolates exhibited a slightly reduced susceptibility to carbapenems. Whole-genome analysis revealed that all 19 isolates formed a cluster compared to 149 other P. mirabilis isolates. Because of its susceptibility to carbapenems, this clone may be misidentified as a penicillinase producer while it constitutes a reservoir of the OXA-23-encoding gene in the community.

Enhanced emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria after in vitro induction with cancer chemotherapy drugs.

BACKGROUND: Infections with antibiotic-resistant pathogens in cancer patients are a leading cause of mortality. Cancer patients are treated with compounds that can damage bacterial DNA, potentially triggering the SOS response, which in turn enhances the bacterial mutation rate. Antibiotic resistance readily occurs after mutation of bacterial core genes. Thus, we tested whether cancer chemotherapy drugs enhance the emergence of resistant mutants in commensal bacteria. METHODS: Induction of the SOS response was tested after the incubation of Escherichia coli biosensors with 39 chemotherapeutic drugs at therapeutic concentrations. The mutation frequency was assessed after induction with the SOS-inducing chemotherapeutic drugs. We then tested the ability of the three most highly inducing drugs to drive the emergence of resistant mutants of major bacterial pathogens to first-line antibiotics. RESULTS: Ten chemotherapeutic drugs activated the SOS response. Among them, eight accelerated the evolution of the major commensal E. coli, mostly through activation of the SOS response, with dacarbazine, azacitidine and streptozotocin enhancing the mutation rate 21.3-fold (P < 0.001), 101.7-fold (P = 0.01) and 1158.7-fold (P = 0.02), respectively. These three compounds also spurred the emergence of imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (up to 6.21-fold; P = 0.05), ciprofloxacin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (up to 57.72-fold; P = 0.016) and cefotaxime-resistant Enterobacteria cloacae (up to 4.57-fold; P = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that chemotherapy could accelerate evolution of the microbiota and drive the emergence of antibiotic-resistant mutants from bacterial commensals in patients. This reveals an additional level of complexity of the interactions between cancer, chemotherapy and the gut microbiota.

Increasing incidence of bloodstream infections due to Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 398 in a French hospital between 2010 and 2017.

The epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus is changing and several surveillances worldwide have evidenced an increasing incidence of S. aureus bloodstream infections (BSIs). Here, we described the long-term epidemiology of the emergent clonal group CC398 among S. aureus isolated from BSIs in our French university hospital between 2010 and 2017. Each patient with at least one blood culture positive with S. aureus during the study period was included (N = 1455). Cefoxitin susceptibility was determined using the disk diffusion method according to EUCAST recommendations. CC398 isolates were first screened from the whole S. aureus collection with a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) typing method confirmed by a CC398-specific PCR. In our hospital, the incidence of hospital- and community-acquired BSIs due to S. aureus and MSSA increased in parallel between 2010 and 2017 while that of BSIs with MRSA decreased. The prevalence of CC398 isolates among S. aureus from BSIs increased from 3.6 in 2010 to 20.2% in 2017 (p < 0.05). CC398-MRSA emerged but remains very sparse. Our data suggested that CC398-MSSA disseminates in the community. We showed here the emergence and the diffusion of CC398-MSSA, a subclone associated with invasive infections, in our hospital. The monitoring of this particular human-adapted S. aureus clone is needed and genomic studies will have to identify the determinants of its diffusion.

Molecular epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from infected ICU patients: a French multicenter 2012-2013 study.

Although Pseudomonas aeruginosa has a non-clonal epidemic population structure, recent studies have provided evidence of the existence of epidemic high-risk clones. The aim of this study was to assess the molecular epidemiology of P. aeruginosa isolates responsible for infections in French ICUs, regardless of resistance patterns. For a 1-year period, all non-duplicate P. aeruginosa isolated from bacteremia and pulmonary infections in ten adult ICUs of six French university hospitals were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing and genotyping (MLST and PFGE). We identified ß-lactamases with an extended spectrum phenotypically and by sequencing. The 104 isolates tested were distributed in 46 STs, of which 7 epidemic high-risk (EHR) clones over-represented: ST111, ST175, ST235, ST244, ST253, ST308, and ST395. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates mostly clustered in these EHR clones, which frequently spread within hospitals. Only one ST233 isolate produced the carbapenemase VIM-2. PFGE analysis suggests frequent intra-hospital cross-transmission involving EHR clones. For ST395 and ST308, we also observed the progression from wild-type to MDR resistance pattern within the same PFGE pattern. Molecular epidemiology of P. aeruginosa in French ICUs is characterized by high clonal diversity notably among antimicrobial susceptible isolates and the over-representation of EHR clones, particularly within MDR isolates, even though multidrug resistance is not a constant inherent trait of EHR clones.

Outbreak of Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Ochrobactrum anthropi Infections after Prostate Biopsies, France, 2014.

We report an outbreak of healthcare-associated prostatitis involving rare environmental pathogens in immunocompetent patients undergoing transrectal prostate biopsies at Hôpital Édouard Herriot (Lyon, France) during August 13-October 10, 2014. Despite a fluoroquinolone-based prophylaxis, 5 patients were infected with Achromobacter xylosoxidans and 3 with Ochrobactrum anthropi, which has not been reported as pathogenic in nonimmunocompromised persons. All patients recovered fully. Analysis of the outbreak included case investigation, case-control study, biopsy procedure review, microbiologic testing of environmental and clinical samples, and retrospective review of hospital records for 4 years before the outbreak. The cases resulted from asepsis errors during preparation of materials for the biopsies. A low-level outbreak involving environmental bacteria was likely present for years, masked by antimicrobial drug prophylaxis and a low number of cases. Healthcare personnel should promptly report unusual pathogens in immunocompetent patients to infection control units, and guidelines should explicitly mention asepsis during materials preparation.

