Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T16:26:50.608Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Evaluation of the Variety of Plasmid Profiles in S epidermidis Isolates from Hospital Patients and Staff

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2016

Carrie R. Valentine*
Affiliation:
Departments of Microbiology/Immunology and Internal Medicine, Oral Roberts University and City of Faith, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Susan H. Yandle
Affiliation:
Departments of Microbiology/Immunology and Internal Medicine, Oral Roberts University and City of Faith, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Frederic J. Marsik
Affiliation:
Departments of Microbiology/Immunology and Internal Medicine, Oral Roberts University and City of Faith, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jack R. Ebright
Affiliation:
Departments of Microbiology/Immunology and Internal Medicine, Oral Roberts University and City of Faith, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Mark S. Dawson
Affiliation:
Departments of Microbiology/Immunology and Internal Medicine, Oral Roberts University and City of Faith, Tulsa, Oklahoma
*
Department of Microbiology/Immunology, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK 74137-1297

Abstract

Plasmid profiling was used to determine the variability of normal flora isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis in order to evaluate the usefulness of plasmid profiling for identifying pathogens. Fifteen hospital staff members and patients repeatedly had cultures taken from the hands and nares, and multiple isolates were examined for plasmid profiles. S epidermidis isolated from the nares of 15 neonates were also examined. The total number of isolates examined for plasmid profiles was 726. Repetition of profiles was common among the different isolates from a single sampling (one swab). The frequency of re-isolating similar profiles on different days varied from 7% to 13%. Simultaneous isolation of similar profiles from nares and hands on the same individual varied from 0% to 11%, the percentage being lower for personnel. Isolation of the same plasmid profile from different individuals occurred only twice and resulted in an assignment probability of Pa = 0.002 for isolates obtained from different individuals. Significantly more isolates from nares contained plasmids (97%) compared with isolates from hands (89%).Patients who had two or more isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci with similar profiles were judged, clinically, to have infections in 12 of 13 cases. However, the likelihood of re-isolating an S epidermidis strain with a similar plasmid profile twice from the same person at different times was sufficiently high to prevent plasmid profiling from being used as an absolute criterion for infection.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Parisi, JT: Coagulase-negative staphylococcus and epidemiological typing of Staphylococcus epidermidis . Microbiol Rev 1985; 49: 126139.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2. Archer, GL, Karchmer, AM! Vishniavsky, N, et al: Plasmid-pattern analysis for the differentiation of infecting from noninfecting Staphylococcus epidermidis . J Infect Dis 1984; 149:913920.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3. Parisi, JT, Lampson, BC, Hoover, DL. et al: Comparison of epidemiologic markers for Staphylococcus epidermidis . J Clin Microbiol 1986; 24:5660.10.1128/jcm.24.1.56-60.1986CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4. Parisi, JT: Epidemiologic markers in Staphylococcus epidermidis infections, in Lieve, L (ed): Microbiology—1986. Washington DC, American Society for Microbiology, 1986; 24:5660.Google Scholar
4. Parisi, JT: Epidemiologic markers in Staphylococcus epidermidis infections, in Lieve, L (ed): Microbiology—1986.. Washington DC, American Society for Microbiology, 1986, pp 139144.Google Scholar
5. Hartstein, Al, Valvano, MA, Morthland, VH, et al: Antimicrobic susceptibility and plasmid profile analysis as identity tests for multiple blood isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci. J Clin Microbiol 1987; 25:589593.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6. Wachsmuth, K: Molecular epidemiology of bacterial infections: Examples of methodology and of investigations of outbreaks. Rev Infect Dis 1986; 8:682692.10.1093/clinids/8.5.682CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7. Kloos, WE, Orban, BS, Walker, DD: Plasmid composition of Staphylococcus species. Can J Microbiol 1981; 27:271278.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8. Archer, GL, Vishniavsky, N, Stiver, HG: Plasmid pattern analysis of Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates from patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis. Infect Immunol 1982; 35:627632.10.1128/iai.35.2.627-632.1982CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Kloos, WE: Natural populations of the genus Staphylococcus . Ann Rev Microbiol 1980; 34:559592.10.1146/annurev.mi.34.100180.003015CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10. Christensen, GD, Bisno, AL, Parisi, JT, et al: Nosocomial septicemia due to multiply antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis . Ann Intern Med 1982; 96:110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11. Kumar, SP, Delivoria-Papadopoulos, M: Infections in newborn infants in a special care unit: A changing pattern of infection. Ann Clin Lab Sci 1985; 15:351356.Google Scholar
12. Munson, DP, Thompson, TR, Johnson, DE. et al: Coagulase-negative staphylococcal septicemia: Experience in a newborn intensive care unit. J Pediatr 1982: 101:602605.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13. Woods, GL, Hall, GS, Rutherford, I. et al: Rapid identification of Staphylococcus epidermidis . Am J Clin Pathol 1987; 87:525528.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14. Tompkins, LS: DNA methods in clinical microbiology, in Lennette, EH, Balows, A, Hausler, WJ Jr, et al (eds): Manual of Clinical Microbiology, ed 4. Washington DC, American Society for Microbiology. 1985. pp 10231028.Google Scholar
15. Christensen, GD, Parisi, JT, Bisno, AL, et al: Characterization of clinically significant strains of coagulase-negative staphylococcus. J Clin Microbiol 1983; 18:258269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16. Schefler, WC: Statistics for the Biological Sciences, ed 2. Reading, MA, Addison Wesley, Inc, 1979, pp 103120.Google Scholar