The individual contributions of blaB, blaGOB and blaCME on MICs of β-lactams in Elizabethkingia anophelis.

Background: The blaB, blaGOB and blaCME genes are thought to confer β-lactam resistance to Elizabethkingia anophelis, based on experiments conducted primarily on Escherichia coli.

Objectives: To determine the individual contributions of β-lactamase genes to increased MICs in E. anophelis and to assess their impact on the in vivo efficacy of carbapenem therapy.

Impact of obesity on outcomes after surgical stabilization of multiple rib fractures: Evidence from the US nationwide inpatient sample.

Background: Obesity is a global health issue with increasing prevalence. Surgical procedures, such as surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF), may be affected by obesity-related complications. The objective of the study is to investigate the effects of obesity on SSRF outcomes in multiple rib fractures.

outer membrane vesicles as a novel vaccine candidate against infection: insights into immune response and potential for passive immunity.

, a Gram-negative pathogen, causes infections such as bacteraemia, pneumonia, and neonatal meningitis. The pathogen resists most antimicrobial classes, making novel approaches urgently needed. In natural settings, Gram-negative bacteria secrete outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that carry important molecules in the bacterial life cycle.

Biofilm formation is not an independent risk factor for mortality in patients with bacteremia.

In the past decades, due to the high prevalence of the antibiotic-resistant isolates of , it has emerged as one of the most troublesome pathogens threatening the global healthcare system. Furthermore, this pathogen has the ability to form biofilms, which is another effective mechanism by which it survives in the presence of antibiotics. However, the clinical impact of biofilm-forming isolates on patients with bacteremia is largely unknown.

Proteomic Network of Antibiotic-Induced Outer Membrane Vesicles Released by Extensively Drug-Resistant Elizabethkingia anophelis.

Elizabethkingia anophelis, a nonfermenting Gram-negative bacterium, causes life-threatening health care-associated infections. E. anophelis harbors multidrug resistance (MDR) genes and is intrinsically resistant to various classes of antibiotics.

Development of Bactericidal Peptides against Multidrug-Resistant with Enhanced Stability and Low Toxicity.

Pathogenic superbugs are the root cause of untreatable complex infections with limited or no treatment options. These infections are becoming more common as clinical antibiotics have lost their effectiveness over time. Therefore, the development of novel antibacterial agents is urgently needed to counter these microbes.

The prediction values of carbapenemase detection methods and carbapenem susceptibility testing for clinical outcomes of patients with Acinetobacter bacteremia under carbapenem treatment.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter species have emerged as notorious pathogens causing nosocomial infections. Several phenotypic methods have been developed for detecting carbapenemase production in Enterobacteriaceae. The accuracy of these methods in the prediction of carbapenemase production in Acinetobacter species has not been studied well.

Clinical and molecular characterization of Acinetobacter seifertii in Taiwan.

Objectives: Acinetobacter seifertii, a new member of the Acinetobacter baumannii group, has emerged as a cause of severe infections in humans. We investigated the clinical and molecular characteristics of A. seifertii.

In vitro and in vivo activities of imipenem combined with BLI-489 against class D β-lactamase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii.

Background: According to our preliminary study, BLI-489 has the potential to inhibit the hydrolysing activity of OXA-51-like β-lactamase produced by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb).

Objectives: In the present study, the in vitro and in vivo activities of imipenem combined with BLI-489 against CRAb producing carbapenem-hydrolysing class D β-lactamases (CHDLs), namely OXA-23, OXA-24, OXA-51 and OXA-58, were determined.

Methods: A chequerboard analysis of imipenem and BLI-489 was performed using 57 and 7 clinical CRAb isolates producing different CHDLs and MBLs, respectively.

Influence of severity of infection on the effect of appropriate antimicrobial therapy for Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremic pneumonia.

Background: The impact of appropriate antimicrobial therapy for A. baumannii bacteremic pneumonia has not been well established due to the inclusion of the three phenotypically indistinguishable Acinetobacter species and confounding factors including underlying diseases and severity of infection. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the impact of appropriate antimicrobial therapy on 14-day mortality in A.

Confronting Tigecycline-Resistant via Immunization Against Conserved Resistance Determinants.

Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacterial infections, including those caused by , have emerged as a clinical crisis worldwide. Immunization with AMR determinants has been suggested as a novel approach to combat AMR bacteria, but has not been validated. The present study targeted tigecycline (TGC) resistance determinants in to test the feasibility of this approach.

Multicentre study of risk factors for mortality in patients with Acinetobacter bacteraemia receiving colistin treatment.

Colistin remains a last-line antibiotic for the treatment of infections by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter species. However, mortality rates are high in patients with Acinetobacter infection receiving colistin treatment. This multicentre study evaluated whether colistin susceptibility, additional antimicrobial agents or other prognostic factors influenced the clinical outcomes of patients receiving colistin treatment for Acinetobacter bacteraemia.

Comparison of Cefepime-Cefpirome and Carbapenem Therapy for Acinetobacter Bloodstream Infection in a Multicenter Study.

Carbapenems are currently the preferred agents for the treatment of serious infections. However, whether cefepime-cefpirome can be used to treat an bloodstream infection (BSI) if it is active against the causative pathogen(s) is not clear. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of cefepime-cefpirome and carbapenem monotherapy in patients with BSI.

