title: Clonality of slime-producing methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci disseminated in the neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital.
abstract: Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CNS) (n = 132), isolated from pre-term neonates, were analysed to determine their antibiotic resistance patterns, clonal distribution, biofilm production and the presence of the ica operon. All MR-CNS were multiresistant, and 89% produced slime. A major clone was identified (77 isolates) among 115 Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates. Ten of 16 Staphylococcus haemolyticus isolates also belonged to a single clone. Most (80%) slime-positive isolates possessed all the ica genes tested, while the remaining 23 (20%) had a variety of gene combinations. The entire ica cluster was detected in three of 15 slime-negative isolates. One major and two minor slime-positive, multiresistant MR-CNS clones had disseminated among hospitalised pre-term neonates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foka
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Petinaki
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kolonitsiou
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Anastassiou
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dimitracopoulos
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Spiliopoulou
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D003030:Coagulase / Q000032:analysis; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009876:Operon / Q000235:genetics; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018805:Sepsis / Q000382:microbiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D003030:Coagulase; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial