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Background: AmpC ß-lactamases are encoded on the chromosomes of certain Enterobacterales and lead to clinical resistance to various ß-lactams in case of high-level expression. In WT bacteria with inducible AmpC, the expression is low, but selection of stably ampC-derepressed mutants may occur during ß-lactam therapy. Thus, for Enterobacter spp., Citrobacter freundii complex, Serratia spp. and Morganella morganii that test susceptible in vitro to oxyimino-cephalosporins, the EUCAST expert rules recommend suppressing susceptibility testing results for these agents or noting that their use in monotherapy should be discouraged, owing to the risk of selecting resistance. However, clinical observations suggest that emergence of resistance is not equally common in all species with inducible AmpC. Objectives: To determine species-specific mutation rates, which are more accurate and reproducible than previously described mutant frequencies, for ampC derepression in Enterobacterales with inducible AmpC. Methods: Mutation rates were determined using a protocol based on Luria-Delbrück fluctuation analyses. Overall, 237 isolates were analysed. Results: Mutation rates were high in Enterobacter cloacae complex, Enterobacter aerogenes, C. freundii complex and Hafnia alvei isolates, with a mean mutation rate of 3 × 10-8. In contrast, mean mutation rates were considerably lower in Providencia spp., Serratia spp. and especially M. morganii isolates. Furthermore, we observed species-specific variations in the resistance patterns of ampC-derepressed mutants. Conclusions: Our data might help to predict the risk of treatment failure with oxyimino-cephalosporins in infections by different Enterobacterales with inducible AmpC. Moreover, we make a proposal for optimization of the current EUCAST expert rule.

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INTRODUCTION: Many clinical microbiology laboratories report on cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility testing (cAST) data on a regular basis. Criteria for generation of cAST reports, however, are often obscure and inconsistent. Whereas the CLSI has published a guideline for analysis and presentation of cAST data, national guidelines directed at clinical microbiology laboratories are not available in Europe. Thus, we sought to describe the influence of different parameters in the process of cAST data analysis in the setting of a German routine clinical microbiology laboratory during 2 consecutive years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We developed various program scripts to assess the consequences ensuing from different algorithms for calculation of cumulative antibiograms from the data collected in our clinical microbiology laboratory in 2013 and 2014. RESULTS: One of the most pronounced effects was caused by exclusion of screening cultures for multi-drug resistant organisms which decreased the MRSA rate in some cases to one third. Dependent on the handling of duplicate isolates, i.e. isolates of the same species recovered from successive cultures on the same patient during the time period analyzed, we recorded differences in resistance rates of up to 5 percentage points for S. aureus, E. coli and K. pneumoniae and up to 10 percentage points for P. aeruginosa. Stratification by site of care and specimen type, testing of antimicrobials selectively on resistant isolates, change of interpretation rules and analysis at genus level instead of species level resulted in further changes of calculated antimicrobial resistance rates. CONCLUSION: The choice of parameters for cAST data analysis may have a substantial influence on calculated antimicrobial resistance rates. Consequently, comparability of cAST reports from different clinical microbiology laboratories may be limited. We suggest that laboratories communicate the strategy used for cAST data analysis as long as national guidelines for standardized cAST data analysis and reporting do not exist in Europe.

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BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli is a rare cause of community-acquired meningitis in adults unless predisposing factors are present (e.g., previous penetrating cranio-cerebral injury or neurosurgery, immunosuppression, chronic alcoholism, history of cancer, diabetes mellitus, advanced age). CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a 53-year-old woman, resident in Germany, suffering from community-acquired bacterial meningitis caused by CTX-M-9 type extended spectrum ß-lactamase producing Escherichia coli. Because typical predisposing factors were not apparent, pathogen identification resulted in expanded diagnostics to exclude a distant or contiguous primary focus. By magnetic resonance tomography, a previously unrecognized large retropharyngeal abscess with cervical spondylodiscitis was detected. In retrospect, the patient had complained about neck pain for a few weeks prior to meningitis onset, but the symptoms were interpreted as being related to a herniated disk. Meningitis and osteomyelitis resolved completely under surgical treatment and meropenem therapy. CONCLUSION: In case of adult Escherichia coli meningitis, underlying diseases should always be carefully excluded, especially if predisposing factors are not apparent.

