Previous Article | Next Article 
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 2002, p. 123-127, Vol. 40, No. 1
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.1.123-127.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
ßlasEN: Microdilution Panel for Identifying ß-Lactamases Present in Isolates of Enterobacteriaceae
Christine C. Sanders,1 Anton F. Ehrhardt,1 Ellen Smith Moland,1 Kenneth S. Thomson,1* Barbara Zimmer,2 and Darcie E. Roe2
Center for Research in Anti-Infectives and Biotechnology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska,1
Dade MicroScan, Sacramento, California2
Received 2 July 2001/
Returned for modification 17 August 2001/
Accepted 21 October 2001

ABSTRACT
A dried investigational use-only microdilution panel named ßlasEN
(a short named derived from the panels purpose, to identify
ß-lactamases in
Enterobacteriaceae) containing 10
ß-lactam drugs with and without ß-lactamase
inhibitors was developed to identify ß-lactamases
among clinical isolates of
Escherichia coli,
Klebsiella pneumoniae,
Klebsiella oxytoca,
Citrobacter koseri,
Citrobacter freundii group,
Enterobacter spp., and
Serratia marcescens. The MICs
obtained with a collection of 383 organisms containing well-characterized
ß-lactamases were used to develop numeric codes and
logic pathways for computerized analysis of results. The resultant
logic pathways and ßlasEN panel were then used to
test and identify ß-lactamases among 885 isolates
of
Enterobacteriaceae recovered in cultures obtained at six
different hospital laboratories across the United States. ß-Lactamases
present in 801 (90.5%) of the 885 isolates were identified by
ßlasEN by using the existing logic pathways and codes
or after minor modifications were made to the existing codes.
The 84 strains that gave codes that ßlasEN could not
identify were collected, reidentified, and retested by using
ßlasEN. Three strains had been misidentified, 54 strains
gave different codes upon repeat testing that could be identified
by ßlasEN, and 27 strains repeated new codes. The
ß-lactamases in these strains were identified, and
the new codes were added to the ßlasEN logic pathways.
These results indicate that ßlasEN can identify clinically
important ß-lactamases among most isolates of
Enterobacteriaceae.
The results also show that good quality control and attention
to proper performance of the tests are essential to the correct
performance of ßlasEN.

INTRODUCTION
Over the past 10 years, there has been a significant increase
in the numbers and types of ß-lactamases encountered
among clinical isolates of
Enterobacteriaceae (
4
7,
9,
14
16,
18,
23,
31,
37; H. Kurokawa et al., Letter, Lancet
354:955, 1999). Not only have the older plasmid-mediated ß-lactamases
such as TEM-1 and SHV-1 become more prevalent but also new derivatives
of these enzymes capable of producing resistance to expanded-spectrum
ß-lactam antibiotics have appeared (
9,
19). Plasmid
derivatives of chromosomal ß-lactamases have also
appeared (
2,
9,
14), as have enzymes capable of producing resistance
to the carbapenems (
9,
12,
22,
28; G. Cornaglia et al., Letter,
Lancet
353:899900, 1999). Unfortunately, many
Enterobacteriaceae producing these new ß-lactamases do not show frank
resistance in routine susceptibility tests with certain ß-lactam
antibiotics despite clinical evidence that the drugs do not
provide effective therapy (
8,
10,
21,
29,
44). Thus, it has
become imperative to design tests that will help microbiologists
identify which ß-lactamase(s) may be present in a
clinical isolate of
Enterobacteriaceae (
8,
11,
12,
17,
20,
25,
33,
34,
38
40).
A series of studies have been performed to determine whether or not results of microdilution panels with or without ß-lactamase inhibitors could be used to determine the presence of certain ß-lactamases among species within the family Enterobacteriaceae (13, 25, 41). Results have shown that a broad variety of ß-lactam drugs would be required for a ß-lactamase identification panel and that accurate identification would require complex logic pathways involving multiple drugs. Therefore, a two-phase study was designed to develop a dried investigational use-only microdilution panel and associated software for the purpose of identification of ß-lactamases among certain species of Enterobacteriaceae.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study design.
