Herellea Vaginicola Research Articles

Aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes in clinical isolates ofAcinetobacter calcoaceticus

Aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes were identified in clinical strains ofAcinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp.anitratus (Herellea vaginicola) isolated between 1971 and 1979. Resistance to kanamycin, neomycin, and lividomycin was explained by an aminoglycoside-3′-phosphotransferase enzyme. The resistance of gentamicin was due to an aminoglycoside 3N-acetyltransferase type I enzyme which had not previously been described in this species. Several strains producing both enzymes showed resistance to kanamycin, gentamicin, lividomycin, neomycin, and sisomicin and susceptibility to tobramycin and amikacin.

Evidence of plasmid-mediated production of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes not previously described in Acinetobacter.

Two blood culture isolates of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus (Herellea vaginicola) were recently observed to be unusually resistant to aminoglycosides. Each strain was found to contain aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes which have not been described previously in this species, including 2"-adenylyltransferase, 3"-adenylyltransferase, 3'-phosphotransferase-III, and 3-acetyltransferase. Treatment of one strain (H-S) with novobiocin led to a loss of resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents and a loss of two aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes; agarose gel electrophoresis of lysates of this strain revealed that the loss of resistance markers was associated with the loss of a large-molecular-weight plasmid. Treatment of the second strain (H-D) with novobiocin produced derivative strains with three different resistance patterns. Agarose gel electrophoresis of deoxyribonucleic acid from crude lysates and from cesium chloride-ethidium bromide gradients of this strain showed only a small plasmid (molecular weight, 5 X 10(6)) common to all variants and failed to explain the loss of resistance markers.

Aminoglycoside-Modifying Enzymes Among Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus ( Herellea vaginicola ): Explanation for High-Level Aminoglycoside Resistance

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus (Herellea vaginicola) is an important cause of nosocomial infection in our hospital where A. calcoaceticus subsp. anitratus is the most frequently isolated gram-negative species resistant to one or more of the aminoglycoside antibiotics. Of 167 strains tested for susceptibility to aminoglycosides, only 6 strains were found that were resistant to >/=128 mug of kanamycin per ml; all others were susceptible to </=32 mug/ml. Five of these six strains were found to produce aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes. Two strains produced a phosphotransferase which mediates resistance to kanamycin and neomycin; three strains produced an acetyltransferase which mediates resistance to kanamycin, tobramycin, and amikacin (minimal inhibitory concentration >/= 128 mug/ml for each drug). No strain with lower level resistance to kanamycin, tobramycin, or amikacin had enzyme activity. Fourteen strains resistant to gentamicin failed to show significant enzymatic modification of that antibiotic. Although agarose gel electrophoresis of deoxyribonucleic acid preparations from the enzyme-producing strains showed plasmid bands in all, no transfer of aminoglycoside resistance could be achieved, nor was it cured by exposure to novobiocin, ethidium bromide, acridine orange, heat, or prolonged storage. Resistance to mercuric chloride, present in 2 of 60 strains, was lost by 1 strain after exposure to novobiocin, and the loss of resistance was associated with an apparent deletion of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid.

Infections with Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (Herellea vaginicola): clinical and laboratory studies.

