Sensitivity of Shigella to antibiotics]

Three hundred and twenty two Shigella cultures isolated from dysentery patients within 1986-1989 were tested with the use of standard paper disks for their sensitivity to levomycetin, streptomycin, tetracycline, monomycin, neomycin, kanamycin, erythromycin, gentamicin, carbenicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, methicillin and doxycycline. The number of the cultures belonging to Shigella sonnei amounted to 85.1 per cent of the total number of the strains studied. 91.9, 89.5, 87.3, 87.3, 80.1 and 80.1 per cent of the cultures were sensitive to gentamicin, kanamycin, carbenicillin, neomycin, levomycetin and ampicillin, respectively. 99.4 per cent of the isolates were resistant to streptomycin and 97.2 per cent were resistant to tetracycline. The sensitivity to erythromycin remained rather high (70.2 per cent). The overwhelming majority of the Shigella sonnei isolates had multiple resistance.     

Antibiotic sensitivity of Shigella isolated from patients from 1974-1985

Antibiotic sensitivity of 3524 Shigella cultures isolated from patients in 1974-1982 and 414 cultures isolated in 1983-1985 was assayed with standard paper disks. The isolates of 1974-1982 were mostly responsive to ampicillin, carbenicillin, kanamycin, gentamicin, monomycin, neomycin and chloramphenicol. Certain differences in the level of the antibiotic resistance were observed in the Shigella isolates belonging to diverse species. Polyresistant cultures of Shigella amounted to 96.5% and ranged from 88.5 to 99.4% in different years. The number of the cultures with multiple resistance among Shigella sonnei was somewhat higher than that among the Flexneri and Newcastle bacilli. The Shigella isolates of 1983-1985 were mostly responsive to gentamicin, carbenicillin, neomycin, kanamycin and monomycin. 55.5% of the Shigella isolates were responsive to chloramphenicol and only 3.1% to tetracycline. Almost all the causative agents of dysentery isolated within that period were polyresistant. Phenotypic characteristics of multiple resistance in the Shigella cultures were studied.     

Significance of determination of Shigella antibiotic resistance in bacteriological diagnosis of dysentery]

The results of the Shigella antibiotic susceptibility assay within 1995-2002 are presented. 1472 cultures from 1158 patients with intestinal infections and bacteria carriers were isolated. The isolates were tested for their susceptibility to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, kanamycin, ampicillin and ofloxacin. It was shown that S. flexneri and S. sonnei were resistant to tetracycline. The S. flexneri isolates were highly resistant to chloramphenicol (73.3 to 96.0%) while resistance to it in the isolates of S. sonnei varied from 7.7 to 88.5%. In this connection the Levin medium with tetracycline was used to increase the Shigella isolation. In the study of the culture media efficiency with respect to isolation of Shigella it was observed that the Levin medium with tetracycline provided higher rates of S. flexneri and S. sonnei isolation (2.3- and 1.7-fold increase respectively) vs. the Shigella isolation on the Ploskirev medium without the antibiotic.     

Fractionation and purification of DNA-methylases from Shigella sonnei 47

Possible applications of various column chromatography techniques and isoelectrofocusing for the study of DNA-methylases of Shigella sonnei 47 cells were analyzed. A simple, rapid and convenient procedure based on the use of cation-exchange chromatography was developed for obtaining a highly active total preparation of methylases. Affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose was shown to be a promising approach for separating methylases according to their specificity towards nitrous bases. Isoelectrofocusing was used to identify in Shigella sonnei 47 cells six individual methylating enzymes differing in their pI values. Under the stipulation that Shigella sonnei 47 DNA-methylases show a tendency to aggregate in the course of fractionation, column chromatography is of little or no use in isolating and purifying individual methylating enzymes of the given strain. The advantages of the isoelectrofocusing technique and its utility in the study of different molecular forms of site-specific enzymes are discussed.     

