The speciation and genotyping of Cronobacter isolates from hospitalised patients.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognised all Cronobacter species as human pathogens. Among premature neonates and immunocompromised infants, these infections can be life-threatening, with clinical presentations of septicaemia, meningitis and necrotising enterocolitis. The neurological sequelae can be permanent and the mortality rate as high as 40-80%. Despite the highlighted issues of neonatal infections, the majority of Cronobacter infections are in the elderly population suffering from serious underlying disease or malignancy and include wound and urinary tract infections, osteomyelitis, bacteraemia and septicaemia. However, no age profiling studies have speciated or genotyped the Cronobacter isolates. A clinical collection of 51 Cronobacter strains from two hospitals were speciated and genotyped using 7-loci multilocus sequence typing (MLST), rpoB gene sequence analysis, O-antigen typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The isolates were predominated by C. sakazakii sequence type 4 (63%, 32/51) and C. malonaticus sequence type 7 (33%, 17/51). These had been isolated from throat and sputum samples of all age groups, as well as recal and faecal swabs. There was no apparent relatedness between the age of the patient and the Cronobacter species isolated. Despite the high clonality of Cronobacter, PFGE profiles differentiated strains across the sequence types into 15 pulsotypes. There was almost complete agreement between O-antigen typing and rpoB gene sequence analysis and MLST profiling. This study shows the value of applying MLST to bacterial population studies with strains from two patient cohorts, combined with PFGE for further discrimination of strains.

Epidemiology of Cronobacter spp. isolates from patients admitted to the Olomouc University Hospital (Czech Republic).

UNLABELLED: The data on the incidence of Cronobacter spp. was collated from hospital records for the seven-year period 2005-2011. The majority of Cronobacter spp. isolates (n = 91) were from throat swabs (61), followed by urine (5), tracheal aspirates (5), bronchoalveolar lavage (4), cannulae (4), and sputum (3) samples. This is the first study which profiles the carriage of Cronobacter spp. according to patient age, based on seven years of clinical data from 2005-2011. It reveals a high recovery (63.7% of strains, n = 91) of the organism from children, 1-14 years in age. KEYWORDS: Cronobacter spp. - meningitis - nosocomial infection.

Prevalence of genes encoding extracellular virulence factors among meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from the University Hospital, Olomouc, Czech Republic.

A rather fast and complicated progression of an infection caused by some strains of Staphylococcus aureus could be associated with the expression and co-action of virulence factor complexes in these strains. This study screened the antibiotic susceptibility and prevalence of virulence markers in isolates of meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) obtained from patients hospitalized at the University Hospital in Olomouc, Czech Republic. A total of 100 isolates was screened for 13 genes encoding extracellular virulence determinants (tst, pvl, eta, etb, sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, sei and sej) and for their distribution in sample types. Eighty-nine isolates were positive for at least one of the genes. Genes for etb, pvl, see and seh were not detected in any of the MRSA isolates. No statistically significant differences in the occurrence of the determinants studied among sample types were found.

[Penetration of antibiotics into the intervertebral disk]. / Penetrace antibiotika do intervertebrálního disku.

The role of antibiotics in the treatment and prevention of postoperative spondylodiscitis is still controversial. In a group of 15 patients operated on account of lumbar discopathy, the authors investigated the penetration of antibiotics into the intervertebral disc, in correlation to serum levels, when antibiotics were administered during operation. Despite high serum levels rolitetracycline was not detected in extirpated material of the disc, gentamycin reached 2-6% serum levels. The authors give an account of views on the role of antibiotics in the prophylaxis of postoperative spondylodiscitis and recommend their administration in particular in risk groups. They recommend antibiotics in case of early diagnosis of postoperative spondylodiscitis, in the later stages of the disease the role of antibiotics is controversial.

[Evaluation of the immunologic response in various types of bone grafts using lymphocytic nucleoli activity]. / Hodnocení imunologické odpovedi ruzných typu kostních transplantátu pomocí aktivity jadérek lymfocytu.

Assessment of the activity of nucleoli in lymphocytes is considered an important sign for assessment of the degree of activation of the immune system after transplantation. The authors evaluated the activity of nucleoli in lymphocytes of patients with transplantations of different types of bony tissues (autografts, frozen alloimplants, autolyzed antigen-free allogenic bone, control group) before operation, two weeks, 70 days and longer after operation. Differences were revealed during the period between two weeks and 70 days after operation. While in autografts and autolyzed antigen-free allogenic bone at that time a slight decline of inactivated forms of lymphocytes occurred, in frozen alloimplants a rise was recorded. The number of active forms of lymphocytes increased in autolyzed antigen-free allogenic bone and declined in frozen alloimplants. In autografts a mild decline was recorded in active as well as inactive forms of lymphocytes at the expense of an increased number of annular nucleoli. In the conclusion the authors present different interpretations.

Colicin Js of Shigella sonnei: classification of type colicin "7".

Colicinotype 7 of Shigella sonnei, introduced by Abbott and Graham, is one of those most frequently found in epidemiological screenings. It is represented by the production of a single colicin (acidic protein of m. w. 46 kD) endowed with some striking features. It is unstable at pH 8.0 and at the temperature of 70 degrees C. Its inhibitive activity is specific for the species Shigella sonnei, most strains of which seem to be sensitive. It is the only colicin known so far inactive towards Escherichia coli, including the indicator strains of broad-spectrum sensitivity, such as K12 Row. It shows no cross-resistance with any other colicin type. Its adsorption on sensitive bacteria and inhibitive effect on them proceed extremely quickly. As indicated by indirect fluorimetry, its mode of action is extremely quickly. As indicated by indirect fluorimetry, its mode of action is probably different from those known for other colicins: it does not concern the plasma membrane of sensitive bacteria under aerobiosis, but it interferes with it under anaerobic conditions. These data show clearly that it is a unique colicin type. It is proposed to include it into the current system of classified colicins as "colicin Js".