Aim. The study aimed at analyzing ESBL-and AmpC-positive Enterobacteriaceae in the gastrointestinal tracts of university hospital inpatients and persons from the Olomouc Region community, and comparing the results with data from 2007. Methods. Bacteria were isolated from rectal swabs inoculated onto the ChromID TM ESBL selective medium (bioMérieux). Production of ESBL-type beta-lactamases was confirmed by the modified double-disk synergy test and AmpC enzyme production was detected by the AmpC disk test. ESBL-and AmpC-positive isolates were subjected to basic genetic analysis aimed at detecting the bla TEM , bla SHV , bla CTX-M and bla AmpC genes. Results. Over the study period (1 March 2010 -1 May 2010), a total of 1,279 rectal swabs (70.4% of community subjects) were analyzed on the above medium. The prevalence rates of ESBL-positive Enterobacteriaceae were 8.2% in hospitalized patients and 3.2% in community subjects. Production of the AmpC enzyme was detected in 1.1% of bacterial isolates from the community and in one (0.3%) hospital isolate. Among ESBL, the most frequent genes encoding enzymes were from the CTX-M-1-like genes. Detected AmpC beta-lactamases belonged to the CIT, DHA and EBC groups. Conclusion. When compared with the year 2007, the rates of carriers of ESBL-positive bacteria increased in both hospitalized patients (from 3% to 8%) and community subjects (from 1% to 3%) in 2010. Given the fact that production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases is clinically significant, knowing the epidemiological situation is very important for selecting adequate antibiotic therapy.

, Vladislav Raclavsky aAims. Limited aeration has been demonstrated to cause slowdown in proliferation and delayed budding, resulting eventually in a unique unbudded G2-arrest in the obligate aerobic pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. Also, the ability to adapt to decreased oxygen levels during pathogenesis has been identified as a virulence factor in C. neoformans. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize genes that are necessary for the proliferation slowdown and G2-arrest caused by limited aeration. Methods. Random mutants were prepared and screened for lack of typical slowdown of proliferation under limited aeration. The CNAG_00156.2 gene coding for a zinc-finger transcription factor was identified in mutants showing most distinctive phenotype. Targeted deletion strain and reconstituted strain were prepared to characterize and confirm the gene functions. This gene was also identified in a parallel studies as homologous both to calcineurin responsive (Crz1) and PKC1-dependent (SP1-like) transcription factors. Results. We have confirmed the role of the cryptococcal homologue of CRZ1/SP1-like transcription factor in cell integrity, and newly demonstrated its role in slowdown of proliferation and survival under reduced aeration, in biofilm formation and in susceptibility to fluconazole.Conclusions. Our data demonstrate a tight molecular link between slowdown of proliferation during hypoxic adaptation and maintenance of cell integrity in C. neoformans and present a new role for the CRZ1 family of transcription factors in fungi. The exact positioning of this protein in cryptococcal signalling cascades remains to be clarified.

Background. This prospective study aimed at assessing the effect of initial antibiotic therapy on the mortality of patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) by analyzing bacterial pathogens and their resistance to antimicrobial agents.Methods. Included were patients hospitalized in the

Resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is a global medical problem requiring close cooperation between veterinary and human physicians. Raw materials and foods of animal origin may be not only a source of pathogenic bacteria causing alimentary tract infections but also a source of bacteria with a dangerous extent of resistance to antibiotics, potentially entering the human food chain. This article presents results of the first study in the Czech Republic detecting the presence of Enterobacteriaceae-producing extended-spectrum b -lactamases (ESBLs) in swabs collected in slaughterhouses from surfaces of healthy animal carcasses. In 2012, swabs taken from pig (n = 166) and cattle (n = 140) carcass surfaces were analyzed. In 17 % of 53 studied slaughterhouses, ESBL-producing Escherichia coli strains were isolated. ESBLs were found in 11 and 4 % of porcine and bovine samples, respectively. Swabs collected from pigs yielded 18 ESBL-producing E. coli strains. The bla genes were found to encode production of CTX-M-1 group enzymes in 16 strains, SHV in one case, and both CTX-M-1-like and TEM in another case. In swabs taken from cattle, five ESBL-producing E. coli strains were isolated. In three cases, the bla genes for CTX-M-1-like production were identified; in two cases, genes for both CTX-M-1-like and TEM production were found. The similarity/identity of ESBL-positive isolates was compared by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. This is the first report and characterization of the presence and nature of ESBL-producing E. coli in swabs collected from surfaces of healthy pig and cattle carcasses in slaughterhouses in the Czech Republic.

Bacterial infections are an important issue in current clinical medicine. The severity of infectious diseases has increased dramatically in recent years, which is also due to increasing numbers of resistant bacteria, including strains producing broad-spectrum beta-lactamases. The study aimed at determining the prevalence of ESBL- and AmpC-positive Enterobacteriaceae at the Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Olomouc. Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from clinical samples from infants hospitalized at the Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Olomouc over a period of 2 years. ESBL- and AmpC-positive isolates were subjected to basic genetic analysis. In the study period, a total of 1,526 isolates of the Enterobacteriaceae family were identified, including 55 (3.6%) cases of the ESBL phenotype and 17 (1.1%) AmpC-positive isolates. Genetic analysis of ESBL-positive isolates revealed a majority of CTX-M enzymes. Among AmpC beta-lactamases, the EBC, CIT, DHA, and MOX types were detected. An Escherichia coli strain was isolated with mutations in the promoter region of the ampC chromosomal gene that are associated with overproduction of the relevant enzyme.