Genetic similarity between staphylococcus sp isolated from human and hospital settings, and susceptibility to different antimicrobials

Carriage frequency, phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from dialysis and kidney tranplant patients at a hosptial in northern paraná

The objective of the present study was to determine the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among dialysis and kidney transplant patients, to identify the antimicrobial resistance profile of these strains and to verify their genetic profiles with the RW3A primer. The study included 159 individuals, comprising 111 dialysis and 48 kidney transplant patients. Of the 48 transplant patients, 75% were positive for S. aureus, whereas 49% of the 111 dialysis patients were carriers. Two samples yielded conflicting results for oxacillin sensitivity between the disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays: both were sensitive by the disk diffusion assay and resistant by MIC (4 μg/ml). In the antibiogram by disk diffusion, ten samples were resistant to cefoxitin, among which eight were also resistant to oxacillin. The resistance of the ten samples to cefoxitin by the disk diffusion assay was confirmed by MIC. Of the ten oxacillin-resistant samples, eight harbored the mecA gene. All samples were sensitive to vancomycin, and most were resistant to penicillin and demonstrated high rates of resistance to the other antimicrobials tested. The samples from dialysis patients exhibited a more homogenous genetic profile. Among the samples with a high percent similarity, no correlation with sensitivity or resistance to oxacillin was observed. According to the results of this study, the implementation of prevention and control measures, such as increased restrictions on prescriptions for antimicrobial drugs and nasal decontamination prior to high-risk procedures, is recommended.

The hydrophobicity and roughness of a nasoenteral tube surface influences the adhesion of a multi-drug resistant strain of Staphylococcus Aureus

In this study, we examined the physiochemical properties of nasoenteral feeding tubes made from two different types of polymer: silicone materials and polyurethane. The internal surfaces of the nasoenteral feeding tubes were analyzed for their hydrophobicity, roughness, microtopography, rupture-tension and ability to stretch. We also studied the adhesion of an isolated, multi-drug resistant strain of S. aureus to these polymers. The polyurethane nasoenteral tube, which was classified as hydrophilic, was more resistant to rupture-tension and stretching tests than the silicone tube, which was classified as hydrophobic. Additionally, the polyurethane tube had a rougher surface than the silicone tube. Approximately 1.0 log CFU.cm^-2 of S. aureus cells adhered to the tubes and this number was not statistically different between the two types of surfaces (p > 0.05). In future studies, new polymers for nasoenteral feeding tubes should be tested for their ability to support bacterial growth. Bacterial adhesion to these polymers can easily be reduced through modification of the polymer’s physicochemical surface characteristics.