Comparative mitogenome research revealed the phylogenetics and evolution of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea (Coleoptera: Polyphage).

Despite the worldwide distribution and rich diversity of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea, the knowledge of the mitochondrial genomes (mtgenome) characteristics of the superfamily is still very limited, and its phylogenetics and evolution remain unresolved. In the present study, we newly sequenced mtgenomes from 19 species belonging to Tenebrionoidea, and a total of 90 mitochondrial genomes from 16 families of Tenebrionoidea were used for phylogenetic analysis. There exist 37 genes for all 82 species of complete mtgenomes of 16 families investigated, and their characteristics are identical as reported mtgenomes of other Tenebrionoids. The Ka/Ks analysis suggests that all 13 PCGs have undergone a strong purifying selection. The phylogenetic analysis suggests the monophyly of Mordellidae, Meloidae, Oedemeridae, Pyrochroidae, Salpingidae, Scraptiidae, Lagriidae, and Tenebrionidae, and the Mordellidae is close to the Ripiphoridae. The "Tenebrionidae clade" and "Meloidae clade" are monophyletic, and both of them are sister groups. In the "Meloidae clade," Meloidae is close to Anthicidae. In the "Tenebrionidae clade," the family Lagriidae and Tenebrionidae are sister groups. The divergence time analysis suggests that Tenebrionoidea originated in the late Jurassic, Meloidae Mordellidae, Lagriidae, and Tenebrionidae in the Cretaceous, Oedemeridae in Paleogene. The work lays a base for the study of mtgenome, phylogenetics, and evolution of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea.

A late-onset hyperammonemia syndrome caused by Ureaplasma parvum infection after kidney transplantation.

Hyperammonemia syndrome has a high mortality rate in the immunosuppressed population due to its association with mental status changes. Recently studies have shown that Ureaplasma organisms' infection can lead to hyperammonemia in post-transplant patients. Symptoms typically occur within 30 days postoperatively. However, the late-onset hyperammonemia caused by Ureaplasma parvum infection after kidney transplantation has never been reported. In this case study, a 64-year-old Chinese male presented with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, trouble sleeping, and deteriorating mental status 81 days after kidney transplantation. His plasma ammonia level was significantly elevated, and there was no evidence of liver synthetic dysfunction. Although common methods for ammonia clearance, such as haemodialysis and oral lactulose were initiated, his serum ammonia levels remained high. Metagenomic sequencing of serum determined Ureaplasma parvum infection. Levofloxacin and minocycline were administered respectively, which resulted in a decrease in ammonia levels, but normalization was not achieved. The computed tomographic scan revealed the presence of cerebral edema. Unfortunately, the patient eventually became brain dead with multiple organ failure. This case highlights that Ureaplasma parvum can cause late-onset hyperammonemia in kidney transplant patients. Once the mental status changes are identified, immediate empiric treatments should be initiated without waiting for a confirmed diagnosis of Ureaplasma spp. infection.

Mitogenome-based phylogeny of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae).

Mosquitoes are of great medical significance as vectors of many deadly diseases. Mitogenomes have been widely used in phylogenetic studies, but mitogenome knowledge within the family Culicidae is limited, and Culicidae phylogeny is far from resolved. In this study, we surveyed the mitogenomes of 149 Culicidae species, including 7 newly sequenced species. Comparative analysis of 149 mosquito mitogenomes shows gene composition and order to be identical to that of an ancestral insect, and the AT bias, length variation, and codon usage are all consistent with that of other reported Dipteran mitogenomes. Phylogenetic analyses based on the DNA sequences of the 13 protein-coding genes from the 149 species robustly support the monophyly of the subfamily Anophelinae and the tribes Aedini, Culicini, Mansoniini, Sabethini, and Toxorhynchitini. To resolve ambiguous relationships between clades within the subfamily Culicinae, we performed topological tests and show that Aedini is a sister to Culicini and that Uranotaeniini is a sister to (Mansoniini + (Toxorhynchitini + Sabethini)). In addition, we estimated divergence times using a Bayesian relaxation clock based on the sequence data and 3 fossil calibration points. The results show mosquitoes diverged during the Early Jurassic with massive Culicinae radiations during the Cretaceous, coincident with the emergence of angiosperms and the burst of mammals and birds. Overall, this study, which uses the largest number of Culicidae mitogenomes sequenced to date, comprehensively reveals the mitogenome characteristics and mitogenome-based phylogeny and divergence times of Culicidae, providing information for further studies on the mitogenome, phylogeny, evolution, and taxonomic revision of Culicidae.

