Prevalence of the ermB gene in Clostridium difficile strains isolated at a university teaching hospital from 1987 through 1998

Yajarayma J Tang-Feldman; Jeffrey P Henderson; Grit Ackermann; Stephanie S Feldman; Maxwell Bedley; Joseph Silva Jr; Stuart H Cohen

doi:10.1086/428835

Prevalence of the ermB gene in Clostridium difficile strains isolated at a university teaching hospital from 1987 through 1998

Clin Infect Dis. 2005 May 15;40(10):1537-40. doi: 10.1086/428835. Epub 2005 Apr 12.

Authors

Yajarayma J Tang-Feldman¹, Jeffrey P Henderson, Grit Ackermann, Stephanie S Feldman, Maxwell Bedley, Joseph Silva Jr, Stuart H Cohen

Affiliation

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious and Immunologic Diseases, University of California, Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.

PMID: 15844079
DOI: 10.1086/428835

Abstract

We analyzed 226 strains of Clostridium difficile for the presence of erythromycin ribosomal methylase B (ermB) genes. Forty-four strains (19.4%) carried ermB genes and were resistant to erythromycin. Toxin A and toxin B gene sequences were identified in 81.9% of these 44 strains. Strains of C. difficile that carry ermB genes are common etiologic agents of C. difficile-associated diarrhea.

MeSH terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
Bacterial Proteins
Bacterial Toxins
Clindamycin / pharmacology
Clostridioides difficile / classification
Clostridioides difficile / drug effects
Clostridioides difficile / genetics*
Clostridioides difficile / isolation & purification*
Diarrhea / microbiology
Drug Resistance, Bacterial
Enterotoxins
Erythromycin / pharmacology
Genotype
Hospitals, University*
Humans
Methyltransferases / genetics*
Phenotype
Time Factors

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Bacterial Proteins
Bacterial Toxins
Enterotoxins
tcdA protein, Clostridium difficile
toxB protein, Clostridium difficile
Clindamycin
Erythromycin
Methyltransferases
rRNA (adenosine-O-2'-)methyltransferase