A two-phase study was designed to develop a dried microdilution
panel for the identification of ß-lactamases in clinical
isolates of
Enterobacteriaceae. In the first phase, our objectives
were (i) to produce a microdilution panel containing a variety
of ß-lactam drugs with and without ß-lactamase
inhibitors, (ii) to test the panel against a collection of
Enterobacteriaceae containing well-characterized ß-lactamases, (iii)
to determine which drug(s) were most useful in identifying ß-lactamases
in each species and develop a method for converting the MICs
of these drugs to a numerical code, and (iv) to develop logic
pathways for identifying numerical codes associated with specific
ß-lactamases in individual species and adapt the pathways
for computerized use. The product of the first phase was the
ßlasEN system, which includes a microdilution panel
with computerized analysis of results.
In the second phase, our objectives were (i) to have six clinical laboratories test the microdilution panel against 20 consecutive nonduplicate isolates of eight species of Enterobacteriaceae and send the MICs to a data collecting site, (ii) to run the MIC results through ßlasEN software for analysis of results, (iii) to determine how well the existing logic pathways identified ß-lactamases among the Enterobacteriaceae, and (iv) to modify the logic pathways to enable the ßlasEN system to identify most ß-lactamases encountered. The clinical test sites included Hunter Holmes Maguire VA Medical Center, Richmond, VA (site VA); the University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles (site CA); the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. (site NC); the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, N.J. (site NJ); St. Vincents Hospital and Medical Center of New York, New York, N.Y. (site NY); and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio (site OH).
ßlasEN system.
Antibiotic susceptibilities were determined according to the manufacturers recommendations by an overnight microdilution method with a dehydrated investigational panel provided by Dade MicroScan, Inc. (Sacramento, Calif.). The panels contained doubling dilutions of ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, ticarcillin, and cefpodoxime, with each drug tested alone and in combination with a fixed concentration of 2 µg of clavulanate/ml. Ceftriaxone was also tested in combination with a fixed concentration of 8 µg of sulbactam/ml. Piperacillin, meropenem, ampicillin, cefepime, cefoxitin, and cephalothin were also tested alone. MIC results were analyzed by computerized logic pathways (ßlasEN) to identify types of ß-lactamase production.
Strains.
Tests were performed with 383 isolates of Enterobacteriaceae with well-characterized ß-lactamases (Table 1) and with 885 clinical isolates from six U.S. Medical Centers. Many of the characterized strains, as well as the methods used to identify the ß-lactamases, have been described in detail previously (3, 13, 24, 27, 32, 35). The ß-lactamase groups in the study were as follows: AmpC, including hyperproducers of both inducible and constitutively expressed chromosomal genes as well as plasmid-mediated derivatives; ESBL, extended-spectrum ß-lactamases; OSBL, "older-spectrum" ß-lactamases (e.g., TEM-1, SHV-1, OXA-1, etc.); LowA (for Escherichia coli only), low but elevated expression of chromosomal AmpC; wild type (WT), no detectable ß-lactamase activity (E. coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae), low levels of ß-lactamase (Klebsiella oxytoca), low levels of penicillinase (Citrobacter koseri), or low basal levels of AmpC which is inducible (Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Serratia marcescens); Hi K1, high-level production of K1 ß-lactamase (K. oxytoca); and Carbapenemase, a ß-lactamase capable of hydrolyzing carbapenems such as meropenem and imipenem. Quality control strains included E. coli ATCC 25922 (WT), CU-EC1 (ESBL-producing strain), and CU-EC2 (high-level chromosomal AmpC-producing strain). ß-Lactamases were identified with the groups listed in Tables 1 and 2.

RESULTS
Phase 1.
A total of 383 isolates of
Enterobacteriaceae with well-characterized
ß-lactamases were used to design and produce the ßlasEN
system (Table
1). Selection of drugs for inclusion in the panels
was based upon results of previous studies (
25,
41) and those
obtained in the previous study in tests with characterized strains.
Among the extended-spectrum cephalosporins, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone,
and cefpodoxime with or without ß-lactamase inhibitors
were chosen because they provided maximum discrimination between
the various ß-lactamases encountered. Since cefotaxime
did not improve discrimination of ß-lactamase groups
beyond that provided by ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, and cefpodoxime,
it was not included in the final part. The ß-lactamase
groups among the 383 characterized strains identified by ßlasEN
are shown in Table
1. The logic pathways utilized to determine
these groups were species specific except for the two
Enterobacter species where the same logic pathways could be used for both.
Some of the ß-lactamase groups were found among each
of the species tested, while some were species specific. In
a few instances, it was not possible to develop a logic pathway
that could discriminate between two ß-lactamase groups.