Bacillus licheniformis bloodstream infections associated with oral probiotic administration: Two case reports.

Bacillus licheniformis is a facultative anaerobe, gram-positive, endogenous, spore-forming bacillus. It is included in a probiotic preparation commonly used in clinical practice and is usually safe for oral administration. In this paper, we report two cases of bloodstream infection resulting from using B. licheniformis probiotic preparations for gastrointestinal bleeding. The results suggest that B. licheniformis should be used with caution in people who are immunocompromised and suffering from severe= damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier.

Maternal bacteremia caused by Listeria monocytogenes ST87: A case report.

Pregnant women are at a high risk of contracting listeriosis; however, there have been only a few clinical reports of maternal bacteremia occurring before 20 weeks of gestation in China. In this case report, a 28-year-old pregnant woman at 16 weeks and 4 days of gestation was admitted to our hospital suffering from fever for four days. The patient was initially diagnosed with an upper respiratory tract infection at the local community hospital; nevertheless, the cause of the infection was unknown. In our hospital, she was diagnosed with Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) infection by the blood culture system. Before the results of blood culture were obtained, ceftriaxone and cefazolin were given for three days respectively based on clinical experience. However, the fever didn't reduce until she was treated with ampicillin. This pathogen was further identified as L. monocytogenes ST87 by serotyping, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and virulence gene amplification. Finally, a healthy baby boy was born in our hospital, and the neonate was developing well at the 6-week postnatal follow-up visit. This case report suggests that patients with L. monocytogenes ST87-caused maternal listeriosis can have a good prognosis; however, more clinical information and molecular experiments are needed to confirm our hypothesis.

Distributed model predictive control based on neighborhood optimization for thickness and tension control system in tandem cold rolling mill.

The control precision of thickness and tension is a crucial indicator for evaluating a tandem cold rolling control system. However, the control mode for field application cannot meet the actual quality requirements. Therefore, a distributed model predictive control (DMPC) strategy combined with neighborhood optimization is proposed to decrease the strip thickness deviation and tension change in this paper. First, a cold rolling model describing the relationship among the process parameters is established for the multi-stand cold rolling system. Then, according to the neighborhood optimization theory, the state evolution equation of the output system on each stand is derived. Furthermore, through proper consideration of the input and state information during optimization, optimal control variables are obtained using the proposed performance index to improve the system performance. A series of simulations were carried out with actual rolling data to analyze and validate the capability of the designed control system. The statistical data show that as roll speed disturbance occurs, the thickness and tension deviations can be controlled within respective ranges of 6 × 10 -5mm and 0.012 kN with the DMPC control strategy. In addition, each scan cycle calculation only takes 0.0085 s in such a strategy. Compared with the conventional control method, the thickness and tension DMPC control system provides excellent performance and can effectively enhance the strip product quality.

A multicenter investigation of 2,773 cases of bloodstream infections based on China antimicrobial surveillance network (CHINET).

