ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6391-1341
Current Organisation
University Medicine Greifswald
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Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 15-06-2019
DOI: 10.1093/JAC/DKZ231
Abstract: To generate antifungal susceptibility patterns for Trichomonascus ciferrii (Candida ciferrii), Candida inconspicua (Torulopsis inconspicua) and Diutina rugosa species complex (Candida rugosa species complex), and to provide key parameters such as MIC50, MIC90 and tentative epidemiological cut-off values (TECOFFs). Our strain set included isolates of clinical origin: C. inconspicua (n = 168), D. rugosa species complex (n = 90) [Candida pararugosa (n = 60), D. rugosa (n = 26) and Candida mesorugosa (n = 4)], Pichia norvegensis (Candida norvegensis) (n = 15) and T. ciferrii (n = 8). Identification was performed by MALDI-TOF MS or internal transcribed spacer sequencing. Antifungal susceptibility patterns were generated for azoles, echinocandins and hotericin B using commercial Etest and the EUCAST broth microdilution method v7.3.1. Essential agreement (EA) was calculated for Etest and EUCAST. C. inconspicua, C. pararugosa and P. norvegensis showed elevated azole MICs (MIC50 ≥0.06 mg/L), and D. rugosa and C. pararugosa elevated echinocandin MICs (MIC50 ≥0.06 mg/L). EA between methods was generally low ( %) EA averaged 77.45%. TECOFFs were suggested for C. inconspicua and D. rugosa species complex. Rare yeast species tested shared high fluconazole MICs. D. rugosa species complex displayed high echinocandin MICs, while C. inconspicua and P. norvegensis were found to have high azole MICs. Overall, the agreement between EUCAST and Etest was poor and therefore MIC values generated with Etest cannot be directly compared with EUCAST results.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-04-2020
DOI: 10.1038/S41564-020-0676-2
Abstract: The multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus capitis NRCS-A clone is responsible for sepsis in preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) worldwide. Here, to retrace the spread of this clone and to identify drivers of its specific success, we investigated a representative collection of 250 S. capitis isolates from adults and newborns. Bayesian analyses confirmed the spread of the NRCS-A clone and enabled us to date its emergence in the late 1960s and its expansion during the 1980s, coinciding with the establishment of NICUs and the increasing use of vancomycin in these units, respectively. This dynamic was accompanied by the acquisition of mutations in antimicrobial resistance- and bacteriocin-encoding genes. Furthermore, combined statistical tools and a genome-wide association study convergently point to vancomycin resistance as a major driver of NRCS-A success. We also identified another S. capitis subclade (alpha clade) that emerged independently, showing parallel evolution towards NICU specialization and non-susceptibility to vancomycin, indicating convergent evolution in NICU-associated pathogens. These findings illustrate how the broad use of antibiotics can repeatedly lead initially commensal drug-susceptible bacteria to evolve into multidrug-resistant clones that are able to successfully spread worldwide and become pathogenic for highly vulnerable patients.
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 11-2014
DOI: 10.1128/JCM.02327-14
Abstract: A thermostable nuclease homologue (Nuc M ) in an animal-associated ergent clade of Staphylococcus aureus in sub-Saharan Africa has a highly ergent nucleotide sequence compared to those of the classical nuc1 and nuc2 genes of S. aureus . Its deduced amino acid sequences, tertiary structures, and nuclease activities, however, are similar.
Publisher: European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC)
Date: 03-02-2022
DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.5.2001660
Abstract: Antimicrobial resistance poses a risk for healthcare, both in the community and hospitals. The spread of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) occurs mostly on a local and regional level, following movement of patients, but also occurs across national borders. The aim of this observational study was to determine the prevalence of MDROs in a European cross-border region to understand differences and improve infection prevention based on real-time routine data and workflows. Between September 2017 and June 2018, 23 hospitals in the Dutch (NL)–German (DE) cross-border region (BR) participated in the study. During 8 consecutive weeks, patients were screened upon admission to intensive care units (ICUs) for nasal carriage of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and rectal carriage of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium / E. faecalis (VRE), third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (3GCRE) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). All s les were processed in the associated laboratories. A total of 3,365 patients were screened (median age: 68 years (IQR: 57–77) male/female ratio: 59.7/40.3 NL-BR: n = 1,202 DE-BR: n = 2,163). Median screening compliance was 60.4% (NL-BR: 56.9% DE-BR: 62.9%). MDRO prevalence was higher in DE-BR than in NL-BR, namely 1.7% vs 0.6% for MRSA (p = 0.006), 2.7% vs 0.1% for VRE (p 0.001) and 6.6% vs 3.6% for 3GCRE (p 0.001), whereas CRE prevalence was comparable (0.2% in DE-BR vs 0.0% in NL-BR ICUs). This first prospective multicentre screening study in a European cross-border region shows high heterogenicity in MDRO carriage prevalence in NL-BR and DE-BR ICUs. This indicates that the prevalence is probably influenced by the different healthcare structures.
Publisher: Microbiology Society
Date: 09-2002
Location: No location found
No related grants have been discovered for Karsten Becker.