Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9121584 | FEMS Microbiology Letters | 2005 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
Large-scale nosocomial outbreaks of Serratia marcescens septicaemia in Japan have had a fatality rate of 20-60% within 48Â h. As a countermeasure, a real-time PCR assay was constructed for the rapid diagnosis of S. marcescens septicaemia. This assay indeed detected S. marcescens in clinical blood specimens (at ca. 102Â CFUÂ mlâ1), at a frequency of 0.5% in suspected cases of septicaemia. In mice, the assay provided estimates of blood S. marcescens levels at various infectious stages: namely, 107 to 108Â CFUÂ mlâ1 at a fatal stage (resulting in 100% death), 104-105Â CFUÂ mlâ1 at a moderately fatal stage (resulting in 50% or more death), and <103Â CFUÂ mlâ1 at a mild stage (resulting in 100% survival), consistent with actual CFU measurements. Blood bacterial levels could be an important clinical marker that reflects the severity of septicaemia. The simultaneous detection of S. marcescens and the carbapenem resistance gene was also demonstrated.
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Authors
Akira Iwaya, Saori Nakagawa, Nobuhiro Iwakura, Ikue Taneike, Mizuki Kurihara, Tomoko Kuwano, Fumio Gondaira, Miyoko Endo, Katsuyoshi Hatakeyama, Tatsuo Yamamoto,