Increase in the sensitivity of Shigella to antibiotics

Passages of 10 Shigella strains for 10 times in meat-peptone broth supplemented with sodium nucleinate provided an increase in sensitivity of the cultures to levomycetin for a period of 264 hours. In three strains of S. sonnei, S. flexneri and S. newcastle the authors observed an increase in sensitivity to tetracycline, benzylpenicillin and streptomycin. Some nitrous bases included in sodium nucleinate were also able to increase antibiotic sensitivity in Shigella.     

食蟹猴肠道志贺氏菌感染情况的调查

本文对 337只食蟹猴肠道志贺氏菌进行调查 ,其感染率为 1 1 %。对所分离到的 2 7株志贺氏菌进行生化、血清学鉴定 ,分属三个群 ,八种血清型 ,痢疾志贺氏菌、福氏志贺氏菌、宋内氏志贺氏菌所占比例分别为 1 0 8%、86 5%、2 7% ,以福氏志贺氏 2a型居多 ,占 59 5%。对八种志贺氏菌血清型菌株进行药敏试验 ,结果表明 ,不同血清型菌株对同一种抗菌药物的敏感性、耐药性均有差异。提示不同血清型的菌株均可自然感染食蟹猴 ,在治疗时 ,对感染不同血清型志贺氏菌的食蟹猴区别用药 ,以提高治愈率 ,避免因用药不当所造成的经济损失。     

Detecting low concentrations of Shigella sonnei in environmental water samples by PCR

Outbreaks of Shigella sonnei associated with contaminated water have been reported and methods for the simultaneous detection of Shigellae and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli in water samples have been developed with detection limits of 10(1)-10(2) CFU mL(-1) of water. Because 10(1)-10(2)Shigellae can cause disease, a more sensitive detection method as an addition to the existing methods for detection of Shigella sonnei in water samples is reported here. Initially, 33 Shigella sonnei and 72 non-Shigella sonnei isolates were tested and one primer pair was found capable of specifically amplifying a 369-bp insertion sequence 1 (IS1) fragment from all 33 Shigella sonnei isolates and one Shigella dysenteriae ATCC isolate by PCR. The detection method was developed, which included filtration of 50 mL of water through a membrane and application of PCR to the membrane using this primer pair. Environmental water samples with total bacterial numbers of 384-2.84 x 10(7) CFU L(-1) were collected and seeded with 13 Shigella sonnei and the Shigella dysenteriae ATCC isolates. Detection limits were determined as 1.7-24.7 and 270-8000 CFU per 50 mL of water, respectively, using this detection method.     

Possible mechanisms underlying the slow lactose fermentation phenotype in Shigella spp.

A Southern hybridization analysis revealed that the region homologous to Escherichia coli lacZ was present on the chromosomal DNAs of beta-galactosidase-positive Shigella strains, such as Shigella dysenteriae serovar 1 and Shigella sonnei strains, whereas this region was absent from chromosomal DNAs of beta-galactosidase-negative strains of Shigella flexneri and Shigella boydii. We found that the lacY-A region was deficient in S. dysenteriae serovar 1 and believe that this is the reason for the slow fermentation of lactose by this strain. S. sonnei strains possessed the region which hybridized with E. coli lacY-A despite their slow hydrolysis of lactose. The whole lactose-fermenting region was cloned from S. sonnei and compared with the cloned lac operon of E. coli K-12. Both clones directed the synthesis of beta-galactosidase in an E. coli K-12 strain lacking indigenous beta-galactosidase activity (strain JM109-1), and we observed no difference in the expression of beta-galactosidase activity in S. sonnei and E. coli. However, E. coli JM109-1 harboring the lactose-fermenting genes of S. sonnei exhibited the slow lactose fermentation phenotype like the parental strain. S. sonnei strains had no detectable lactose permease activities. E. coli JM109-1 harboring the lactose-fermenting genes of S. sonnei had a detectable permease activity, possibly because of the multicopy nature of the cloned genes, but this permease activity was much lower than that of strain JM109-1 harboring the lac operon of E. coli K-12. From these results we concluded that slow lactose fermentation by S. sonnei is due to weak lactose permease activity.     

