Draft genome sequence of Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica BD11-00177.

Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium in the class Gammaproteobacteria. This strain is of interest because it is the etiologic agent of tularemia and a highly virulent category A biothreat agent. Here we describe the draft genome sequence and annotation of Francisella tularensis subsp.

[Splenectomy in a large general hospital: often caused by iatrogenic injury, often causing multiple complications; poor adherence to post-operative guidelines for vaccination and prophylaxis].

Objective: To assess the indications, complications and mortality associated with splenectomy in a large general hospital, and to evaluate adherence to guidelines for postoperative vaccination and prophylactic antibiotics.

Design: Retrospective, descriptive.

Method: Data were collected on 106 patients who underwent splenectomy between 1999 and 2004.

Determining risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage after discharge from hospital.

At the University Medical Center, Utrecht, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) patients are considered lifelong MRSA carriers and potentially contagious when readmitted. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients who become MRSA carriers while in hospital remain colonized after discharge, and whether risk factors for prolonged carriage exist. Thirty-six patients colonized with MRSA during three outbreaks at University Medical Center, Utrecht (group I: 1986-1989), and twenty patients already colonized with MRSA on, or during, admission to the hospital (group II: 1990-1995) were screened for MRSA in two studies.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii: an unexpected difference in epidemiologic behavior.

Background: The Dutch guideline on hospital policy for the prevention of nosocomial spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) states that patients transferred from hospitals abroad must be placed in strict isolation immediately on admission to a hospital in the Netherlands. Three patients colonized with both MRSA and a multiresistant Acinetobacter were transferred from hospitals in Mediterranean countries to 3 different hospitals in the Netherlands. Despite isolation precautions, Acinetobacter spread in 2 of the 3 hospitals, whereas nosocomial spread of MRSA did not occur.

Molecular typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on the basis of protein A gene polymorphism.

The polymorphic X-region of the protein A gene (spa) was used for molecular typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. The X-region is characterized by a variable number (between 3 and 15) of small repeats. DNA sequencing of MRSA strains revealed 25 distinct repeats.