Pub Date : 2023-10-11DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres14040111
María Fernanda Celaya Corella, Jorge Omer Rodeles Nieblas, Donato Antonio Rechy Iruretagoyena, Gerson Ney Hernández Acevedo
The goal of this study was to determine the most common microorganisms present in COVID-19 patients with co-infections at the General Hospital of Mexicali. Bacterial co-infections have been reported in two previous global pandemics caused by viruses. In a retrospective observational study, we obtained information from 1979 patients. All had symptoms of respiratory disease, and we performed real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction tests on nasopharyngeal swab samples. Of the 1979 patients, 316 were negative; so, they were excluded. One thousand and sixty-three patients had positive results for COVID-19; one hundred and seventy-two (10.34%) had respiratory co-infections. These data were corroborated by positive growth results in culture media and identified using the MALDI-TOF MS System. Vitek 2® Compact, an automated identification system, determined the antimicrobial susceptibility testing results. We analyzed and determined the microorganisms in co-infected patients. Different microorganisms were found, including bacteria and fungi. The most prevalent of all the organisms was Acinetobacter baumannii, which was present in 64 patients (37.2%). We recommend improving the diagnostic and surveillance protocols for possible cases of co-infections in patients with COVID-19. Unlike co-infections in pandemic influenza, the spectrum of microorganisms that cause COVID-19 is too broad and varied to recommend empiric antibiotic therapy.
{"title":"Bacterial Co-Infection in Patients with Coronavirus: A Rapid Review to Support COVID-19 Antimicrobial Prescription","authors":"María Fernanda Celaya Corella, Jorge Omer Rodeles Nieblas, Donato Antonio Rechy Iruretagoyena, Gerson Ney Hernández Acevedo","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040111","url":null,"abstract":"The goal of this study was to determine the most common microorganisms present in COVID-19 patients with co-infections at the General Hospital of Mexicali. Bacterial co-infections have been reported in two previous global pandemics caused by viruses. In a retrospective observational study, we obtained information from 1979 patients. All had symptoms of respiratory disease, and we performed real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction tests on nasopharyngeal swab samples. Of the 1979 patients, 316 were negative; so, they were excluded. One thousand and sixty-three patients had positive results for COVID-19; one hundred and seventy-two (10.34%) had respiratory co-infections. These data were corroborated by positive growth results in culture media and identified using the MALDI-TOF MS System. Vitek 2® Compact, an automated identification system, determined the antimicrobial susceptibility testing results. We analyzed and determined the microorganisms in co-infected patients. Different microorganisms were found, including bacteria and fungi. The most prevalent of all the organisms was Acinetobacter baumannii, which was present in 64 patients (37.2%). We recommend improving the diagnostic and surveillance protocols for possible cases of co-infections in patients with COVID-19. Unlike co-infections in pandemic influenza, the spectrum of microorganisms that cause COVID-19 is too broad and varied to recommend empiric antibiotic therapy.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136097798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-10DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres14040110
Rihaf Alfaraj, Esra K. Eltayb, Bashayer M. AlFayez, Amjad Abohamad, Eram Eltahir, Naifa A. Alenazi, Sandra Hababah, Hamad Alkahtani, Thamer A. Almangour, Fulwah Y. Alqahtani, Fadilah S. Aleanizy
Quorum-sensing inhibitors have recently garnered great interest, as they reduce bacterial virulence, lower the probability of resistance, and inhibit infections. In this work, meta-bromo-thiolactone (mBTL), a potent quorum and virulence inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), was formulated in chitosan nanoparticles (ChNPs) using the ionic gelation method. The mBTL-loaded-ChNPs were characterized by their particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, morphology, and drug release profile. The results show that the mBTL-loaded-CNPs comprised homogenized, spherical nanoparticles ranging from 158 ± 1.3 to 284 ± 5.6 nm with a sustainable release profile over 48 h at 37 °C. These findings confirm the successful preparation of mBTL-loaded-ChNPs. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed a significant reduction in the number of viable cells, indicating the antibacterial efficacy of mBTL. Biofilms were observed by scanning electron microscopy, which showed that the bacterial cells in the control experiment were enclosed in thick biofilms. In the presence of mBTL, the bacterial cells remained disordered and did not form a biofilm. mBTL-loaded-ChNPs represent a potential approach to overcoming antimicrobial resistance in the treatment of MRSA infection.