Possible mechanisms underlying the slow lactose fermentation phenotype in Shigella spp.

A Southern hybridization analysis revealed that the region homologous to Escherichia coli lacZ was present on the chromosomal DNAs of beta-galactosidase-positive Shigella strains, such as Shigella dysenteriae serovar 1 and Shigella sonnei strains, whereas this region was absent from chromosomal DNAs of beta-galactosidase-negative strains of Shigella flexneri and Shigella boydii. We found that the lacY-A region was deficient in S. dysenteriae serovar 1 and believe that this is the reason for the slow fermentation of lactose by this strain. S. sonnei strains possessed the region which hybridized with E. coli lacY-A despite their slow hydrolysis of lactose. The whole lactose-fermenting region was cloned from S. sonnei and compared with the cloned lac operon of E. coli K-12. Both clones directed the synthesis of beta-galactosidase in an E. coli K-12 strain lacking indigenous beta-galactosidase activity (strain JM109-1), and we observed no difference in the expression of beta-galactosidase activity in S. sonnei and E. coli. However, E. coli JM109-1 harboring the lactose-fermenting genes of S. sonnei exhibited the slow lactose fermentation phenotype like the parental strain. S. sonnei strains had no detectable lactose permease activities. E. coli JM109-1 harboring the lactose-fermenting genes of S. sonnei had a detectable permease activity, possibly because of the multicopy nature of the cloned genes, but this permease activity was much lower than that of strain JM109-1 harboring the lac operon of E. coli K-12. From these results we concluded that slow lactose fermentation by S. sonnei is due to weak lactose permease activity.     

Mobilization of phase I plasmid in Shigella sonnei and stability of its inheritance in rough strains of Shigella and Escherichia

The plasmid pSS120, determining the synthesis of species specific I phase antigen of Shigella sonnei is mobilized for genetic transfer into E. coli K12 recipient cells with the frequency 12-41%. The frequency depends on the type of mobilized plasmid and recipient strain. The I phase antigen is normally expressed in II phase recipient cells and in E. coli cells. During mobilization pSS120 forms cointegrates representing a recombinant of mobilizing and mobilized plasmids DNA. The study of pSS120 inheritance stability has shown the plasmid to be unstable during culturing of bacteria and to be partially lost from the parent Shigella sonnei strains as well as from the "hybrid" transconjugants obtained. The 60 Md plasmid present in the donor strains of Shigella sonnei is prone to structural fragmentation particularly expressed in Shigella sonnei/E. coli hybrids.     

Sensitivity to antibacterial preparations of the pseudotuberculosis bacteria isolated on the territory of the Ukraine]

Sensitivity of 92 strains of the causative agent of pseudotuberculosis isolated in the Ukraine was studied with respect to 26 antibacterial drugs. It was found that the strains of the pseudotuberculous bacteria were sensitive to 17 drugs, i.e. benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, carbenicillin, cephaloridin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, streptomycin, neomycin, monomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, polymyxin, colistin, furadontin, nalidixic acid, sulfisoxazol and septrin. No differences in the sensitivity of the strains isolated in various districts of the Ukraine and from various sources were found. By their antibiotic sensitivity the strains isolated in the Ukraine did not differ from the cultures isolated in other districts of the USSR and abroad.     

Study of the conditions of activation and stabilization of DNA-methylases from Shigella sonnei 47 during fractionation, purification and storage

A comparative study of activation factors and stabilization conditions of partially purified and individual fractions of DNA-methylases of Shigella sonnei 47 was carried out. The stability of DNA-methylases in the course of storage was examined. The influence of activating factors and stabilization conditions differed significantly depending on the degree of purification and composition of methylase preparations. It was shown that glycerol is ineffective as a stabilizing agent. The activating effect of Ca2+ on Shigella sonnei 47 DNA-methylases was found to be universal, while albumin was shown to exert a more potent stabilizing action. The inactivating effect of proteases on DNA methylation enzymes during storage was demonstrated. A phenomenon of spontaneous fluctuations in the methylating activity of enzymatic preparations of Shigella sonnei 47 upon storage was observed.     

