Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 99 in total

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  1. Norazah A, Lim VK, Rohani MY, Alfizah H, Koh YT, Kamel AG
    Epidemiol Infect, 2003 Jun;130(3):407-11.
    PMID: 12825724
    This study was conducted to determine the molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Malaysian hospitals. A total of 264 MRSA isolates from eight hospitals were subjected to typing by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of SmaI restricted DNA. Antibiotic disk susceptibility testing was also carried out to determine their resistance patterns. Thirty-one PFGE pattern types were identified. Three major pattern types A, ZC and K were found with type A the predominant profile in c. 80% of strains and present in all hospitals. Unlike type A, other DNA pattern types were unique to the hospitals in which they were isolated. PFGE type A also consisted of strains that were multiply antibiotic resistant. The presence of a single predominant PFGE type in Malaysian hospitals is an important finding which suggests that inter-hospital spread of MRSA had occurred frequently and regularly.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  2. Kumar Y, Mani KR, Tahlan AK
    Trop Life Sci Res, 2019 Jan;30(1):57-71.
    PMID: 30847033 DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2019.30.1.4
    A number of countries, including developed countries, still have typhoid fever as a major problem resulting in frequent outbreaks. The importance of controlling spread of typhoid fever is well known and necessitates periodic studies to delineate epidemiological relationships. Although phage typing remains to be the preferred conventional method for characterisation of typhoid bacilli, it is of limited use due to prevalence of few predominant phage types in the country like India. Therefore, an effort has been made to assess three molecular methods [Outer Membrane Protein (OMP) Profiling, Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE)] for typing of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. 128 Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi isolates were identified using biotyping and serotyping followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing. These isolates were further subjected to OMP analysis, RAPD and PFGE. PFGE (114 unique clusters) was found to be the most discriminatory method followed by RAPD (94 unique clusters) and OMP profiling (50 unique clusters). Multidrug resistant strains were well discriminated by all three methods used in the study. PFGE still remains the most preferred method for detailed epidemiological investigations. However, random amplification of polymorphic DNA and outer membrane protein profiling can also be considered for molecular discrimination of the isolates in the laboratories lacking high-end facilities.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  3. Zakaria Z, Hassan L, Sharif Z, Ahmad N, Ali RM, Husin SA, et al.
    BMC Vet Res, 2020 Oct 17;16(1):393.
    PMID: 33069231 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02605-y
    BACKGROUND: Salmonella is a very important foodborne pathogen causing illness in humans. The emergence of drug-resistant strains also constitutes a serious worry to global health and livestock productivity. This study investigated Salmonella isolates from chicken and chicken meat products using the phenotypic antimicrobial screening as well as the molecular characteristics of Salmonella isolates. Upon serotyping of the isolates, the antimicrobial susceptibility profiling using a panel of 9 commonly used antimicrobials was done. Subsequently, the molecular profiles of all the isolates were further determined using Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and the Whole Genome Multi-Locus Sequence Type (wgMLST) analysis in order to obtain the sequence types.

    RESULTS: The PFGE data was input into FPQuest software, and the dendrogram generated was studied for possible genetic relatedness among the isolates. All the isolates were found to belong to the Salmonella Enteritidis serotype with notable resistance to tetracycline, gentamycin, streptomycin, and sulfadimidine. The S. Enteritidis isolates tested predominantly subtyped into the ST11 and ST1925, which was found to be a single cell variant of ST11. The STs were found to occur in chicken meats, foods, and live chicken cloacal swabs, which may indicate the persistence of the bacteria in multiple foci.

    CONCLUSION: The data demonstrate the presence of S. Enteritidis among chickens, indicating its preference and reservoir status for enteric Salmonella pathogens.

