Isolation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. from ready-to-eat fish products.

UNLABELLED: A hundred samples from ready-to-eat (RTE) fish products were examined for the presence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus spp. Staphylococci were isolated from 43% of these samples (n = 100). The identified species in the samples were Staphylococcus aureus (7%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (13%), Staphylococcus xylosus (12%), Staphylococcus sciuri (4%), Staphylococcus warneri (3%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (2%), Staphylococcus schleiferi (1%) and Staphylococcus auricularis (1%). Two Staph. aureus (MRSA) isolates, three Staph. epidermidis (MRSE), five Staph. xylosus, four Staph. sciuri, one Staph. schleiferi and one Staph. saprophyticus isolates were resistant to oxacillin and all of them carried the mecA gene. The two MRSA isolates belonged to the spa types t316 (ST359) and t548 (ST5) and none of them was able to produce enterotoxins. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis for Staph. aureus and Staph. epidermidis isolates revealed 6 and 11 distinct PFGE types, respectively, reflecting diversity. The presence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci, especially MRSA and MRSE, in RTE fish products may constitute a potential health risk for consumers. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study provides the first data on the occurrence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci in salted and smoked fish products in Greece. These results are important and useful for Staphylococcus spp. risk assessment and management programmes for ready-to-eat fish products.

Trends in the molecular epidemiology of carbapenem resistant acinetobacter baumannii in a tertiary Greek hospital.

BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii is responsible for a variety of nosocomial infections, especially in intensive care unit patients. Nosocomial outbreaks due to carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii strains have been reported in many countries, including Greece. The aim of the present study was to determine the trends of molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates in a 750-bed hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, during 2009. METHODS: The study included 39 carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates collected from patients hospitalized in the General Hospital Papageorgiou during 2009. They were tested for the presence of Ambler class D carbapenemases and class 1 integrons, and they were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: The bla OXA-58 gene was detected in all A. baumannii isolates. Among the 39 isolates, 18 were carrying a 2.2 kb integron, 18 were carrying a 2.5 kb integron, and 3 isolates had no class 1 integrons. Two different clones, each divided further into two subclones, were observed. Comparing the clones detected in 2009 with those of former years (2001- 2008), a significant difference was observed: three clones have disappeared, two clones continued to circulate in the hospital, while a new subclone emerged in February 2009. CONCLUSIONS: A change was seen in the molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates during 2009. Molecular epidemiology studies provide useful data for the distribution of resistant bacteria in order to design effective prevention and control measures.