Bacterial membrane vesicles from induced by ceftazidime are more virulent than those induced by imipenem.

Patients with bacteremia treated with antipseudomonal cephalosporins showed higher 14-day mortality than patients treated with antipseudomonal carbapenems. We hypothesized that the bacterial membrane vesicles (BMVs) induced by antipseudomonal cephalosporins are more virulent than BMVs induced by antipseudomonal carbapenems.To simulate the clinical condition with inadequate antimicrobial treatment, carbapenem-resistant was treated with ceftazidime (an antipseudomonal cephalosporin) or imipenem (an antipseudomonal carbapenem) at 1/2 the minimum inhibitory concentration.

Is Polymicrobial Bacteremia an Independent Risk Factor for Mortality in Bacteremia?

This retrospective observational study assessed the differences between monomicrobial and polymicrobial bacteremia and identified possible independent risk factors for 14-day mortality. There were 379 patients with bacteremia admitted to a tertiary care center in northern Taiwan between August 2008 and July 2015 enrolled for data analysis. Among them, 89 patients (23.

Colistin nanoparticle assembly by coacervate complexation with polyanionic peptides for treating drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria.

Amidst the ever-rising threat of antibiotics resistance, colistin, a decade-old antibiotic with lingering toxicity concern, is increasingly prescribed to treat many drug-resistant, gram-negative bacteria. With the aim of improving the safety profile while preserving the antimicrobial activity of colistin, a nanoformulation is herein developed through coacervate complexation with polyanionic peptides. Upon controlled mixing of cationic colistin with polyglutamic acids, formation of liquid coacervates was demonstrated.

Pseudaminic Acid on Exopolysaccharide of Acinetobacter baumannii Plays a Critical Role in Phage-Assisted Preparation of Glycoconjugate Vaccine with High Antigenicity.

Pseudaminic acid (Pse) has been known for participating in crucial bacterial virulence and thus is an attractive target in the development of glycoconjugate vaccine. Particularly, this therapeutic alternative was suggested to be a potential solution against antibiotic resistant Acinetobacter baumannii that poses a serious global health threat. Also, Pse was found to be involved in the exopolysaccharide (EPS) of mild antibiotic resistant A.

Biofilm formation is not associated with worse outcome in Acinetobacter baumannii bacteraemic pneumonia.

The effect of biofilm formation on bacteraemic pneumonia caused by A. baumannii is unknown. We conducted a 4-year multi-center retrospective study to analyze 71 and 202 patients with A.

A multicenter study on clinical characteristics of Acinetobacter bacteremia in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background: Clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality of Acinetobacter bacteremia in cirrhotic patients have not been investigated.

Methods: Acinetobacter bacteremia cases from four medical centers were collected from 2009 to 2014, to compare between patients with and without liver cirrhosis. Risk factors for mortality of Acinetobacter bacteremia among cirrhotic patients were identified using multivariate logistic regression.

Molecular Epidemiology of Emerging - and -Carrying Acinetobacter baumannii in Taiwan.

The rate of recovery of carbapenem-resistant (CRAB) isolates has increased significantly in recent decades in Taiwan. This study investigated the molecular epidemiology of CRAB with a focus on the mechanisms of resistance and spread in isolates with or All 555 CRAB isolates in our multicenter collection, which were recovered from 2002 to 2010, were tested for the presence of class A, B, and D carbapenemase genes. All isolates with or were subjected to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and 82 isolates (60 isolates with and 22 isolates with ) were selected for multilocus sequence typing to determine the sequence type (ST) and clonal group (CG) and for detection of additional β-lactamase and aminoglycoside resistance genes.

Association between influenza vaccination and reduced risks of major adverse cardiovascular events in elderly patients.

Background: This study was conducted to determine the protective effect of influenza vaccine against primary major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in elderly patients, especially those with influenza-like illness (ILI).

Methods: This retrospective, population-based case-control study of an elderly population (age≥65 years) was conducted using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (2000-2013). One control was selected for each MACE case (n=80,363 each), matched according to age, year of study entry, and predisposing factors for MACEs.

Impact of reduced tigecycline susceptibility on clinical outcomes of Acinetobacter bacteremia.

The higher 14-day mortality rate for patients with Acinetobacter bacteremia receiving tigecycline appropriately compared to other appropriate antibiotics (36.4% versus 14.2%, P = 0.

Community-acquired bloodstream infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii: A matched case-control study.

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen worldwide. Its role in community-acquired infection remains controversial and has rarely been reported.

Methods: Patients with monobacterial bloodstream infections caused by genomic species identified A.

Multicenter Study of Clinical Features of Breakthrough Acinetobacter Bacteremia during Carbapenem Therapy.

Breakthrough bacteremia during carbapenem therapy is not uncommon, and it creates therapeutic dilemmas for clinicians. This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical and microbiological characteristics of breakthrough bacteremia during carbapenem therapy and to assess the efficacy of various antimicrobial therapies. We analyzed 100 adults who developed breakthrough bacteremia during carbapenem therapy at 4 medical centers over a 6-year period.