Salmonella enterica serovar typhi: molecular analysis of strains with decreased susceptibility and resistant to ciprofloxacin in India from 2001-2003.

Chromosomally-mediated reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin narrows the therapeutic options in enteric fever. We made a molecular comparison of clinical isolates of fluoroquinolone-resistant strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi from January 2001 to May 2003; 178 isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by the Kirby-Bauer method of disk diffusion, and agar dilution was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to ciprofloxacin. Nalidixic-acid resistant strains (NARST) were observed in 51% of the isolates, of which 98.

Molecular and epidemiological evidence for spread of multiresistant methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus strains in hospitals.

The excision of the staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains results in methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strains. In order to determine the proportion and diversity of multidrug-resistant MSSA (MR-MSSA) strains derived from MRSA strains, 247 mecA-negative isolates recovered in 60 French hospitals between 2002 and 2004 were characterized.

Combined multilocus sequence typing and O serogrouping distinguishes Escherichia coli subtypes associated with infant urosepsis and/or meningitis.

The genetic relatedness of 223 invasive Escherichia coli strains that cause either meningitis or urosepsis without meningitis in young infants was determined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), ribotyping, and phylogenetic polymerase chain reaction grouping. We also determined the serotypes and virulence genotypes (on the basis of 11 virulence genes). The strains belonged to 29 sequence type complexes (STc), 20 ribotypes, 26 O serogroups, and 39 virulence genotypes.

Detection and identification by PCR of a highly virulent phylogenetic subgroup among extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli B2 strains.

Closely related Escherichia coli B2 strains O1:K1, O2:K1, O18:K1, and O45:K1 constitute a major subgroup causing extraintestinal infections. A DNA pathoarray analysis was used to develop a PCR specific for this subgroup that was included in the multiplex phylogenetic-grouping PCR method. Our PCR may serve to identify this virulent subgroup among different ecological niches.

Lack of replication of thirteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms implicated in Parkinson's disease: a large-scale international study.

Background: A genome-wide association study identified 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with Parkinson's disease. Small-scale replication studies were largely non-confirmatory, but a meta-analysis that included data from the original study could not exclude all SNP associations, leaving relevance of several markers uncertain.

Methods: Investigators from three Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research-funded genetics consortia-comprising 14 teams-contributed DNA samples from 5526 patients with Parkinson's disease and 6682 controls, which were genotyped for the 13 SNPs.