{"title":"Studying the Anti-Virulence Activity of Meta-Bromo-Thiolactone against Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA Phenotypes","authors":"Rihaf Alfaraj, Esra K. Eltayb, Bashayer M. AlFayez, Amjad Abohamad, Eram Eltahir, Naifa A. Alenazi, Sandra Hababah, Hamad Alkahtani, Thamer A. Almangour, Fulwah Y. Alqahtani, Fadilah S. Aleanizy","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040110","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040110","url":null,"abstract":"Quorum-sensing inhibitors have recently garnered great interest, as they reduce bacterial virulence, lower the probability of resistance, and inhibit infections. In this work, meta-bromo-thiolactone (mBTL), a potent quorum and virulence inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), was formulated in chitosan nanoparticles (ChNPs) using the ionic gelation method. The mBTL-loaded-ChNPs were characterized by their particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, morphology, and drug release profile. The results show that the mBTL-loaded-CNPs comprised homogenized, spherical nanoparticles ranging from 158 ± 1.3 to 284 ± 5.6 nm with a sustainable release profile over 48 h at 37 °C. These findings confirm the successful preparation of mBTL-loaded-ChNPs. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed a significant reduction in the number of viable cells, indicating the antibacterial efficacy of mBTL. Biofilms were observed by scanning electron microscopy, which showed that the bacterial cells in the control experiment were enclosed in thick biofilms. In the presence of mBTL, the bacterial cells remained disordered and did not form a biofilm. mBTL-loaded-ChNPs represent a potential approach to overcoming antimicrobial resistance in the treatment of MRSA infection.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"46 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136358350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-09DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres14040109
H. Ghaoui, N. Achour, A. Saad-Djaballah, S. I. Belacel, I. Bitam, P. E. Fournier
Our study aimed at assessing the role of Coxiella burnetii in nonspecific febrile illness at the National Center of Infectious Diseases in Algeria, EL-HADI FLICI Hospital. Seventy patients were included and compared to seventy controls without any ongoing infection. Coxiella burnetii infection was investigated using IFA serology and qPCR. Serology was positive in 3 of 70 patients (4.30%), including 1 in whom PCR was also positive (1.42%). All three patients reported frequent contact with ruminants. These results suggest that C. burnetii is an agent of nonspecific febrile illness in Algeria.
{"title":"Q Fever in Unexplained Febrile Illness in Northern Algeria","authors":"H. Ghaoui, N. Achour, A. Saad-Djaballah, S. I. Belacel, I. Bitam, P. E. Fournier","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040109","url":null,"abstract":"Our study aimed at assessing the role of Coxiella burnetii in nonspecific febrile illness at the National Center of Infectious Diseases in Algeria, EL-HADI FLICI Hospital. Seventy patients were included and compared to seventy controls without any ongoing infection. Coxiella burnetii infection was investigated using IFA serology and qPCR. Serology was positive in 3 of 70 patients (4.30%), including 1 in whom PCR was also positive (1.42%). All three patients reported frequent contact with ruminants. These results suggest that C. burnetii is an agent of nonspecific febrile illness in Algeria.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"116 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135094303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-04DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres14040108
Talita Loureiro, Maria Manuel Mesquita, Maria de Lurdes Enes Dapkevicius, Luís Serra, Ângela Martins, Isabel Cortez, Patrícia Poeta
Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) is classified as a quarantine pest due to its consequences on economically significant crops. Its main form of transmission in Europe is through the insect Philaenus spumarius. Due to climate change, the populations of insect vectors have become more extensive, resulting in the dissemination of the bacteria over longer periods, but the destruction of these insects raises issues due to their role in nature. Upon infection, Xf causes the occlusion of xylem vessels via bacterial aggregates and tylosis production by the plant as a response to infection. Although symptomatic manifestations of Xf are often linked to water stress, a variety of plant species have been found to carry the pathogen without symptoms, making it all too easy to evade detection when relying on visual inspections. Beyond water stress, other conditions (individual plant resistance/tolerance, bacterial concentrations, transpiration rates, and interactions between subspecies) may be implicated in symptom development. A thorough understanding of how this disease develops, especially its capacity to spread from the initial focus and establish a systemic infection, is imperative. This review focuses on the Xf infection process, the development of symptoms, its spread within Portugal, and the actions that have been taken to counter it.
