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Fast way of spotting multidrug resistant bacteria could help stop outbreaks in hospitals
November 28, 2007A type of bacterium widely found on our skin and in the environment has now become a major threat in hospitals where it can cause serious infections, such as pneumonia in severely ill patients. Like the well known bacterium MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) the new types of Acinetobacter baumannii are resistant to nearly all antibiotics, so doctors have very few treatments available, and three resistant strains are currently circulating in the UK.
A molecular method designed by the Health Protection Agency has been successfully implemented by medical researchers at the Royal Free Hospital, part of the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, as a quick and accurate means of identifying which strain of the bacterium is infecting a patient, scientists heard today (Wednesday 28 November 2007) at the Federation of Infection Societies Conference 2007 at the University of Cardiff, UK, which runs from 28-30 November 2007.
"Some of these new strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, known as epidemic clones, can spread rapidly and widely between patients and have the potential to cause outbreaks", says Kerry Williams of the Royal Free Hospital. "We currently encounter two of them at our hospital, so we need a reliable and rapid means of identifying and discriminating between the different clones. We can now get a result from a patient's sample in just four hours. The test also allows us to predict how likely we are to be facing an outbreak".
The drug resistant strains of the bacteria are especially dangerous in intensive care units where, as well as causing pneumonia, they can infect wounds or cause urinary tract infections such as cystitis.
"Like MRSA, Acinetobacter baumannii can be found on the skin without actually causing an infection, this is known as colonisation. The new test is important because it means we can rapidly identify patients who are colonised with drug resistant strains of the bacteria so that special infection control measures can be put in place. The patient can quickly be isolated if necessary", says Miss Williams. "This reduces the risk of transmission to other patients and the possibility of an outbreak occurring. The ability to distinguish between the clones circulating is also important because it allows us to monitor transmission in our hospital".
Currently all the Royal Free Hospital strains of bacteria are sent to a reference laboratory for typing by a method called pulsed field gel electrophoresis. The new test, called multiplex-PCR, gives results comparable to the ones produced by the reference laboratory.
The multiplex-PCR, based on identifying unique gene sequences in the bacteria, has the potential to be developed as a rapid screening tool for intensive care units in other parts of the country. It should eventually lead to better patient management with faster and more appropriate treatments for individuals and prompt control of infections to reduce the risk of transmission to other patients.
Society for General Microbiology
The drug resistant strains of the bacteria are especially dangerous in intensive care units where, as well as causing pneumonia, they can infect wounds or cause urinary tract infections such as cystitis.
"Like MRSA, Acinetobacter baumannii can be found on the skin without actually causing an infection, this is known as colonisation. The new test is important because it means we can rapidly identify patients who are colonised with drug resistant strains of the bacteria so that special infection control measures can be put in place. The patient can quickly be isolated if necessary", says Miss Williams. "This reduces the risk of transmission to other patients and the possibility of an outbreak occurring. The ability to distinguish between the clones circulating is also important because it allows us to monitor transmission in our hospital".
Currently all the Royal Free Hospital strains of bacteria are sent to a reference laboratory for typing by a method called pulsed field gel electrophoresis. The new test, called multiplex-PCR, gives results comparable to the ones produced by the reference laboratory.
The multiplex-PCR, based on identifying unique gene sequences in the bacteria, has the potential to be developed as a rapid screening tool for intensive care units in other parts of the country. It should eventually lead to better patient management with faster and more appropriate treatments for individuals and prompt control of infections to reduce the risk of transmission to other patients.
Society for General Microbiology
Bacterium Current Events and Bacterium News RSSNew insight into predicting cholera epidemics in the Bengal Delta
Cholera, an acute diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, has reemerged as a global killer. Outbreaks typically occur once a year in Africa and Latin America. But in Bangladesh the epidemics occur twice a year - in the spring and again in the fall.
Iron controls patterns of nitrogen fixation in the Atlantic
Scientists including researchers from the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton and the University of Essex have discovered that interactions between iron supply, transported through the atmosphere from deserts, and large-scale oceanic circulation control the availability of a crucial nutrient, nitrogen, in the Atlantic.
There's a speed limit to the pace of evolution, Penn biologists say
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a theoretical model that informs the understanding of evolution and determines how quickly an organism will evolve using a catalogue of "evolutionary speed limits."
Progress made on group B streptococcus vaccine
Scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have completed a Phase II clinical study that indicates a vaccine to prevent Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection is possible.
Henry Ford Hospital study: A MRSA strain linked to high death rates
A strain of MRSA that causes bloodstream infections is five times more lethal than other strains and has shown to have some resistance to the potent antibiotic drug vancomycin used to treat MRSA, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.
Bacteria 'launch a shield' to resist attack
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark along with other collaborators in Denmark and the US found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can 'switch on' production of molecules that kill white blood cells - preventing the bacteria being eliminated by the body's immune system.
An exquisite container
In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or faceted gemstone that can be broken to empty the ring's contents. It is invariably enormous - so large it is rather odd nobody seems to notice it.
Duke develops nano-scale drug delivery for chemotherapy
Going smaller could bring better results, especially when it comes to cancer-fighting drugs.
Is short-term Celecoxib intervention a effective method for preventing gastric carcinogenesis?
Since the isolation and culture of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in 1983, this bacterium has become accepted as an important human pathogen for the development of gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer.
Will genomics help prevent the next pandemic?
This week, the Public Library of Science, an open-access publisher, presents the "Genomics of Emerging Infectious Disease," a collection of essays, perspectives, and reviews that explores how genomics-with all its associated tools and techniques-can provide insights into our understanding of emerging infectious disease.
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