Stenotrophomonas maltophilia responsible for respiratory infections in neonatal intensive care unit: antibiotic susceptibility and molecular typing.

• Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular epidemiology of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains responsible for respiratory infection in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Tunis City, isolated during 22 months (December 2003-September 2005). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve strains of S. maltophilia isolated from tracheal aspirates of distinct infants and two environmental strains were tested for antibiotic susceptibility and genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) method. RESULTS: Unlike a large heterogeneity demonstrated by the antibiotyping method, PFGE identified two concomitant outbreaks consisting of nine, including an environmental strain (clone A), and four strains (clone B), respectively; a distinguishable strain was classified in a unique pattern (PFGE type C). The long-term dissemination of these strains is a characteristic feature of these outbreaks. Improvement of hygienic conditions attributed to a markedly decrease in their isolation frequencies. Concomitant outbreaks and long period persistence of S. maltophilia in NICU is an important finding of this study. CONCLUSION: Identification of two clonal strains of S. maltophilia responsible of respiratory infection. Epidemic strains are hardly eradicated when colonization is established.
• Authors: M-S Abbassi, A Touati, W Achour, A Cherif, S Jabnoun, N Khrouf, A Ben Hassen (Affiliation: Laboratory of the National Bone Marrow Transplantation Centre, Street Djebel-Lakdhar, Bab-Saadoun, 1006 Tunis, Tunisia.)
• Journal: Pathologie-biologie (Pathol Biol (Paris)) Vol. 57 Issue 5 Pg. 363-7 (Jul 2009) ISSN: 1768-3114 [Electronic] France
• PMID: 18178029 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• DNA, Bacterial

Topics

• Cross Infection (epidemiology, microbiology)
• DNA, Bacterial (analysis)
• Disease Outbreaks
• Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
• Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
• Genotype
• Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections (epidemiology, microbiology)
• Humans
• Infant, Newborn
• Intensive Care Units, Neonatal
• Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (classification, drug effects, genetics, isolation & purification)
• Trachea (microbiology)
• Tracheitis (epidemiology, microbiology)
• Tunisia