Performance evaluation of the Streck ARM-D Kit, β-Lactamase for molecular detection of acquired β-lactamase genes.

Objectives: Despite clinical relevance, commercially available molecular tools for accurate β-lactamase detection are limited. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the ARM-D Kit, β-Lactamase, a commercially available multiplex PCR assay designed to detect nine β-lactamase genes, including the five major plasmid-mediated carbapenemases, ESBL and AmpC genes circulating in the United States.

Methods: A diverse collection of 113 Gram-negative isolates, including 42 with multiple β-lactamases genes, was selected from the U.

Temporal shifts in the predominant carbapenemase gene types among carbapenemase-producing isolated in Bangkok, Thailand, during 2013-2016.

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) have emerged as a global threat to public health and clinical practice. In Thailand, reports describing CPEs carrying and -like genes have been increasing recently; however, data on detailed plasmid analysis and temporal shift of sequence type and carbapenemase type are limited. In this study, we analysed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data of clinically isolated carbapenemase-producing (CPKP) to reveal the molecular epidemiology of CPKP in a tertiary-care hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.

A Nationwide Plasmidome Surveillance in Thailand Reveals a Limited Variety of New Delhi Metallo-β-Lactamase-Producing Carbapenem-Resistant Clones and Spreading Plasmids.

Despite frequent identification of plasmids carrying carbapenemase genes, the transfer of plasmids carrying carbapenemase genes is not well recognized in clinical settings because of technical limitations. To investigate the detailed mechanisms of the spread of carbapenem-resistant (CRE), we performed multifaceted genomic surveillance of CRE isolates in Thailand and analyzed their plasmidome. We analyzed 371 isolates carrying and 114 isolates carrying obtained from clinical samples of 473 patients in 11 representative hospitals located in six provinces in Thailand between 2012 and 2017.

Design of Molecules with Low Hole and Electron Reorganization Energy Using DFT Calculations and Bayesian Optimization.

Materials exhibiting higher mobility than conventional organic semiconducting materials, such as fullerenes and fused thiophenes, are in high demand for applications in printed electronics. To discover new molecules that might show improved charge mobility, the adaptive design of experiments (DoE) to design molecules with low reorganization energy was performed by combining density functional theory (DFT) methods and machine learning techniques. DFT-calculated values of 165 molecules were used as an initial training dataset for a Gaussian process regression (GPR) model, and five rounds of molecular designs applying the GPR model and validation via DFT calculations were executed.

Clonal dissemination of carbapenem-resistant ST16 co-producing NDM-1 and OXA-232 in Thailand.

Background: ST258 and ST11 carrying are among the most widespread carbapenem-resistant strains worldwide. Our carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae surveillance in Thailand revealed a nationwide dissemination of ST16 isolates carrying and .

Objectives: To analyse the genomic details of this nationwide dissemination by focusing on plasmids and virulence factors.

Nationwide surveillance in Thailand revealed genotype-dependent dissemination of carbapenem-resistant .

Carbapenem-resistant (CRE) are a serious public health threat because of their rapid dissemination. To determine the epidemiological and genetic characteristics of CRE infections in Thailand, we performed whole-genome sequencing of 577 carbapenem-resistant isolates and 170 carbapenem-resistant isolates from hospitals across the nation. The four most prevalent carbapenemase genes harboured by these bacteria were , , and .

Safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines in Japan.

The assessment of the efficacy and safety of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in actual practice is extremely important, and monitoring efforts are being implemented worldwide. In Japan, a joint council in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is held every two to three weeks to summarise information on the adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination, with careful assessment of individual case safety reports and comparison with background incidence rates. In 2021, the joint council mainly reviewed anaphylaxis, death, myocarditis/pericarditis, and thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Enhanced Carbapenem Resistance through Multimerization of Plasmids Carrying Carbapenemase Genes.

The worldwide dissemination of carbapenem-resistant (CRE) poses a critical human health issue by limiting the range of antibiotics that are usable in the treatment of common bacterial infections. Along with CRE, carbapenem heteroresistance has disseminated worldwide, which is described as different levels of carbapenem resistance within a seemingly isogenic bacterial population. Unstable carbapenem resistance will likely lead to unexpected treatment failure due to the enhanced resistance after initiation of treatment, contradicting antimicrobial susceptibility test results.

Characterization of the Plasmidome Encoding Carbapenemase and Mechanisms for Dissemination of Carbapenem-Resistant .

Carbapenem-resistant (CRE) infections, high in morbidity and mortality, pose serious clinical challenges due to limited treatment options. A previous CRE surveillance study on 1,507 patients from 43 hospitals in Osaka, Japan, revealed that 12% of patients carried CRE and that 95% of the CRE isolates were IMP-type carbapenemase producers. Here, the mechanisms for this regional dissemination of a single carbapenemase gene were investigated.

In Vitro Efficacy of Meropenem-Cefmetazole Combination Therapy against New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Background: Limited treatment options complicate management of infections with New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-producing organisms. The efficacy of combination therapy with meropenem (MEM) and cefmetazole (CMZ) was assessed against NDM-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Materials And Methods: Twelve Escherichia coli clinical isolates harbouring bla and a positive control E.

