We report the first complete genome sequences of three predominant clones (ST68, ST71, and ST84) of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in North America. All strains were isolated from canine infections and have different SCCmec elements and antibiotic resistance gene patterns.

Apropos article on antibiotic resistance genes by Duran et al1. I have the following observations. Though the authors have done an excellent job of genotyping resistance mechanism in S. aureus, they failed in phenotypic screening of these isolates. Considering the fact that most laboratories can not afford to perform PCR, phenotypic screening methods remain the backbone for detection of resista...

Acinetobacter baumannii is considered an important pathogen in our hospital environment having a well-known capacity to acquire different mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. Previous studies in our laboratory had exposed the high dispersion of class 2 integrons in this species. In the present study, we analyzed 7 multiresistant intI2 positive A. baumannii isolates, 6 of which were found to har...

Controlled shearing of R-factor DNA leads to formation of fragments carrying an antibiotic resistance gene present on, but not expressed by, the intact R-factor. Transformation of CaCl(2)-treated E. coli by such fragments yields an autonomously replicating tetracycline-resistance plasmid (Tc6-5) that contains only a small fraction of the genome of the parent R-factor, and lacks both its fertili...

Temporal variabilities in the genetic patterns and antibiotic resistance profiles of enterococci were monitored over a 7-month period. Enterococcus faecalis isolates (103 strains) collected from feces showed only one genetic pattern and antibiotic resistance profile within 0 d and 30 d. In contrast, after 60 d and 90 d, the genetic patterns and antibiotic resistance profiles of all E. faecalis ...

As the battle continues against hospital-acquired infections and the concurrent rise in antibiotic resistance among many of the major causative pathogens, there is a dire need to conduct controlled experiments, in order to compare proposed control strategies. However, cost, time, and ethical considerations make this evaluation strategy either impractical or impossible to implement with living p...

Alternatives to antibiotics are urgently needed in animal agriculture. The form these alternatives should take presents a complex problem due to the various uses of antibiotics in animal agriculture, including disease treatment, disease prevention, and growth promotion, and to the relative contribution of these uses to the antibiotic resistance problem. Numerous antibiotic alternatives, such as...

Acquisition of drug resistance should impose a cost on bacteria. Recent studies, however, suggest that natural selection acts to reduce, or eliminate, the growth disadvantage of resistant bacteria, making it difficult to reverse the high levels of antibiotic resistance currently found in hospitals and the community.

BACKGROUND Antimicrobial resistance is an under-appreciated threat to public health in nations around the globe. With globalization booming, it is important to understand international patterns of resistance. If countries already experience similar patterns of resistance, it may be too late to worry about international spread. If large countries or groups of countries that are likely to leap ah...