{"title":"Xylella fastidiosa: A Glimpse of the Portuguese Situation","authors":"Talita Loureiro, Maria Manuel Mesquita, Maria de Lurdes Enes Dapkevicius, Luís Serra, Ângela Martins, Isabel Cortez, Patrícia Poeta","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040108","url":null,"abstract":"Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) is classified as a quarantine pest due to its consequences on economically significant crops. Its main form of transmission in Europe is through the insect Philaenus spumarius. Due to climate change, the populations of insect vectors have become more extensive, resulting in the dissemination of the bacteria over longer periods, but the destruction of these insects raises issues due to their role in nature. Upon infection, Xf causes the occlusion of xylem vessels via bacterial aggregates and tylosis production by the plant as a response to infection. Although symptomatic manifestations of Xf are often linked to water stress, a variety of plant species have been found to carry the pathogen without symptoms, making it all too easy to evade detection when relying on visual inspections. Beyond water stress, other conditions (individual plant resistance/tolerance, bacterial concentrations, transpiration rates, and interactions between subspecies) may be implicated in symptom development. A thorough understanding of how this disease develops, especially its capacity to spread from the initial focus and establish a systemic infection, is imperative. This review focuses on the Xf infection process, the development of symptoms, its spread within Portugal, and the actions that have been taken to counter it.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135590561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-03DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres14040107
Jamal Wadi Al-Ramahi, Rola Ali Ghanem, Omar Helmy Sayyouh, Dima Al-Jammal, Mayar M. Said, Salwa Nasrat, Mona El-Shokry, Mahmoud Gazo, Tamer Saied Osman
Candida auris (C. auris) is an opportunistic budding yeast that has been identified across 41 countries, including several countries in the Middle East. The increasing global concern stems from the pathogen’s acquired resistance to antifungal drugs and its ability to form biofilms, which allows it to survive on hospital surfaces and medical devices for up to 14 days, compromising infection prevention measures in hospitals. In this report, we present the first (reported) case of C. auris isolated from a urine sample from a 48-year-old female living in Jordan. The patient succumbed to illness five days following admission to hospital. The isolate was identified retrospectively through the national surveillance system in Jordan and was confirmed by real-time PCR. Antifungal susceptibility was carried out using the microbroth dilution technique and the isolate was found to be susceptible to all tested antifungal drugs. Overall, the report emphasizes the need for active surveillance for the rapid identification of high-risk patients colonized with C. auris. It also stresses the importance of understanding the inter-clade difference in the susceptibility pattern of C. auris to facilitate the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies.