In a retrospective review of 53 patients, 58 episodes of infection due to Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratus (Herellea vaginicola) were studied. Although the organism is widely distributed in nature, it is of relatively low virulence since colonization is more frequently noted than infection and since most infections occur in patients subjected to the epidemiologic pressures common to nosocomial, gram-negative bacillary infection: prior antibiotic therapy; instrumentation and manipulation (e.g., endotracheal intubation, urinary bladder catheterization, arterial and venous cannulation); surgery; hospitalization, especially with residence in an intensive care unit; severe underlying disease, either systemic (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, malignancy) or localized to the infected area (e.g., prior bacterial or aspirational pneumonia, trauma). Pneumonia was the most common infection due to A. calcoaceticus, and occurred only in patients with a tracheostomy or endotracheal tube in place. In over half the 25 patients, more than one lobe was involved and bronchopneumonia was the usual roentgenographic appearance. Cavitation (2 patients) and empyema formation (3 patients) were uncommon. The severity of acinetobacter pneumonia is reflected in the high mortality rate (44% overall, with a 36% mortality rate due primarily to infection). Tracheobronchitis due to A. calcoaceticus was less severe than pneumonia since no patients died primarily as a result of the infection. Urinary tract infections occurred in five patients, none of whom were ill and none of whom died. Urinary bladder catheterization was thought to be responsible for infection in three patients, and in at least four of the five patients infection was restricted to the lower tract. Wound infections were noted in six patients who had undergone surgery and were related to the presence of foreign bodies in the operative site in five of the patients. Surgical debridement and/or drainage of the infected area was the primary therapeutic measure employed in most cases. Only one patient died and this was a result of noninfectious causes. Skin infection due to A. calcoaceticus was seen in two patients, one of whom exhibited fulminant, fatal cellulitis and septicemia in the setting of pancytopenia. All nine patients with acinetobacter septicemia had received antecedent antibiotic therapy, and in all cases intravenous catheters were in place at the time bacteremia occurred. Clinically, seven of the nine patients were in shock. The mortality rate was 44% overall, with a 22% mortality rate due to infection. Although septicemia was thought to be "line-related" in five of the nine patients, serious post-bacteremic complications developed in three patients: prosthetic valve endocarditis, suppurative thrombophlebitis and subhepatic abscess.

Asymptomatic females: detection of antibody activity to gonococcal pili antigen by radioimmunoassay

A gonococcal pili antigen preparation was used to detect antibody activity sera obtained from 322 culture-positive asymptomatic females and 150 negative controls. Pili were obtained from a culture of type 2 Neisseria gonorrhoeae (strain 2686) and labeled with 125I for use in a double-antibody radioimmunoassay test system. Of the 322 sera obtained from culture-positive, asymptomatic females, 276 (85.7%) showed antibody activity greater than or equal to 1.8 mug/ml. Negative controls were obtained from three different groups of individuals, and 130 (86.7%) had undetectable antibody activity. Sera from asymptomatic, culture-positive females were absorbed with three different strains of N. gonorrhoeae, one of these strains being the organism used for pili antigen preparations. The absorbed sera were tested for antibody activity, and in each case the activity in the absorbed sera dropped to an undetectable level. When the same sera were absorbed with N. meningitidis, N. catarrhalis, N. perflava, Escherichia coli, Herellea vaginicola, Mima polymorpha, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans, little, if any, decline in the level of anti-pili antibody activity was observed.

Susceptibility of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratus ( Herellea vaginicola ) to Minocycline

The in vitro activity of minocycline against Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratus (Herellea vaginicola) was examined. All strains of A. anitratus were inhibited by minocycline at concentrations of 0.4 mug/ml or less. The strains studied were considerably more susceptible to minocycline than tetracycline. No difference between the susceptibility to minocycline and tetracycline was seen with Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter and Proteus sp. A regression line of the log minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values and the diameter of the zone of inhibition, determined by the Kirby-Bauer technique, showed good linear correlation for minocycline. Comparison of the disk diffusion results and MICs indicated that an inhibitory zone size of 19 mm produced by a 30-mug minocycline disk was equivalent to a MIC of 3.1 mug/ml, a serum concentration achieved by oral administration of the drug. When the zone of inhibition was greater than 19 mm, however, there was poor correlation with the MIC for Enterobacteriaceae.

Hemolysin production in Escherichia coli associated with nalidixic acid resistance.

The activity of minocycline and tetracycline against 23 isolates of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus var. anitratus (syn. Herellea vaginicola) and 178 strains of Serratia marcescens was determined by disk and microdilution methods. The results indicate that minocycline is highly active against this species of Acinetobacter, all but one strain being inhibited by 0.007 mug of the antibiotic per ml. Tetracycline was also active, though to a lesser degree, against A. calcoaceticus. Of the 178 strains of S. marcescens tested, only seven (3.9%) had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 2 mug or less of minocycline per ml. Tetracycline was less active than minocycline against S. marcescens; with 2 mug of tetracycline per ml, only 2 of 152 (1.3%) strains were inhibited. At concentrations of 8 and 16 mug of minocycline per ml, which can be achieved in the urine with the usual doses, 44.9 and 63.5% of S. marcescens strains were inhibited, which implies its possible usefulness for the therapy of urinary tract infection due to this organism.

Gram-negative bacteria isolated from external eye infections.