Most of these were species specific. Due to similarities in
MICs observed among certain groups, it was not possible to discriminate
between certain strains of
Enterobacteriaceae producing an ESBL
that also had a porin mutation affecting carbapenem susceptibility
and mutants producing high levels of AmpC that also had a similar
porin mutation (denoted as ESBL/mutant + porin in Table
1).
There were only four
E. aerogenes in this category. It was also
not possible to discriminate among the five strains of
E. cloacae that possessed an ESBL (two strains) or an OSBL (three strains).
Among the
S. marcescens strains it was not possible to discriminate
between one mutant and four WTsthe former being highly
susceptible to many agents. It was also not possible to discriminate
between one mutant producing an OSBL and five WTs producing
an OSBLthe former again being highly susceptible to many
agents. This problem with
S. marcescens probably reflects the
highly important role porin mutations play upon the background
susceptibility of the species to a number of agents and the
numerous mutations that can occur in the porins which alter
susceptibility (
36). It is likely that these rare
S. marcescens derepressed mutants have porins that are responsible for their
unusual high susceptibility to numerous agents.
To assess the robustness of the codes, tests were repeated with a number of the characterized strains to see whether the same code would be generated in each replicate. Results (not shown) indicated that codes generated by most strains were quite reproducible, whereas others varied. These variations were therefore built into the codes wherever possible. Codes for certain ß-lactamase groups were so similar that replicate runs for some strains gave different ß-lactamase groups. This variation was allowed to exist in the codes if it was a rare occurrence and/or if the implications of the groups were similar. For example, with a K. pneumoniae strain producing both an ESBL and a plasmid-mediated AmpC ß-lactamase, a code indicating the ESBL was generated in one of two runs, while a code indicating the presence of the ESBL+AmpC was generated in one of two runs. With a strain of E. aerogenes producing an ESBL, 7 of 20 replicates gave a code indicating high levels of AmpC, while 13 of 20 replicates indicated the ESBL. For S. marcescens, one strain producing high-level AmpC+ESBL+OSBL coded as high-level AmpC in one of two replicates and as ESBL in one of two replicates, and one strain producing an ESBL coded as OSBL in one of two replicates and as WT (mutant)+OSBL in one of two replicates.
Among the characterized strains, there were several errors in identification by ßlasEN (Table 1). For E. coli, two strains coded as Low AmpC+OSBL that were porin mutants plus OSBL. The porin mutation in this situation yields MICs similar to those produced by low levels of AmpC. One strain of K. pneumoniae producing high levels of SHV-1 (OSBL) generated codes indicating ESBL in three of three replicates. This error can occur in tests such as these since the high levels of the OSBL in this organism give elevated ceftazidime MICs that are reduced by clavulanate (30). One strain of K. oxytoca producing an OSBL generated codes indicating a WT in two of two replicates. This was due to an unusually high level of ticarcillin-clavulanate susceptibility in the strain. In fact, a probe was performed on the strain to confirm the continued presence of the OSBL.
At the end of phase 1, it appeared that the codes and logic pathways of ßlasEN were sufficiently robust to take to a trial on clinical isolates. Alterations had been made in the codes to allow for inherent variability in codes, and errors had been minimized.
Phase 2.
A total of 885 clinical isolates were tested utilizing the ßlasEN system. These included 119 isolates of E. coli, 117 isolates of K. pneumoniae, 107 isolates of K. oxytoca, 105 isolates of C. freundii, 104 isolates of E. aerogenes, 111 isolates of E. cloacae, and 115 isolates of S. marcescens. The existing logic pathways in the ßlasEN system were able to identify a ß-lactamase group for 711 (80.3%) isolates. The MIC codes generated by an additional 90 (10.2%) were so similar to existing codes (within the twofold error expected for MICs) that a ß-lactamase group was identifiable for these strains after making only minor modifications to the logic pathways of ßlasEN. Thus, for 801 (90.5%) isolates, a ß-lactamase group could be identified by ßlasEN.
