PCR-based ORF typing of Klebsiella pneumoniae for rapid identification of global clones and transmission events.

Aims: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections. In this study, we aimed to develop a rapid and simple genotyping method that can characterize strains causing nosocomial infections.

Methods And Results: The PCR-based open reading frame (ORF) typing (POT) method consists of two multiplex PCR reactions that were designed to detect 25 ORFs specific to bacterial genetic lineages, species, antimicrobial-resistant genes (bla , bla , bla and bla ), a capsular K1-specific gene and a virulence factor gene (rmpA/A2).

Molecular Epidemiology of Enterobacter cloacae Complex Isolates with Reduced Carbapenem Susceptibility Recovered by Blood Culture.

The Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) is one of the most common causes of bacteremia and leads to poor clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to clarify the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles and genetic backgrounds of non-carbapenemase-producing reduced-carbapenem-susceptible (RCS) ECC blood isolates in Japan using agar dilution antimicrobial susceptibility testing, whole-genome sequencing, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction for ampC, ompC, and ompF transcripts. Forty-two ECC blood isolates were categorized into RCS and carbapenem-susceptible groups based on the minimum inhibitory concentration of imipenem.

Characterization of /F1:A2:B20 Plasmids Harbored by Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 Sublineage C1/30R Isolates Spreading among Elderly Japanese in Nonacute-Care Settings.

We characterized 29 -harboring plasmids of sequence type 131 (ST131) sublineage C1/30R isolates from healthy individuals and long-term-care facility (LTCF) residents. Most (27/29) plasmids were of the FIA, FIB, and FII multireplicon type with the same plasmid multilocus sequence typing (pMLST). Several plasmids (7/23) from LTCF residents harbored only as the resistance gene; however, their fundamental structures were very similar to those of previously isolated /F1:A2:B20 plasmids, suggesting their prevalence as a newly arising public health concern.