Occurrence of species from Acinetobacter genus in clinical material and other sources]

The analysis regarded 304 strains of Acinetobacter genus isolated from various diagnostic materials, objects from hospital environment and from non-hospital sources (soil, water, various animals). Applying API ZONE system, five species were isolated: Acinetobacter juni, (18.42%), Acinetobacter baumanii (70.39%), Acinetobacter haemolyticus (5.59%), Acinetobacter lwoffii (4.6%) and Acinetobacter johnsonii (0.99%). Most frequently isolated species were present in purulent materials and in samples from respiratory tract infections and urinary tract infections. Over 47% Acinetobacter species strains were present in clinical material as single aerobic bacteria.     

An increasing threat in hospitals: multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Since the 1970s, the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter strains among critically ill, hospitalized patients, and subsequent epidemics, have become an increasing cause of concern. Reports of community-acquired Acinetobacter infections have also increased over the past decade. A recent manifestation of MDR Acinetobacter that has attracted public attention is its association with infections in severely injured soldiers. Here, we present an overview of the current knowledge of the genus Acinetobacter, with the emphasis on the clinically most important species, Acinetobacter baumannii.     

Presence of various Acinetobacter species in urinary tract infections

Species classification of 39 strains of Acinetobacter isolated from urinary tract infections (UTI) was performed by API 20NE tests. On the whole 24 biotypes were differentiated which formed 4 species and one biotype had no defined species classification. Acinetobacter baumani was most numerously represented. Seventy seven percent of strains were isolated from urine samples from women. About 90% of Acinetobacter strains were isolated as single pathogens. Sensitivity of these strains to 23 antibiotics and chemotherapeutics using ATB-UR and disc diffusion technique was evaluated. Of all cephalosporins tested ceftazidime was the most active. All strains tested were sensitive to imepenem. The high percentage of strains was sensitive to quinolones of IIIrd generation. The high percentage of strains was resistant to nitrofurantoin.     

神经外科颅内出血患者下呼吸道感染病原菌的耐药性监测

目的了解神经外科重症监护室（NICU）颅内出血患者下呼吸道感染病原菌的种类及耐药情况,为临床合理用药提供依据。方法对2010年1月至2011年1月颅内出血的患者,其下呼吸道感染病原菌的种类及耐药性进行回顾性分析。结果分离出的374例病原菌中以革兰阴性杆菌为主,占81．8％,革兰阳性球菌占4．0％,真菌占14．2％。分离率较高的细菌依次为鲍曼不动杆菌、铜绿假单胞菌、肺炎克雷伯菌、嗜麦芽窄食单胞菌、金黄色葡萄球菌。其中,产超广谱β-内酰胺酶（ESBLs）的肺炎克雷伯菌的检出率为50．0％;耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）的检出率为73．3％。鲍曼不动杆菌和铜绿假单胞菌对丁胺卡那、妥布霉素、多粘菌素B有较好的敏感性;而金黄色葡萄球菌对复方新诺明、呋喃妥因、万古霉素耐药率较低。结论NICU颅内出血患者下呼吸道感染以多重耐药的革兰阴性杆菌为主,临床应根据药敏结果合理用药,控制和减少感染的发生。     

Interaction of microbial populations in Steinernema (Steinernematidae,Nematoda) infected Galleria mellonella larvae

Infection of Galleria mellonella larvae with the entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema feltiae (A21 and R strains) and Steinernema glaseri (Dongrae) resulted in several species of bacteria, including the respective bacterial symbiont, Xenorhabdus spp., growing in the infected insect cadavers. These other bacteria were Enterococcus in all three nematode infections studied and Acinetobacter in the S. feltiae infections. The respective populations of these bacteria changed with time. Following infection of G. mellonella larvae with any one of the Steinernema sp., only Enterococcus bacteria were detected initially in the dead larvae. Between 30 and 50h post-infection Xenorhabdus bacteria were detected and concurrent with this Enterococcus population declined to zero. This was probably due to secondary metabolites with antibacterial properties that were produced by Xenorhabdus. In the S. feltiae (both R and A21 strains) infections a third bacterium, Acinetobacter, appeared at about 130h (in S. feltiae A21 infections) or 100h (in S. feltiae R infections) and increased in population size to approximately that of Xenorhabdus. It was demonstrated that Enterococcus, orginating from the G. mellonella digestive tract, was sensitive to the organically soluble antimicrobials produced by Xenorhabdus but Acinetobacter, which was carried by the nematode, was not.     

