Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) have revolutionized infectious disease diagnosis, allowing for the rapid and sensitive identification of pathogens in clinical specimens. Real-time PCR testing for the mecA gene (mecA PCR), which confers methicillin resistance in staphylococci, has the added potential to reduce antibiotic usage, improve clinical outcomes, lower health care costs, and avo...

BACKGROUND Staphylococcus aureus, an important human pathogen is one of the main causative agents of nosocomial infection. Virulence genes play a major role in the pathogenicity of this agent and its infections. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates are major challenge among infectious agents that can cause severe infections and mortality. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus p...

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) strategy is described for rapid identification of clinically relevant methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that targets mecA and coagulase genes. In this study, 150 staphylococcal clinical isolates were used that included 40 isolates of MRSA, 55 isolates of methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), 44 isolates of methicillin susceptible co...

The intrinsic resistance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is frequently explained by the production of an additional penicillin-binding protein (PBP), which is encoded by the mecA gene. The mec regulator genes, mecR1 and mecI, was identified in mecA-carrying Staphylococcus aureus N315. Between February and March, 1993, 179 clinical MRSA isolates were collected from institut...

INTRODUCTION Staphylococcus epidermidis strains are frequently associated with catheter-related infection, acute bacteremia, and hospital-acquired infection. Some isolates produce an extracellular matrix called slime that may make them more resistant to antibiotics. The aim of this study was to determine antimicrobial resistance patterns, the prevalence of slime production, and the distribution...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of coagulase-negative staphylococci in healthy dogs and to determine whether methicillin-resistant staphylococci expressed the mecA gene. Nasal and rectal swab samples were taken from 50 clinically healthy dogs. The prevalence of coagulase-negative staphylococci was evaluated according to phenotypic properties. The agar diffusion method...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Staphylococcus aureus is one of the main causatives of bovine mastitis. Resistance of some strains to methicillin, can complicate the treatment of its infections. On the other hand, enterotoxin production is also important. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the methicillin resistance and enterotoxin production in S. aureus isolates caused bovine mastit...

Fifth-generation cephalosporins, ceftobiprole and ceftaroline, are promising drugs for treatment of bacterial infections from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These antibiotics are able to bind native PBP2a, the penicillin-binding protein encoded by the mecA resistance determinant that mediates broad class resistance to nearly all other beta-lactam antibiotics, at clinically ...

In real time decision making scenarios (e.g., a coalition environment), relevant and accurate information must be made available to decision makers in a timely manner. However, decision makers face a dual problem of both information overloading and starvation: the overwhelming majority of information from various sources may not be relevant to the investigation goal, while a significant gap exi...

BACKGROUND L-selectin ligands, localized to the luminal epithelium at the time of implantation, may support the early stages of blastocyst attachment. We have assessed the expression of two L-selectin ligands, defined by MECA-79 and HECA-452 monoclonal antibodies, and the sulfotransferase GlcNAc6ST-2, involved in generation of L-selectin ligand epitopes, in the secretory phase of the endometriu...