[Investigation of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolates].

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics and the probable clonal dissemination of 13 vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) strains isolated between February-August 2006 from 11 patients at the Hospital of Istanbul Faculty of Medicine. The in vitro activities of antibiotics were determined by disk diffusion method in accordance with the CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) guidelines and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values by E-test. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for detection of vanA, vanB and vanC genes and RAPD-PCR (Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR) for investigating a clonal relationship among the isolates.

[Detection of CTX-M-15 type extended spectrum beta-lactamase in an Escherichia coli strain isolated from the urine sample of a hospitalized patient].

In this study, a CTX-M type extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) enzyme has been detected in a multiresistant Escherichia coli strain which was isolated from the urine sample of a hospitalized patient. Minimum inhibitor concentrations (MIC) of the tested antibiotics were determined by the agar dilution technique according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, formerly NCCLS) guidelines. The isolate was found to be sensitive to imipinem, moderately susceptible to chloramphenicol and resistant to ceftazidime, cefotaxime, aztreonam, ciprofloxacin, tobramycin, tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole.

Moxifloxacin activity against clinical isolates compared with the activity of ciprofloxacin.

The activity of moxifloxacin, a new 8-methoxyquinolone, was compared in vitro with the activity of ciprofloxacin against clinical strains isolated from various sites of infection. The mode MIC values of moxifloxacin were superior to those of ciprofloxacin against Streptococcus pneumoniae, methicillin-susceptible and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp., Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter spp.