    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field/veterinary
  4. Thong KL, Puthucheary S, Yassin RM, Sudarmono P, Padmidewi M, Soewandojo E, et al.
    J Clin Microbiol, 1995 Jul;33(7):1938-41.
    PMID: 7665677
    Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed that multiple genetic variants of Salmonella typhi are simultaneously present in Southeast Asia and are associated with sporadic cases of typhoid fever and occasional outbreaks. Comparative analysis of PFGE patterns also suggested that considerable genetic diversity exists among S. typhi strains and that some PFGE patterns are shared between isolates obtained from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, implying movement of these strains within these regions of Southeast Asia, where they are endemic.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field/methods*
  5. Winstanley C, Hales BA, Morgan JAW, Gallagher MJ, Puthucheary SD, CISSé MF, et al.
    J Med Microbiol, 1999 Jul;48(7):657-662.
    PMID: 10403416 DOI: 10.1099/00222615-48-7-657
    PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing of flagellin genes (fliC) from 57 clinical isolates of Burkholderia cepacia indicated that only type 11 flagellins were present. Twenty-two isolates previously identified as the epidemic UK cystic fibrosis strain were indistinguishable by this method, as were 11 isolates from a pseudo-outbreak in Senegal. Other clinical isolates, including 19 from disparate sources in Malaysia, were separated into nine fliC RFLP groups, exhibiting a large degree of divergence. When isolates were indistinguishable by fliC genotyping, their similarity was confirmed by whole genome macro-restriction analysis with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis following XbaI digestion. The variation in fliC sequences of B. cepacia was far greater than that with B. pseudomallei, supporting the view that 'B. cepacia', as currently defined, may comprise several different genomic species.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  6. Mirza S, Kariuki S, Mamun KZ, Beeching NJ, Hart CA
    J Clin Microbiol, 2000 Apr;38(4):1449-52.
    PMID: 10747124
    Molecular analysis of chromosomal DNA from 193 multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi isolates from 1990 to 1995 from Pakistan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and India produced a total of five major different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns. Even within a particular country MDR S. enterica serovar Typhi DNA was found to be in different PFGE groups. Similar self-transferable 98-MDa plasmids belonging to either incompatibility group incHI1 or incHI1/FIIA were implicated in the MDR phenotype in S. enterica serovar Typhi isolates from all the locations except Quetta, Pakistan, where the majority were of incFIA. A total of five different PFGE genotypes with six different plasmids, based on incompatibility and restriction endonuclease analysis groups, were found among these MDR S. enterica serovar Typhi isolates.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  7. Abatcha MG, Effarizah ME, Rusul G
    Int J Food Microbiol, 2019 Feb 02;290:180-183.
    PMID: 30342248 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2018.09.021
    Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi B (S. Paratyphi B) is a major foodborne pathogen distributed all over the world. However, little is known about the antibiotic resistance, genetic relatedness and virulence profile of S. Paratyphi B isolated from leafy vegetables and the processing environment in Malaysia. In this study, 6 S. Paratyphi B isolates were recovered from different vegetables and drain water of processing areas obtained from fresh food markets in Malaysia. The isolates were characterized by antibiogram, Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and virulence genes. Antibiotic susceptibility test showed that 3 of the isolates were resistant to the antibiotics. These include S. Paratyphi B SP251 isolate, which was resistant to chloramphenicol, ampicillin, sulfonamides and streptomycin; Isolate SP246 which was resistant to chloramphenicol, sulfonamides and streptomycin and Isolate SP235 showing resistance to nalidixic acid only. PFGE subtyped the 6 S. Paratyphi B isolates into 6 distinct XbaI-pulsotypes, with a wide range of genetic similarity (0.55 to 0.9). The isolates from different sources and fresh food markets location were genetically diverse. Thirteen (tolC, orgA, spaN, prgH, sipB, invA, pefA, sofB, msgA, cdtB, pagC, spiA and spvB) out of the 17 virulence genes tested were found in all of the S. Paratyphi B isolates. Another gene (lpfC), was found only in one isolate (SP051). None of the isolates possessed sifA, sitC and ironN genes. In summary, this study provides unique information on antibiotic resistance, genetic relatedness, and virulotyping of S. Paratyphi B isolated from leafy vegetables and processing environment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  8. Hoe CH, Yasin RM, Koh YT, Thong KL
    J Appl Microbiol, 2005;99(1):133-40.
    PMID: 15960673
    Antimicrobial resistance of Shigella sonnei from Malaysia was determined and subtyping was carried by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to assess the extent of genetic diversity of these strains.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field/methods*
  9. Thong KL, Lai WL, Dhanoa A
    J Infect Public Health, 2011 Jun;4(2):65-72.
    PMID: 21663875 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2011.03.003
    Salmonella infections remain a major public health problem in developing countries. The occurrence of infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella has been on the rise complicating the available therapeutic options. The study aimed to determine the antibiograms and genotypes of prevalent Salmonella serotypes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  10. Kong BH, Hanifah YA, Yusof MY, Thong KL
    Jpn J Infect Dis, 2011;64(4):337-40.
    PMID: 21788713