Pyomelanin-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa selected during chronic infections have a large chromosomal deletion which confers resistance to pyocins.

When bacterial lineages make the transition from free-living to permanent association with hosts, they can undergo massive gene losses, for which the selective forces within host tissues are unknown. We identified here melanogenic clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with large chromosomal deletions (66 to 270 kbp) and characterized them to investigate how they were selected. When compared with their wild-type parents, melanogenic mutants (i) exhibited a lower fitness in growth conditions found in human tissues, such as hyperosmolarity and presence of aminoglycoside antibiotics, (ii) narrowed their metabolic spectrum with a growth disadvantage with particular carbon sources, including aromatic amino acids and acyclic terpenes, suggesting a reduction of metabolic flexibility. Despite an impaired fitness in rich media, melanogenic mutants can inhibit their wild-type parents and compete with them in coculture. Surprisingly, melanogenic mutants became highly resistant to two intraspecific toxins, the S-pyocins AP41 and S1. Our results suggest that pyocins produced within a population of infecting P. aeruginosa may have selected for bacterial mutants that underwent massive gene losses and that were adapted to the life in diverse bacterial communities in the human host. Intraspecific interactions may therefore be an important factor driving the continuing evolution of pathogens during host infections.

Outbreak of pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections related to contaminated bronchoscope suction valves, Lyon, France, 2014.

In April 2014, pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia co-infections potentially related to bronchoscopic procedures were identified in the intensive care units of a university hospital in Lyon, France. A retrospective cohort of 157 patients exposed to bronchoscopes from 1 December 2013 to 17 June 2014 was analysed. Environmental samples of suspected endoscopes were cultured. Bronchoscope disinfection was reviewed. Ten cases of pulmonary P. aeruginosa/S. maltophilia co-infections were identified, including two patients with secondary pneumonia. Eight cases were linked to bronchoscope A1 and two to bronchoscope A2. Cultures deriving from suction valves were positive for P. aeruginosa/S. maltophilia. Exposure to bronchoscopes A1 and A2 was independently coupled with increased risk of co-infection (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 84.6; 95% confidence interval (CI): 9.3-771.6 and aOR = 11.8, 95% CI: 1.2-121.3). Isolates from suction valves and clinical samples presented identical pulsotypes. The audit detected deficiencies in endoscope disinfection. No further cases occurred after discontinuation of the implicated bronchoscopes and change in cleaning procedures. This outbreak of pulmonary P. aeruginosa/S. maltophilia co-infections was caused by suction valve contamination of two bronchoscopes of the same manufacturer. Our findings underscore the need to test suction valves, in addition to bronchoscope channels, for routine detection of bacteria.

The health and economic burden of bloodstream infections caused by antimicrobial-susceptible and non-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus aureus in European hospitals, 2010 and 2011: a multicentre retrospective cohort study.

We performed a multicentre retrospective cohort study including 606,649 acute inpatient episodes at 10 European hospitals in 2010 and 2011 to estimate the impact of antimicrobial resistance on hospital mortality, excess length of stay (LOS) and cost. Bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (3GCRE), meticillin-susceptible (MSSA) and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) increased the daily risk of hospital death (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.80; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.34-2.42, HR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.49-2.20 and HR = 2.42; 95% CI: 1.66-3.51, respectively) and prolonged LOS (9.3 days; 95% CI: 9.2-9.4, 11.5 days; 95% CI: 11.5-11.6 and 13.3 days; 95% CI: 13.2-13.4, respectively). BSI with third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae (3GCSE) significantly increased LOS (5.9 days; 95% CI: 5.8-5.9) but not hazard of death (1.16; 95% CI: 0.98-1.36). 3GCRE significantly increased the hazard of death (1.63; 95% CI: 1.13-2.35), excess LOS (4.9 days; 95% CI: 1.1-8.7) and cost compared with susceptible strains, whereas meticillin resistance did not. The annual cost of 3GCRE BSI was higher than of MRSA BSI. While BSI with S. aureus had greater impact on mortality, excess LOS and cost than Enterobacteriaceae per infection, the impact of antimicrobial resistance was greater for Enterobacteriaceae.

Escherichia coli ST131, an intriguing clonal group.

In 2008, a previously unknown Escherichia coli clonal group, sequence type 131 (ST131), was identified on three continents. Today, ST131 is the predominant E. coli lineage among extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) isolates worldwide. Retrospective studies have suggested that it may originally have risen to prominence as early as 2003. Unlike other classical group B2 ExPEC isolates, ST131 isolates are commonly reported to produce extended-spectrum ß-lactamases, such as CTX-M-15, and almost all are resistant to fluoroquinolones. Moreover, ST131 E. coli isolates are considered to be truly pathogenic, due to the spectrum of infections they cause in both community and hospital settings and the large number of virulence-associated genes they contain. ST131 isolates therefore seem to contradict the widely held view that high levels of antimicrobial resistance are necessarily associated with a fitness cost leading to a decrease in pathogenesis. Six years after the first description of E. coli ST131, this review outlines the principal traits of ST131 clonal group isolates, based on the growing body of published data, and highlights what is currently known and what we need to find out to provide public health authorities with better information to help combat ST131.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry identifies Pseudomonas aeruginosa high-risk clones.

We show here that matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) accurately and quickly identified the five high-risk clones of Pseudomonas aeruginosa sequence type 111 (ST111), ST175, ST235, ST253, and ST395. The use of this screening technique by clinical microbiology laboratories may tackle the spread of high-risk clones by the quick implementation of hygiene control procedures for relevant patients.