Bactericidal efficacy of meropenem in combination with cefmetazole against IMP-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

Objective: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are among the most severe threats to public and clinical health because of their high levels of resistance to various antibiotics. We assessed the efficacy of combination therapy with meropenem (MEM) and cefmetazole (CMZ) against Imipenemase (IMP)-producing CRE, using the checkerboard method and time-killing assay on 13 Enterobacteriaceae isolates harboring bla (4 Enterobacter hormaechei, 5 Escherichia coli, and 4 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates) and 13 isolates harboring bla (8 E. coli and 5 K.

Genomic characterisation of a novel plasmid carrying bla of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated in Osaka, Japan.

Objectives: To analyse plasmids carrying bla in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates obtained from multicentre carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae surveillance.

Methods: Plasmids harbouring bla were characterised by the whole-genome sequencing of four Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates carrying bla, and compared with the pKPI-6 plasmid, which is widespread in western Japan, through pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, Southern blotting, bacterial conjugation, and qPCR.

Results: Whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed that three of the four isolates carried approximately 50 kbp plasmids similar to the pKPI-6 plasmid; however, one isolate carried a 250 kbp plasmid harbouring bla (pE196_IMP6).

Rapid screening and early precautions for carbapenem-resistant carriers decreased nosocomial transmission in hospital settings: a quasi-experimental study.

Background: Active surveillance has the potential to prevent nosocomial transmission of carbapenem-resistant (CRAB). We assessed whether rapid diagnosis using clinical specimen-direct loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a rapid molecular diagnostic assay, and subsequent intervention, could reduce CRAB nosocomial transmission in intensive care units (ICUs).

Methods: A before and after (quasi-experimental) study was conducted in two ICUs at the Mahidol University Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital with 3 months of observational period followed by 9 months of interventional period.

Association of Adverse Drug Events with Broad-spectrum Antibiotic Use in Hospitalized Patients: A Single-center Study.

Objective The importance of antimicrobial stewardship is increasingly highlighted in this age of antimicrobial resistance. A better comprehension of adverse drug events (ADEs) can promote the appropriate use of antibiotics. We aimed to quantify the incidence of ADEs associated with broad-spectrum systemic antibiotics in a hospital setting.

Effectiveness of Meropenem and Cefmetazole Combination Treatment Against KPC-2-Producing .

Optimal treatment regimens are yet to be established for carbapenemase-producing (CPE). We assessed the efficacy of meropenem (MEM) and cefmetazole (CMZ) combination treatment against -positive , in comparison with that of double-carbapenem therapy using ertapenem (ERT). We performed checkerboard assay for 10 -positive clinical isolates and BAA-1705 (possessing ), with synergistic effect being defined by a fractional inhibitory concentration index of ≤0.

PCR-Dipstick-Oriented Surveillance and Characterization of - and Carbapenemase-Carrying in a Thai Hospital.

Colistin is used as an alternative therapeutic for carbapenemase-producing (CPE) infections which are spreading at a very high rate due to the transfer of carbapenemase genes through mobile genetic elements. Due to the emergence of , the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene, -positive (MCRPEn) pose a high risk for the transfer of -carrying plasmid to CPE, leading to a situation with no treatment alternatives for infections caused by possessing both and carbapenemase genes. Here, we report the application of PCR-dipstick-oriented surveillance strategy to control MCRPEn and CPE by conducting the PCR-dipstick technique for the detection of MCRPEn and CPE in a tertiary care hospital in Thailand and comparing its efficacy with conventional surveillance method.

Establishment of a dual-wavelength spectrophotometric method for analysing and detecting carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

The spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is an increasing global public health concern. The development of simple and reliable methods for CPE detection is required in the clinical setting. This study aimed to establish a dual-wavelength measurement method using an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer to rapidly quantify imipenem hydrolysis in bacterial cell suspensions.

Genomic Characterization of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae with Chromosomally Carried .

We report here strains carrying chromosomal in Thailand. The genomes of these two isolates include a 160-kbp insertion containing , which is almost identical to that in the IncHI1B-like plasmid. Further analysis indicated that IS-mediated intermolecular transposition and Tn transposase-mediated homologous recombination resulted in the integration of into the chromosome from an IncHI1B-like plasmid.

Pasteurella multocida multiple intrapelvic abscesses in a young woman with uterine cervical cancer.

Pasteurella multocida, a zoonotic pathogen in humans, is known to be associated with skin and soft tissue infections following animal bites, but rarely causes visceral infections. We report a case of P. multocida-associated multiple intrapelvic abscesses in a young woman with uterine cervical cancer.

Genomic reorganization by IS26 in a blaNDM-5-bearing FII plasmid of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from a patient in Japan.

An NDM-5-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST147 strain was isolated from a Japanese patient who had not travelled abroad in at least 5 years. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a genomic rearrangement in an FII plasmid harbouring blaNDM-5 due to the replicative transposition of IS26. A hypothetical structure was proposed for its ancestral plasmid, and comparative genomic analysis of the plasmid suggested the dissemination of structurally similar plasmids harbouring blaNDM-5 in Asian and Middle Eastern countries.