TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hira, V.
AU  - Sluijter, M.
AU  - Goessens, W.H.F.
AU  - Ott, A.
AU  - Groot, R. de
AU  - Hermans, P.W.M.
AU  - Kornelisse, R.F.
PY  - 2010
UR  - https://hdl.handle.net/2066/89077
AB  - Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are a major cause of sepsis in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) worldwide. Infecting strains of these commensal bacteria may originate from NICU personnel. Therefore, we studied the characteristics of CoNS isolates from NICU personnel and compared them to those of isolates from the general population and from sepsis patients. Furthermore, we studied the epidemiological effect on CoNS carriage of NICU personnel after a period of absence. In our study, we isolated CoNS from the thumbs of NICU personnel every 2 weeks during the summer of 2005 and sampled personnel returning from vacation and a control group from the general population. Furthermore, we collected sepsis isolates from this period. Isolates were tested for antibiotic resistance, mecA and icaA carriage, biofilm production, and genetic relatedness. We found that mecA and icaA carriage as well as penicillin, oxacillin, and gentamicin resistance were significantly more prevalent in CoNS strains from NICU personnel than in community isolates. Similar trends were observed when postvacation strains were compared to prevacation strains. Furthermore, genetic analysis showed that 90% of the blood isolates were closely related to strains found on the hands of NICU personnel. Our findings revealed that CoNS carried by NICU personnel differ from those in the general population. Hospital strains are replaced by community CoNS after a period of absence. NICU personnel are a likely cause for the cross-contamination of virulent CoNS that originate from the NICU to patients.
TI  - Coagulase-negative staphylococcal skin carriage among neonatal intensive care unit personnel: from population to infection.
EP  - 3881
SN  - 0095-1137
IS  - iss. 11
SP  - 3876
JF  - Journal of Clinical Microbiology
VL  - vol. 48
N1  - 1 november 2010
DO  - https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00967-10
L1  - https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/2066/89077/89077.pdf?sequence=1
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Simoes, A.S.
AU  - Sa-Leao, R.
AU  - Eleveld, M.J.
AU  - Tavares, D.A.
AU  - Carrico, J.A.
AU  - Bootsma, H.J.
AU  - Hermans, P.W.M.
PY  - 2010
UR  - https://hdl.handle.net/2066/88330
AB  - While performing surveillance studies in Oeiras, Portugal, designed to describe the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on colonization, we observed an increase from 0.7% in 2003 to 5% in 2006 in the prevalence of penicillin resistance (MIC of 2 to 6 mg/liter) among presumptively identified pneumococcal isolates. Although 15 of the 22 penicillin-resistant isolates obtained in 2006 were optochin resistant, they were bile soluble and thus considered to be bona fide pneumococci. This study aimed to clarify the nature of these isolates by using a combination of phenotypic and genotypic approaches that included routine strategies for pneumococcal identification, multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). By MLSA, all isolates were classified as "streptococci of the mitis group" that, however, were distinct from typical Streptococcus pneumoniae or Streptococcus mitis. A single isolate was identified as Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae. CGH confirmed these findings and further indicated that a considerable part of the proposed pneumococcal core genome is conserved in these isolates, including several pneumococcal virulence genes (e.g., pavA, spxB, cbpE, and cbpD). These results suggest that among pneumococci and closely related streptococci, universal unique phenotypic and genetic properties that could aid species identification are virtually impossible to define. In pneumococcal colonization studies, when atypical strains are found, MLSA and CGH are informative tools that can be used to complement routine tests. In our study, after correct identification of the penicillin-resistant true pneumococci, we found that penicillin resistance levels among pneumococci remained stable from 2003 to 2006.
TI  - Highly penicillin-resistant multidrug-resistant pneumococcus-like strains colonizing children in Oeiras, Portugal: genomic characteristics and implications for surveillance.
EP  - 246
SN  - 0095-1137
IS  - iss. 1
SP  - 238
JF  - Journal of Clinical Microbiology
VL  - vol. 48
DO  - https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01313-09
L1  - https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/2066/88330/88330.pdf?sequence=1
ER  -