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs), especially hospital-acquired BSIs, are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. However, the details about the pathogens and antimicrobial resistance profile of BSIs across China are still lacking. Methods: An investigation was conducted in 10 large teaching hospitals from seven geographic regions across China in 2016 based on China Antimicrobial Surveillance Network (CHINET) to profile the clinical and etiological features of BSIs. Results: A total of 2,773 cases of BSIs were identified, a majority (97.3%) of which were monomicrobial. Overall, 38.4% (1,065/2,773) were community-acquired BSIs (CABSIs), and 61.6% (1,708/2,773) were hospital-acquired BSIs (HABSIs). Of the 2,861 pathogenic BSI isolates, 67.5% were Gram-negative bacteria, 29.6% were Gram-positive bacteria, and 2.9% were fungi. The top BSI pathogens were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CNS), Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococci, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Escherichia coli and K. pneumoniae isolates showed low susceptibility to penicillins, cephalosporins (except ceftazidime and cefepime), and ampicillin-sulbactam (13.1%-43.4% susceptible); moderate susceptibility (about 60% susceptible) to ceftazidime, cefepime, and aztreonam; and high susceptibility (>90%) to ß-lactam/ß-lactamase inhibitor combinations other than ampicillin-sulbactam, except K. pneumoniae strains to piperacillin-tazobactam (59.2% susceptible). HABSIs were associated with significantly higher prevalence of carbapenem-resistant and extended-spectrum ß-lactamases-producing K. pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, methicillin-resistant CNS, and ampicillin-resistant Enterococci than CABSIs. Overall, 42.0% of the BSI due to S. aureus strains were resistant to methicillin. Conclusions: The findings about BSIs in teaching hospitals across China add more scientific evidence to inform the appropriate management of the disease.

Species Distribution and Antifungal Susceptibility of Invasive Candidiasis: A 2016-2017 Multicenter Surveillance Study in Beijing, China.

OBJECTIVE: Invasive candidiasis (IC), a life-threatening fungal infection prevalent among hospitalized patients, has highly variable regional epidemiology. We conducted a multicenter surveillance study to investigate recent trends in species distribution and antifungal susceptibility patterns among IC-associated Candida spp. in Beijing, China, from 2016 to 2017. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1496 non-duplicate Candida isolates, recovered from blood and other sterile body fluids of IC patients, were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry combined with ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing. Broth microdilution-based susceptibility testing using six antifungal agents was also conducted. RESULTS: Candida albicans was the most frequently isolated species (49.9%), followed by Candida tropicalis (15.5%), Candida glabrata (14.7%) and Candida parapsilosis (14.2%). No significant differences in species distribution were observed when compared with a 2012-2013 dataset. Overall, the rates of susceptibility to fluconazole and voriconazole were high among C. albicans (98% and 97.2%, respectively) and C. parapsilosis species complex (91.1% and 92%, respectively) isolates but low among C. tropicalis (81.5% and 81.1%, respectively) isolates. In addition, the rate of azole resistance among C. tropicalis isolates increased significantly (1.8-fold, P<0.05) compared with that observed in 2012-2013, while micafungin resistance rates were <5% for all tested Candida species. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that species distribution has remained stable among IC-associated Candida isolates in Beijing. Resistance to micafungin was rare, but increased azole resistance among C. tropicalis isolates was noted. Our study provides information on local epidemiology that will be important for the selection of empirical antifungal agents and contributes to global assessments of antifungal resistance.

Investigation of an outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia infection caused by drug contamination in a tertiary hospital in China.

BACKGROUND: Contamination of drugs used in minimally invasive treatment may to lead to infection outbreaks and catastrophic public health events that require prompt detection and control. Our aim was to investigate the outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia infection and its source in a tertiary care, general hospital in Beijing, China. METHODS: We investigated the outbreak of B cepacia infection from January 2017 to March 2018. The investigation included a detailed review of all cases, and field investigations. Environmental and product cultures were performed at the microbiology laboratory in the hospital. Isolates were evaluated for molecular relatedness using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis performed in an independent laboratory. RESULTS: In total, 9 patients were infected from November 2017 to March 2018, and all patients had undergone the following surgeries: transurethral resection of the prostate (n = 4), perineal prostate biopsy (n = 2), transurethral resection of bladder tumors (n = 2), and ureteroscopy (n = 1). B cepacia was isolated from the urine of 9 patients, blood of 2 patients, grilles used for puncturing, and 2 samples in 1 batch of analgesic gels. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis confirmed that the isolates from the patients and gels were homologous. CONCLUSIONS: Our investigation revealed that the outbreak of B cepacia infection was caused by drug contamination.

In Vitro Activities of Ceftaroline/Avibactam, Ceftazidime/Avibactam, and Other Comparators Against Pathogens From Various Complicated Infections in China.

