Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2008 Apr;29(4):367-9.
doi: 10.1086/529590.

Efficient recovery of fluoroquinolone-susceptible and fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli strains from frozen samples

Ebbing Lautenbach  1 , Evelyn Santana, Abby Lee, Pam Tolomeo, Nicole Black, Andrew Babson, Eli N Perencevich, Anthony D Harris, Catherine A Smith, Joel Maslow
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Efficient recovery of fluoroquinolone-susceptible and fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli strains from frozen samples

Ebbing Lautenbach et al. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2008 Apr.

Abstract

We assessed the rate of recovery of fluoroquinolone-resistant and fluoroquinolone-susceptible Escherichia coli isolates from culture of frozen perirectal swab samples compared with the results for culture of the same specimen before freezing. Recovery rates for these 2 classes of E. coli were 91% and 83%, respectively. The majority of distinct strains recovered from the initial sample were also recovered from the frozen sample. The strains that were not recovered were typically present only in low numbers in the initial sample. These findings emphasize the utility of frozen surveillance samples.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflicts of interest. E.L. reports receiving research support from Merck Pharmaceuticals and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals. All other authors report no relevant conflicts.

References

    1. NNIS. National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System Report, data summary from January 1992 through June 2004, issued October 2004. Am J Infect Control. 2004;32:470–485. - PubMed
    1. Donskey CJ. The role of the intestinal tract as a reservoir and source for transmission of nosocomial pathogens. Clin Infect Dis. 2004;39:219–226. - PubMed
    1. Lautenbach E, Harris AD, Perencevich EN, Nachamkin I, Tolomeo P, Metlay JP. Test characteristics of peri-rectal and rectal swab compared to stool sample for detection of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli in the gastrointestinal tract. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2005;49:798–800. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Carratala J, Fernandez-Sevilla A, Tubau F, Dominguez MA, Gudiol F. Emergence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli in fecal flora of cancer patients receiving norfloxacin prophylaxis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1996;40:503–505. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bonten MJ, Nathan C, Weinstein RA. Recovery of nosocomial fecal flora from frozen stool specimens and rectal swabs: comparison of preservatives for epidemiological studies. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 1997;27:103–106. - PubMed

Publication types