Antimicrobial susceptibilities of Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and Lactococcus human isolates and cultures intended for probiotic or nutritional use.

Objectives: To determine MICs of 16 antimicrobials representing all major classes for 473 taxonomically well-characterized isolates of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) encompassing the genera Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and Lactococcus. To propose tentative epidemiological cut-off (ECOFF) values for recognizing intrinsic and acquired antimicrobial resistances in numerically dominant species.

Methods: On the basis of depositors' information, LAB were grouped in categories of probiotic, nutritional, probiotic or nutritional research, human and animal isolates and tested for their antibiotic susceptibilities by broth microdilution using LAB susceptibility test medium (LSM).

Molecular epidemiology of hospital-acquired vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains are a significant cause of nosocomial infections in predisposed patients. Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) has been validated recently by use of a global strain collection. In this report, we applied MLVA together with multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to type 14 isolates from three clusters of patients colonized or infected with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and another 10 epidemiologically unrelated isolates from the same hospital.

Rapid emergence of resistance to linezolid during linezolid therapy of an Enterococcus faecium infection.

We report the emergence of linezolid resistance (MICs of 16 to 32 mg/liter) in clonally related vancomycin-susceptible and -resistant Enterococcus faecium isolates from an intensive care unit patient after 12 days of linezolid therapy. Only linezolid-susceptible isolates of the same clone were detected at 28 days after termination of linezolid therapy.

Evaluation of new broth media for microdilution antibiotic susceptibility testing of Lactobacilli, Pediococci, Lactococci, and Bifidobacteria.

Nine pure or mixed broth media were evaluated for their suitabilities to determine MICs in a microdilution test of 19 antibacterial agents for lactic acid bacteria (LAB) of the genera Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Lactococcus, and Bifidobacterium. A mixed formulation of Iso-Sensitest broth (90%) and deMan-Rogosa-Sharpe broth (10%) with or without supplementation with L-cysteine, referred to as the LAB susceptibility test medium, provided the most optimal medium basis in terms of growth support of nonenterococcal LAB and correct indication of MICs of international control strains.

Occurrence and spread of antibiotic resistances in Enterococcus faecium.

Enterococci are the second to third most important bacterial genus in hospital infections. Especially Enterococcus (E.) faecium possesses a broad spectrum of natural and acquired antibiotic resistances which are presented in detail in this paper.

A potential virulence gene, hylEfm, predominates in Enterococcus faecium of clinical origin.

An open reading frame (hyl(Efm)) with homologies to previously described hyaluronidase genes has been identified in nonstool isolates of Enterococcus faecium. E. faecium isolates (n=577) from diverse sources were screened for the presence of hyl(Efm) and esp(Efm), a putative virulence gene associated with epidemic E.

Identification of enterococci and determination of their glycopeptide resistance in German and Austrian clinical microbiology laboratories.

OBJECTIVE: To determine exactly how German and Austrian routine laboratories perform tests for the identification of enterococci and determination of their glycopoptide resistance. METHODS: Six enterococcal test strains with different types of glycopeptide resistance (Enterococcus faecium, VanA; E. faecalis, VanA; E.