Influence of growth media on vancomycin resistance of Enterococcus isolates and correlation with resistance gene determinants

The effect of Mueller-Hinton (MH), MH+blood or brain heart infusion medium (agar or broth) on 13 Enterococcus isolates was determined, when testing their antibiotic susceptibility. Disk diffusion and Vitek methods were used to determine vancomycin resistance, while broth dilution and E-test methods were used to measure the minimum inhibitory concentration. The data were correlated with the presence of vancomycin resistance genes. A definite correlation pattern could not be established between the presence of van genes and vancomycin resistance in any plating medium, when tested by the disk diffusion assay. The broth dilution, irrespective of the plating medium, and Vitek methods were more reliable than the E-test method in testing isolates with vanA or vanB genes. However, for vanC2/C3 genotypes, the E-test method, irrespective of the plating medium, tested better than the broth dilution assay.     

Bioluminescent assay as a potential method of rapid susceptibility testing

A method of rapid susceptibility testing by bioluminescent assay was developed. Correlation between the 50% inhibition dose of antimicrobics for bacterial adenosine triphosphate measured by bioluminescent assay and the minimum inhibitory concentration obtained by the broth dilution method was satisfactory. In the bioluminescent assay the incubation time required was only 90 min.     

厌氧条件下微量琼脂糖弥散法抑菌试验的建立及应用

作者建立了在厌氧条件下两种微量而敏感的抑菌试验,可用于鉴定蛋白质或多肽类抑菌物质。（１）琼脂糖弥散法：可检测抗菌蛋白抑菌活性,（２）电泳凝胶弥散法：可直接确定存在于ＰＡＧＥ凝胶中抗菌蛋白条带。应用这两种方法,作者首次鉴定出血链球菌培养上清液中存在抑制牙周可疑致病菌的抗菌蛋白。     

In vitro antichlamydial activity of antimicrobials and quinolones using a rapid microtiter screening test system

The activities of twelve antimicrobials against Chlamydia trachomatis were compared when determined in a cell culture system by shell vial and by a rapid microtiter assay. The minimal inhibitory concentration of nine of the twelve were identical in both assays and ranged from 0.03 to > 512 μg/ml. The other three differed by one two-fold dilution from shell vial to microtiter assay and had MICs which ranged from 0.015 to 0.8 μg/ml. The activities of eleven quinolones against Chlamydia trachomatis were measured in vitro by microtiter assay. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the eleven obtained by microtiter assay ranged from 0.5 to > 1024 μg/ml and were comparable to published shell vial values. The microtiter method, which is easier and less time consuming to carry out, gives comparable activities to the longer shell vial system.     

Agar and broth dilution methods to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antimicrobial substances

The aim of broth and agar dilution methods is to determine the lowest concentration of the assayed antimicrobial agent (minimal inhibitory concentration, MIC) that, under defined test conditions, inhibits the visible growth of the bacterium being investigated. MIC values are used to determine susceptibilities of bacteria to drugs and also to evaluate the activity of new antimicrobial agents. Agar dilution involves the incorporation of different concentrations of the antimicrobial substance into a nutrient agar medium followed by the application of a standardized number of cells to the surface of the agar plate. For broth dilution, often determined in 96-well microtiter plate format, bacteria are inoculated into a liquid growth medium in the presence of different concentrations of an antimicrobial agent. Growth is assessed after incubation for a defined period of time (16-20 h) and the MIC value is read. This protocol applies only to aerobic bacteria and can be completed in 3 d.     

Broth dilution and disc diffusion methods in the susceptibility testing of pathogenic Candida albicans against four antimycotics

Susceptibility of Candida albicans isolated from mouthrinse specimens during episodes of acute pseudomembranous candidiasis in patients with haematological malignancies was tested by the broth dilution and disc diffusion methods using 24 and 48 h of incubation. The time factor did not significantly affect the results with 5-fluorocytosine. With amphotericin B, prolonged incubation doubled the geometric mean MIC of C. albicans as well as the number of isolates with intermediate sensitivity. With the shorter incubation in the disc diffusion assay, few isolates showed lowered sensitivity to clotrimazole; at 48 h, however, this figure was as high as 54%. The yeasts were highly sensitive to ketoconazole at 24 h, whereas at 48 h the results were bizarre. At 24 h, correlations between disc diffusion and broth dilution methods were satisfactory, with clotrimazole and ketoconazole accounting for most of the discordancies. Accordingly, the disc diffusion results should be recorded at 24 h.     