    The resistance phenotypes and genomic diversity of 185 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates obtained from the intensive care unit (ICU) of a local teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur from 2006 to 2009 were determined using antimicrobial susceptibility testing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Antibiogram analyses showed that the isolates were fully resistant to β-lactam antimicrobials and had high resistance rates to the other antimicrobial agents tested. However, the isolates were susceptible to polymyxin B. Resistance to cefoperazone/sulbactam was only detected in strains isolated from 2007 to 2009. Some environmental isolates and an isolate from the hands of a healthcare worker (HCW) had identical resistance profiles and PFGE profiles that were closely related to patient isolates. Cluster analyses based on the PFGE profiles showed there was a persistent clone of endemic isolates in the ICU environment. The transmission route from HCWs to fomites to patients, which caused a long-term infection in the ICU of the University Malaya Medical Centre, was observed in this study. These data provide a better understanding of A. baumannii epidemiology within the hospital and the possible transmission routes. Knowledge of changes in the resistance rates of A. baumannii in our local hospital will improve antimicrobial therapy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  11. Goh YL, Puthucheary SD, Thong KL
    PMID: 11414415
    A representative sample of 20 isolates of Salmonella weltevreden strains from stool cultures of patients admitted at the University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were analyzed. All the strains were susceptible to ampicillin, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, trimethoprim, gentamicin and co-trimoxazole. Ribosomal RNA gene restriction pattern analysis of PstI-digested DNA gave three ribotypes while pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis of XbaI-digested DNA gave ten distinct profiles. PFGE was more discriminative than ribotyping in distinguishing the strains. The majority of the strains analyzed were very closely related with similarity coefficient values ranging from 0.8 to 1.0. Both PFGE and ribotyping could distinguish one of the strains which was obtained from a patient following a bone marrow transplant for beta-thalassemia major, indicating that this particular strain was unrelated to the rest of the strains from patients with acute gastroenteritis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  12. Lia Natasha Amit, John DV, Fong SM
    Staphylococcus aureus aregram positive cocci which colonizethe skin and mucous membranes particularly the anterior nares. Prevalence of nosocomial infections associated with methicillin resistant S. aureus have been reported in hospitals (HA-MRSA) for over five decades. Recently,community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) has emerged as a cause of skin and soft tissue infections in healthy individuals. These strains are sensitive to antimicrobials, carry genes for Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) toxin and belong to the staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) mec type IV or V. The suspected mode of transmission involves close contact with carriers leading to skin or nasal colonization that resultin subsequent active infection. Molecular typing is used to determine the mode of transmission of CA-MRSA in the community.General typing methods such as pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and specific methods for Staphylococci such as SCCmec typing and spa typing have the capability to characterize bacterial chromosomes and mobile genetic elements. Combination of these molecular typing methods is necessary as each method has its own advantages with respect to discriminatory power, rapidity, cost effectiveness, reproducibility, and ease of performance.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  13. Woh PY, Thong KL, Behnke JM, Lewis JW, Zain SNM
    J Food Prot, 2017 Aug;80(8):1378-1383.
    PMID: 28722485 DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-16-342
    Asymptomatic Salmonella carriers who work as food handlers pose food safety and public health risks, particularly during food preparation, and this has serious implications for the disease burden in society. Therefore, we conducted a study to determine the number of Salmonella carriers in a migrant cohort in several food establishments in three major cities in Peninsular Malaysia. Sociodemographic data and stool samples were collected and analyzed using standard methods of detection and isolation. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests of the positive samples were also performed. A total of 317 migrant food handlers, originating from South and Southeast Asian countries, were recruited voluntarily. Nine (2.8%) stool samples were confirmed to be Salmonella positive. PCR serotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis identified four serotypes as Typhimurium (n = 3), Corvallis (n = 2), Hadar (n = 1), Agona (n = 1) and two unknown serovars. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests revealed that all nine isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, and gentamycin. However, seven isolates were found to be multidrug resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, sulfonamides, streptomycin, and tetracycline. This study highlights that carriers of nontyphoidal Salmonella exist among migrant food handlers, which poses a health risk to consumers through food contamination. Our results indicate a need for authorities to enhance food safety awareness in the migrant workers and to reevaluate current health screening methods to include preventive measure such as mandatory stool screening as part of the preemployment and routine health examinations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  14. Koh XP, Chiou CS, Ajam N, Watanabe H, Ahmad N, Thong KL
    BMC Infect Dis, 2012;12:122.
    PMID: 22606962 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-12-122
    Shigellosis is a major public health concern worldwide, especially in developing countries. It is an acute intestinal infection caused by bacteria of the genus Shigella, with a minimum infective dose as low as 10-100 bacterial cells. Increasing prevalence of Shigella sonnei as the etiologic agent of shigellosis in Malaysia has been reported. As there is limited information on the genetic background of S. sonnei in Malaysia, this study aimed to characterize Malaysian S. sonnei and to evaluate the prospect of using multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) for subtyping of local S. sonnei.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  15. Benacer D, Thong KL, Watanabe H, Puthucheary SD
    J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2010 Jun;20(6):1042-52.
    PMID: 20622506
