Complexity of β-lactamases among clinical Aeromonas isolates and its clinical implications
Po-Lin Chen, Wen-Chien Ko, Chi-Jung Wu
Received: August 1, 2012
Revised: August 8, 2012
Accepted: October 1, 2012
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Background and purpose:
Aeromonas species, aquatic Gram-negative bacilli, distributed globally and ubiquitously in the natural environment, may be implicated in a variety of human diseases. They can produce various β-lactamases which confer resistance to a broad spectrum of β-lactams, and therefore in vitro susceptibility testing must be used to guide antimicrobial therapy. However, conventional in vitro susceptibility tests may sometimes fail to detect these β-lactamases, and hence raise a therapeutic challenge. In this review article, two chromosomally mediated β-lactamases (i.e., AmpC β-lactamases and metallo-β-lactamases) and acquired extended-spectrum β-lactamases in aeromonads are reviewed, and the clinical implications of the complexity of β-lactamases are discussed.
Key words:
Aeromonas, AmpC, Antimicrobial therapy, β-lactamases, Extended-spectrum β-lactamase, Metallo-β-lactamase
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