Background: We conducted a national antimicrobial surveillance study of both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms isolated from hospitalized patients. This report presents data on antimicrobial susceptibility among 4998 organisms collected in China between 2012 and 2014. Method: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and susceptibilities of ceftaroline/avibactam (CPA), ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA) and a range of comparative agents were determined according to guidelines established by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Results: The highest overall susceptibility levels for all Enterobacteriaceae during the study period were observed for CPA, CZA, doripenem (DOR), meropenem (MEM), and amikacin (AMK), which were all >90%. However, both CPT and CAZ alone and in combination with avibactam showed low activities for Acinetobacter spp., whereas CPA and CZA exhibited MIC90 values for Pseudomonas aeruginosa that were reduced by 4- and 8-fold, respectively, compared with those of CPT and CAZ. High susceptibilities of Acinetobacter spp. and P. aeruginosa to colistin and P. aeruginosa to AMK were observed. For the gram-positive strains, no significant activity changes were seen for Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, and viridans group streptococci to CPT or CAZ alone or in combination with avibactam, whereas Streptococcus pneumoniae and ß-hemolytic Streptococcus showed almost 100% susceptibility to both CPT and CPA. Conclusion: The addition of 4 mg/L avibactam greatly increased the activities of CPT and CAZ against most Enterobacteriaceae and P. aeruginosa isolates, whereas no significant changes were observed in Acinetobacter spp. or any of the gram-positive strains.

Epidemiology and antifungal susceptibilities of yeast isolates causing invasive infections across urban Beijing, China.

AIM: To investigate the species distribution and antifungal susceptibility profiles of yeast isolates causing invasive infections across Beijing. MATERIALS & METHODS: A total of 1201 yeast isolates recovered from blood and other sterile body fluids were correctly identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization TOF MS supplemented by DNA sequencing. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute broth microdilution method. RESULTS: Candida (95.5%) remained the most common yeast species isolated; Candida albicans (38.8%) and Candida parapsilosis (22.6%) were the leading species of candidemia. Azole resistances were mainly observed in Candida glabrata and Candida tropicalis isolates. CONCLUSION: This study outlined the epidemiologic data of invasive yeast infections and highlighted the need for continuous monitoring of azole resistances among C. glabrata and C. tropicalis isolates in Beijing.

Toxin profiles, PCR ribotypes and resistance patterns of Clostridium difficile: a multicentre study in China, 2012-2013.

A total of 178 clinical isolates of Clostridium difficile were collected from five major teaching hospitals representing northern, eastern and southern China from August 2012 to July 2013. Among the 178 isolates, 162 (91.0%) were toxigenic, including 66 (40.7%) toxin A-negative, toxin B-positive, 95 (58.6%) toxin A-positive, toxin B-positive and only 1 (0.6%) toxin A-, toxin B- and binary toxin-positive. Twenty-nine different PCR ribotypes were identified, of which 017 (21.0%), 012 (17.3%) and novel type H (16.7%) were the most prevalent. PCR ribotypes 027 and 078 were not found. All toxigenic strains were susceptible to metronidazole, vancomycin and piperacillin/tazobactam. Resistance to moxifloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, fusidic acid, imipenem, linezolid and rifampicin was observed in 45.1%, 79.6%, 75.3%, 46.9%, 3.7%, 29.6%, 4.9%, 2.5% and 12.3% of the isolates, respectively. Ribotype 017 showed resistance to more antimicrobial agents tested than other ribotype strains.

In vitro activities of tedizolid compared with other antibiotics against Gram-positive pathogens associated with hospital-acquired pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infection and bloodstream infection collected from 26 hospitals in China.

To evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activities of tedizolid, linezolid and other comparators against clinically significant Gram-positive cocci isolates from hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) and bloodstream infection (BSI), 2140 nonduplicate isolates (23.7 % isolated from HAP, 46.8 % from SSTI and 29.5 % from BSI) were consecutively collected in 26 hospitals in 17 cities across China during 2014. These pathogens included 632 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 867 methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcusaureus, 299 coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS), 104 Enterococcus faecalis, 99 Enterococcusfaecium, 13 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 23 α-haemolytic Streptococcus and 103 ß-haemolytic Streptococcus. MICs of routine clinical antibiotics were determined by broth microdilution method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines 2015. Tedizolid, linezolid, vancomycin, daptomycin, teicoplanin and tigecycline showed high in vitro activity against Gram-positive pathogens (≥98.0 % susceptible), and tedizolid exhibited four- to eight fold greater activity than linezolid against the pathogens tested, with MIC90s of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, α-haemolytic Streptococcus and ß-haemolytic Streptococcus (0.25 vs 2 µg ml-1); methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcu saureus, E. faecalis and E. faecium (0.5 vs 2 µg ml-1); methicillin-resistant CoNS and methicillin-sensitive CoNS (0.25 vs 1 µg ml-1); and Streptococcuspneumoniae (0.125 vs 0.5 µg ml-1). Tedizolid MIC90s associated with different infections did not show significant differences, and the drug exhibited excellent activity against surveyed Gram-positive pathogens associated with HAP, SSTI and BSI, including linezolid-nonsusceptible strains. These data suggest that tedizolid could be an alternative to linezolid for the treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive organisms.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis isolated from community-acquired respiratory tract infections in China: Results from the CARTIPS Antimicrobial Surveillance Program.

This study investigated the antimicrobial susceptibilities of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis isolates causing adult community-acquired respiratory tract infections (CARTIs) in China. A multicentre resistance surveillance study (CARTIPS) investigating 1046 clinical isolates from 19 hospitals in China was conducted from 2013 to 2014. Based on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) breakpoints of oral penicillin, the percentages of penicillin-resistant, penicillin-intermediate and penicillin-susceptible S. pneumoniae were 44.1%, 13.7%, and 42.2%, respectively. The rates of penicillin-non-susceptible S. pneumoniae ranged from 27.9% to 72.2% in different cities, with the highest rate in Nanchang. Macrolides, including azithromycin, clarithromycin and erythromycin, showed the lowest activities against S. pneumoniae isolates, with resistance rates of 90.5%, 92.2% and 93.0%, respectively. However, 98% of these strains were susceptible to levofloxacin and moxifloxacin. For H. influenzae isolates, most of the antimicrobials agents exhibited good activities. However, ampicillin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole showed relatively lower activity against H. influenzae, with resistance rates of 35.0% and 54.4%, respectively. ß-lactamase production rates amongst H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis were 31.0% and 87.1%, respectively. In addition, a total of 15 ß-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR) strains identified in this study were resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, cefaclor and cefuroxime. Most of the antimicrobial agents showed excellent activity against M. catarrhalis, with susceptibility rates of >90%. The results from the current study confirmed the regional variations in antimicrobial susceptibility of major CARTI pathogens and provided some choices for the treatment of these organisms. Continuous national surveillance of the epidemiology of CARTIs is strongly warranted in China.

Ribosomal protein L3 mutations are associated with cfr-mediated linezolid resistance in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus cohnii.

From June, 2012 to November, 2013 five linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus cohnii isolates were identified in our hospital in Beijing, China. The investigation of the resistance mechanisms confirmed that the cfr-carrying plasmids were the main cause of linezolid resistance in those clinical isolates. Moreover, all the five isolates had ribosomal protein L3 mutations, which had different coordinate effect on cfr-mediated linezolid resistance directly through the substitution of serine 158 by phenylalanine or tyrosine in L3 protein. In this study, two types of plasmids (p432, p438) (Accession No. KM114207) were found, which share high sequence identity with previously reported cfr-carrying pRM01 and pMHZ plasmids originated from northern and southern China, showing wide regional dissemination in China. The stability of linezolid resistance was studied by passaging single colonies serially on antibiotic-free blood medium, which showed that the susceptible derivatives emerged until the passages 39-42 with the elimination of cfr-carrying plasmid. Thus the high stability of this plasmid may pose a risk for the transmission among patients or even cause an outbreak in clinical settings.

