0000000000329560
AUTHOR
Heinz-georg W. Meyer
Comparative evaluation of three different genotyping methods for investigation of nosocomial outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in hospitals.
ABSTRACT The increased incidence of nosocomial Legionnaires' disease in two hospitals prompted investigation of possible environmental sources. In the search for an effective DNA-typing technique for use in hospital epidemiology, the performance and convenience of three methods— Sfi I macrorestriction analysis (MRA), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), and arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR)—were compared. Twenty-nine outbreak-associated and eight nonassociated strains of Legionella pneumophila with 13 MRA types and subtypes were investigated. These strains comprised isolates from bronchoalveolar lavages, from environmental, patient-related sources, and type strains. All three typing…
GyrA sequence-based typing of Legionella.
Comparative sequence analysis of a 423-bp segment of the gyrA gene including a region homologous to the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of other species was evaluated as a novel typing method for Legionella strains. The study was performed with 29 reference strains representing 11 different Legionella species, with various serogroups, and with 13 clinical isolates of L. pneumophila. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and serotyping were employed for comparison of the clinical isolates. QRDR sequencing proved to be a highly discriminative tool for typing Legionellae, and permitted identification of species, serogroups and even different strains within serogroup 1. None of the is…
Cloning of aas, a gene encoding a Staphylococcus saprophyticus surface protein with adhesive and autolytic properties.
A gene encoding a novel cell wall-associated protein of Staphylococcus saprophyticus that binds fibronectin and to sheep erythrocytes has been cloned and sequenced. The 4392 bp open reading frame codes for an amino acid sequence that is quite similar to the Atl, an autolysin, of Staphylococcus aureus and to the AtlE of S. epidermidis. The two regions of most pronounced homology code for an N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanine amidase and for an endo-beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase. The cloned protein lysed cells of S. saprophyticus and Micrococcus luteus exogenously. Subcloning localized the enzymatic activities to the regions of high homology and demonstrated that the interposed sequence is responsi…
Microbiological quality of carbonated drinking water produced with in-home carbonation systems.
The microbiological quality of carbonated water produced with tap water in commercial in-home carbonation systems was determined, the results being discussed in the context of the microbiological quality of the tap water used, the properties of the drink makers, and the procedures of preparation and washing of various parts of the appliance. The last-mentioned data were received from each participant of the study by questionnaire. Escherichia coli, coliforms, fecal streptococci and spore-forming sulphite-reducing anaerobes were used as indicators for the hygienic quality of the water. Tap-water samples were collected according to the usual procedure when filling the carbonating bottle, i.e.…
Expression of Staphylococcus saprophyticus surface properties is modulated by composition of the atmosphere.
Expression of two major surface proteins of Staphylococcus saprophyticus, the haemagglutinin and the Staphylococcus saprophyticus surface-associated protein (Ssp), requires carefully defined culture conditions. The Ssp is produced when bacteria are grown on agar, whereas expression of the haemagglutinin requires growth in broth. We sought to identify the environmental signals that are responsible for this modulation. Varying the pH, the osmolarity of the growth medium or the temperature did not influence expression of the proteins. In contrast, growth in an anaerobic atmosphere increased haemagglutination titres and fibronectin binding (both mediated by the haemagglutinin) but suppressed pr…
No association between Helicobacter pylori genotypes and antibiotic resistance phenotypes within families.
Background. Triple therapy combining a proton pump inhibitor with two antibiotics, e.g. clarythromycin (CLR), metronidazole (MTZ) or amoxicillin (AMX), represents the standard in Helicobacter pylori eradication regimens. Resistance to antimicrobial agents, particularly MTZ (up to 56% in Western countries) and CLR (up to 15% in southern Europe), is frequently observed and may be associated with treatment failure [1]. Recently, several studies indicated that individual H. pylori colonies from a single anatomic site may not always yield identical genotypes, or the identical patterns of susceptibility to antibiotics [2–5]. Representative for every single patient we analyzed 27 H. pylori antrum …
Helicobacter pylori: clonal population structure and restricted transmission within families revealed by molecular typing.
ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori infects up to 50% of the human population worldwide. The infection occurs predominantly in childhood and persists for decades or a lifetime. H. pylori is believed to be transmitted from person to person. However, tremendous genetic diversity has been reported for these bacteria. In order to gain insight into the epidemiological basis of this phenomenon, we performed molecular typing of H. pylori isolates from different families. Fifty-nine H. pylori isolates from 27 members of nine families were characterized by using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of five PCR-amplified genes, by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of chromosomal DNA, and …
The hemagglutinin of Staphylococcus saprophyticus binds to a protein receptor on sheep erythrocytes.
Staphylococcus saprophyticus, an important cause of urinary tract infections, produces two major surface proteins, the S. saprophyticus surface-associated protein (Ssp) and the hemagglutinin, which mediates fibronectin binding and also functions as the major adhesion of the organism. The hemagglutinating and fibronectin binding functions probably reside on different parts of the molecule. To identify a receptor on eukaryotic cells, binding and inhibition studies with acidic and neutral glycosphingolipids, carbohydrates, and proteins of sheep erythrocyte membranes were conducted. S. saprophyticus did not bind to any glycosphingolipid and no inhibition was observed when hemagglutination assay…