{"title":"Report of the First Case of Candida auris Identified in Jordan","authors":"Jamal Wadi Al-Ramahi, Rola Ali Ghanem, Omar Helmy Sayyouh, Dima Al-Jammal, Mayar M. Said, Salwa Nasrat, Mona El-Shokry, Mahmoud Gazo, Tamer Saied Osman","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040107","url":null,"abstract":"Candida auris (C. auris) is an opportunistic budding yeast that has been identified across 41 countries, including several countries in the Middle East. The increasing global concern stems from the pathogen’s acquired resistance to antifungal drugs and its ability to form biofilms, which allows it to survive on hospital surfaces and medical devices for up to 14 days, compromising infection prevention measures in hospitals. In this report, we present the first (reported) case of C. auris isolated from a urine sample from a 48-year-old female living in Jordan. The patient succumbed to illness five days following admission to hospital. The isolate was identified retrospectively through the national surveillance system in Jordan and was confirmed by real-time PCR. Antifungal susceptibility was carried out using the microbroth dilution technique and the isolate was found to be susceptible to all tested antifungal drugs. Overall, the report emphasizes the need for active surveillance for the rapid identification of high-risk patients colonized with C. auris. It also stresses the importance of understanding the inter-clade difference in the susceptibility pattern of C. auris to facilitate the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135696427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-29DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres14040106
Benedikte N. Pedersen, Andrew Jenkins, Katrine M. Paulsen, Coraline Basset, Åshild K. Andreassen
The tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is transmitted to humans through tick bites. In recent years, the appearance of the Siberian subtype of TBEV in Ixodes ricinus in Finland, together with deaths from the normally mild European subtype in the same country, have raised concerns about a possible spread of virulent variants of TBEV in Western Europe. Thus, there is a need to monitor the spread of strains, particularly of the European and Siberian subtypes. In this study, we develop a new real-time PCR method targeting Siberian and European subtypes of TBEV. The primers amplify a 176 bp fragment of the E gene, which is suitable for subsequent strain identification by Sanger sequencing. This study pioneers a new approach to primer design where the melting temperature (Tm) of primers annealed to representative mismatched target sequences is empirically determined and used to guide improvements in primer sequence. This allowed the range of TBEV strains detected to be extended to cover most European and Siberian strains tested, in addition to a strain of the Far-Eastern subtype. The limit of detection was 10–100 DNA copies per reaction and amplification efficiency varied between 83% and 94%, depending on the TBEV strain. Experimental determination of primer Tm proved to be a fruitful approach and will be a useful tool for future primer design and diagnostics.
{"title":"Development of a Real-Time PCR Method for the Detection of European and Siberian Subtypes of Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus","authors":"Benedikte N. Pedersen, Andrew Jenkins, Katrine M. Paulsen, Coraline Basset, Åshild K. Andreassen","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040106","url":null,"abstract":"The tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is transmitted to humans through tick bites. In recent years, the appearance of the Siberian subtype of TBEV in Ixodes ricinus in Finland, together with deaths from the normally mild European subtype in the same country, have raised concerns about a possible spread of virulent variants of TBEV in Western Europe. Thus, there is a need to monitor the spread of strains, particularly of the European and Siberian subtypes. In this study, we develop a new real-time PCR method targeting Siberian and European subtypes of TBEV. The primers amplify a 176 bp fragment of the E gene, which is suitable for subsequent strain identification by Sanger sequencing. This study pioneers a new approach to primer design where the melting temperature (Tm) of primers annealed to representative mismatched target sequences is empirically determined and used to guide improvements in primer sequence. This allowed the range of TBEV strains detected to be extended to cover most European and Siberian strains tested, in addition to a strain of the Far-Eastern subtype. The limit of detection was 10–100 DNA copies per reaction and amplification efficiency varied between 83% and 94%, depending on the TBEV strain. Experimental determination of primer Tm proved to be a fruitful approach and will be a useful tool for future primer design and diagnostics.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"23 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135292721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The genus Ganoderma has been little studied in arid areas worldwide. Ganoderma subincrustatum and Ganoderma weberianum strains were obtained from the Sonoran Desert, Sonora, Mexico. Ganoderma spp. synthesize triterpenoids such as ganoderic acids with antiproliferative activity because they inhibit specific targets, induce apoptosis, and increase the activity of killer cells. Mycelium and fruiting body chloroform extracts from G. subincrustatum and G. weberianum were tested on HeLa, A549, L-929, and RAW 264.7 cell lines. Extracts from the fruiting body present higher antiproliferative activity than mycelium. All extracts induced vesicle and cellular debris formation in all cell lines, being non-selective for cancerous cells. Chloroform extract from G. subincrustatum fruiting bodies presented higher activity against all cell lines. Fractions F7 and F15 from this extract exhibited an IC50 of 37.9 and 41.9 µg/mL on the A549 cell line, respectively; however, chloroform crude extract showed higher activity (IC50 of <25 µg/mL) in all cell lines. Flow cytometry assays of F7 revealed cell death by apoptosis in A549 cells. NMR suggested the presence of ganoderic acids in F7. In future research, it will be interesting to characterize these fractions (metabolites, their bioactivities, and mechanism of action).
