Emergence and Genomic Characterization of a Type t4407 ST6-SCC Type IVa Methicillin-Resistant Strain Isolated from Al-Karak Hospital, Jordan.

: Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a major concern in Jordanian hospitals in terms of infection control. The purpose of this study was to identify the resistance patterns of strains isolated from surfaces of critical locations within the Al-Karak Governmental Hospital in 2019. Additionally, the study aimed to conduct whole-genome sequencing on the isolates.

Identification of two major direct repeat unit clusters, 8i and 11ce, among methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains: the emergence of novel dru types and repeats.

Background: The changing epidemiology and decreasing susceptibility to first-line antibiotics, such as vancomycin and linezolid, leave clinicians with few therapeutic options for MRSA infections. This study aimed to conduct an epidemiology study and characterize MRSA isolates.

Methods: A total of 150 MRSA isolates were collected from clinical specimens.

Epidemiologic and Genomic Analysis of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Epidemic in the Nebraska Region of the United States, March 2020-2021.

COVID-19 emerged at varying intervals in different regions of the United States in 2020. This report details the epidemiologic and genetic evolution of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the first year of the epidemic in the state of Nebraska using data collected from the Creighton Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) health system. Statistical modelling identified age, gender, and previous history of diabetes and/or stroke as significant risk factors associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Mobile genetic elements responsible for discordant Staphylococcus aureus phenotypes and genotypes in the same blood culture bottle.

Approximately 15-20% of the S. aureus genome contains mobile genetic elements that can cause discrepancies between phenotypic and genotypic identification methods. Three blood culture bottles (each from a different patient) that showed discordant results, were shown to contain 2 S.

Characterization of Clostridioides difficile isolates recovered from two Phase 3 surotomycin treatment trials by restriction endonuclease analysis, PCR ribotyping and antimicrobial susceptibilities.

Objectives: To investigate the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridioides difficile isolates from patients with C. difficile infection (CDI) from two Phase 3 clinical trials of surotomycin.

Methods: In both trials [Protocol MK-4261-005 (NCT01597505) conducted across Europe, North America and Israel; and Protocol MK-4261-006 (NCT01598311) conducted across North America, Asia-Pacific and South America], patients with CDI were randomized (1:1) to receive oral surotomycin (250 mg twice daily) or oral vancomycin (125 mg four times per day) for 10 days.

Updating Molecular Diagnostics for Detecting Methicillin-Susceptible and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates in Blood Culture Bottles.

Molecular diagnostic tests can be used to provide rapid identification of staphylococcal species in blood culture bottles to help improve antimicrobial stewardship. However, alterations in the target nucleic acid sequences of the microorganisms or their antimicrobial resistance genes can lead to false-negative results. We determined the whole-genome sequences of 4 blood culture isolates of and 2 control organisms to understand the genetic basis of genotype-phenotype discrepancies when using the Xpert MRSA/SA BC test ( diagnostic medical device [IVD]).

Changes in molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile strains in the United States between 2011 and 2017.

PCR ribotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were used to characterize 940 Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile isolates collected from 26 U S. hospitals over three time periods from 2011 to 2017. The proportion of ribotype (RT) 027 isolated during the three surveys decreased significantly over time from 31% in 2011-2012, to 22% in 2013-2014, and to 14% in 2015-2017 (p < 0.

Emergence of Oxacillin Resistance in Stealth Methicillin-Resistant Due to Sequence Instability.

strains that possess a gene but are phenotypically susceptible to oxacillin and cefoxitin (OS-MRSA) have been recognized for over a decade and are a challenge for diagnostic laboratories. The mechanisms underlying the discrepancy vary from isolate to isolate. We characterized seven OS-MRSA clinical isolates of six different types from six different states by whole-genome sequencing to identify the nucleotide sequence changes leading to the OS-MRSA phenotype.

Strains with Chromosomal Deletions Evade Detection with Molecular Methods.

Surveillance of circulating microbial populations is critical for monitoring the performance of a molecular diagnostic test. In this study, we characterized 31 isolates of (group B [GBS]) from several geographic locations in the United States and Ireland that contain deletions in or adjacent to the region of the chromosome that encodes the hemolysin gene , the region targeted by the Xpert GBS and GBS LB assays. PCR-negative, culture-positive isolates were recognized during verification studies of the Xpert GBS assay in 12 laboratories between 2012 and 2018.

Complex Clonal Diversity of Nasal Colonization among Community Personnel, Healthcare Workers, and Clinical Students in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia.

Here, 210 healthy participants including community personnel (70), clinical students (68), and healthcare workers (HCWs) (72) from the eastern region of Saudi Arabia were studied. Sixty-three isolates were obtained from the nares of 37% of the community personnel and 26% of the clinical students and HCWs. Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) was found in 16% (10 isolates) of the 63 isolates; six were from HCWs.