We found that 84 (9.5%) isolates produced MIC codes that could not be identified by ßlasEN. These strains (capture strains) were sent to a reference laboratory for further study and included 5 E. coli, 2 K. pneumoniae, 4 K. oxytoca, 21 C. koseri, 13 C. freundii, 8 E. aerogenes, 18 E. cloacae, and 13 S. marcescens strains. One C. koseri strain was identified as Citrobacter amalonaticus, one E. cloacae strain was identified as a Providencia stuartii, and one E. cloacae strain was identified as a C. koseri. Since the first two misidentified organisms are not in the database, these were dropped from further study. An additional 54 isolates generated different codes upon repeat testing with ßlasEN, and these were readily identifiable by ßlasEN. A total of 27 of the 885 isolates (3.1%) still gave new codes upon repeat testing with ßlasEN. These were characterized for their ß-lactamases, and the codes were added to the logic pathways for those ß-lactamase groups. These included one E. coli (OSBL), two K. oxytoca (high K1), one C. koseri (OSBL), nine C. koseri (WT), one C. freundii (mutant), one C. freundii (WT+OSBL), two C. freundii (WT), four E. aerogenes (mutant), one E. cloacae (mutant), and two S. marcescens (WT) strains.
Within the 801 isolates initially identified by ßlasEN, 21 strains were also collected for repeat testing (interest strains) either because they generated rare codes for ß-lactamase groups commonly encountered for the species or because they generated codes for ß-lactamases rarely encountered in the species. Of the 21 strains, only 4 generated the same code on repeat testing. Five were misidentified, and repeat testing generated different codes with 12, 7 of which indicated a different ß-lactamase group from the original code.
When all results obtained with the clinical isolates (including repeats) were compiled, there were 882 evaluable study strains (Table 2). This reflected dropping the three strains that when reidentified, belonged to species outside of the database. The ß-lactamases in the final 882 evaluable study strains included the following: high-level AmpC in 105 (11.9%) strains; ESBL in 61 (6.9%) strains; low chromosomal AmpC +OSBL in 4 isolates of E. coli; OSBL in 163 (18.5%) isolates; WT ß-lactamase in 524 (59.4%) strains; and high K1 in 10 strains of K. oxytoca. In 15 (1.7%) strains, ßlasEN could not definitively identify the ß-lactamase present (Table 2). These included four strains of E. coli with Low AmpC ß-lactamase that may or may not have also had an OSBL, six strains of S. marcescens that could have been WT or a hypersensitive mutant, three strains of S. marcescens with OSBLs that could have been WT or a hypersensitive mutant, and one strain of E. aerogenes that could have been a porin mutant and produced either high levels of AmpC or an ESBL. One strain of E. cloacae fell into a new group of OSBL/ESBL/mutantcreated when a characterized capture strain was found to be a partially derepressed mutant and gave the same code as three OSBL-producing and three ESBL-producing E. cloacae strains in the characterized Creighton collection.
For C. freundii there had been a repeat code created, i.e., if the code was generated by a strain, a message told the operator to repeat the ßlasEN test since the code suggested an error. This repeat code was not encountered among the 105 clinical isolates of this species tested. Because of the difficulty in discriminating among certain ß-lactamase groups with some Enterobacter codes, a repeat code was created for this group as well. Four clinical isolates of E. aerogenes generated these repeat codes. All four were captured and found to be mutants. The codes generated upon repeat testing identified three to be mutants and one to be an OSBLthe only discrepancy in the capture strains.
Quality control was performed with three strains of E. coli: ATCC 25922, a WT; CU EC-1, an ESBL-producing strain; and CU EC-2, a producer of high levels of chromosomal AmpC ß-lactamase. A total of 64 replicate runs with ATCC 25922 generated a WT code. Another 64 replicate runs with CU EC-1 generated an ESBL code. However, only 56 of 64 replicate runs with CU EC-2 generated AmpC codes. Among the eight out-of-control runs, seven generated codes not recognized by ßlasEN and one coded for ESBL. All of these problems were due to lower-than-anticipated MICs in the ceftazidime-clavulanate and ceftriaxone-clavulanate combinations. Two of the participating laboratories accounted for six of the eight out-of-control results.

DISCUSSION
The results of this study clearly showed that it was possible
to design a reliable microdilution panel with associated software
for the identification of specific ß-lactamases among
certain species of
Enterobacteriaceae. This system, the ßlasEN
system, was able to provide a definitive identification for
ß-lactamases in 867 of 882 (i.e., 98.3%) clinical
isolates tested and a preliminary identification (more than
one possibility) in the remaining 15 isolates. Given that members
of the family
Enterobacteriaceae have becoming increasingly
complex in their mechanisms of resistance to ß-lactam
antibiotics (
42), there is an increasing need for clinical laboratory
methodologies that provide more sophisticated, and clinically
relevant, ß-lactamase identifications.