Acinetobacter infection--an emerging threat to human health

The genus Acinetobacter comprises a complex and heterogeneous group of bacteria, many of which are capable of causing a range of opportunistic, often catheter-related, infections in humans. However, Acinetobacter baumannii, as well as its close relatives belonging to genomic species 3 ("Acinetobacter pittii") and 13TU ("Acinetobacter nosocomialis"), are important nosocomial pathogens, often associated with epidemic outbreaks of infection, that are only rarely found outside of a clinical setting. These organisms are frequently pandrug-resistant and are capable of causing substantial morbidity and mortality in patients with severe underlying disease, both in the hospital and in the community. Several epidemic clonal lineages of A. baumannii have disseminated worldwide and seem to have a selective advantage over non-epidemic strains. The reasons for the success of these epidemic lineages remain to be elucidated, but could be related to the potential of these organisms to achieve very dynamic reorganization and rapid evolution of their genome, including the acquisition and expression of additional antibiotic resistance determinants, under fluctuating environmental and selective conditions.     

Acinetobacter baumannii RecA protein in repair of DNA damage, antimicrobial resistance, general stress response, and virulence

RecA is the major enzyme involved in homologous recombination and plays a central role in SOS mutagenesis. In Acinetobacter spp., including Acinetobacter baumannii , a multidrug-resistant bacterium responsible for nosocomial infections worldwide, DNA repair responses differ in many ways from those of other bacterial species. In this work, the function of A. baumannii RecA was examined by constructing a recA mutant. Alteration of this single gene had a pleiotropic effect, showing the involvement of RecA in DNA damage repair and consequently in cellular protection against stresses induced by DNA damaging agents, several classes of antibiotics, and oxidative agents. In addition, the absence of RecA decreased survival in response to both heat shock and desiccation. Virulence assays in vitro (with macrophages) and in vivo (using a mouse model) similarly implicated RecA in the pathogenicity of A. baumannii . Thus, the data strongly suggest a protective role for RecA in the bacterium and indicate that inactivation of the protein can contribute to a combined therapeutic approach to controlling A. baumannii infections.     

鲍曼不动杆菌基因分型技术的研究进展

鲍曼不动杆菌为非发酵糖类革兰阴性杆菌,具有强大的获得耐药性和克隆传播的能力,广泛分布于医院环境,是医院内感染的重要病原菌之一。因此,建立精准、高效的鲍曼不动杆菌基因分型技术,是开展其医院内感染流行病学研究和临床防控的重要工具。本文就近年来鲍曼不动杆菌基因分型技术的研究进展进行综述,并分析比较多种基因分型技术的原理、优点、局限性及应用范围。     

鲍曼不动杆菌院内感染调查与耐药性分析

目的 研究鲍曼不动杆菌院内感染情况及对常用抗生素的敏感性。方法 采用Microscan Walk Away-40全自动微生物仪及配套药敏复合板进行细菌鉴定与药敏试验。结果 46株不动杆菌中有35株为鲍曼不动杆菌,占76．09％。主要分布在ICU、康复科、呼吸内科。标本主要以脓、痰及呼吸道分泌物为主。药敏结果显示：亚胺培南、头孢吡肟、阿米卡星对鲍曼不动杆菌高度敏感,但3代头孢菌素大多数耐药。结论 鲍曼不动杆菌易引起伤口、呼吸道继发感染,且耐药现象严重,诊断与治疗有赖于细菌培养和药物敏感结果,应引起临床的高度重视。一旦发现感染株,必须迅速采取控制措施,避免引起医院感染的暴发流行。     

Detailed characterization of the lipid A fraction from the nonpathogen Acinetobacter radioresistens strain S13

The genus Acinetobacter is composed of ubiquitous, generally nonpathogen environmental bacteria. Interest concerning these microorganisms has increased during the last 30 years, because some strains, belonging to the so-called A. baumannii-A. calcoaceticus complex, have been implicated in some severe pathological states in debilitated and hospitalized patients. The involvement of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) as virulence factors in infections by Acinetobacter has been proven, and ongoing studies are aimed toward the complete serological characterization of the O-polysaccharides from LPSs isolated in clinical samples. Conversely, no characterization of the lipid A fraction from Acinetobacter strains has been performed. Here, the detailed structure of the lipid A fraction from A. radioresistens S13 is reported for the first time. A. radioresistens strains have never been isolated in cases of infectious disease. Nevertheless, it is known that the lipid A structure, with minor variations, is highly conserved across the genus; thus, structural details acquired from studies of this nonpathogen strain represent a useful basis for further studies of pathogen species.     