Range Expansion and the Origin of USA300 North American Epidemic Methicillin-Resistant .

The USA300 North American epidemic (USA300-NAE) clone of methicillin-resistant has caused a wave of severe skin and soft tissue infections in the United States since it emerged in the early 2000s, but its geographic origin is obscure. Here we use the population genomic signatures expected from the serial founder effects of a geographic range expansion to infer the origin of USA300-NAE and identify polymorphisms associated with its spread. Genome sequences from 357 isolates from 22 U.

Continued expansion of USA300-like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among hospitalized patients in the United States.

We characterized spa types, SCCmec types, and antimicrobial resistance patterns of 516 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates, collected between 2011 and 2014 from nares and blood cultures of United States patients. Among nares isolates, 45 spa types were observed; 29.9% were t002/SCCmec II and 30.

Characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated at Tripoli Medical Center, Libya, between 2008 and 2014.

Bacterial pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) represent a well-known public health problem affecting both healthcare-associated and community populations. Past studies have clearly shown the value of characterizing problem organisms including MRSA through the use of molecular techniques (i.e.

Lineage II (Serovar 1/2a and 1/2c) Human Listeria monocytogenes Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis Types Divided into PFGE Groups Using the Band Patterns Below 145.5 kb.

Among 504 clinical lineage II isolates of Listeria monocytogenes isolated during 1958-2010 in Sweden, 119 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types (AscI) have been identified based on the number and distribution of all banding patterns in each DNA profile. In this study, these types were further divided into PFGE groups based on the configuration of small bands with sizes <145.5 kb.

Direct Repeat Unit (dru) Typing of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius from Dogs and Cats.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) has emerged in a remarkable manner as an important problem in dogs and cats. However, limited molecular epidemiological information is available. The aims of this study were to apply direct repeat unit (dru) typing in a large collection of well-characterized MRSP isolates and to use dru typing to analyze a collection of previously uncharacterized MRSP isolates.

Division of Human Listeria monocytogenes Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) Types Belonging to Lineage I (Serovar 4b, 1/2b, and 3b) into PFGE Groups.

The 63 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types identified among 427 clinical isolates of Listeria monocytogenes that were characterized in a previous study by serotyping and PFGE (AscI) could be further divided into 17 PFGE groups. While the 63 PFGE types, all part of lineage I, were established based on the number and distribution of all bands in each DNA profile, the 17 PFGE groups were based on the configuration of small bands with sizes <145.5 kb.

Linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain 1128105, the first known clinical isolate possessing the cfr multidrug resistance gene.

The Cfr methyltransferase confers resistance to six classes of drugs which target the peptidyl transferase center of the 50S ribosomal subunit, including some oxazolidinones, such as linezolid (LZD). The mobile cfr gene was identified in European veterinary isolates from the late 1990s, although the earliest report of a clinical cfr-positive strain was the 2005 Colombian methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolate CM05. Here, through retrospective analysis of LZD(r) clinical strains from a U.

Identification and characterization of linezolid-resistant cfr-positive Staphylococcus aureus USA300 isolates from a New York City medical center.

The cfr gene was identified in three linezolid-resistant USA300 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates collected over a 3-day period at a New York City medical center in 2011 as part of a routine surveillance program. Each isolate possessed a plasmid containing a pSCFS3-like cfr gene environment. Transformation of the cfr-bearing plasmids into the S.

Microbial typing by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry: do we need guidance for data interpretation?

The integration of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in clinical microbiology has revolutionized species identification of bacteria, yeasts, and molds. However, beyond straightforward identification, the method has also been suggested to have the potential for subspecies-level or even type-level epidemiological analyses. This minireview explores MALDI-TOF MS-based typing, which has already been performed on many clinically relevant species.

Whole genome mapping of the first reported case of KPC-2-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 in Nebraska.

Three ertapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae carrying bla(KPC-2) were isolated from a single patient in Nebraska over a span of 5 months. A comparative analysis of the genetic relatedness of these isolates was investigated using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing, and whole genome mapping.

Bacterial whole-genome sequencing revisited: portable, scalable, and standardized analysis for typing and detection of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes.

Multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogens present a major burden for hospitals. Rapid cluster identification and pathogen profiling, i.e.

Strain types and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Clostridium difficile isolates from the United States, 2011 to 2013.

We determined the PCR ribotypes and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of 508 toxigenic Clostridium difficile isolates collected between 2011 and 2013 from 32 U.S. hospitals.

Pulsed field gel electrophoresis of Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is one of the older methods for the molecular characterization and comparison of microorganisms including bacteria. Nevertheless, PFGE continues to be recognized as the gold standard for molecular typing due to output spanning >90 % of the bacterial genome and standardized protocols and reagents applicable to a wide range of organisms including S. epidermidis.