Pathogens最新文献

Purpose: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is a sight-threatening condition predominantly affecting immunocompromised individuals, such as those with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). We aimed to present an observational case report on CMV retinitis following Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and to review the literature on the molecular and cellular changes in CMV and SARS-CoV-2 infections and how they may influence each other. Case Description: A 32-year-old man with a history of AIDS presented with decreased vision and ocular pain exacerbated by movement, beginning a day prior. Ocular examination revealed anterior uveitis, corneal endothelial edema, and retinal necrosis in the left eye. CMV retinitis was diagnosed based on positive serologic testing and a low cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) count, with concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection detected. Treatment included valganciclovir and topical agents, with a focus on managing CMV complications. This case highlights the potential role of SARS-CoV-2 in reactivating dormant CMV in severely immunocompromised individuals. We also discuss the implications of this interaction for immunocompromised patients, emphasizing the need for vigilant monitoring and personalized treatment strategies. Conclusions: Our case suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may trigger reactivation of CMV infection, leading to bilateral involvement in patients with low CD4 lymphocyte counts, which can result in severe visual impairment. The review discusses the molecular and cellular interactions between CMV and SARS-CoV-2, as well as risk factors, pathophysiology, and diagnostic methods for CMV retinitis, providing recommendations based on the literature findings.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the diversity and prevalence of tick-borne protists in the Republic of Korea via DNA barcoding using 18S rRNA gene fragments and PCR. Between 2021 and 2022, questing ticks were collected using the flagging method, with a total of 13,375 ticks collected and pooled into 1003 samples. Of these, 50 tick pools were selected for DNA barcoding targeting the V4 and V9 regions of 18S rRNA using the MiSeq platform. A taxonomic analysis of the amplicon sequence variants identified three genera of protozoa, namely Hepatozoon canis, Theileria luwenshuni, and Gregarine sp. However, the number and abundance of protists detected were different depending on the primer sets, and T. gondii was not identified in DNA barcoding. Furthermore, conventional PCR confirmed the presence of H. canis, Toxoplasma gondii, T. luwenshuni, and Theileria sp. in the collected ticks. This study identified H. canis and T. gondii in Ixodes nipponensis for the first time. It demonstrated that the results of DNA barcoding using 18S rRNA gene fragments can vary depending on the primer sets and further optimization is required for library construction to identify tick-borne protists in ticks. Despite these limitations, the findings highlight the potential of DNA barcoding using 18S rRNA gene fragments for screening the diversity of tick-borne protists in ticks.

The bluetongue virus (BTV), transmitted by biting midges, poses a significant threat to livestock globally. This orbivirus induces bluetongue disease, leading to substantial economic losses in the agricultural sector. The current control measures have limitations, necessitating the development of novel, efficient vaccines. In this study, an immunoinformatics approach is employed to design a multi-epitope subunit vaccine for Ovis aries targeting six BTV serotypes. Focusing on the VP2 capsid protein, the vaccine incorporates B-cell, helper-T lymphocytes (HTL), and cytotoxic T-cell lymphocytes (CTL) epitopes. Molecular docking reveals stable interactions with TLR2 and TLR4 receptors, suggesting the stability of the complex, indicating the potential viability of the multi-epitope vaccine. The computational approach offers a rapid and tailored strategy for vaccine development, highlighting potential efficacy and safety against BTV outbreaks. This work contributes to understanding BTV and presents a promising avenue for effective control.

(1) Background: Indwelling ureteral stents are commonly used urological devices to maintain ureteral patency, yet they have been associated with complications such as infections. Some studies have shown that bacteria adhere to and create an antimicrobial-resistant biofilm on stents. One factor that may impact biofilm formation is the original condition informing stent placement, such as kidney stones and renal allografts. Both kidney stones and renal allografts are independently associated with infection, yet the differential stent microbiomes of these populations remain poorly characterized. Our objective was to characterize these microbiomes in order to inform urological health practice and help prevent ureteral stent-associated infections. (2) Methods: Stents were collected from kidney stone and renal transplant recipients undergoing routine cystoscopic stent removal. Microbial DNA was extracted from stents and analyzed using 16S Next Generation Sequencing. Descriptive statistics, alpha diversity, and beta diversity methods were used for statistical analysis. (3) Results: The microbiome of ureteral stents in kidney stone and transplant patients is composed of unique species, each with different biofilm-forming abilities. (4) Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the microbiome of stents differs based on preceding condition. It is important to conduct future studies that explore this microbiome further to understand what type of stent-associated infection someone may develop based on their initial condition.

Introduction: Patients receiving biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) for rheumatological conditions are at an increased risk of serious, potentially life-threatening, infection. However, the incidence, aetiology, and clinical course of serious infection in patients receiving b/tsDMARDs in tropical settings are incompletely defined. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving b/tsDMARDs between October 2012 and October 2021, at Cairns Hospital in tropical Australia. The incidence, aetiology, and clinical course of serious infections (those requiring admission to hospital or parenteral antibiotics) were determined. Results: 310 patients had 1468 patient years of b/tsDMARD therapy during the study period; 74/310 (24%) had 147 serious infections translating to an overall risk of 10.0 episodes of serious infection per 100 patient years. The respiratory tract (50/147, 34%) and skin (37/147, 25%) were the most frequently affected sites. A pathogen was identified in 59/147 (40%) episodes and was most commonly Staphylococcus aureus (24/147, 16%). Only 2/147 (1%) were confirmed "tropical infections": 1 case of Burkholderia pseudomallei and 1 case of mixed B. pseudomallei and community-acquired Acinetobacter baumannii infection. Overall, 13/147 (9%) episodes of serious infection required Intensive Care Unit admission (0.9 per 100-patient years of b/tsDMARD therapy) and 4/147 (3%) died from their infection (0.3 per 100-patient years of b/tsDMARD therapy). The burden of comorbidity and co-administration of prednisone were the strongest predictors of death or a requirement for ICU admission. Conclusions: The risk of serious infection in patients taking b/tsDMARDs in tropical Australia is higher than in temperate settings, but this is not explained by an increased incidence of traditional tropical pathogens.

