The modified Hodge test is a useful tool for ruling out Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase.

Objective: Enterobacteriaceae bacteria harboring Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase are a serious worldwide threat. The molecular identification of these pathogens is not routine in Brazilian hospitals, and a rapid phenotypic screening test is desirable. This study aims to evaluate the modified Hodge test as a phenotypic screening test for Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase.

Streptococcus pneumoniae: susceptibility to penicillin and moxifloxacin.

Objective: To determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of parenteral penicillin and moxifloxacin against Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated at a hospital center.

Methods: In-vitro, prospective study involving 100 S. pneumoniae isolates collected from patients who had been treated, between October of 2008 and July of 2010, at the Hospital das Clínicas complex of the University of São Paulo School of Medicine, located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.

Interactive tele-education applied to a distant clinical microbiology specialization university course.

The microbiology laboratory provides a strategic support for infectious disease diagnosis and also alerts the medical community about bacterial resistance to antibiotics. The microbiologists' training is a challenge in Brazil, a country with an extensive territory, a diverse population, and disparity of resource allocation. The aim of this study was to implement an interactive tele-educational course in clinical microbiology to reach distant laboratory workers and to improve their professional skills.

Overview of tigecycline and its role in the era of antibiotic resistance.

The increasing antimicrobial resistance found in the many clinically important species of bacteria that commonly cause serious and life-threatening diseases presents a difficult challenge for clinicians, especially when an appropriate initial therapy must be chosen. New antibiotics are urgently needed to address the formidable issues associated with infections caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. The need for new antibiotics that effectively resist antimicrobial mechanisms of resistance has become paramount.