{"title":"Antiproliferative Activity of Mycelium vs. Fruiting Body: Ganoderma subincrustatum and G. weberianum from Sonora, Mexico","authors":"Damian López-Peña, Heriberto Torres-Moreno, Max Vidal-Gutiérrez, Ramón Enrique Robles-Zepeda, Aldo Gutiérrez, Martín Esqueda","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040105","url":null,"abstract":"The genus Ganoderma has been little studied in arid areas worldwide. Ganoderma subincrustatum and Ganoderma weberianum strains were obtained from the Sonoran Desert, Sonora, Mexico. Ganoderma spp. synthesize triterpenoids such as ganoderic acids with antiproliferative activity because they inhibit specific targets, induce apoptosis, and increase the activity of killer cells. Mycelium and fruiting body chloroform extracts from G. subincrustatum and G. weberianum were tested on HeLa, A549, L-929, and RAW 264.7 cell lines. Extracts from the fruiting body present higher antiproliferative activity than mycelium. All extracts induced vesicle and cellular debris formation in all cell lines, being non-selective for cancerous cells. Chloroform extract from G. subincrustatum fruiting bodies presented higher activity against all cell lines. Fractions F7 and F15 from this extract exhibited an IC50 of 37.9 and 41.9 µg/mL on the A549 cell line, respectively; however, chloroform crude extract showed higher activity (IC50 of <25 µg/mL) in all cell lines. Flow cytometry assays of F7 revealed cell death by apoptosis in A549 cells. NMR suggested the presence of ganoderic acids in F7. In future research, it will be interesting to characterize these fractions (metabolites, their bioactivities, and mechanism of action).","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"38 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135387043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-27DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres14040104
Ondrej Zahornacky, Štefan Porubčin, Alena Rovňáková, Ján Fedačko, Pavol Jarčuška
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria from the genus Leptospira. The infection occurs mainly in developing countries in the tropical zone and countries with lower hygiene standards. The highest incidence is observed especially in environments associated with the presence of rodents, mainly rats, which are a potential source of infection. The clinical manifestations and severity of leptospirosis are highly variable. This case report describes the a 53-year-old patient (male) without comorbidities, who was admitted to an infectious disease department in the east of Slovakia for jaundice, general fatigue, weakness, and fever (health difficulties for approximately 7 days at home). The clinical laboratory picture of the patient was dominated by significant hyperbilirubinemia, acute renal failure, hepatopathy, severe thrombocytopenia, and involvement of the lung parenchyma in the sense of bilateral interstitial pneumonia on chest X-ray. A double combination of antibiotics (ceftriaxone and clarithromycin) were added to the treatment. During hospitalization, a diagnosis of leptospirosis was suspected based on medical history and the results of laboratory tests and was subsequently confirmed serologically. The antibiotic regimen was de-escalated to cephalosporin (ceftriaxone) monotherapy with adequate laboratory and clinical effects (on the 4th day). The patient was discharged after a total of 18 days in good clinical condition.