Of the 105 isolates recovered for repeat testing, 74 (70.5%) gave results that differed from the original test site. Of these isolates, 8 (7.6%) had been misidentified and 66 (62.9%) generated different codes on repeat testing that could be identified by ßlasEN. It is possible that some of these differences in codes could have been due to the loss one or more resistance mechanisms during storage and transport between the initial and repeat test sites (1, 26, 43).
ßlasEN is the first system involving microdilution with computer-assisted interpretation of results designed for the purpose of identification of ß-lactamases among Enterobacteriaceae. It should be noted that the codes and logic pathways of ßlasEN are specific for MICs obtained in this particular dried microdilution panel. They could not be used with other MIC procedures to identify ß-lactamase groups.
The clinical utility of a system such as ßlasEN warrants investigation. It would be of great value in hospitals with Enterobacteriaceae harboring ß-lactamases that do not produce frank resistance in routine susceptibility tests. It could also generate very important information to surveillance programs both within a single hospital and across specific geographic regions. Knowledge of the presence of specific ß-lactamases in addition to the ß-lactam susceptibility of Enterobacteriaceae encountered in a given environment would be very valuable in directing therapy for specific patients, as well as in designing drug utilization programs for larger areas. To be maximally effective, ßlasEN would need to be expanded to include additional species of Enterobacteriaceae currently not in the database and also updated on a regular basis to include new ß-lactamases as they are encountered in clinical isolates. However, based on the results presented here, this approach appears to be very promising and should be pursued further.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank the investigators at the clinical sites involved in
phase 2 of the study: P. Coudron (site VA), J. F. Hindler (site
CA), S. Mirrett (site NC), M. Weinstein (site NJ), V. LaBombardi
(site NY), and G. Hall (site OH). We also thank N. D. Hanson,
J. A. Black, and T. J. Lockhart for technical assistance and
Patti Falk for help with the manuscript.

FOOTNOTES
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Center for Research in Anti-Infectives and Biotechnology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University School of Medicine, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE 68178. Phone: (402) 280-2921. Fax: (402) 280-1225. E-mail:
kstaac{at}creighton.edu.


REFERENCES
1 - Bakken, J. S., C. C. Sanders, and K. S. Thomson. 1987. Selective ceftazidime resistance in Escherichia coli: association with changes in outer membrane. protein J. Infect. Dis. 155:12201225.[Medline]
2 - Bauernfeind, A., Y. Chong, and K. Lee. 1998. Plasmid-encoded AmpC beta-lactamases: how far have we gone 10 years after the discovery? Yonsei Med. J. 39:520525.
3 - Bauernfeind, A., H. Grimm, and S. Schweighart. 1990. A new plasmidic cefotaximase in a clinical isolate of Escherichia coli. Infection 18:294298.[CrossRef][Medline]
4 - Bauernfeind, A., I. Stemplinger, R. Jungwirth, R. Wilhelm, and Y. Chong. 1996. Comparative characterization of the cephamycinase blacmy-1 gene and its relationship with other ß-lactamases genes. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 40:19261930.[Abstract]
5 - Bradford, P. A., C. Urban, N. Mariano, S. J. Projan, J. J. Rahal, and K. Bush. 1997. Imipenem resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae is associated with the combination of ACT-1, a plasmid-mediated AmpC ß-lactamase, and the loss of an outer membrane protein. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 41:563569.[Abstract]
6 - Bradford, P. A., Y. Yang, D. Sahm, I. Grope, D. Gardovska, and G. Storch. 1998. CTX-M-5, a novel cefotaxime-hydrolyzing beta-lactamase from an outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium in Latvia. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 42:19801984.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
7 - Bret, L., C. Chanal, D. Sirot, R. Labia, and J. Sirot. 1996. Characterization of an inhibitor-resistant enzyme IRT-2 derived from TEM-2 ß-lactamase produced by Proteus mirabilis strains. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 38:183191.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
8 - Brun-Buisson, C., P. Legrand, A. Philippon, F. Montravers, M. Ansquer, and J. Duval. 1987. Transferable enzymatic resistance to third-generation cephalosporins during nosocomial outbreak of multiresistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Lancet ii:302306.