    Forty-seven Salmonella Typhimurium (33 zoonotic, 14 clinical) strains were tested for antimicrobial resistance using the standard disk diffusion method. Presence of relevant resistance genes and class 1 integrons were investigated by using PCR. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and plasmid profiling were carried out to determine the genomic diversity of Salmonella Typhimurium. Approximately 57.4% of S. Typhimurium were multidrug resistant (MDR) and showed high resistance rates to tetracycline (70.2%), sulphonamides (57.4%), streptomycin (53.1%), ampicillin (29.7%), nalidixic acid (27.6%), kanamycin (23.4%), chloramphenicol (21.2%) and trimethoprim (19.1%). Resistance towards cephalosporins was noted for cephalothin (27.6%), cephradine (21.2%), amoxicillin clavulanic acid (17.0%) and cephalexin (17.0%). Resistance genes, blaTEM, strA, aadA, sul1, sul2, tet(A), tet(B) and tet(C) were detected among the drug resistant strains. Thirty-three strains (70.2%) carried class 1 integrons, which were grouped in 9 different profiles. DNA sequencing identified sat, aadA, pse-1 and dfrA genes in variable regions on class 1 integrons. Thirty-five strains (74.4%) were subtyped to 22 different plasmid profiles, each with 1 - 6 plasmids (2.0 to 95 kb). PFGE subtyped the 47 strains into 39 profiles. In conclusion, high rates of multidrug-resistance were found among the Malaysian Salmonella Typhimurium strains. The emergence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium to cephalosporin antibiotics was also observed. The strains were very diverse and no persistent clone was observed. The emergence of MDR Salmonella Typhimurium is a worldwide problem and this report provides information for the better understanding of the prevalence and epidemiology of MDR S. Typhimurium in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  16. Lim KT, Yasin R, Yeo CC, Puthucheary S, Thong KL
    J Biomed Biotechnol, 2009;2009:165637.
    PMID: 19672454 DOI: 10.1155/2009/165637
    The emergence of Escherichia coli that produce extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and are multidrug resistant (MDR) poses antibiotic management problems. Forty-seven E. coli isolates from various public hospitals in Malaysia were studied. All isolates were sensitive to imipenem whereas 36 were MDR (resistant to 2 or more classes of antibiotics). PCR detection using gene-specific primers showed that 87.5% of the ESBL-producing E. coli harbored the blaTEM gene. Other ESBL-encoding genes detected were blaOXA, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M. Integron-encoded integrases were detected in 55.3% of isolates, with class 1 integron-encoded intI1 integrase being the majority. Amplification and sequence analysis of the 5'CS region of the integrons showed known antibiotic resistance-encoding gene cassettes of various sizes that were inserted within the respective integrons. Conjugation and transformation experiments indicated that some of the antibiotic resistance genes were likely plasmid-encoded and transmissible. All 47 isolates were subtyped by PFGE and PCR-based fingerprinting using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), repetitive extragenic palindromes (REPs), and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC). These isolates were very diverse and heterogeneous. PFGE, ERIC, and REP-PCR methods were more discriminative than RAPD in subtyping the E. coli isolates.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  17. Lim KT, Yeo CC, Md Yasin R, Balan G, Thong KL
    J Med Microbiol, 2009 Nov;58(Pt 11):1463-1469.
    PMID: 19589908 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.011114-0
    The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae poses a serious antibiotic management problem as resistance genes are easily transferred from one organism to another. Fifty-one strains of K. pneumoniae isolated from sporadic cases in various hospitals throughout Malaysia were analysed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, PCR detection of ESBL-encoding genes and DNA fingerprinting. Although 27 of the 51 K. pneumoniae strains were MDR (i.e. resistant to three or more classes of antibiotics), the majority of the strains (98 %) were sensitive to imipenem. PCR detection using ESBL gene-specific primers showed that 46 of the K. pneumoniae strains harboured bla(SHV), 19 harboured bla(CTX-M), 5 harboured bla(OXA-1) and 4 harboured bla(TEM-1). Class 1 integron-encoded intI1 integrase was detected in 21 of the 51 K. pneumoniae strains and amplification of the integron 5'CS region showed the presence of several known antibiotic resistance gene cassettes of various sizes. Results of conjugation and transformation experiments indicated that some of the ESBL-encoding genes (i.e. bla(SHV), bla(CTX-M) and bla(TEM-1)) were transmissible and were likely plasmid-encoded. DNA fingerprinting using PFGE and PCR-based methods indicated that the 51 K. pneumoniae strains were genetically diverse and heterogeneous.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  18. Tanil GB, Radu S, Nishibuchi M, Rahim RA, Napis S, Maurice L, et al.
    PMID: 16295549
    Twenty-one Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates representing 21 samples of coastal seawater from three beaches in peninsular Malaysia were found to be sensitive to streptomycin, norfloxacin and chloramphenicol. Resistance was observed to penicillin (100%), ampicillin (95.2%), carbenicilin (95.2%), erythromycin (95.2%), bacitracin (71.4%), cephalothin (28.6%), moxalactam (28.6%), kanamycin (19.1%), tetracycline (14.3%), nalidixic acid (9.5%) and gentamicin (9.5%). Plasmids of 2.6 to 35.8 mDa were detected among plasmid-containing isolates. All isolates carried the Vp-toxR gene specific to V. parahaemolyticus and were negative for the tdh gene, but only one isolate was positive for the trh gene. DNA fingerprinting of the isolates using ERIC-PCR and PFGE showed that the isolates belong to two major clonal groups, with several isolates from different locations in the same group, indicating the presence of similar strains in the different locations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  19. Tan XE, Neoh HM, Hussin S, Zin NM
    Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2013 Mar;3(3):224-8.
    PMID: 23620843 DOI: 10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60055-6
    OBJECTIVE: To genotypically characterize methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated from medical and surgical wards in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) in 2009.