{"title":"Uncovering a Rarely Diagnosed Disease: Severe Leptospirosis with Multiorgan Failure in Slovakia","authors":"Ondrej Zahornacky, Štefan Porubčin, Alena Rovňáková, Ján Fedačko, Pavol Jarčuška","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040104","url":null,"abstract":"Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria from the genus Leptospira. The infection occurs mainly in developing countries in the tropical zone and countries with lower hygiene standards. The highest incidence is observed especially in environments associated with the presence of rodents, mainly rats, which are a potential source of infection. The clinical manifestations and severity of leptospirosis are highly variable. This case report describes the a 53-year-old patient (male) without comorbidities, who was admitted to an infectious disease department in the east of Slovakia for jaundice, general fatigue, weakness, and fever (health difficulties for approximately 7 days at home). The clinical laboratory picture of the patient was dominated by significant hyperbilirubinemia, acute renal failure, hepatopathy, severe thrombocytopenia, and involvement of the lung parenchyma in the sense of bilateral interstitial pneumonia on chest X-ray. A double combination of antibiotics (ceftriaxone and clarithromycin) were added to the treatment. During hospitalization, a diagnosis of leptospirosis was suspected based on medical history and the results of laboratory tests and was subsequently confirmed serologically. The antibiotic regimen was de-escalated to cephalosporin (ceftriaxone) monotherapy with adequate laboratory and clinical effects (on the 4th day). The patient was discharged after a total of 18 days in good clinical condition.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"95 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135580006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-27DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres14040103
Luzmaria R. Morales-Cedeño, Ignacio A. Barajas-Barrera, Fannie I. Parra-Cota, Valeria Valenzuela-Ruiz, Sergio de los Santos-Villalobos, Pedro D. Loeza-Lara, Alejandra Herrera-Pérez, Ma. del Carmen Orozco-Mosqueda, Gustavo Santoyo
Fungal pathogens are the main causal agents of postharvest diseases of fruits and vegetables. To prevent this problem and avoid the use of harmful chemical fungicides, safer and greener alternatives have been sought. One of these alternatives is the use of plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). In this study, we evaluated in vitro four well-known PGPB strains (Pseudomonas fluorescens UM270, Bacillus toyonensis COPE52, Bacillus sp. E25, and Bacillus thuringiensis CR71) for their biocontrol potential against nineteen postharvest fungal pathogens. In vivo assays were also performed, and bacterial cells were inoculated on harvested strawberries and grapes with the pathogens Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria alternata, and Fusarium brachygibbosum to evaluate loss of firmness and disease incidence. Our results show that the four strains antagonized fungi in direct and indirect confrontation assays. Stronger antagonism was observed by the action of diffusible metabolites (DMs) compared to volatile organic compound (VOC) activity. All PGPB significantly improved the fruit firmness and reduced disease incidence caused by the fungal pathogens tested. However, strain UM270 showed excellent biocontrol activity, reducing the disease incidence of Fusarium brachygibbosum, Botrytis cinerea, and Alternaria alternata on strawberry fruits by 60%, 55%, and 65%, respectively. Diffusible antifungals and VOCs such as 2,4-diacetyl phloroglucinol, siderophores, auxins, fengycins, and N, N-dimethyl-hexadecyl amine, among others, might be responsible for the beneficial activities observed. These results suggest excellent biocontrol activities to inhibit postharvest pathogenic fungi and improve harvested fruit quality.
{"title":"Evaluation of Biocontrol Potential of Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas fluorescens UM270 against Postharvest Fungal Pathogens","authors":"Luzmaria R. Morales-Cedeño, Ignacio A. Barajas-Barrera, Fannie I. Parra-Cota, Valeria Valenzuela-Ruiz, Sergio de los Santos-Villalobos, Pedro D. Loeza-Lara, Alejandra Herrera-Pérez, Ma. del Carmen Orozco-Mosqueda, Gustavo Santoyo","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040103","url":null,"abstract":"Fungal pathogens are the main causal agents of postharvest diseases of fruits and vegetables. To prevent this problem and avoid the use of harmful chemical fungicides, safer and greener alternatives have been sought. One of these alternatives is the use of plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). In this study, we evaluated in vitro four well-known PGPB strains (Pseudomonas fluorescens UM270, Bacillus toyonensis COPE52, Bacillus sp. E25, and Bacillus thuringiensis CR71) for their biocontrol potential against nineteen postharvest fungal pathogens. In vivo assays were also performed, and bacterial cells were inoculated on harvested strawberries and grapes with the pathogens Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria alternata, and Fusarium brachygibbosum to evaluate loss of firmness and disease incidence. Our results show that the four strains antagonized fungi in direct and indirect confrontation assays. Stronger antagonism was observed by the action of diffusible metabolites (DMs) compared to volatile organic compound (VOC) activity. All PGPB significantly improved the fruit firmness and reduced disease incidence caused by the fungal pathogens tested. However, strain UM270 showed excellent biocontrol activity, reducing the disease incidence of Fusarium brachygibbosum, Botrytis cinerea, and Alternaria alternata on strawberry fruits by 60%, 55%, and 65%, respectively. Diffusible antifungals and VOCs such as 2,4-diacetyl phloroglucinol, siderophores, auxins, fengycins, and N, N-dimethyl-hexadecyl amine, among others, might be responsible for the beneficial activities observed. These results suggest excellent biocontrol activities to inhibit postharvest pathogenic fungi and improve harvested fruit quality.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"61 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135580007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-27DOI: 10.3390/microbiolres14040102