An investigation into the antimicrobial effects of adrenomedullin on members of the skin, oral, respiratory tract and gut microflora

Adrenomedullin, a novel vasoactive peptide, is known to be expressed by many surface epithelial cells and it was postulated that this peptide may have a protective role. The objective of the study was to assess the antimicrobial activity of adrenomedullin against members of the human skin, oral, respiratory tract and gut microflora using disc diffusion and broth microdilution assays. All strains of bacteria screened in an agar diffusion assay were sensitive; gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were equally susceptible. No activity against the yeast Candida albicans was observed. In a broth microdilution assay, minimum inhibitory and minimum bacteriocidal concentrations ranged from 7.75 x 10(-1) to 12.5 microg ml(-1) and 0.003 to > 25.0 microg ml(-1), respectively. We propose an antimicrobial role for adrenomedullin. participating in the prevention of local infection, thus contributing to host defence systems.     

Determination of susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus to methicillin by luciferim-luciferase assay of bacterial adenosine triphosphate

M c W alter , P.W. 1984. Determination of susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus to methicillin by luciferin-luciferase assay of bacterial adenosine triphosphate. Journal of Applied Bacteriology , 56 , 145–150.
Susceptibility of 50 strains of Staphylococcus aureus to methicillin was determined by disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test and luciferin-luciferase assay of bacterial adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP concentration time curves calculated on eight strains (four sensitive, four resistant) incubated at 30C indicated 2.5 h as the optimum time for determination of methicillin susceptibility. The ATP concentration and relative light unit (RLU) value of each test broth (antibiotic-containing), expressed as a percentage of its own control broth (antibiotic-free) indicated values of < 30% for ATP and < 40% for RLU to be indicative of methicillin sensitivity. Single time point ATP assays carried out on the 50 strains after 2.5 h at 30C correlated exactly with disc diffusion and MIC. Luciferin-luciferase assay of bacterial ATP appeared to be a reliable, rapid technique for determining the susceptibility of Staph. aureus to methicillin.     

In vitro susceptibility to 9 antifungal agents of 14 strains of Zygomycetes isolated from clinical specimens

Fourteen clinical isolates of Zygomycetes were tested for their in vitro susceptibility to nine antifungal agents. Susceptibility assessment was performed using a microtiter broth dilution method. Synthetic broth with YNB and glucose was used for 5-fluorocytosine and BHI broth for all the other antimycotics. Amphotericin B exhibited the strongest activity against all isolates tested. MIC values of other two polyenes — nystatin and pimaricin — ranged within the susceptibility limits, with a little pronounced higher activity of pimaricin. The isolates of the genusAbsidia andSyncephalastrum were well sensitive to all antimycotics with the exception of 5-fluorocytosine and naftifine. A very weak or zero growth inhibitory effect against all members of the generaMucor andRhizopus was found in azoles, 5-fluorocytosine and naftifine.     

Susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Carbenicillin

Ninety clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were examined for susceptibility to carbenicillin by the broth dilution and disc diffusion methods. Inhibition zone diameters varied at given minimal inhibitory concentration levels of the antibiotic. Nevertheless, the results obtained allowed the proposal of the following tentative criteria for the interpretation of inhibition zones. Pseudomonadaceae yielding zones of inhibition measuring at least 10 and 16 mm in diameter around 25-and 100-mug discs, respectively, are sensitive to this antibiotic when examined by the standardized Bauer-Kirby method of disc susceptibility testing. Isolates characterized by zones of less than 100 mm in diameter around 25-mug discs should be tested with 100-mug discs before they are reported as sensitive or resistant to carbenicillin.     