    METHODS: MRSA strains were collected and molecularly typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

    RESULTS: PFGE typing on 180 MRSA isolated in UKMMC identified 5 pulsotypes (A-E) and 6 singletons, where pulsotypes B and C were suspected to be divergent clones originating from a single ancestor. This study also showed that most MRSA strains were isolated from swab (119 isolates), followed by blood (22 isolates), tracheal aspirate (11 isolates) and sputum (10 isolates). On the other hand, urine and bone isolates were less, which were 4 and 1 isolates, respectively. The distribution of different pulsotypes of MRSA among wards suggested that MRSA was communicated in surgical and medical wards in UKMMC, with pulsotype B MRSA as the dominant strain. Besides, it was found that most deceased patients were infected by pulsotype B MRSA, however, no particular pulsotype could be associated with patient age, underlying disease, or ward of admittance.

    CONCLUSIONS: Five pulsotypes of MRSA and 6 singletons were identified, with pulsotype B MRSA as the endemic strains circulating in these wards, which is useful in establishment of preventive measures against MRSA transmission.

    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  20. Lee YQ, Ahmad Kamar A, Velayuthan RD, Chong CW, Teh CSJ
    Pediatr Neonatol, 2021 03;62(2):129-137.
    PMID: 33218933 DOI: 10.1016/j.pedneo.2020.10.002
    BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal carriage of multidrug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacilli, especially Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, was highly associated with severe nosocomial infections. The main objectives of this study were to determine the clonal relatedness of intestinal carriage and transmission risk factors of MDR E. coli and K. pneumoniae amongst preterm infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

    METHODS: A prospective cohort study of preterm infants with gestational age field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) fingerprints. The risk factors for MDR strains acquisition were evaluated using the Cox proportional-hazards model and Firth logistic regression.

    RESULTS: A total of 139 stool specimens were obtained from 50 subjects. Twenty-six (52%) infants were colonized with MDR K. pneumoniae and/or E. coli. High clonal dissemination between two clusters of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae strains was seen from PFGE profile. We detected a persistent, dominant, aminoglycosides-resistant strains cluster (cluster B), which harbored blaTEM, blaSHV, blaOXA-1, blaCTX-M-1, ompK35 and ompK36 genes. Infants born to women who were anemic in pregnancy [OR = 0.01 (CI = 0.00-0.39), P-value = 0.042] and infants exposed to penicillin/β-lactams group antibiotics during the first week of life [OR = 0.02 (CI = 0.02-0.32), P-value = 0.013] were found to have a lower risk of MDR K. pneumoniae and E. coli colonization.

    CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dominant aminoglycosides-resistant strains cluster in the NICU is alarming. Awareness of and vigilance for the dominant cluster found will enable the reduction of cross-transmission amongst high-risk infants.

    Matched MeSH terms: Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
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