Staphylococcus aureus in a northern Italian region: phenotypic and molecular characterization.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of community-acquired infections and healthcare-associated infections. Epidemiological data are useful for understanding the dynamics of the diffusion of this pathogen, and to plan control activities and monitor their efficacy.

Methods: S.

Accuracy of automated and manual systems for susceptibility testing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to piperacillin and piperacillin-tazobactam.

This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of routine systems (Vitek2 cards AST-N022 and AST-N026; Kirby Bauer; Etest) for susceptibility testing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to piperacillin and piperacillin-tazobactam. Vitek2 (card AST-N022) showed the worst performance; the other three methods (Vitek2 card AST-N026, Kirby-Bauer and E-test) performed comparably but never fulfilled the minimal standard proposed by FDA.

Laboratory detection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase by an automated system.

This study aims to evaluate the positive predictive value (PPV) and the negative predictive value (NPV) of Vitek2 in detecting extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) phenotypes when compared to a manual confirmatory test as gold standard. A sample of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp and Proteus mirabilis isolates were collected by 5 laboratories in the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy). Vitek2 appears to be an accurate tool to detect ESBL phenotypes of E.