Gramnegative opportunistic microflora as etiological factor of secondary infection in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis]

The results of the laboratory diagnoses of respiratory tract secondary infections in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis within a period of 12 months in a tuberculosis clinic were generalized. The species composition of the causative agents of lower respiratory tract secondary infection and the frequency of their detection in various clinical speciments (sputum, bronchial washings) were determined. The data on resistance of the opportunistic gramnegative bacilli (enterobacteria, pseudomonads, Acinetobacter spp.) isolated from the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis to various groups of antibacterials are presented.     

Characterization of two bacteriophages specific to Acinetobacter baumannii and their effects on catheters biofilm

Multidrug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii cause major nosocomial infections. Bacteriophages that are specific to the bacterial species and destroy bacteria can be effectively used for treatment. In this study, we characterized lytic bacteriophages specific to A. baumannii strains. We isolated lytic bacteriophages from environmental water samples and then investigated their morphology, host range, growth characteristics, stability, genome analysis, and biofilm destruction on the catheter surface. Our results showed that the efficacy of the phages varied between 32% and 78%, tested on 78 isolates of A. baumannii; 80 phages were isolated, and two lytic bacteriophages, vB_AbaP_HB01 (henceforth called C2 phage) and vB_AbaM_HB02 (henceforth called K3 phage), were selected for characterization. Electron microscopy scans revealed that the C2 and K3 phages were members of the Podoviridae and Myoviridae families, respectively. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the sequence of the C2 phage is available in the NCBI database (accession number: OP917929.1), and it was found sequence identity with Acinetobacter phage AB1 18%, the K3 phage DNA sequence is closely related to Acinetobacter phage vB_AbaM_phiAbaA1 (94% similarity). The cocktail of C2 and K3 phages demonstrated a promising decrease in the bacterial cell counts of the biofilm after 4 h. Under a scanning electron microscope, the cocktail treatment destructed the biofilm on the catheter. We propose that the phage cocktail could be a strong alternative to antibiotics to control the A. baumannii biofilm in catheter infections.     

Comparative evaluation of bacteria identification from the Acinetobacter genus using a commercially available API 20NE system, PCR and RFLP techniques

A study was carried out for identification of 50 Acinetobacter strains isolated from various clinical materials. Using classic methods the following species were identifies: Acinetobacter sp. (68%), Acinetobacter baumanii (24%) and Acinetobacter lwofii (8%). In all strains the recA gene was found of 435-500 pz size which confirms their belonging to that genus. Amplification products were digested with restriction enzymes Mbol and HinfI (RFLP) and their detection was carried out on agarose gel by electrophoresis methods, owing to that the arrangement of gene fragment characteristic of each strain was obtained. After careful analysis restriction patterns were obtained corresponding to the following genome species: Acinetobacter baumanii (60%), Acinetobacter sp. 3 (28%) and Acinetobacter lwoffii (12%). The methods of molecular biology made possible a more precise classification of the studied strains according to species. Certain strains determined as Acinetobacter sp. by the API 20NE system were found to be Acinetobacter baumanii, Acinetobacter sp. 3 or Acinetobacter lwofii when determined by the PCR/RFLP method.     

The emergence of multidrug resistant Acinetobacter species: a major concern in the hospital setting

Acinetobacter spp. have emerged in recent years as a major cause of nosocomial infections that are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Developing resistance patterns have prompted the suggestion that we are closer to the end of the antibiotic era with Acinetobacter than with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (J Hosp Infect58, 2004, 167).     

多重耐药和广泛耐药鲍曼不动杆菌感染治疗的药物选择

鲍曼不动杆菌是医院内感染的重要病原体,其基于内在性和获得性的耐药机制,导致全球抗感染领域面临巨大挑战。目前,针对多重耐药和广泛耐药鲍曼不动杆菌引起的感染尚无有效治疗方案,本文对其可选用的治疗药物及最新进展进行综述。     

鲍曼不动杆菌耐药性及碳青霉烯酶检测

目的了解临床分离鲍曼不动杆菌对临床常用抗菌药物的耐药性及其产碳青霉烯酶情况,为临床抗感染治疗提供依据。方法采用MicroScan WalkAway-40全自动微生物分析仪对240株临床分离的鲍曼不动杆菌进行鉴定和药敏试验,改良的Hodge试验检测耐碳青霉烯类鲍曼不动杆菌产生的碳青霉烯酶,并采用SPSS 13.0软件进行统计分析。结果 240株鲍曼不动杆菌对亚胺培南的耐药率最低(20.8%),对青霉素类、头孢菌素类、喹诺酮类、复方新诺明的耐药率均大于50%;耐碳青霉烯类鲍曼不动杆菌碳青霉烯酶的检出率为64.0%。结论临床分离鲍曼不动杆菌耐药情况严重,碳青霉烯酶是鲍曼不动杆菌对碳青霉烯类抗菌药物耐药的主要原因。     

