title: Genetic and molecular R-plasmid analysis of Enterobacteriaceae hospital strains at Children's Hospitals of the former USSR.
abstract: R-plasmids from Enterobacteriaceae clinical strains, mainly Klebsiella and Serratia, isolated at different neonatal and children's hospitals of different cities of the former USSR for 10 years, were studied for their possible influence on the bacterial host phenotype. Hospital R-plasmids of stable inheritance persisted in hospitals from 2 to 7 years and were disseminated among strains of different genera (Klebsiella, Serratia, Enterobacter) and among different units. The data showed a possibility of long-term molecular rearrangements of R-plasmids in the hospital settings and an acquisition of genetic determinants encoding enterotoxin production. A novel R-plasmid encoding cytotoxicity to HEp-2 cells involved in two nosocomial outbreaks due to K. pneumoniae strains was reported. K. pneumoniae population heterogeneity was evaluated by using the plasmid parameters of strains. Their heterogeneity of a bacterial population was significantly lower during nosocomial outbreaks than in interepidemic periods.
authors.affiliation: Gamaleya Institute for Epidemiology & Microbiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow.
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Glatman
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Kalnin
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Klitsunova
authors.forename: T I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Domoradskaya
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Berezina
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Terechov
authors.forename: G Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Ceneva
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Ankirskaya
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal; D007710:Klebsiella Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D011815:R Factors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016868:Serratia Infections / Q000235:genetics; D012706:Serratia marcescens / Q000235:genetics