Cronobacter Support
05-12-2009, 07:11 PM
1st International Conference on Cronobacter Poster Abstract 26
The misidentification of Enterobacter hormaechei as Cronobacter spp. (E. sakazakii) in strains from Aldova et al. (1983) and Muytjens et al. (1988), and a neonatal intensive care unit outbreak.
The accurate identification of hospital isolates is crucial for due recognition of the importance of a particular pathogen, and its control. Due to the inherent inaccuracies of isolate identification based on biochemical profiling, we undertook a review of our culture collection using 16S sequence analysis. 16S DNA sequence analysis was undertaken for strains previous described as ‘E. sakazakii’ in the literature by Aldova et al. (1983), Muytjens et al. (1988), Poirel et al. (2007) and a collection of 7 Cronobacter spp. ‘E. sakazakii’ strains from a more recent neonatal intensive care unit outbreak (NICU). One strain referred to by Aldova et al. (1983) was Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. hormaechei, another strain from Muytjens et al. (1988) was E. hormaechei subsp. steigerwaltii and not Cronobacter spp. (E. sakazakii). The QnrA-mediated quinolone resistant E. sakazakii from Poirel et al. 2007) was E. hormaechei. None of the NICU isolates were Cronobacter spp. (E. sakazakii). Six strains were E. hormaechei subsp. hormaechei, and the remaining isolate was E. hormaechei subsp. steigerwaltii. E. hormaechei is of increasing importance as a cause of neonatal infections, and often possesses extended \-lactamase activity. It is important to recognise that a number of organisms other than Cronobacter spp. can be the causative agents of neonatal infections, and that robust identification methods are adopted by both infant formula manufacturers as well as clinical laboratories.
Stacy M. Townsend, Edward Hurrell, Juncal Caubilla-Barron, Eva Kucerova, and Stephen J. Forsythe
School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, UK. NG11 8NS.
The misidentification of Enterobacter hormaechei as Cronobacter spp. (E. sakazakii) in strains from Aldova et al. (1983) and Muytjens et al. (1988), and a neonatal intensive care unit outbreak.
The accurate identification of hospital isolates is crucial for due recognition of the importance of a particular pathogen, and its control. Due to the inherent inaccuracies of isolate identification based on biochemical profiling, we undertook a review of our culture collection using 16S sequence analysis. 16S DNA sequence analysis was undertaken for strains previous described as ‘E. sakazakii’ in the literature by Aldova et al. (1983), Muytjens et al. (1988), Poirel et al. (2007) and a collection of 7 Cronobacter spp. ‘E. sakazakii’ strains from a more recent neonatal intensive care unit outbreak (NICU). One strain referred to by Aldova et al. (1983) was Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. hormaechei, another strain from Muytjens et al. (1988) was E. hormaechei subsp. steigerwaltii and not Cronobacter spp. (E. sakazakii). The QnrA-mediated quinolone resistant E. sakazakii from Poirel et al. 2007) was E. hormaechei. None of the NICU isolates were Cronobacter spp. (E. sakazakii). Six strains were E. hormaechei subsp. hormaechei, and the remaining isolate was E. hormaechei subsp. steigerwaltii. E. hormaechei is of increasing importance as a cause of neonatal infections, and often possesses extended \-lactamase activity. It is important to recognise that a number of organisms other than Cronobacter spp. can be the causative agents of neonatal infections, and that robust identification methods are adopted by both infant formula manufacturers as well as clinical laboratories.
Stacy M. Townsend, Edward Hurrell, Juncal Caubilla-Barron, Eva Kucerova, and Stephen J. Forsythe
School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, UK. NG11 8NS.