Evaluation of diffusion and dilution methods to determine the antibacterial activity of plant extracts

The aim of this study was to evaluate diffusion and dilution methods for determining the antibacterial activity of plant extracts and their mixtures. Several methods for measurement of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of a plant extract are available, but there is no standard procedure as there is for antibiotics. We tested different plant extracts, their mixtures and phenolic acids on selected gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Listeria monocytogenes) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Infantis, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli) with the disk diffusion, agar dilution, broth microdilution and macrodilution methods. The disk diffusion method was appropriate only as a preliminary screening test prior to quantitative MIC determination with dilution methods. A comparison of the results for MIC obtained by agar dilution and broth microdilution was possible only for gram-positive bacteria, and indicated the latter as the most accurate way of assessing the antimicrobial effect. The microdilution method with TTC (2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride) or INT (2-p-iodophenyl-3-p-nitrophenyl-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride) to indicate the viability of aerobic bacteria was found to be the best alternative approach, while only ATP determination was appropriate for microaerophilic Campylobacter spp. Using survival curves the kinetics of bacterial inactivation on plant extract exposure was followed for 24 h and in this way the MIC values determined by the microdilution method were confirmed as the concentrations of extracts that inhibited bacterial growth. We suggest evaluation of the antibacterial activity of plant extracts using the broth microdilution method as a fast screening method for MIC determination and the macrodilution method at selected MIC values to confirm bacterial inactivation. Campylobacter spp. showed a similar sensitivity to plant extracts as the tested gram-positive bacteria, but S. Infantis and E. coli O157:H7 were more resistant.     

A new antimicrobial susceptibility testing method of Escherichia coli against ampicillin by MSPQC

A new antimicrobial susceptibility testing method by multi-channel series piezoelectric quartz crystal (MSPQC) was proposed. This method was used to test susceptibility of clinical Escherichia coli isolates against ampicillin. Both the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and interpretive categorization of clinical E. coli isolates were determined by proposed method. Comparing tests were run at the same time by the agar dilution method and the disk diffusion method. The experimental results showed that MSPQC method had a good agreement with the reference methods. Compared with those methods, the MSPQC method is simple, rapid, and convenient to perform. It can offer both a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and an interpretive category result.     

评估VITEK2-COMPACT GN13与纸片扩散法测定粘质沙雷菌对亚胺培南药敏结果的可靠性研究

目的评估法国生物梅里埃VITEK2-COMPACT GN13药敏系统(VITEK2法)和纸片扩散法(K-B法)检测粘质沙雷菌对亚胺培南药敏结果的可靠性。方法本研究选取了50株金华市中心医院2014年6月至11月临床标本中分离出的非重复的粘质沙雷菌,分别采用VITEK2法、K-B法和微量肉汤稀释法测定其对亚胺培南的体外敏感性,以微量肉汤稀释法作为参考方法,评估VITEK2法、纸片扩散法与参考方法的分类一致率(CA%)。结果K-B法与参考方法的一致率为94.0%(47/50),仅有6.0%的小错误(MIE),未出现大错误(ME)和极大错误(VME);而VITEK2法与参考方法的一致率仅为48.0%(24/50),其中VITEK2法测定为敏感的菌株与参考方法的一致率达95.6%,但VITEK2法测定为耐药或中介的菌株与参考方法的一致率仅为7.4%,小错误率(MIE%)和大错误率(ME%)分别为55.6%和37.0%,未出现极大错误(VME)。结论 K-B法检测粘质沙雷菌对亚胺培南的药敏结果是比较可靠的;VITEK2法检测粘质沙雷菌对亚胺培南敏感的结果也是可靠的,但对亚胺培南非敏感结果的错误率(ME+MIE)高达到92.6%,实验室日常工作中若发现此类结果应采用K-B法或微量肉汤稀释法重新复核。     

A rapid twofold dilution method for microbial enumeration and resuscitation of uninjured and sublethally injured bacteria

AIMS: A rapid and simple method for enumerating uninjured and sublethally injured bacterial cells, the twofold dilution method (2FD), was developed and evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Following twofold serial dilution of samples in a 96 well microtiter plate, double strength selective broth or nonselective broth was added to each well. For resuscitation of heat-injured (55 degrees C for 10 min) coliforms, the selective broth was added to the wells after 3 h preresuscitation time in buffered peptone water. The results of the 2FD were compared to plating methods for total and coliform plate counts from mixed cultures and beef carcass surface tissue samples. CONCLUSION: The 2FD method results were not significantly different for uninjured cells (P > 0.05) from those obtained using Petrifilm and standard plating. Correlation of the scatterplot of spread plating and 2FD indicated a high level of agreement between these two methods (R(2)=0.98 for total counts and R(2)=0.96 for coliforms from mixed cultures; R(2)=0.98 for total cell counts and R(2)=0.94 for coliforms from faeces inoculated beef carcasses). SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The twofold dilution method recovered significantly higher numbers of heat-injured coliforms compared to conventional plating methods (P < 0.05).     

