Introduction: The study sought to characterise antimicrobial resistance among coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) species recovered from broiler chickens and turkeys in Poland including the presence of 12 antimicrobial resistance genes and five classical genes of staphylococcal enterotoxins. Material and Methods: A panel of 11 antimicrobial disks evaluated the phenotypic sensitivity of the tested strains to antibiotics. Five multiplex PCR assays were performed using primer pairs for specific detection of antibiotic resistance genes and staphylococcal enterotoxin A to E genes. Results: Selected antimicrobial agent susceptibility testing revealed 100% of such in in vitro conditions to cefoxitin among strains of Staphylococcus sciuri and S. chromogenes. The blaZ (for ß-lactam) and mecA (for methicillin resistance) genes were in 58.3% and 27.5% of strains, respectively. Among genes resistant to tetracyclines, tetK was most frequent. Fewer (CNS) strains showed genes resistant to macrolides, lincosamides, and florfenicol/chloramphenicol. Multiplex PCR for classical enterotoxins (A-E) detected the see gene in two S. hominis strains, while the seb gene producing enterotoxin B was found in one strain of S. epidermidis. Conclusion: CNS strains of Staphylococcus isolated from poultry were either phenotypically or genotypically multidrug resistant. Testing for the presence of the five classical enterotoxin genes showed that CNS strains, as in the case of S. aureus strains, can be a source of food intoxications.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) sterilization on the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of meropenem-impregnated polymethyl methacrylate (M-PMMA) beads. SAMPLE 6-mm-diameter polymethyl methacrylate beads that were or were not impregnated with meropenem. PROCEDURES Meropenem-free polymethyl methacrylate and M-PMMA beads were sterilized by use of an autoclave or VHP or remained unsterilized. To determine the antimicrobial efficacy of each bead-sterilization combination (treatment), Mueller-Hinton agar plates were inoculated with 1 of 6 common equine pathogens, and 1 bead from each treatment was applied to a sixth of each plate. The zone of bacterial inhibition for each treatment was measured after 24 hours. To estimate the duration of antimicrobial elution into a solid or liquid medium, 1 bead from each treatment was transferred every 24 hours to a new Staphylococcus aureus–inoculated agar plate or a tube with PBS solution, and an aliquot of the eluent from each tube was then applied to a paper disc on an S aureus–inoculated agar plate. All agar plates were incubated for 24 hours, and the zone of bacterial inhibition was measured for each treatment. RESULTS In vitro antimicrobial efficacy of M-PMMA beads was retained following VHP sterilization. The duration of antimicrobial elution in solid and liquid media did not differ significantly between unsterilized and VHP-sterilized M-PMMA beads. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that M-PMMA beads retained in vitro antimicrobial activity and eluted the drug for up to 2 weeks after VHP sterilization.