In this study the bacteria isolated from eye infections belonged to different groups and showed a varied clinical picture. The pathogenic bacteria, Pseudomonas (15 cases) and Proteus sp. (11 cases), were associated with purulent infections of the conjunctiva and eyelids. These bacteria were resistant to the usual antibiotics, but responded to treatment with gentamicin. The potential opportunistic pathogens, Herellea vaginicola (2 cases), Enterobacter agglomerans (11 cases), Comamonas terrigena (2 cases), Serratia marcescens (2 cases), Escherichia coli (2 cases), Citrobacter freundii (1 case), Citrobacter diversus (1 case), Klebsiella pneumoniae (8 cases), Aeromonas hydrophilia (2 cases), and Enterobacter aerogenes (8 cases), were isolated from keratitis, conjunctivitis, keratoconjunctivitis and keratoiritis. The bacteria were sensitive to the usual antibiotic substances, and all of them responded to chloramphenicol. The Enterobacter aerogenes was almost always found in association with other microorganisms, such as Herpes simplex virus and Candida sp.

Susceptibility of Clinical Isolates of Bacteria to Cefoxitin and Cephalothin

The susceptibility of 4,929 unselected clinical isolates of bacteria to cefoxitin and cephalothin was determined by the single-disk method, using a computer-associated electronic zone analyzer to obtain, record, and process measurements of sizes of zones of inhibition. Both cefoxitin and cephalothin were effective against most gram-positive strains, including Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, micrococci, and all streptococci except enterococci. The three strains of Listeria monocytogenes tested were susceptible to cephalothin but resistant to cefoxitin. There was little difference between the cefoxitin and cephalothin susceptibility of Salmonellae, Citrobacter sp., Enterobacter sp., Proteus mirabilis, and Pseudomonas sp. Cefoxitin was more effective then cephalothin against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp., Serratia sp., indole-positive Proteus sp., Providence sp., Flavobacter sp., Herellea vaginicola, and Mima polymorpha. Cefoxitin also appeared to exhibit enhanced activity, as compared with cephalothin, against Bacteroides sp. Thus cefoxitin appears to have a very broad antibacterial spectrum which is greater than that of cephalothin, especially against gram-negative strains.

Herellea Vaginicola in Urinary Tract Infection: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Herellea Vaginicola in Urinary Tract Infection: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Uptake and killing of Mima polymorpha and Herellea vaginicola by the reticuloendothelial system of neonatally thymectomized nonwasted mice.

Phagocytosis and killing of Mima polymorpha and Herellea vaginicola by the liver, lungs, spleen, and kidneys from neonatally thymectomized nonwasted mice and their sham-thymectomized litter mates were compared. The removal of M. polymorpha from blood by these organs, measured 2 and 4 hr after intravenous injection of bacteria, was not affected by thymectomy. Because significantly fewer viable organisms persisted in the liver, spleen, and kidneys, it is concluded that bacterial killing increased after thymectomy. Phagocytosis of M. polymorpha by peritoneal macrophages increased in thymectomized mice. Removal of H. vaginicola from the blood by the lungs was greater after thymectomy. Thymectomy did not affect the killing of H. vaginicola by the liver, spleen, lungs, or kidneys. Killing of H. vaginicola by the kidney was less than that by other organs, although this was not affected by thymectomy. Chronic reticuloendothelial stimulation associated with infection was not an adequate explanation for these findings because no wasting syndrome was encountered.

Nucleic Acid Enzyme Studies of Nonfermentative Gram-Negative Bacteria Using Thin-Layer Chromatography1

A rapid and easy to perform procedure for determining the nucleic acid enzyme reactions of intact bacterial cells was developed. Overnight organism growth on triple sugar agar was tested for nucleoside phosphotransferase, nucleosidase, and nucleotidase activity. Reaction products were detected by means of thin-layer chromatography and fluorescence. Characteristic patterns were seen with certain strains of nonfermentative gram-negative bacteria, which indicated that these tests could aid in classification and identification of E0-1 group, Pseudomonas multivorans, P. cepacia, P. maltophilia, certain other Pseudomonas species, and Herellea vaginicola.

H vaginicola endocarditis in a heroin addict.

