BACKGROUND As regards multilocus sequence typing (MLST) method directly analyze the polymorphism within DNA sequences; we performed the first nationwide study on the genotypic relationships of Candida albicans strains obtained from oropharynx and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples from immunocompromised patients. METHODS Fourteen epidemiologically unrelated clinical strains of C. albicans w...

A random-amplified polymorphic DNA assay using partially degenerate oligonucleotides as primers was used for the characterization of 78 epidemiologically related and unrelated clinical isolates of Streptococcus agalactiae belonging to different serotypes. Thirty distinct amplification profiles were obtained among 52 unrelated S. agalactiae isolates assigned to nine groups by serotyping (includi...

Three hundred and twenty isolates of Staphylococcus aureus were typed by DNA sequence analysis of the X region of the protein A gene (spa). spa typing was compared to both phenotypic and molecular techniques for the ability to differentiate and categorize S. aureus strains into groups that correlate with epidemiological information. Two previously characterized study populations were examined. ...

To determine the origin of >4,000 suspected diarrheagenic Escherichia coli strains isolated during 2004-2011 in South Africa, we identified 7 isolates as serotype O104; 5 as enteroaggregative E. coli O104:H4, and 2 as enteropathogenic E. coli O104:non-H4. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed that these isolates were unrelated to the 2011 E. coli O104:H4 outbreak strain from Germany.

Escherichia coli strains causing human extra-intestinal infections may be divided into two groups, B1 and B2 according to the electrophoretic patterns of carboxylesterase B. This study compares the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) for 45 B1 strains and 45 B2 strains to examine the genetic structure of B2 strains and to distinguish them from B1 strains. The...

Twenty-two unrelated erythromycin-resistant anginosus group strains (3.2% resistance rate) were assessed for mechanisms of resistance. Streptococcus anginosus accounted for 16 of the 22 isolates. Fifteen isolates harbored the erm(B) gene. The erm(TR) and the mef(E) genes were carried by two isolates each. In three isolates, none of these resistance genes was detected by PCR.

Epidemiologically unrelated Streptococcus pyogenes strains isolated from blood, throat, and skin were assayed for adherence to HEp2 and HaCaT cells. Invasive isolates showed significantly higher avidity for these cell lines than isolates from skin and throat. In general, S. pyogenes showed greater binding to HaCaT cells than to HEp2 cells.

Corynebacterium argentoratense has been associated mainly with infections in the human respiratory tract. Genome sequencing of two unrelated clinical macrolide-resistant strains, CNM 463/05 and CNM 601/08, revealed the presence of the antibiotic resistance gene erm(X) allocated to a specific genomic region with 100% similarity to the widely distributed transposable element Tn5432.

Cross-infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients is a rare occurrence. However, the emergence of transmissible strains has been reported between unrelated individuals. We analyzed the genetic relationship among P. aeruginosa isolates from Brazilian CF patients and transmissible clones which are worldwide spread. The data does not indicate the presence of closely r...