ABSTRACT
This study reports the first isolation and characterization of a vanD5 genotype vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strain (E. faecium IPHb306) recovered from a 79-year-old Japanese female inpatient. Species identification was determined by biochemical testing, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry, and species-specific PCR. Susceptibility tests indicated that E. faecium IPHb306 was resistant to vancomycin but susceptible to teicoplanin. Southern hybridization analyses indicated that E. faecium IPHb306 harbored a vanD5 gene cluster on chromosomal DNA. Growth curve analyses showed that a vancomycin resistance phenotype could be inducible. Sequencing analyses of the vanD5 gene cluster and the ddlE. faecium gene demonstrated several point mutations were present. Because this strain belongs to ST203, a major hospital-adapted lineage, spread of the vanD5 genotype E. faecium ST203 is considered a clinical threat in Japan.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Enterococcus faecium/genetics , Enterococcus faecium/isolation & purification , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/microbiology , Peptide Synthases/genetics , Vancomycin Resistance/genetics , Aged , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Enterococcus faecium/classification , Enterococcus faecium/drug effects , Female , Genotype , Humans , Japan , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Molecular Diagnostic Techniques , Multigene Family , Phenotype , Teicoplanin/pharmacology , Vancomycin/pharmacologyABSTRACT
A 54-year-old Japanese man without apparent immunosuppression presented with nodules with purulent drainage on the right lower leg. He had ringworm of the right leg and tinea unguium. A biopsy specimen of the nodule showed intradermal abscesses with fungal elements, and Trichophyton rubrum was cultured from both the pus and the biopsy specimen. Treatment with oral terbinafine resolved the nodules. Dermatophyte abscess is a rare, deep and invasive dermatophytosis, which is often associated with immunocompromised conditions. We provide a review of the literature including Japanese cases.
Subject(s)
Abscess/microbiology , Leg , Naphthalenes/therapeutic use , Tinea/microbiology , Trichophyton/isolation & purification , Abscess/drug therapy , Administration, Oral , Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Biopsy , Humans , Immunocompetence , Male , Middle Aged , Onychomycosis/microbiology , Skin/microbiology , Terbinafine , Tinea/drug therapy , Trichophyton/ultrastructureABSTRACT
The adherence of Haemophilus influenzae to epithelial cells plays a crucial role in infections. However, little is known about the occurrence of fimbriae. In this study, we examined the distribution of the fimbria gene (hifA) by PCR among 167 H. influenzae strains isolated from patients with respiratory infections. Almost all (163; 98%) of the isolates were nonencapsulated strains. The carriage rate of hifA by the nonencapsulated strains was 18.4%. Electron microscopy showed that fimbriae were abundantly present on the cell surface of hifA-positive strains tested. Only four (2.4%) isolates were encapsulated, all of which were type b and did not possess hifA. The present work suggests that fimbriae may play a considerable role as adhesins in nonencapsulated H. influenzae strains.