To the Editor.— Helpern and Rho reported endocarditis and sepsis as a cause of death in 8.7% of narcotic addicts dying in New York city over a 12-year period. 1 Hussey and Katz found that 8% of 102 addicts with a variety of infections had endocarditis. 2 The mortality was high. In a review of 60 cases Conway 3 noted involvement of the triscuspid valve in 40%, with evidence of preexisting valvular disease in 22%. The staphylococcus was the usual invading organism, with Candida and pseudomas varieties and gram-negative enteric bacteria reported less frequently. Since the addict is prone to use nonsterile techniques for intravenous injections, invasion by lesscommon organisms can be expected. Herellea vaginicola is a member of the tribe Mimeae. Invasion of the blood stream has been reported following contamination of polyethylene catheters. Most instances of clinical disease resulting from H vaginicola have occurred in patients with serious

Characteristics of bacteria of the Mima and Herellea genera (tribe Mimeae, DeBord, 1942). I. Morphobiochemical properties and sensitivity to antibiotics

No presente trabalho, os autores estudaram as propriedades morfo-bioquímicas e a sinsibilidade aos antibióticos de 19 amostras de bactérias dos gêneros Mima e Herellea isoladas de material clínico e identificadas como Mima polymorpha variedade oxidans, Mima polymorpha e Herellea vaginicola. No estudo bioquímico observou-se que Herellea vaginicola foi oxidase negativa e em meio complexo nitrogenado, consistentemente ataca a glicose, galactose, manose, arabinose, xilose, lactose a 10% e irregularmente ataca a ramnose e a celobiose; em base sintética nitrogenada, além das atividades citadas, consistentemente produziu ácido a partir da lactose. Mima polymopha foi oxidase negativa, não apresentando atividade glicidolítica, quer em meio complexo nitrogenado, quer em base sintética nitrogenada. Mima polymorpha var. oxidans, foi oxidase positiva, não revelando nenhuma atividade glicidolítica. Herellea vaginicola e Mima polymorpha mostraram grande sensibilidade à gabromicina, knamicina, neomicina, colistin, sendo que a última também foi muito sensível ao cloranfenicol e rovamicina. Mima polymorpha var. oxidans, apresentou grande sensibilidade à knamicina, neomicina, colistin, cloranfenicol e wintomylon. A sensibilidade das amostras a 1 a 0,1 unidade de penicilina/ml, nas condições ensaiadas no presente trabalho, não foi absoluta, como a observada por Baumann, Doudoroff &amp; Stanier (1968a) que permitisse uma separação entre amostras oxidase positiva e negativa ou uma diferenciação dentro do grupo das bactérias oxidase positiva.

Opinion 40: Rejection of the Names Mima De Bord and Herellea De Bord and of the Specific Epithets polymorpha and vaginicola in Mima polymorpha De Bord and Herellea vaginicola De Bord, Respectively

The generic names Mima De Bord 1939, 1942 and Herellea De Bord 1942 were placed on the list of rejected names. The specific epithets polymorpha and vaginicola in the names Mima polymorpha De Bord 1939, 1942 and Herellea vaginicola De Bord 1942, respectively, were placed on the list of rejected epithets. The tribal name Mimeae De Bord 1939, 1942 therefore has no standing in nomenclature because it is based on a rejected generic name.

Nonfermentative bacilli associated with man. 3. Pathogenicity and antibiotic susceptibility.

As it is now possible as well as practical to identify nearly all nonfermentative Gram-negative bacilli recovered from clinical material, 565 strains of these bacteria were studied in respect to four features: incidence, distribution, potential pathogenicity, and antibiotic susceptibility. Four species, previously known to be opportunistic pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. maltophilia, Acinetobacter anitratus (Herellea vaginicola) , and A. Iwoffi (Mima polymorpha) , were the most commonly encountered. P. pseudoalcaligenes and P. fluorescens were also frequently encountered. Seven species of questionable pathogenicity were less common; these were P. stutzeri, P. acidovorans, P. putida, P. alcaligenes, P. multivorans, P. diminuta , and Chromobacterium typhiflavum. Bordetella bronchiseptica and Xanthomonas species, occasionally encountered, appeared to be nonpathogenic for man. Three of the five species of Moraxella associated with man were encountered: M. nonliquefaciens, M. osloensis , and M. phenylpyrouvica . Only one strain of Alcaligenes faecalis , of doubtful pathogenicity, was found. Some strains of A. odorans were pathogenic. Most strains of flavobacteria were not clinically significant; none of these corresponded biochemically to King's Flavobacterium meningosepticum .