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INTRODUCTION: Rapid identification of the causative microorganism is a key element in appropriate antimicrobial therapy of bloodstream infections. Whereas traditional analysis of positive blood cultures requires subculture over at least 16-24h prior to pathogen identification by, e.g. matrix-assisted laser-desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), sample preparation procedures enabling direct MALDI-TOF MS, i.e. without preceding subculture, are associated with additional effort and costs. Hence, we integrated an alternative MALDI-TOF MS approach in diagnostic routine using a short incubation on a solid medium. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Positive blood cultures were routinely plated on chocolate agar plates and incubated for 4h (37 °C, 5% CO2). Subsequently, MALDI-TOF MS using a Microflex LT instrument (Bruker Daltonics) and direct smear method was performed once per sample. For successful identification of bacteria at species level, score cut-off values were used as proposed by the manufacturer (≥ 2.0) and in a modified form (≥ 1.5 for MALDI-TOF MS results referring to Gram-positive cocci and ≥ 1.7 for MALDI-TOF MS results referring to bacteria other than Gram-positive cocci). Further data analysis also included an assessment of the clinical impact of the MALDI-TOF MS result. RESULTS: Applying the modified score cut-off values, our approach led to an overall correct species identification in 69.5% with misidentification in 3.4% (original cut-offs: 49.2% and 1.8%, respectively); for Gram-positive cocci, correct identification in 68.4% (100% for Staphylococcus aureus and enterococci, 80% for beta-hemolytic streptococci), for Gram-negative bacteria, correct identification in 97.6%. In polymicrobial blood cultures, in 72.7% one of the pathogens was correctly identified. Results were not reliable for Gram-positive rods and yeasts. The approach was easy to implement in diagnostic routine. In cases with available clinical data and successful pathogen identification, in 51.1% our approach allowed an optimized treatment recommendation. CONCLUSION: MALDI-TOF MS following 4h pre-culture is a valuable tool for rapid pathogen identification from positive blood cultures, allowing easy integration in diagnostic routine and the opportunity of considerably earlier treatment adaptation.

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BACKGROUND: Serious adverse drug reactions of disease-modifying drugs in multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy may include enhanced susceptibility to reactivation of neurotropic herpes viruses like varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and the John Cunningham (JC) polyomavirus. OBJECTIVE: Because symptomatic reactivation of these viruses are rare events, we determined the incidence of rises in anti-VZV IgG antibody levels as a potential marker for enhanced susceptibility to subclinical and symptomatic reactivation of neurotropic viruses. METHODS: Anti-VZV IgG levels were measured in paired serum samples taken 6-8 months apart from natalizumab-treated MS patients, healthy blood donors and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. RESULTS: The incidence of significant rises in anti-VZV IgG levels in natalizumab-treated MS patients was 4.26 per 100 person-years, which was significantly higher than in healthy blood donors. Retrospective evaluation of the available medical records of patients with rises of anti-VZV IgG levels did not reveal herpes zoster (i.e. shingles) manifestations. CONCLUSIONS: The increased incidence of significant rises of anti-VZV IgG levels in natalizumab-treated MS patients might indicate an association of natalizumab treatment of MS with an elevated risk of a subclinical VZV reactivation and/or reinfection events. Whether this is predictive of an increased risk of herpes zoster or even symptomatic reactivation of other neurotropic viruses remains to be determined in larger prospective studies.

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In November 2012, a group of 7 persons who participated in a hare hunt in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, acquired tularemia. Two F. tularensis subsp. holarctica isolates were cultivated from human and hare biopsy material. Both isolates belonged to the FTN002-00 genetic subclade (derived for single nucleotide polymorphisms B.10 and B.18), thus indicating likely hare-to-human transmission.

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Adenoviral vectors (AdV) have received considerable attention for vaccine development because of their high immunogenicity and efficacy. In previous studies, it was shown that DNA immunization of mice with codon-optimized expression plasmids encoding the fusion protein of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV F) resulted in enhanced protection against RSV challenge compared to immunization with plasmids carrying the wild-type cDNA sequence of RSV F. In this study, we constructed AdV carrying the codon-optimized full-length RSV F gene (AdV-F) or the soluble form of the RSV F gene (AdV-Fsol). BALB/c mice were immunized twice with AdV-F or AdV-Fsol and challenged with RSV intranasally. Substantial levels of antibody to RSV F were induced by both AdV vaccines, with peak neutralizing-antibody titers of 1:900. Consistently, the viral loads in lung homogenates and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids were significantly reduced by a factor of more than 60,000. The protection against viral challenge could be measured even 8 months after the booster immunization. AdV-F and AdV-Fsol induced similar levels of immunogenicity and protective efficacy. Therefore, these results encourage further development of AdV vaccines against RSV infection in humans.

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