[Resistance surveillance of major pathogens for adult community-acquired respiratory tract infections in China: a multicenter study 2012].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate antimicrobial resistance among pathogens responsible for adult community-acquired respiratory tract infections from 11 hospitals of China. METHODS: From January to December 2012, a total of 599 strains causing adult community-acquired respiratory tract infection were collected from 11 hospitals, including 381 Streptococcus pneumonia, 137 Haemophilus influenza, and 81 Moraxella catarrhalis. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antibacterial agents was determined by agar dilution method. RESULTS: Of all the strains, 50% (300/599 strains) were from adults more than 60 years old and only 16.2% (97/599 strains) were from patients aged less than 40 years. According to oral penicillin breakpoints, 56.7% (216/381 strains) of Streptococcus pneumoniae were penicillin non-susceptible strains (PNSSP). More than 90% (345/381 strains) and 39.9% (152/381 strains)-50.7% (193/381 strains) of Streptococcus pneumoniae were resistant to macrolides and oral cephalosporins respectively, but over 97.8% (372/381 strains) and 99% (377/381 strains) were susceptible to levofloxacin and moxifloxacin. PNSSP strains exhibited significant higher resistance to ceftriaxone, amoxicillin/clavulanate, cefaclor and cefuroxime compared with penicillin susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae (PSSP). The susceptibility rates of Haemophilus influenza to the antimicrobial agents were over 90% except for ampicillin (71.5%, 272/381 strains) and cefaclor (75.2%, 286/381 strains). The prevalence of ß-lactamase positive Haemophilus influenza were 21.9% (30/137 strains), and ß-lactamase positive Haemophilus influenza strains were more resistant to ampicillin, cefaclor, chloramphenicol and tetracycline compared with ß-lactamase-negative strains. Moraxella catarrhalis strains were extremely susceptible to all the antimicrobial agents tested except for clindamycin, azithromycin and clarithromycin. CONCLUSIONS: The activities of macrolides and oral cephalosporins against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis were limited. Levofloxacin and moxifloxacin exhibited good activities against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis.

Substitutions of Ser83Leu in GyrA and Ser80Leu in ParC Associated with Quinolone Resistance in Acinetobacter pittii.

To investigate the prevalence and the mechanism of quinolone-resistant Acinetobacter pittii, 634 Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii complex isolates were collected throughout Zhejiang Province. Identification of isolates was conducted by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), blaOXA-51-like gene, and partial RNA polymerase ß-subunit (rpoB) amplification. Twenty-seven isolates of A. pittii were identified. Among the 634 isolates, A. baumannii, A. pittii, Acinetobacter nosocomialis, and A. calcoaceticus counted for 87.22%, 4.26%, 8.20%, and 0.32%, respectively. Antimicrobial susceptibility of nalidixic acid, ofloxacin, enoxacin, ciprofloxacin, lomefloxacin, levofloxacin, sparfloxacin, moxifloxacin, and gatifloxacin for 27 A. pittii were determined by the agar dilution method. Detection of quinolone-resistant determining regions of gyrA, gyrB, parC, and parE was performed for the A. pittii isolates. In addition, plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants (qnrA, qnrB, qnrS, qnrC, qnrD, aac(6')-Ib-cr, qepA, oqxA, and oqxB) were investigated. All the 27 isolates demonstrated a higher minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to old quinolones than the new fluoroquinolones. No mutation in gyrA, gyrB, parC, or parE was detected in 20 ciprofloxacin-susceptible isolates. Seven ciprofloxacin-resistant A. pittii were identified with a Ser83Leu mutation in GyrA. Among them, six isolates with simultaneous Ser83Leu amino acid substitution in GyrA and Ser80Leu in ParC displayed higher MIC values against ciprofloxacin. Additionally, three were identified with a Met370Ile substitution in ParE, and two were detected with a Tyr317His mutation in ParE, which were reported for the first time. No PMQR determinants were identified in the 27 A. pittii isolates. In conclusion, mutations in chromosome play a major role in quinolone resistance in A. pittii, while resistance mechanisms mediated by plasmid have not been found. Ser83Leu substitution in GyrA and Ser80Leu substitution in ParC are associated with quinolone resistance in A. pittii. Whether Met370Ile and Tyr317His substitutions in ParE play a minor role requires further investigation.

