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Ribotyping and random amplification of polymorphic DNA for nosocomial Enterobacter cloacae isolates in a pediatric
1Department of Pediatrics, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Insights
Two Enterobacter cloacae outbreaks in a pediatric ICU were investigated. Genomic analysis revealed distinct patterns between outbreaks, confirming the effectiveness of molecular typing methods like RAPD for tracking hospital-acquired infections.
Area of Science:
- Medical Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Molecular Epidemiology
Background:
- Nosocomial infections pose a significant threat in healthcare settings, particularly in pediatric intensive-care units (PICUs).
- Enterobacter cloacae is a common opportunistic pathogen frequently implicated in hospital-acquired infections.
- Accurate molecular typing methods are crucial for identifying the source and spread of infectious agents during outbreaks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate two sequential outbreaks of Enterobacter cloacae nosocomial infections in a tertiary-care teaching hospital's PICU.
- To evaluate the discriminatory power and reproducibility of ribotyping and random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) for typing Enterobacter cloacae strains.
- To determine if the genomic profiles of Enterobacter cloacae strains differed between the two outbreak periods.
Main Methods:
- Seventeen Enterobacter cloacae strains from two nosocomial outbreaks and two control strains were collected.
- Genomic DNA was extracted from all isolates.
- Molecular typing was performed using ribotyping and random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) techniques.
Main Results:
- Both ribotyping and RAPD demonstrated high discriminatory power and reproducibility for Enterobacter cloacae.
- The genomic patterns of Enterobacter cloacae strains isolated between the first and second outbreaks were found to be distinct.
- Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was identified as a more efficacious and cost-effective method compared to ribotyping.
Conclusions:
- Ribotyping and RAPD are reliable methods for molecular typing of Enterobacter cloacae in epidemiological investigations.
- The distinct genomic profiles suggest independent acquisition or transmission events for the two outbreaks.
- Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) offers a practical and efficient approach for tracking Enterobacter cloacae outbreaks in clinical settings.
Abstract:
Between 1987 and 1989, two sequential outbreaks of nosocomial infection caused by Enterobacter cloacae occur-red in the pediatric intensive-care unit of a tertiary-care teaching hospital. Seventeen strains retrieved from the outbreaks and two control strains identified in other wards were typed by ribotyping and random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD). The results indicated that the genomic pattern of strains identified between the first and second outbreaks was different. We conclude that both ribotyping and RAPD are highly discriminatory and reproducible methods for typing E cloacae. RAPD seems to be more efficacious and cost-effective.