圈养猕猴志贺氏菌的分离鉴定及药敏分析

目的确定猕猴感染志贺氏菌的状况,寻找有效治疗措施。方法采用不同选择培养基对13份病猴粪便样品进行分离培养、细菌革兰氏染色、镜检,并对分离的疑似菌株进行细菌生化鉴定和分子鉴定,经小白鼠致病性实验后,再用纸片扩散法测定分离菌株对23种抗生素的敏感性。结果从13份猕猴粪便样品中共检出12株志贺氏菌,检出率为92.31%,其中痢疾志贺菌(A群)1株、福氏志贺菌(B群)10株、宋内氏志贺菌(D群)1株;致病性试验结果表明,12株菌均能在72h内致死小白鼠,并能回收到注射的菌株;药敏试验结果表明,本实验中分离到的志贺氏菌对头孢噻肟(86.49%)最敏感,对头孢三嗪(75.00%)、头孢他啶(66.67%)次之,对多粘菌素B、羧苄西林、苄唑西林素等抗生素耐药性强。结论初步确定猕猴感染志贺氏菌普遍存在,进而引起腹泻、痢疾的可能性较大,头孢噻肟等为最敏感药物。     

Common evolutionary origin of chromosomal beta-lactamase genes in enterobacteria

A 32P-labeled fragment of DNA, encoding the major part of the chromosomal ampC beta-lactamase gene of Escherichia coli K-12, was used as a hybridization probe for homologous DNA sequences in colonies of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and different enterobacterial species. The ampC probe detected the presence of homologous DNA sequences in clinical isolates of E. coli, Shigella flexneri, Shigella sonnei, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhimurium, Serratia marcescens, and P. aeruginosa. No hybridization was found with N. gonorrhoeae colonies. In Southern blotting experiments the ampC probe hybridized to chromosomal DNA fragments of the same size in all enterobacterial species tested. However, the degree of hybridization differed with DNA from different species. DNA from the Shigella species strongly hybridized to the ampC probe. Furthermore, antibodies raised against purified E. coli K-12 ampC beta-lactamase precipitated beta-lactamases from the Shigella species, suggesting extensive sequence similarities between the ampC genes of these genera. The production of chromosomal beta-lactamase in S. sonnei increased with increasing growth rate similar to E. coli K-12. This growth rate response was abolished in two beta-lactamase-hyperproducing S. sonnei mutants, which thus seem similar to E. coli K-12 attenuator mutants. We propose that both the structure and regulation of the chromosomal beta-lactamase genes are very similar in E. coli and in S. sonnei.     

Antibiotic resistance of shigellae and rationale for etiotropic therapy of Shigella infections

The study was aimed at determining sensitivity of shigellae to antibacterial preparations and their clinical effectiveness for correcting recommendations on the empirical therapy of acute Shigella infections (ASI). The sensitivity of 164 S. flexneri strains and 80 S. sonnei strains, isolated in 1996-2003 in the Sumy region, Ukraine, was determined with respect to 19 antibacterial preparations: ampicillin (Am), tetracycline (Te), rifampicin (Ri), chloramphenicol (Ca), streptomycin (St), fusidin (Fu), kanamycin (Kn), erythromycin (Er), carbenicillin (Cb), doxycycline (Do), gentamicin (Ge), ofloxacin (Of), cefazolin (Cf), ciprofloxacin (Cp). S. flexneri and S. sonnei were found to be highly sensitive to Am (100%), Te (100%), Cb (90% and 50% respectively), Do (90% and 35% respectively), Fu (100%), Er (100%), Ri (100%), Ca (71.8% and 45% respectively), St (81% and 40% respectively). Some isolated cultures were resistant to fluorochinolones. In addition, the clinical and laboratory analysis of the effectiveness of some preparations was carried out. A total of 202 patients, divided into 6 groups, received furazolidone, chloramphenicol, norfloxacin, phthalazole, polymyxin and the combination of several antibacterial preparations. High efficiency of norfloxacin in the treatment of ASI was confirmed. The use of other preparations and their combinations was found to produce only a slight effect.     