9 - Bush, K., G. A. Jacoby, and A. A. Medeiros. 1995. A functional classification scheme for ß-lactamases and its correlation with molecular structure. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 39:12111233.[Medline]
10 - Casellas, J. M., and M. Goldberg. 1989. Incidence of strains producing extended spectrum ß-lactamases in Argentina. Infection 17:434436.[CrossRef][Medline]
11 - Cormican, M. G., S. A. Marshall, and R. N. Jones. 1996. Detection of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains by the Etest ESBL screen. J. Clin. Microbiol. 34:18801884.[Abstract]
12 - Coudron, P. E., E. S. Moland, and C. C. Sanders. 1997. Occurrence and detection of extended-spectrum ß-lactamases in members of the family Enterobacteriaceae at a Veterans Medical Center: seek and you may find. J. Clin. Microbiol. 35:25932597.[Abstract]
13 - Ehrhardt, A. F., C. C. Sanders, and E. S. Moland. 1999. Use of an isogenic Escherichia coli panel in designing tests for beta-lactamase detection. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 43:630633.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
14 - Gazouli, M., E. Tzelepi, S. V. Sidorenko, and L. S. Tzouvelekis. 1998. Sequence of the gene encoding a plasmid-mediated cefotaxime-hydrolyzing class A beta-lactamase (CTX-M-4): involvement of serine 237 in cephalosporin hydrolysis. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 42:12591262.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
15 - Gazouli, M., L. S. Tzouvelekis, E. Prinarakis, V. Miriagau, and E. Tzelepi. 1996. Transferable cefoxitin resistance in enterobacteria from Greek hospitals and characterization of a plasmid-mediated group 1 ß-lactamase (LAT-2). Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 40:17361740.[Abstract]
16 - Henquell, C., D. Sirot, C. Chanal, C. DeChamps, P. Chatron, B. Lafeuille, P. Texier, J. Sirot, and R. Cluzel. 1994. Frequency of inhibitor-resistant TEM ß-lactamases in Escherichia coli isolates from urinary tract infections in France. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 34:707714.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
17 - Ho, P. L., K. H. Chow, K. Y. Yuen, W. S. Ng, and P. Y. Chau. 1998. Comparison of a novel, inhibitor-potentiated disc-diffusion test with other methods for the detection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 42:4954.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
18 - Horii, T., Y. Arakawa, M. Ohta, T. Sugiyama, R. Wacharotayankun, H. Ito, and N. Kato. 1994. Characterization of a plasmid-borne and constitutively expressed blaMOX-1 gene encoding AmpC-type beta-lactamase. Gene 139:9398.[CrossRef][Medline]
19 - Jacoby, G. A., and A. A. Medeiros. 1991. More extended-spectrum ß-lactamases. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 35:16971704.[Free Full Text]
20 - Jarlier, V., M.-H. Nicolas, G. Fournier, and A. Philippon. 1988. Extended broad-spectrum ß-lactamases conferring transferable resistance to newer ß-lactam agents in Enterobacteriaceae: hospital prevalence and susceptibility patterns. Rev. Infect. Dis. 10:867878.[Medline]
21 - Karas, J. A., D. G. Pillay, D. Muckart, and A. W. Sturm. 1996. Treatment failure due to extended spectrum ß-lactamase. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 37:203204.[Free Full Text]
22 - Lauretti, L., M. L. Riccio, A. Mazzariol, G. Cornaglia, G. Amicosante, R. Fontana, and G. M. Rossolini. 1999. Cloning and characterization of blaVIM, a new integron-borne metallo-beta-lactamase gene from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolate. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 43:15841590.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
23 - Livermore, D. M. 1997. Acquired carbapenemases. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 39:673676.[Free Full Text]
24 - Matthew, M. A., A. M. Harris, M. J. Marshall, and G. W. Ross. 1975. The use of analytical isoelectric focusing for detection and identification of ß-lactamases. J. Gen. Microbiol. 88:169178.[Medline]
25 - Moland, E. S., C. C. Sanders, and K. S. Thomson. 1998. Can results obtained with commercially available MicroScan microdilution panels serve as an indicator of beta-lactamase production among Escherichia coli and Klebsiella isolates with hidden resistance to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins and aztreonam? J. Clin. Microbiol. 36:25752579.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
26 - Nikaido, H. 1989. Outer membrane barrier as a mechanism of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 33:18311836.[Free Full Text]
27 - OCallaghan, C. H., P. W. Muggleton, and G. W. Ross. 1968. Effects of beta-lactamase from gram-negative organisms on cephalosporins and penicillins. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 8:5763.
28 - OHara, K., S. Haruta, T. Sawai, M. Tsunoda, and S. Iyobe. 1998. Novel metallo ß-lactamase mediated by a Shigella flexneri plasmid. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 162:201206.[Medline]
29 - Paterson, D. L., N. Singh, T. Gayowski, and I. R. Marino. 1999. Fatal infection due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli: implications for antibiotic choice for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Clin. Infect. Dis. 28:683684.[Medline]
30 - Petit, A., H. B. Yaghlane-Bouslama, L. Sofer, and R. Labia. 1992. Does high-level production of SHV-type penicillinase confer resistance to ceftazidime in Enterobacteriaceae? FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 92:8994.[CrossRef]
31 - Prinarakis, E. E., V. Miriagou, E. Tzelepi, M. Gazouli, and L. S. Tzouvelekis. 1997. Emergence of an inhibitor-resistant ß-lactamase (SHV-10) derived from an SHV-5 variant. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 41:838840.[Abstract]
32 - Sambrook, J., E. F. Fritsch, and T. Maniatis. 1989. Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual, 2nd ed. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.
33 - Sanders, C. C., A. L. Barry, J. A. Washington, C. Shubert, E. S. Moland, M. M. Traczewski, C. Knapp, and R. Mulder. 1996. Detection of extended-spectrum-ß-lactamase-producing members of the family Enterobacteriaceae with the Vitek ESBL test. J. Clin. Microbiol. 34:29973001.[Abstract]
34 - Sanders, C. C., M. Peyret, E. S. Moland, C. Shubert, K. S. Thomson, J.-M. Boeufgras, and W. E. Sanders. 2000. Ability of the VITEK 2 Advanced Expert System to identify ß-lactam phenotypes in isolates of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J. Clin. Microbiol. 38:570574.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
35 - Sanders, C. C., W. E. Sanders, Jr., and E. S. Moland. 1986. Characterization of ß-lactamases in situ on polyacrylamide gels. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 30:951952.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
36 - Sanders, C. C., and C. Watanakunakorn. 1986. Emergence of resistance to ß-lactams, aminoglycosides, and quinolones during combination therapy for infection due to Serratia marcescens. J. Infect. Dis. 153:617619.[Medline]
37 - Sirot, D., R. Labia, P. Pouedras, C. Chanal-Claris, C. Cerceau, and J. Sirot. 1998. Inhibitor-resistant OXY-2-derived beta-lactamase produced by Klebsiella oxytoca. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 42:21842187.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
38 - Tenover, F. C., M. J. Mohammed, T. S. Gorton, and Z. F. Dembek. 1999. Detection and reporting of organisms producing extended-spectrum ß-lactamases: survey of laboratories in Connecticut. J. Clin. Microbiol. 37:40654070.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
39 - Thomson, K. S., and C. C. Sanders. 1992. Detection of extended-spectrum ß-lactamases in members of the family Enterobacteriaceae: Comparison of the double-disk and three-dimensional tests. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 36:18771882.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
40 - Thomson, K. S., and C. C. Sanders. 1997. A simple and reliable method to screen isolates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae for the production of TEM- and SHV-derived extended-spectrum ß-lactamases. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. 3:549554.[Medline]
41 - Thomson, K. S., C. C. Sanders, and E. S. Moland. 1999. Use of microdilution panels with and without beta-lactamase inhibitors as a phenotypic test for beta-lactamase production among Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., Citrobacter freundii, and Serratia marcescens. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 43:13931400.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
42 - Thomson, K. S., and E. Smith Moland. 2000. Version 2000: the new beta-lactamases of gram-negative bacteria at the dawn of the new millennium. Microbes Infect. 2:12251235.[CrossRef][Medline]
43 - Urban, C., K. S. Meyer, N. Mariano, J. J. Rahal, R. Flamm, B. A. Rasmussen, and K. Bush. 1994. Identification of TEM-26 beta-lactamase responsible for a major outbreak of ceftazidime-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 38:392395.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
44 - Venezia, R. A., F. J. Scarano, K. E. Preston, L. M. Steele, T. P. Root, R. Limberger, W. Archinal, and M. A. Kacica. 1995. Molecular epidemiology of an SHV-5 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase in Enterobacteriaceae isolated from infants in a neonatal intensive care unit. Clin. Infect. Dis. 21:915923.[Medline]
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 2002, p. 123-127, Vol. 40, No. 1
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.1.123-127.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.