title: A prospective study of intrafamilial transmission and antimicrobial susceptibility of Moraxella catarrhalis.
abstract: Moraxella catarrhalis has been recognized as a particularly threatening respiratory tract pathogen in humans. A prospective study was performed to investigate which strains of M. catarrhalis can be transmitted within families; the study also addressed features of antimicrobial susceptibility. Seventy-five strains were isolated from six participants between July 2002 and February 2004, including 73 that were verified as beta-lactamase-producing strains. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested for six types of antibiotics and no treatment issues were found. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed on all strains and 25 independent PFGE patterns were detected. The dominant pattern L (defined in the present study) was found in 21 (28%) of strains that were continuously recovered from children from the same family over an 8-month period. Strains with the patterns G, J, L, M, R, S, U, and W seemed to spread among the children, but there was no evidence of child-parent transmission. In the present study, the characteristics of M. catarrhalis within families have been documented, and PFGE profiles found to reveal alternating colonization and intrafamilial transmission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Tagami Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Masaki
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Zhaoyan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Onizuka
authors.forename: Kiwao
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Bijie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D058889:Molecular Typing; D001936:Moraxella catarrhalis / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D045828:Moraxellaceae Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D001618:beta-Lactamases