The etiological structure of shigellosis in the former USSR--an indicator of the activity of the main routes of infection transmission]

The data on the etiological structure of Shigella infections in the USSR in 1988-1989 are presented. The study showed the dominating role of S. flexneri with S. sonnei also retaining great importance in Shigella infections. The process of the liquidation of S. dysenteriae and S. boydii infections began in some large cities. The domination of dysentery caused by S. flexneri and a high typhoid rate, particularly in Central Asia, were due to poor water supply of the population. The spread of dysentery caused by S. sonnei was completely independent of the water factor. The decisive role in the transmission of S. sonnei in infective doses was explained by decentralized milk supply.     

Activity of restriction endonuclease Sso II in Escherichia coli strains transformed by Shigella sonnei 47 plasmids

The inverse dependence of activity of restriction endonuclease SsoII preparations on the number of low molecular mass plasmids of Shigella sonnei transforming Escherichia coli recipient cells producing the enzyme has been shown. Escherichia coli strain producing efficiently one of two Shigella sonnei 47 restriction endonucleases SsoII has been isolated. The producer strain harbours two of the nine Shigella sonnei 47 plasmids. One of them P4 codes for SsoII+ phenotype while the other P9 determines the plasmids conjugation transfer. Biochemical and physiological characteristics of the producer strain XS13 are identical to the ones of the recipient Escherichia coli strain PS200. XS13 is unable to induce keratoconjunctivitis in guinea pigs in pathogenicity test.     

A multi-prefectural outbreak of Shigella sonnei infections associated with eating oysters in Japan

Among roughly one thousand incidents of shigellosis annually in Japan, approximately 70% of the cases are estimated to be associated with overseas travel. However, at the end of 2001, reports of domestically acquired Shigella sonnei infections suddenly increased. We report here the first multi-prefectural outbreak of Shigella sonnei infections linked to the consumption of imported oysters in Japan at the end of 2001. Isolates of S. sonnei from patients epidemiologically linked to eating contaminated oysters and from the imported oysters themselves showed an indistinguishable pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern and drug resistance pattern.     

Diversity within a population of Shigella sonnei according to markers of medicinal preparations

As revealed in this study, S. sonnei population is represented by two clusters with respect to the sensitivity to different antibiotics. A higher degree of diversity was observed with respect to the action of streptomycin, kefzol, ampicillin, chloramphenicol and kanamycin in comparison with the action of gentamicin, nevigramon, rafampicin, tetracycline and polymyxin. The level of diversity of S. sonnei with respect to the sensitivity to antibiotics under study underwent essential changes during the calendar year. The distributions obtained study quite closely corresponded to changes in Sonne dysentery morbidity observed within the year period: the first cluster corresponded to the period of morbidity between the seasons and the second one, to the seasonal period of morbidity. The minimal coefficient of diversity fell on May while the maximum--on September. The minimal level of S. sonnei diversity, as a rule, corresponds to the minimum biosystems stability.     

Study of the methylation process and DNA methylase specificity in Shigella]

The nature and content of minor bases in DNA of 3 Shigella strains are investigated. DNAs from Shigella stutzeri 2, Sh. sonnei 1188 and Sh. sonnei 311 are found to contain 0.43, 0.56 and 0.45 mol.% of N6-methyladenine respectively. 5-methylcytosine (0.16 mol.%) is discovered in Sh. sonnei 311. Substrate specificity of adenine methylase from Sh. sonnei 1188 with respect to phage DNAs of different host modification is investigated. Recognition sites for guanine methylase of DDVI phage and for adenine methylase of Sh. sonnei 1188 turned to be different. DNA of DDII phage grown in Sh. stutzeri 2 cells does not accept methyl groups under the treatment with Sh. sonnei 1188 extracts, but it is methylated by Escherichia coli extract. Adenine methylases of Sh. sonnei 1188 and Sh. stutzeri 2 are suggested to be either the same enzyme, or enzymes, which recognition sites are partially overlapped.