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    Detection of gyrA and gyrB mutations in Clostridium difficile isolates by real-time PCR

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    Fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistance in Clostridium difficile has been associated with mutations in the quinolone-resistance determining region (QRDR) of gyr genes. In particular, the majority of resistant clinical isolates show mutations in codon 82 of gyrA or in codon 426 of gyrB. A real-time PCR method was developed to identify these mutations in FQ-resistant C. difficile strains. Twenty-one clinical isolates, selected as representative of the different gyr alleles known up to date, and 20 clinical isolates with unknown behavior towards FQs were used to validate the method. Each mutation was detected by real-time amplification followed by hybridization with two fluorescent probes designed with the sequence complementary to the wild-type sequences of gyr genes. The melting peak analysis of the probe-PCR product hybrid was performed on a LightCycler (Roche Diagnostic). Single and multiplex assays were performed with the same reaction conditions. In both cases, isolates showing mutations in gyr sequences had a well distinguished Tm compared to that of isolates showing wild-type genes or silent mutated codons in the nucleotide region covered by probes. The results obtained indicate that this real-time PCR assay is a rapid, reproducible and accurate screening method of the predominant mutations determining FQ-resistance in C. difficile strains. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

    Prediction of decreased susceptibility to penicillin of Neisseria meningitidis strains by real-time PCR

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    Sequence analysis of the penA gene, encoding penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2), in 30 penicillin-intermediate (PenI) Neisseria meningitidis strains showed altered gene sequences due to the translocation of exogenous DNA blocks derived from commensal neisseriae, which are known to have PBP2 proteins with decreased affinity for the antibiotic. In order to obtain a rapid and reproducible method for predicting the PenI phenotype, a real-time PCR assay was set up with primers and probes designed on the basis of the penA gene. The A→G mutation at codon 566, in the transpeptidase domain of the penA gene (which is present in the whole sample of 30 PenI strains and in all the 41 sequences of PenI meningococci isolated worldwide and has been deposited in the sequence databank), was chosen as a marker of penA translocations. Two hybridization probes were designed to distinguish the wild-type penA gene in penicillin-susceptible (PenS) meningococci from the mutated penA gene at codon 566 in PenI strains. Thermal analysis of probe hybridization revealed a melting temperature difference of at least 6°C between PenI and PenS strains. This real-time PCR protocol characterizes the penicillin phenotype of N. meningitidis in a few hours without DNA sequencing and is useful for rapid screening of the penicillin-intermediate genotype among meningococcal isolates

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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