A prospective study of intrafamilial transmission and antimicrobial susceptibility of Moraxella catarrhalis

• Published in: Microbiology and immunology Vol. 55; no. 9; p. 599
• Main Authors: Masaki, Hironori, Qin, Liang, Zhou, Zhaoyan, Onizuka, Tomoko, Watanabe, Kiwao, Hu, Bijie, Watanabe, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia 01.09.2011
• Subjects: Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; beta-Lactamases - secretion; Child; Child, Preschool; Cluster Analysis; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Family Health; Female; Humans; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Molecular Typing; Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis - classification; Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis - drug effects; Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis - enzymology; Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis - isolation & purification; Moraxellaceae Infections - microbiology; Moraxellaceae Infections - transmission; Prospective Studies
• ISSN: 1348-0421
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2011.00360.x

Moraxella catarrhalis has been recognized as a particularly threatening respiratory tract pathogen in humans. A prospective study was performed to investigate which strains of M. catarrhalis can be transmitted within families; the study also addressed features of antimicrobial susceptibility. Seventy-five strains were isolated from six participants between July 2002 and February 2004, including 73 that were verified as beta-lactamase-producing strains. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested for six types of antibiotics and no treatment issues were found. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed on all strains and 25 independent PFGE patterns were detected. The dominant pattern L (defined in the present study) was found in 21 (28%) of strains that were continuously recovered from children from the same family over an 8-month period. Strains with the patterns G, J, L, M, R, S, U, and W seemed to spread among the children, but there was no evidence of child-parent transmission. In the present study, the characteristics of M. catarrhalis within families have been documented, and PFGE profiles found to reveal alternating colonization and intrafamilial transmission.