Mohamed Sharaf, Eman Jassim Mohammed, Eman M. Farahat, Amani A. Alrehaili, Abdulsalam Alkhudhayri, Ahmed Mohamed Ali, Abdullah A. Zahra, Shadi A. Zakai, Amr Elkelish, Maha AlHarbi, Mai Farag Saad
This study targeted developing a novel Zinc oxide with alpha hematite nanoflowers (NFs)-loaded bee venom (Bv) (Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs) as a bio-natural product from bees to combine both the advantages of combination magnetic properties and the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties on isolated coliform bacteria from the effluent of wastewater treatment plants. About 24 isolates of treated wastewater isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR). The phylogenetic grouping of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumonia (K. pneumonia) showed that the largest group was Group A, followed by Group B2 and Group B1. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), The X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM− EDX) validated the coating operation’s contact with Bv onto ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs. According to high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), pattern analyses for prepared nanoformulations exhibited a spherical shape of αFe2O3 (~9–15 nm), and floral needle shapes with uniform distribution of size with aggregation of ZnOαFe2O3 and Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs around (~100–200 nm). The toxicity of Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs was comparable up to 125 µg mL−1, when it reached 64.79% (IC50, 107.18 µg mL−1). The antibacterial activity showed different zones of inhibition against different isolates. The biofilm inhibitory activity of NPs and NFs showed a highly significant reduction (p < 0.001) in treated biofilms with ZnO@αFe2O3 and Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3. In essence, ZnO@αFe2O3 and Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs are promising antimicrobials for inhibiting the growth and biofilm of MDR E. coli and K. pneumonia isolates, thereby, biocontrol of wastewater.
{"title":"Biocide Syntheses Bee Venom-Conjugated ZnO@αFe2O3 Nanoflowers as an Advanced Platform Targeting Multidrug-Resistant Fecal Coliform Bacteria Biofilm Isolated from Treated Wastewater","authors":"Mohamed Sharaf, Eman Jassim Mohammed, Eman M. Farahat, Amani A. Alrehaili, Abdulsalam Alkhudhayri, Ahmed Mohamed Ali, Abdullah A. Zahra, Shadi A. Zakai, Amr Elkelish, Maha AlHarbi, Mai Farag Saad","doi":"10.3390/microbiolres14040102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14040102","url":null,"abstract":"This study targeted developing a novel Zinc oxide with alpha hematite nanoflowers (NFs)-loaded bee venom (Bv) (Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs) as a bio-natural product from bees to combine both the advantages of combination magnetic properties and the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties on isolated coliform bacteria from the effluent of wastewater treatment plants. About 24 isolates of treated wastewater isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR). The phylogenetic grouping of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumonia (K. pneumonia) showed that the largest group was Group A, followed by Group B2 and Group B1. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), The X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM− EDX) validated the coating operation’s contact with Bv onto ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs. According to high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), pattern analyses for prepared nanoformulations exhibited a spherical shape of αFe2O3 (~9–15 nm), and floral needle shapes with uniform distribution of size with aggregation of ZnOαFe2O3 and Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs around (~100–200 nm). The toxicity of Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs was comparable up to 125 µg mL−1, when it reached 64.79% (IC50, 107.18 µg mL−1). The antibacterial activity showed different zones of inhibition against different isolates. The biofilm inhibitory activity of NPs and NFs showed a highly significant reduction (p < 0.001) in treated biofilms with ZnO@αFe2O3 and Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3. In essence, ZnO@αFe2O3 and Bv-ZnO@αFe2O3 NFs are promising antimicrobials for inhibiting the growth and biofilm of MDR E. coli and K. pneumonia isolates, thereby, biocontrol of wastewater.","PeriodicalId":43788,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology Research","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135580008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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