BACKGROUND Simultaneous resistance to aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones in carbapeneme non-susceptible (CNS) isolates will inevitably create problems. The present study was performed to characterize the prevalence of the plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants (QRDs) and aminoglycoside resistance determinants (ARDs) among the CNS Enterobacter cloacae (E. cloacae) isolates in a Chi...

OBJECTIVES Bacteria of the genus Acinetobacter are increasingly being isolated in hospitals and are recognized as emerging nosocomial pathogens. Species identification is difficult and there is a need for simple molecular methods to differentiate between the species. Naturally occurring oxacillinase genes (blaOXA) have been identified in several Acinetobacter species and their detection by PCR ...

BACKGROUND The emergence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii complicates the therapy of the related infections. Hospital isolates of A. baumannii are usually multidrug-resistant. The problem is compounded by increasing resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics including carbapenems. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and distribut...

BACKGROUND The association of PMQR and ESBLs in negative-bacteria isolates has been of great concern. The present study was performed to investigate the prevalence of co-transferability of oqxAB and bla CTX-M genes among the 696 Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates from food-producing animals in South China, and to characterize these plasmids. METHODS The ESBL-encoding genes (bla(CTX-M), bla(T...

Extensive evidence indicates that the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) modulates the consolidation of memories for emotionally arousing experiences, an effect that involves the activation of the glucocorticoid system. Because the BLA expresses high densities of cannabinoid CB1 receptors, the present experiments investigated whether the endocannabinoid system in the BLA influences memor...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the genetic environment of the metallo-β-lactamase gene bla(NDM-1) in an Acinetobacter baumannii isolated in 2007 in a German hospital. METHODS Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed and resistance genes were characterized by PCR amplification and sequencing. Transferability of β-lactam resistance was tested by broth mating assays and transformation of pl...

Monotherapeutic options for carbapenem resistant infections are limited. Studies suggest that combination therapy may be associated with better outcomes than monotherapies. However, this is still controversial. This study assessed, the efficacy of combination therapy against carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae harboring singly various extended spectrum beta lactamase or carbapenemase encodi...

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) sends excitatory projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and regulates motivated behaviors partially by activating NAc medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Here, we characterized a feedforward inhibition circuit, through which BLA-evoked activation of NAc shell (NAcSh) MSNs was fine-tuned by GABAergic monosynaptic innervation from adjacent fast-spiking interneurons (FS...

OBJECTIVE Fast detection of β-lactamase (bla) genes can minimize the spread of antibiotic resistance. Although several molecular diagnostic methods have been developed to detect limited bla gene types, these methods have significant limitations, such as their failure to detect almost all clinically available bla genes. We have evaluated a further refinement of our fast and accurate molecular me...

INTRODUCTION Expended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacter cloacae is an important nosocomial pathogen. In this study, the prevalence and the molecular epidemiology of ESBL producing E. cloacae strains isolated from various hospitals in Annaba, Algeria were investigated. METHODOLOGY The study involved 63 isolates of E. cloacae obtained during 2009 at the four hospitals in Annaba...