不同实验方法检测常用有机溶剂对细菌活性的影响及其安全使用限量

【目的】采用不同实验方法测定常用有机溶剂二甲基亚砜(DMSO)、丙酮和乙醇对细菌活性的影响,以指导抗菌类药物体外抑菌实验所用溶剂的选择和添加限量。【方法】采用常规体外抑菌实验方法(纸片扩散法、肉汤稀释法),并参照生长曲线法检测有机溶剂DMSO、丙酮和乙醇对大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)及金黄色葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus aureus)的抑菌作用,采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察溶剂作用后的细菌形态变化。【结果】3种溶剂对E.coli和S.aureus抑菌率达到20%时,在肉汤稀释法下,DMSO、丙酮、乙醇的浓度(体积比)分别为1.00%、0.25%、2.00%和1.00%、1.00%、0.50%;在生长曲线法下,溶剂浓度(体积比)分别为0.50%、1.00%、0.50%和1.00%、0.50%、0.50%;而在纸片扩散法下,32%(体积比)DMSO和32%(体积比)乙醇对E.coli产生明显抑菌圈,但3种溶剂对S.aureus均无抑菌圈出现。3种方法比较后得出:当3种溶剂的抑菌率达到20%时,溶剂浓度(体积比)均低于0.5%,对细菌整体生长活性影响较小。SEM结果表明控制溶剂使用限量可有效减少其对E.coli生长过程的影响。【结论】相对于DMSO和丙酮,乙醇对微生物生长繁殖能力的影响更加明显;采用相同浓度有机溶剂时,液态条件下(肉汤稀释法和生长曲线法)微生物受到有机溶剂的影响较大。     

Antibiotic activity of an isocyanide metabolite of Trichoderma hamatum against rumen bacteria

A metabolite of Trichoderma hamatum, 3-(3-isocyanocyclopent-2-enylidene)propionic acid, was tested for its effects on growth of and carbohydrate metabolism in 11 strains of functionally important rumen bacteria. To standardize the biological activity of this unstable metabolite, a rapid, aerobic disc diffusion assay was developed using Escherichia coli ATCC 11775. In an anaerobic broth dilution assay using a medium lacking rumen fluid and containing a soluble carbohydrate, the minimum inhibitory concentration of the metabolite which completely inhibited growth of the rumen bacteria for 18 h at 39 degrees C was generally less than 10 micrograms X mL-1; however, the minimum inhibitory concentrations for Megasphaera elsdenii B159 and Streptococcus bovis Pe(1)8 were 10-25 and 25-64 micrograms X mL-1, respectively. In general, the Gram-negative strains were more sensitive than the Gram positive. The minimum inhibitory concentration for Bacteroides ruminicola 23 grown with glucose was 1 micrograms X mL-1; for B. ruminicola GA33 (glucose), B. succinogenes S85 (cellobiose), and Succinivibrio dextrinosolvens 24 (maltose), it was 2 microgram X mL-1. When added to a cellulose-containing rumen fluid medium, 1-4 micrograms X mL-1 of the metabolite delayed cellulose hydrolysis by B. succinogenes S85, Ruminococcus albus 7, and R. flavefaciens FD1 for up to 4 days, and 6-7 micrograms X mL-1 prevented hydrolysis for at least 1 month. In the presence of the metabolite, the proportion of acetate produced from soluble carbohydrate by the majority of strains increased, but with some strains net production of acetate decreased relative to production of other acidic fermentation products.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

