Insights into the Mechanism of Action of Bactericidal Lipophosphonoxins.

The advantages offered by established antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases are endangered due to the increase in the number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. This leads to a need for new antibacterial compounds. Recently, we discovered a series of compounds termed lipophosphonoxins (LPPOs) that exhibit selective cytotoxicity towards Gram-positive bacteria that include pathogens and resistant strains.

Lipophosphonoxins: new modular molecular structures with significant antibacterial properties.

Novel compounds termed lipophosphonoxins were prepared using a simple and efficient synthetic approach. The general structure of lipophosphonoxins consists of four modules: (i) a nucleoside module, (ii) an iminosugar module, (iii) a hydrophobic module (lipophilic alkyl chain), and (iv) a phosphonate linker module that holds together modules i-iii. Lipophosphonoxins displayed significant antibacterial properties against a panel of Gram-positive species, including multiresistant strains.

Phenotypic detection of broad-spectrum beta-lactamases in microbiological practice.

Background: Enterobacteriaceae producing ESBL and AmpC enzymes can be associated with failure of antibiotic therapy and related morbidity and mortality. Their routine detection in microbiology laboratories is still a problem. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity of selected phenotypic methods.

[In vitro diagnostic medical devices--the legal context].

In vitro diagnostics is the basic principle of most laboratory activities. It influences three quarters of diagnostic decisions, affecting more than a half of direct costs of provided health care. Production, storing and distribution of in vitro diagnostic medical devices, as well as the laboratory diagnostic process itself (use of in vitro diagnostics) must strictly adhere to all legislative provisions relating to in vitro diagnostics.

[Prevalence of ESBL-positive strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae in the Czech Republic and their molecular biology analysis].

Background: One of the problems of contemporary medicine is an increasing number of bacterial strains with hazardous phenotypes of resistance. The feared bacterial pathogens include Klebsiella pneumoniae strains producing AmpA extended-spectrum beta-lactamases. The study focused on the molecular biological characteristics of ESBL-positive strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae collected in the Czech Republic.

Frequency of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens in bloodstream infections and their resistance to antibiotics in the Czech Republic.

A study performed at 12 hospitals in the Czech Republic in 2001 evaluated the Gram-negative bacterial pathogens most frequently associated with bloodstream infections and their susceptibility to a selection of antimicrobial agents. Of 831 Gram-negative strains, the most frequently isolated organisms were Escherichia coli (32%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (24%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10%). E.