Analysis of biofilm and bacterial communities in the towel environment with daily use.

Towels differ remarkably from other textile products in their fibre structure and usage, and microbial behaviours on towels remain underexplored. Thus, we evaluated biofilm formation on towels during use for 6 months in daily life and analysed its relationship with odour, dullness, and laundry habits. The towels exhibited odour and dullness after 2 months of use and biofilm structures were observed over the 6 months, especially in the ground warp part.

Vancomycin loading dose is associated with increased early clinical response without attainment of initial target trough concentration at a steady state in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections.

What Is Known And Objective: Vancomycin therapeutic guidelines suggest a loading dose of 25-30 mg/kg for seriously ill patients. However, high-quality data to guide the use of loading doses are lacking. We aimed to evaluate whether a loading dose (a) achieved a target trough concentration at steady state and (b) improved early clinical response.

Epidemiological and molecular characterization of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated following introduction of 7-valent conjugate vaccine in Kinki region, Japan, 2008-2013.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the most common bacteria causing community-acquired pneumonia and meningitis. The use of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has reduced the incidence of pneumococcal disease while changing pneumococcal population through herd immunity and non-vaccine pneumococci replacement. This study investigated molecular epidemiologic characteristics of pneumococcal strains in the Kinki region of Japan from 2008 to 2013.

Antimicrobial susceptibility surveillance of obligate anaerobic bacteria in the Kinki area.

Obligate anaerobes exist as resident flora in various sites in humans, but they are also emphasized as endogenous causative microorganism of infections. We performed surveillance to understand the trend of drug susceptibility in obligate anaerobic bacteria in the Kinki area of Japan. In the experiment, we used 156 obligate anaerobe isolates collected from 13 institutions that participated in the Study of Bacterial Resistance Kinki Region of Japan.

Laboratory surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and multidrug resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated in the Kinki region of Japan, 2001-2015.

The 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was introduced among children in Japan in 2010. There are no long-term multicenter surveillance studies of antimicrobial resistance in S. pneumoniae before and after the introduction of PCV7.

Evaluation of the modified carbapenem inactivation method for the detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) are increasing worldwide. Rapid and accurate detection of CPE is necessary for appropriate antimicrobial treatment and hospital infection control. However, CPE contains some strains that are difficult to detect depending on genotype and MIC value of carbapenem, and a detection method has not been established.

Nosocomial spread of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates producing bla carbapenemase at a Japanese hospital.

Six Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates resistant to various cephalosporins and cephamycins were identified in a Japanese general hospital, a tertiary care hospital, between November 2009 and April 2010. All K. pneumoniae isolates carried bla and bla, while 2 K.

[The annual changes in antimicrobial susceptibility test results of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from the Kinki district].

A study was conducted of the 1,225 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains that were isolated at 20 medical institutions in the Kinki district between 2011 and 2013 to determine their antimicrobial susceptibility and to characterize the strains of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRP) and the metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) -producing strains. The MIC50/MIC90 values (μg/mL) of the various antimicrobial agents were as follows: imipenem, 2/>8; meropenem, 1/>8; doripenem, 0.5/8; biapenem, 1/>8; tazobactam/piperacillin, 8/>64; piperacillin, 8/>64; sulbactam/cefoperazone, 8/64; cefepime, 4/16; cefozopran, 2/>16; aztreonam, 8/>16; amikacin, 4/16; levofloxacin, 1/>4; and ciprofloxacin, 0.

Complete Nucleotide Sequence of pKOI-34, an IncL/M Plasmid Carrying blaIMP-34 in Klebsiella oxytoca Isolated in Japan.

We determined the complete nucleotide sequence of a self-transmissible IncL/M plasmid, pKOI-34, from a Klebsiella oxytoca isolate. pKOI-34 possessed the core structure of an IncL/M plasmid found in Erwinia amylovora, pEL60, with two mobile elements inserted, a transposon carrying the arsenic resistance operon and a Tn21-like core module (tnp and mer modules) piggybacking blaIMP-34 as a class 1 integron, In808, where blaIMP-34 confers a resistance to carbapenems in K. oxytoca and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Complete nucleotide sequence of the IncN plasmid encoding IMP-6 and CTX-M-2 from emerging carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Japan.

We have determined the DNA sequence of Klebsiella pneumoniae multidrug resistance plasmid pKPI-6, which is a self-transmissible IncN-type plasmid. pKPI-6 harboring blaIMP-6 and blaCTX-M-2 confers a stealth-type carbapenem resistance phenotype on members of the family Enterobacteriaceae that is not detectable with imipenem. pKPI-6 is already epidemic in Japan, favoring the dissemination of IMP-6 and CTX-M-2 in members of the family Enterobacteriaceae.

Susceptibility of various oral antibacterial agents against extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

With the increase in extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria in the community, cases are often seen in which treatment of infectious diseases with oral antimicrobial agents is difficult. Therefore, we measured the antimicrobial activities of 14 currently available oral antimicrobial agents against ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Based on the standard of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), E.

High-dose regimen to achieve novel target trough concentration in teicoplanin.

In the treatment of severe MRSA infections such as endocarditis, more than 20 mg/L of plasma trough concentration (C(min)) is recommended for teicoplanin; however, in the treatment of common MRSA infections, recommended C(min) remains more than 10 mg/L. In this study, we set C(min) as 15-30 mg/L to obtain a favorable clinical outcome in the treatment of common MRSA infections, and investigated the optimal loading regimen that achieved the target C(min) in patients with normal renal function. Seventy-eight patients received the high-dose regimen A (6 mg/kg every 12-h for initial two days) and 60 patients received the high-dose regimen B (the first five loading doses of 10-12 mg/kg at 12-h intervals for initial three days, followed by 6 mg/kg once daily).