Browning of acetate medium by Herellea vaginicola (Achromobacter anitratus).

A brown coloration developed in the culture filtrate when Herellea vaginicola (Achromobacter anitratus) grew profusely in a sodium acetate and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate basal salts liquid medium. Variations of environmental and cultural conditions affected the intensity of the brown color. The conditions studied were temperature, 25° and 37°, duration of incubation, aeration of growing cultures, and various concentrations of the nitrogen and carbon source. Spectrophotometric and solubility studies suggest that the observed brown coloration was not due to a bacterial pigment. Chromatographic analyses of freeze-dried culture fluid after acid hydrolysis showed six amino acids, one amino hexose, and two hexoses. A Maillard reaction occurring among the components in the supernatant appears to be responsible for the observed brown color.

Practical physiological schema for the identification of Herellea vaginicola and its differentiation from similar organisms.

A seven-test schema is presented that will identify Herellea vaginicola and differentiate it from Mima, Moraxella, and other gram-negative organisms whose biochemical reactions are similar to those of Herellea. Of 133 cultures examined, 49 were Herellea strains accurately identified by this schema: 34 of the 49 cultures were the capsular type strains of Herellea and 15 strains were from a group of 53 ATCC cultures listed under several different taxons. The remaining 84 non-Herellea cultures yielded 4 (4.7%) false positive identifications for Herellea; two were from a selected group of organisms (EO-1) whose taxonomic position is undetermined and two were Klebsiella ozaenae. Since neither of these groups is frequently encountered in clinical specimens, from a practical viewpoint they present no particular problem in the identification of Herellea. We recommend the use of the seven tests as described in this paper as a routine procedure for the identification of H. vaginicola.

A serologic study of Herellea vaginicola and its identification by immunofluorescent staining.

A serologic basis for the identification of Herellea vaginicola and its differentiation from Mima polymorpha was presented. The validity of this serologic typing was confirmed on the basis of a small number of physiologic tests given in this paper. Thus, the immediate need of the clinical laboratory for simple diagnostic methods to differentiate Herellea from Mima and other related organisms is met. Fluorescent antibody (FA) serotyping, with the current number of types, provided a rapid means of identifying 79% of all Herellea examined. Serotyping may prove useful in future epidemiologic studies. Twenty-eight serotypes of Herellea were established, using FA and Quellung reagents. Both tests were based on the detection of specific capsular antigens rather than on a mixture of capsular and broadly reactive somatic antigens. Serotyping with FA reagents proved to be a specific test and a simple one to interpret. Fluorescent antibody typing indicated that Herellea capsular antigens were, with very few exceptions, unrelated to those of Mima polymorpha . Agglutination tests, upon which most previous studies were based, were totally unreliable for separating the two genera. When accompanied by more sophisticated physiologic testing, FA typing may assist materially in the classification of the bacteria which make up the species Herellea vaginicola , Mima polymorpha , and related species or genera.

Evaluation of media for differentiating nonfermenting gram-negative bacteria of medical significance.

An evaluation was made of media and tests used for differentiating nonfermenting gram-negative bacteria encountered in medical bacteriology in order to determine those diagnostic procedures most useful in identifying these bacteria. The organisms examined included Alcaligenes faecalis, A. odorans var. viridans, Moraxella duplex (Mima polymorpha var. oxidans), Acinetobacter anitratum (Herellea vaginicola), A. lwoffi (Mima polymorpha), Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. putida, P. maltophilia, P. pseudomallei, P. stutzeri, P. alcaligenes, and atypical strains of P. aeruginosa. The media and tests evaluated included Sellers' medium; Hugh and Leifson's OF medium; acid production from 10% lactose infusion agar; gluconate oxidation; starch, aesculin, and Tween 80 hydrolysis; lysine decarboxylase, arginine dihydrolase, deoxyribonuclease, and tyrosinase activity; tolerance to triphenyl tetrazolium chloride, cetrimide, cadmium sulfate, 2.5% and 6.5% sodium chloride, and pH 5.6; utilization of glucose, acetamide, and malonate.