Pathogens最新文献

Metaproteomic analysis of microbiome post-translation modifications (PTMm) is challenging, and little is known about the effects of inflammation on the bacterial PTM landscape in IBD. Here, we adapted and optimised fluorescence in situ hybridisation-flow cytometry (FISH-FC) to study microbiome-wide tyrosine phosphorylation (p-Tyr) in children with and without inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Microbial p-Tyr signal was significantly higher in children with IBD, compared to those without. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Bacteroidota, Gammaproteobacteria and Bifidobacteria tended to be more abundant in IBD than in non-IBD control children but there were only minor differences in p-Tyr among these bacterial communities in those with and without IBD. p-Tyr was significantly lower in non-IBD children older than 9 yrs compared with those less than 9 yrs, and the effect was seen in all four bacterial subgroups studied. The opposite trend was seen in patients with IBD. p-Tyr overall is higher in children with IBD but the effects of inflammation on p-Tyr vary according to the bacterial community. The overall microbiome p-Tyr signal changes with age in healthy children. FISH-FC can be used to study the microbiome-wide PTM landscape.

The continual evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has significantly influenced the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the emergence of highly transmissible and immune-evasive variants posing persistent challenges. The Omicron variant, first identified in November 2021, rapidly replaced the Delta variant, becoming the predominant strain worldwide. In Florida, Omicron was first detected in December 2021, leading to an unprecedented surge in cases that surpassed all prior waves, despite extensive vaccination efforts. This study investigates the molecular evolution and transmission dynamics of the Omicron lineages during Florida's Omicron waves, supported by a robust dataset of over 1000 sequenced genomes. Through phylogenetic and phylodynamic analyses, we capture the rapid diversification of the Omicron lineages, identifying significant importation events, predominantly from California, Texas, and New York, and exportation to North America, Europe, and South America. Variants such as BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 exhibited distinct transmission patterns, with BA.2 showing the ability to reinfect individuals previously infected with BA.1. Despite the high transmissibility and immune evasion of the Omicron sub-lineages, the plateauing of cases by late 2022 suggests increasing population immunity from prior infection and vaccination. Our findings underscore the importance of continuous genomic surveillance in identifying variant introductions, mapping transmission pathways, and guiding public health interventions to mitigate current and future pandemic risks.

Bacterial soft rot causes major crop losses annually and can be caused by several species from multiple genera. These bacteria have a broad host range and often infect produce through contact with soil. The main genera causing bacterial soft rot are Pectobacterium and Dickeya, both of which have widespread geographical distribution. Because of many recent renaming and reclassifications of bacteria causing soft rot, identification and characterization of the causative agents can be challenging. In this work, we surveyed commercially available produce exhibiting typical soft rot symptoms, isolating pectinolytic bacteria and characterizing them genetically and phenotypically. We found that in our sampling, many samples were from the genus Pectobacterium; however, other genera were also capable of eliciting symptoms in potatoes, including an isolate from the genus Chryseobacterium. Genomic analyses revealed that many of the Pectobacterium isolates collected share prophages not found in other soft rot species, suggesting a potential role for these prophages in the evolution or fitness of these isolates. Our Chryseobacterium isolate was most similar to C. scophthalmum, a fish pathogen, suggesting that this isolate may be a crossover pathogen.

The purpose of this Editorial is to expose the gaps in the knowledge created by a decision by the World Workshop Consensus Conference (WWCC), held in 2017, which was focused on the re-classification of periodontal diseases [...].

In recent years, an increasing number of reports have described invasive infections caused by bacteria from Streptococcus anginosus group (SAGs). S. intermedius seems to be more related with pleuropulmonary infections and abscess of the brain and deep soft tissues, and it is more likely to cause suppurative and non-bacteremic infections compared to other members of the same genus. We present two clinical cases of invasive S. intermedius infections in pediatric patients: a liver abscess case and a pansinusitis case associated with bilateral otomastoiditis and parapharyngeal abscess complicated by acute mediastinitis, thrombophlebitis of the cavernous sinus, and thrombosis of the cranial tract of the ipsilateral jugular vein. In both cases, prompt broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and operative drainage of the collections resulted in a good clinical response with full recovery.

Pen-based oral fluids are used extensively for surveillance and disease detection in swine, but there is sparse information on the sampling process itself. To address this shortcoming, we documented the pen-based oral fluid sampling process with the aim of optimizing the number of pigs in a pen that contributed to the sample. We quantified the effects of (1) previous experience with rope sampling (training), (2) the number of ropes suspended in the pen, and (3) sampling time on pig participation and pig-rope contact. A subset of pigs was clearly marked for individual identification and their interactions with ropes video recorded. Thereafter, pig-rope contacts were counted from the recordings, with "contact" defined as an individually identified pig clearly taking the rope into its mouth. Data were analyzed using appropriate models (R version 4.4.1 R core team 2024). Training, provision of additional ropes, and extended sampling time all increased pig participation across pen sizes. However, for routine oral fluid collection in the field, we recommend training pigs prior to hanging ropes for sample collection and increasing sampling time to maximize the pigs' contribution to the oral fluid sample. Importantly, these studies focused on pig behavior and not detection; thus, future studies should evaluate the impact of these same factors on the probability of detection.

There was an error in the original publication [...].

Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne virus with high pathogenic potential in ruminants and humans. Due to its high potential for spreading, it is considered a priority pathogen, and it is included in the Bluepoint list of the World Health Organization (WHO). Given the high pathogenic potential of the virus, it is crucial to develop a rapid heat-mediated inactivation protocol to create a safer working environment, particularly in medical facilities that lack a biosafety level 3 laboratory required for direct handling of RVFV. Our results reveal the broad tissue tropism of RVFV, showing the virus's capacity for replication in various cell lines. In terms of the thermal stability of RVFV, our findings showed that a 70 °C heat treatment did not fully inactivate the virus within 15 min. However, when exposed to 80 °C and 95 °C, the virus was completely inactivated after 15 min and 5 min, respectively. Additionally, our results indicated that heat-treatment only slightly decreased the integrity of the RVFV genome whether there is a high or low number of viral RNA copies. Overall, the study established a straightforward protocol for heat inactivation that may be beneficial in handling clinical and research samples of RVFV.

Today, Candida albicans is still the most common cause of both local and life-threatening systemic candidiasis. The spread of resistant fungal strains has resulted in an urgent need to search for new promising antimycotics. Here, we investigated the antifungal action of the tobacco defensin NaD1 against susceptible and resistant to azoles and echinocandins strains of C. albicans. We demonstrated that NaD1 was equally effective and fungicidal against all tested strains. The MIC and MFC values were 6.25 and 12.5 µM, respectively. We showed for the first time that NaD1 could act synergistically not only with caspofungin but also with human host defense antimicrobial peptides cathelicidin LL-37 and β-defensin-2 (HBD2) against susceptible and resistant fungal strains. Using flow cytometry, we demonstrated that NaD1 in combinations with LL-37 or HBD2 can reinforce each other by enhancing membrane disruption. Using the Caco-2 cell monolayer model, we demonstrated that NaD1 impaired the adhesion of C. albicans cells to the human epithelium. Moreover, NaD1 inhibited the formation of fungal biofilms in Sabouraud broth and less markedly in nutrient-rich RPMI-1640 medium, and enhanced the antibiofilm activity of caspofungin. Thus, we hypothesized that NaD1 might affect the development of candidiasis in vivo, including that caused by resistant fungal strains.