Genome Sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii TYTH-1

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged recently as a major cause of health care-associated infections due to the extent of its antimicrobial resistance and its propensity to cause large nosocomial outbreaks. Here we report the genome sequence of Acinetobacter baumannii TYTH-1 isolated in Taiwan during 2008.     

Acinetobacter marinus sp. nov. and Acinetobacter seohaensis sp. nov., isolated from sea water of the Yellow Sea in Korea

Two Gram-negative, nonmotile, coccobacilli, SW-3T and SW-100T, were isolated from sea water of the Yellow Sea in Korea. Strains SW-3T and SW-100T contained ubiquinone-9 (Q-9) as the predominant respiratory lipoquinone and C18:1 omega9c and C16:0 as the major fatty acids. The DNA G+C contents of strains SW-3T and SW-100T were 44.1 mol% and 41.9 mol%, respectively. A neighbor-joining tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the two isolates fell within the evolutionary radiation enclosed by the genus Acinetobacter. Strains SW-3T and SW-100T exhibited a 16S rRNA gene similarity value of 95.7% and a mean DNA-DNA relatedness level of 9.2%. Strain SW-3T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity levels of 93.5-96.9% to the validly described Acinetobacter species and fifteen Acinetobacter genomic species. Strain SW-100T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity levels of less than 97.0% to the other Acinetobacter species except Acinetobacter towneri DSM 14962T (98.0% similarity). Strains SW-3T and SW-100T exhibited mean levels of DNA-DNA relatedness of 7.3-16.7% to the type strains of some phylogenetically related Acinetobacter species. On the basis of phenotypic, phylogenetic, and genetic data, strains SW-3T and SW-100T were classified in the genus Acinetobacter as two distinct novel species, for which the names Acinetobacter marinus sp. nov. (type strain SW-3T=KCTC 12259T=DSM 16312T) and Acinetobacter seohaensis sp. nov. (type strain SW-100T=KCTC 12260T=DSM 16313T) are proposed, respectively.     

不动杆菌属中aidE基因编码高丝氨酸内酯酶

群体感应(Quorum sensing,QS)是细菌在进化过程中形成的依赖于群体密度的细菌间交流方式。许多革兰氏阴性细菌以N-酰基高丝氨酸内酯(AHL)为信号分子,感应自身群体密度并调控致病基因表达。因此,淬灭AHLs信号分子可防治此类细菌引起的植物病害。本实验室前期已筛选得到了一株具有AHLs信号降解能力的不动杆菌菌株Acinetobacter sp.77,本研究通过基因组文库筛选,自菌株77中克隆得到具有AHLs降解活性的基因aidE。该基因编码268个氨基酸。序列一致性比较发现aidE的氨基酸序列与吉伦伯不动杆菌Acinetobacter gyllenbergii CIP110306中β-内酰胺酶一致性高达95%,但与已知的AHLs降解酶序列一致性较低,最高为缓黄分支杆菌Mycobacterium lentiflavum中AHL内酯酶Att M/Aii B家族蛋白(CQD23908.1),一致性仅为33%。通过高压液相色谱(HPLC)分析Aid E蛋白处理N-己酰基高丝氨酸内酯(C6-HSL)的反应产物,证明aidE为AHL内酯酶。序列比对研究发现,aidE基因在不动杆菌属中并不保守,其在菌株77基因组中的上下游的基因排列存在菌株水平的特异性,且aidE基因下游存在疑似IS插入序列,上述证据表明aidE基因有可能是通过水平转移进入Acinetobacter sp.77基因组中,或其在基因组中的位置发生过重排。表达aidE的软腐果胶杆菌Z3-3中完全检测不到AHLs信号产生,且致病力明显降低。综上所述,aidE为新发现的AHL内酯酶。在防治依赖QS系统表达致病性的细菌病害中具有应用潜力。     

Functional Exposed Amino Acids of CarO Analysis as a Potential Vaccine Candidate in Acinetobacter Baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is a well-recognized cause of nosocomial infections. This organism is recognized to be among the most difficult antimicrobial-resis