[Analysis of resistance tendency of bloodstream-infecting pathogens in China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the resistance profiles and the trend of bloodstream-infecting pathogens isolated from hospitalized patients during 2004-2010. METHODS: The bloodstream isolates were collected from 18 hospitals in 17 cities. Minimum inhibition concentrations (MIC) were determined using the agar dilution method recommended by CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute), and susceptibility results were analyzed according to the 2011 CLSI guideline. RESULTS: Among the 2004-2005, 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 periods, the proportions of clinical isolates were similar; 43.1% (149 isolates), 34.0% (151 isolates) and 47.5% (776 isolates) for Gram positive strains, 56.9% (197 isolates), 66.0% (293 isolates) and 52.5% (858 isolates) for Gram negative strains, respectively. The isolating rate of MRSA was 54.1% (20/37) in 2007-2008, which was the highest among the 3 periods during 2004 to 2010, while it decreased in 2009-2010 (36.5%, 62/170). The MRCNS proportions were similar across the 3 periods. One (1.8%) vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and 1 linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecalis were found. Although the isolating rates of penicillin non-sensitive strains (oral) were similar between 2009-2010 and 2007-2008 [54.5% (6/11) and 53.9% (7/13), respectively], the resistant rates increased from 0% in 2007-2008 to 30.8% (4/13) in 2009-2010. The results were similar according to the non-meningitis criterion (IV), and the susceptibility rates decreased from 100.0% (11 isolates) in 2007-2008 to 84.6% (11/13) in 2009-2010. ESBL-harboring strains in E. coli were similar among the 3 periods during 2004 to 2010 [66.7% (30/45), 73.2% (71/97) and 67.9% (233/343), respectively]. ESBL-producing strains in Klebsilla pnuemoniae decreased year after year, 72.4% (21/29), 50.0% (18/36) and 41.1% (65/158) in 2004-2005, 2007-2008 and 2009-2010, respectively. Except that the sensitive rate of Enterobacter cloacae to ertapenem was 80% (32/40), the sensitive rates of other strains to carbapenems were still above 90% and the resistance rates were less than 5%. Acinetobacter baumannii had the highest multi-drug resistance rate (81.8%, 81/99). One strain (1.0%, 1/99) of Acinetobacter baumannii isolated in 2009-2010 was reported to be pan-resistant. CONCLUSIONS: We are facing a more serious situation of bacterial resistance. Acinetobacter baumannii resistance was most serious, usually with the characteristics of multiple drug resistance, and even pan-resistance. Carbapenems remain to be the most effective against enterobacteriaceae. Strains resistant to novel antibiotics (linezolid and tigecycline) have emerged.

A 10 year surveillance for antimicrobial susceptibility of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in community- and hospital-associated intra-abdominal infections in China.

The objective of this study was to investigate the susceptibility of hospital-associated (HA) and community-associated (CA) Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from patients with intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) in China. From 2002 to 2011, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 12 antibiotics against 3074 E. coli and 1025 K. pneumoniae from 23 centres located in 16 cities were determined by the broth microdilution method. During the 10 year study period, ertapenem, imipenem, amikacin and piperacillin-tazobactam retained high and stable activity against E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates regardless of whether their source was HA or CA and regardless of their extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production. However, the susceptibility of E. coli to cephalosporins and ampicillin-sulbactam decreased dramatically during the 10 years, especially for the CA isolates. Fluoroquinolones showed low activity against E. coli. During the whole study period, the ESBL rates for E. coli isolates from IAIs increased from 36.1 % in 2002-2003 to 68.1 % in 2010-2011 (P<0.001). Correspondingly, the ESBL rates in HA isolates increased from 52.2 % in 2002-2003 to 70.0 % in 2010-2011 (P = 0.001), and in CA isolates from 19.1 % in 2002-2003 to 61.6 % in 2010-2011 (P<0.001). The ESBL-positive rate in K. pneumoniae remained between 30.1 and 39.3 % of the total isolates with no significant change during the 10 years. In conclusion, carbapenems retained the highest susceptibility rates against HA and CA E. coli and K. pneumoniae. High prevalence of ESBL in HA E. coli and fast-growing resistance in CA E. coli severely limit the empirical use of the third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins in the therapy of IAIs.