黄酮化合物对耐药性鲍曼不动杆菌抑菌作用研究

为探索中药黄酮化合物对耐药性鲍曼不动杆菌的抑菌效果。研究通过微量肉汤稀释法,考察40种中药及天然来源的黄酮化合物对三株耐药性鲍曼不动杆菌菌株的体外抑菌作用,测试其最低抑菌浓度与最低杀菌浓度;采用结晶紫染色法进一步测定目标化合物对鲍曼不动杆菌生物被膜形成的能力;探索黄酮联合头孢哌酮/舒巴坦对鲍曼不动杆菌的抑菌效果。研究表明,黄酮单体对于鲍曼不动杆菌具有不同程度的体外抑菌作用。其中部分具有轻微作用,其最小抑菌浓度仅为0.5 mg/mL;黄芩素和汉黄芩苷具有显著的抑菌作用,其最小抑菌浓度分别为0.062 5和0.125 mg/mL;同时,黄芩素对鲍曼不动杆菌生物被膜形成具有明显的抑制作用。此外,黄芩素和头孢哌酮/舒巴坦联合作用于耐药鲍曼不动杆菌与单用黄芩素或头孢哌酮/舒巴坦比较,浓度有所降低。综上,黄芩素对耐药性鲍曼不动杆菌有较好的体外抑菌效果,这为治疗耐药性鲍曼不动杆菌引发的感染的治疗提供新思路和方向。     

Identification of difurocumenonol, a new antimicrobial compound from mango ginger (Curcuma amada Roxb.) rhizome

AIM: The aim of the present work was to purify and characterize potential natural antibacterial compound from mango ginger (Curcuma amada Roxb.) rhizome. METHODS AND RESULTS: The mango ginger rhizome powder was sequentially extracted and screened for antibacterial activity by agar well diffusion method and broth dilution method. Nonpolar extracts of mango ginger showed high antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria with low minimum inhibitory concentration (60-180 ppm). Among five extracts of mango ginger, the chloroform extract demonstrated highest antibacterial activity. Antibacterial activity-guided fractionation of the chloroform extract by repeated silica gel column chromatography yielded pure compound. The purified antibacterial compound was analysed by UV, IR, LC-MS and 2D-HMQCT NMR spectra and was identified as a difurocumenonol, a novel compound not reported previously. CONCLUSIONS: Mango ginger extracts and isolated difurocumenonol demonstrated high antibacterial activity against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: A novel and natural antibacterial compound as well as mango ginger extracts can be used as food preservative to control the growth of food-borne pathogens and as a source of mango flavour.     

Comparative evaluation of agar dilution and broth microdilution methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing of Helicobacter cinaedi

The aim of this study was to establish a broth microdilution method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Helicobacter cinaedi and to assess the prevalence and mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance in Japanese clinical isolates. A broth microdilution method using modified Levinthal broth was developed and compared with the agar dilution method for testing susceptibility to ampicillin, gentamicin, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin. The minimum inhibitory concentrations obtained by these two methods were almost the same for all the antibiotics tested, demonstrating the broth microdilution method to be a suitable and reliable technique for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. A broth microdilution method for antimicrobial susceptibility test for H. cinaedi was established. This method is expected to help improve treatment.     

Standardization of hyphal growth inhibition rate as a means of evaluating Microsporum spp. in vitro susceptibility to terbinafine, griseofulvin, and ciclopiroxolamine

Reference methods for antifungal susceptibility tests recommend the use of conidia as inoculum. However, some isolates produce few conidia, while the invasive form of filamentous fungi in general is hyphae making susceptibility tests infeaseble. These facts suggest that other than conidia broth dilution method is required for susceptibility tests. The aim of this study was to clarify if the hyphal growth inhibition rate could be used as a method of determining the antifungal susceptibility of genus Microsporum. For this reason, a method which traces hyphal tips automatically and measures their growth rate was standardized for Microsporum spp. Control growth curves and test growth curves obtained by real-time observation of the hyphae groups responses to different concentrations of terbinafine, griseofulvin, and ciclopiroxolamine were used to compare with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) obtained by conidia broth microdilution method. A visible reduction in the growth inhibition rate was observed when hyphal activity was evaluated using the third or fourth serial two-fold dilution below the MIC determined by broth microdilution for terbinafine and ciclopiroxolamine. For griseofulvin, this reduction occurred after the fifth dilution below the MIC. This study highlights the importance of the inoculum type used to determine the in vitro susceptibility of Microsporum strains. We conclude that measurement of hyphal growth inhibition, despite being time consuming, could be a suitable method for evaluating antifungal susceptibility, particularly for fungi as Microsporum spp. that produce a small (or not at all) number of conidia.