[Laboratory-based surveillance of antibacterial drug-resistant bacteria in the Kinki region].

The study of bacterial resistance in the Kinki region of Japan (SBRK) was launched in 1997 for the purpose of monitoring antibacterial drug-resistant bacteria. In SBRK, laboratory-based surveillance, such as of Streptococcus pneumonia, Haemophillus influenzae, extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, carbapenemase producing Gram-negative rods, etc. has been carried out for over 10 years and the results have been reported through seminars and conference presentations.

A novel metallo-β-lactamase, IMP-34, in Klebsiella isolates with decreased resistance to imipenem.

We investigated 5 metallo-β-lactamase (MBL)-positive Klebsiella isolates from Japan showing intermediate resistance to imipenem. Sequencing of the MBL gene identified a novel variant of IMP-1 with a single amino acid substitution, Glu87Gly. This variant is designated as IMP-34 where blaIMP-34 is located on a transmissible plasmid.

Nationwide surveillance of bacterial respiratory pathogens conducted by the Surveillance Committee of Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in 2009: general view of the pathogens' antibacterial susceptibility.

For the purpose of nationwide surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial respiratory pathogens from patients in Japan, the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy (JSC) started a survey in 2006. From 2009, JSC continued the survey in collaboration with the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases and the Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology. The fourth-year survey was conducted during the period from January and April 2009 by the three societies.

[Surveillance of antimicrobial activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated in the Kinki district].

The antimicrobial activity of 18 antimicrobial agents were measured for the 500 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains that had been isolated from various clinical specimens in 17 medical institutions in the Kinki district from April to July of 2008. The antimicrobial activity was excellent in the order of tobramycin (TOB), arbekacin (ABK), doripenem (DRPM), gentamicin (GM) and amikacin (AMK). Susceptible rate that was interpreted by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) was high in the order of AMK, TOB, tazobactam/piperacillin (TAZ/PIPC), DRPM, ABK.

Epidemiology of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species, and Proteus mirabilis strains producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases from clinical samples in the Kinki Region of Japan.

In the present study, nonduplicate, clinical isolates of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp, and Proteus mirabilis were collected during a 10-year period from 2000 to 2009 at several hospitals in the Kinki region, Japan. The detection rate of E coli markedly increased from 0.24% to 7.

Evaluation of teicoplanin dosing designs to achieve a new target trough concentration.

Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) creep in vancomycin has prompted guidelines that recommend a target trough concentration (C (min)) of 15-20 mg/L, and it is also considered necessary to set a C (min) of >15 mg/L for teicoplanin (TEIC), especially in patients with complicated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the appropriate TEIC regimen for reaching the revised target C (min) (15-30 mg/L) in patients with normal renal function and those with renal dysfunction. We analyzed patients with MRSA infections who were treated with TEIC between July 2006 and December 2009.

[Reference range of the auditory brainstem response for the patients in the NICU].

Since the auditory brainstem response (ABR) test is a test for the brainstem capacity and hearing function, it is recorded at the discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in our hospital. Although the reference range for the normal full-term newborn infants is well documented, that for the pre-term newborn and/or low birth weight infants is yet to be determined. The latency between wave-I peak and wave-V peak (I-V inter peak latency) on the ABR test was measured on the 254 infants (124 males and 130 females) of 36 to 45 corrected weeks old which was defined as the sum of the gestational weeks and weeks after birth at the test.

Nationwide surveillance of bacterial respiratory pathogens conducted by the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy in 2008: general view of the pathogens' antibacterial susceptibility.

For the purpose of nationwide surveillance of the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial respiratory pathogens collected from patients in Japan, the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy conducted a third year of nationwide surveillance during the period from January to April 2008. A total of 1,097 strains were collected from clinical specimens obtained from well-diagnosed adult patients with respiratory tract infections. Susceptibility testing was evaluable with 987 strains (189 Staphylococcus aureus, 211 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 6 Streptococcus pyogenes, 187 Haemophilus influenzae, 106 Moraxella catarrhalis, 126 Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 162 Pseudomonas aeruginosa).

[Electrophysiological tests in a case of Hashimoto's encephalopathy].

Hashimoto's encephalopathy is regarded as an autoimmune disorder that appears in patients with anti thyroid antibodies. The thyroid function tests of the patients are not necessarily abnormal, which sometimes makes the diagnosis difficult. Since most of the patients show consciousness disturbance, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive function decline, Hashimoto's encephalopathy must be distinguished from other disorders showing dementia.

A novel method for the purification of DNA by capturing nucleic acid and magnesium complexes on non-woven fabric filters under alkaline conditions for the gene diagnosis of tuberculosis by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP).

A novel method for purifying DNA from clinical samples based on the complex formation of DNA and magnesium ion (Mg(2+)) was developed for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The formation of a DNA-Mg(2+) complex under alkaline conditions was observed by analyzing electrophoretic mobility reduction of DNA on agarose gel. The DNA-Mg(2+) complex increases the efficacy of DNA recovery from the sample solution on polyethylene terephthalate non-woven fabric (PNWF) filters.

Clinical characteristics of vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration of 2 μg/ml methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from patients with bacteremia.

Recent studies demonstrated that mortality associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia was high when vancomycin was used to treat infections with strains that had a high vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). This study compared several characteristics of vancomycin MIC 2 μg/ml strains isolated from bacteremia with those isolated from infections other than bacteremia. A total of 128 episodes of MRSA bacteremia between 2005 and 2008 were followed-up, and compared with 631 MRSA infections other than bacteremia.