Emergence and Evolution of Unique Plasmids Harboring and in Multidrug-Resistant Providencia rettgeri.

Although the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales remains low in Japan, these bacteria are a growing problem worldwide, owing to their multidrug resistance phenotype. We isolated a multidrug-resistant Providencia rettgeri strain, NR1418, harboring a rare variant, , a novel variant, designated , and . This strain is resistant to β-lactams, amikacin, levofloxacin, and colistin.

Evaluation of NG-Test CARBA 5 for the detection of carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacilli.

Carbapenemase-producing (CPE) pose one of the most serious antimicrobial resistance threats to public health worldwide. The outcome of CPE infection differs depending on the resistance mechanism. Therefore, rapid detection of CPE infection is essential for optimizing patient management.

A Novel Mismatched PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Assay for Rapid Detection of and Mutations Associated With Fluoroquinolone Resistance in .

Background: Mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of DNA gyrase () and topoisomerase IV () are linked to fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance. We developed a mismatched PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay to detect mutations in the and QRDRs associated with FQ resistance in .

Methods: Based on the conserved sequences of and , two primer sets were designed for mismatched PCR-RFLP to detect mutations in (codons 83 and 87) and (codons 80 and 84) by introducing an artificial restriction enzyme cleavage site into the PCR products.

Molecular Epidemiology of Ampicillin-resistant Haemophilus influenzae Causing Acute Otitis Media in Japanese Infants and Young Children.

Background: Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae is a particularly important cause of acute otitis media (AOM). There is a high prevalence of β-lactamase-nonproducing ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR) strains in Japanese children, which is associated with recurrent AOM and prolonged treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility profile, mechanisms of ampicillin resistance and molecular epidemiology of ampicillin resistance in H.

Effect of carryover of clot activators on coagulation tests during phlebotomy.

We investigated the effect of clot activators carried over from the serum tube on major coagulation tests during phlebotomy. First, blood specimens from 30 normal subjects were mixed with small amounts of fluid containing clot activators, and their effects on various coagulation tests were determined. Only the value of fibrin monomer complex displayed a remarkable change when thrombin-containing fluid was added to the blood specimens.