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) represent a significant global health burden, contributing to high morbidity and mortality rates, particularly in vulnerable populations. Traditional methods for diagnosing and tracking ARIs often face limitations in terms of speed, accuracy, and scalability. The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize these processes by enhancing early detection, precise diagnosis, and effective epidemiological tracking. This review explores the integration of AI in the epidemiology and diagnosis of ARIs, highlighting its capabilities, current applications, and future prospects. By examining recent advancements and existing studies, this paper provides a comprehensive understanding of how AI can improve ARI management, offering insights into its practical applications and the challenges that must be addressed to realize its full potential.

In 2023, a molecular study was conducted on the Hungarian goat population to determine genotypes and subtypes of small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) infecting these herds. Ten goat herds seropositive for SRLV infection according to a serosurvey conducted earlier in Hungary were selected, and 135 adult goats (>1 year old) were blood sampled. The two-stage nested real-time PCR (nRT-PCR) was used to detect proviral DNA of SRLV and distinguish between two main viral genotypes (A and B). PCR products were submitted for Sanger dideoxy sequencing, and phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary analyses were conducted on the 200-250 bp-long proviral DNA sequences from the end of long terminal repeat (LTR) region and beginning of gag gene using the MEGA11 software. Reference strains included strains most identical to Hungarian sequences according to the Standard Nucleotide BLAST and prototypic strains for the relevant genotypes and subtypes. Proviral DNA of SRLV was detected in goats from all ten tested herds. A single SRLV genotype was detected in 6 herds-genotype A in three herds and B also in three herds. In four herds, mixed infection with genotypes A and B was confirmed. In total, 110/135 seropositive goats tested positive in the nRT-PCR (81.5%): 49/110 goats (44.5%) for genotype A, 54/110 goats (49.1%) for genotype B, and 7/110 goats (6.4%) for both genotypes. Hungarian sequences belonged to subtypes A1/A18, A2, and subtype B1. This is the first study which shows that Hungarian goats are infected by SRLV belonging to both genotypes A and B.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, prenatal care services were disrupted. We analyzed the trajectory slopes of cases of congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) and acute toxoplasmosis during pregnancy from 2019 to 2022 (to reflect the cases during the pandemic years 2020-2022) vs. 2000 to 2019, using data from the Remington Laboratory, the National Reference Center for Toxoplasmosis in the US. During the pandemic, there was a statistically significant upward trajectory in the yearly number of CT cases. Monitoring of this trend is needed.

Anthrax is a fatal zoonotic disease caused by exposure to Bacillus anthracis spores. The CDC's guidelines divide anthrax treatment into three categories according to disease progression: post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), systemic, and systemic with a suspicion of CNS infection. While the prognosis for PEP or the early treatment of systemic anthrax is very good, ingress of the bacteria into the CNS poses a substantial clinical challenge. Here, we use rabbits to test the efficacy of a combined treatment of meropenem and doxycycline, which is the first choice in the CDC recommendations for treating systemic patients with an indication of CNS infection. In addition, we test the efficacy of the first-generation cephalosporin, cefazolin, in treating different stages of the disease. We found that the combination of doxycycline and meropenem is highly effective in treating rabbits in our inhalation model. Cefazolin was efficient only for PEP or systemic-stage treatment and not for CNS-infected animals. Our findings support the CDC recommendation of using a combination of doxycycline and meropenem for systemic patients with or without indications of CNS infection. We found that cefazolin is a decent choice for PEP or early-stage systemic disease but recommend considering using this antibiotic only if all other options are not available.

Chlamys farreri is primarily cultivated in Japan, China, and South Korea. Although mass mortality of scallops has been occurring recently, likely caused by high temperatures or infectious diseases, the underlying cause remains unclear. Little is known regarding the viral diseases affecting them. Therefore, we explored DNA virus diversity in the mid-gut gland of C. farreri and compared it with that of seawater. C. farreri was cultivated at depths below 5 m from the sea surface in the coastal waters of South Korea and sampled from May to August 2018. Different DNA viral communities were observed in both C. farreri and seawater. In C. farreri, prevalent groups included Mimiviridae (7%), Poxviridae (6%), and Phycodnaviridae (5%). Conversely, the dominant groups in seawater were Autographiviridae (20%), Kyanoviridae (12%), and Zobellviridae (10%). We identified C. farreri-specific viral communities and potentially infectious viruses, such as Ostreid herpesvirus 1 and Abalone herpesvirus Victoria/AUS/2009. Furthermore, C. farreri acts as a reservoir for various viruses, which impact microbial community dynamics and disease transmission in marine ecosystems. Understanding these viral communities is crucial to protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems by highlighting their role in the transmission of potential avian- and bivalve-specific viruses.