title: Antimicrobial susceptibility, biochemical and genetic profiles of Staphylococcus haemolyticus strains isolated from the bloodstream of patients hospitalized in critical care units.
abstract: Staphylococcus haemolyticus strains (n=20), responsible of blood stream infections, were consecutively isolated from patients hospitalized in two different wards at high risk of infection. Strains displayed high rate of resistance to oxacillin (90%). All strains but two with decreased susceptibility (MIC = 4 microg/mL), were sensitive to vancomycin. Ten strains were resistant to teicoplanin. Among the strains susceptible to glycopeptides, three displayed heteroresistance to vancomycin and seven to teicoplanin, when tested by Etest technique with 2 x McFarland inoculum. Biochemical reactions allowed to assign strains to eight biotypes, with 11 strains clustering under two main biotype A and biotype B. Pulsed-field-gel-electrophoresis (PFGE) identified 11 different PFGE-types. Seven strains grouping under the major PFGE-type 1 and three strains clustering in PFGE-type 2, closely correlated to biotype A and biotype B respectively. Seven teicoplanin-resistant isolates clustered in the PFGE-type 1, two in the PFGE-type 2 and one in PFGE-type 5. Therefore, teicoplanin-resistant strains were biochemically and genetically related and clonally distributed, despite different clones of S. haemolyticus circulated in the units during the study period.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze di Sanità Pubblica G. Sanarelli, Università La Sapienza. giammarco.raponi@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Raponi
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ghezzi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gherardi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dicuonzo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caputo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Venditti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rocco
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Micozzi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mancini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016470:Bacteremia; D003422:Critical Care; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D041162:Staphylococcus haemolyticus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D017334:Teicoplanin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017334:Teicoplanin