New Microbiologica最新文献

The escalating global population poses formidable challenges to addressing pressing environmental concerns, hindering progress towards sustainable development goals. Unregulated human activities, particularly the excessive reliance on fossil fuels and unsustainable agricultural practices, contribute to pollution, climate change, and resource depletion. Inadequate waste management systems exacerbate environmental degradation and pose risks to public health. Leveraging biological resources and urban/industrial waste emerges as a promising solution. Various waste materials, such as food waste and agro-industrial by-products, have been efficiently repurposed into valuable bio-based products. This review explores the diverse applications of agricultural and food waste repurposing, including microbial production of biopolymers and biosurfactants, as well as the extraction of biologically active compounds for potential antimicrobial drugs.

Bacterial ocular infections represent a common public health problem affecting people of all age groups. These infections can lead to damage of ocular structures or even a loss of vision. The spectrum of isolated bacteria and their susceptibilities to antibiotics, however, shows geographical variabilities, which can affect the success of most empirically-administered antimicrobial therapies. The aim of this study was thus to analyse bacterial aetiology in culture-positive acute and chronic ocular infections and its antimicrobial susceptibility profile in a large cohort of patients in the Czech Republic. The study also focused on corynebacteria identification, particularly on the prevalence of Corynebacterium macginleyi. A total of 2500 bacterial isolates obtained from 2015 to 2020 in University Hospital Hradec Kralove were included in the study. A total of 2320 (92.8%) bacterial isolates were Gram-positive and 180 (7.2%) were Gram-negative. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant pathogen, isolated from 15.3% of ocular infections, followed by Enterobacterales, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, isolated in 2.9%, 1.6% and 1.0%, respectively. Corynebacterium macginleyi was confirmed as the most prevalent species of corynebacteria. Most bacteria showed good susceptibility to fluoroquinolones, chloramphenicol, and aminoglycosides. Gram-positive bacteria were also susceptible to tetracycline. To conclude, this study presents a 5-year assessment of bacterial aetiology of ocular infections in the East Bohemian region. The survey showed clear differences in the susceptibilities of several bacteria to select antibiotics compared to studies from other geographical regions in Europe. This clearly shows that local surveillance of the aetiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria is essential for adequate empirical therapy of ocular infections.

The aim of this research was to define the prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis D virus (anti-HDV Ab) in a group of 26 outpatients with liver dysfunction in northeastern Bulgaria. Serum samples were obtained from April 2022 to December 2023 in the "Status" Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, Varna, Bulgaria. We found seroprevalence of anti-HDV Ab in 15.4% (CI: 4.3-34.8%) of the target population. Age and gender had no significant role in HDV seropositivity.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is prevalent among domestic pigs and wild boar in Europe. This study focused on the genetic diversity of HEV subtypes 3c, 3e and 3f among swine and wild boar in Europe as well as their circulation. Phylogenetic analysis and Bayesian phylogenetic inference were applied on the selected ORF2 capsid HEV sequences to co-estimate the viral circulation, the mean evolutionary rates and the dated trees. The estimated mean values of the HEV ORF2 capsid gene evolutionary rate were 8.29 x 10-3, 5.96 x 10-3, and 1.107 x 10-2 substitutions/site/year, respectively for 3c, 3e and 3f. The majority of the HEV 3c and 3e supported clusters did not show intermixing between swine and wild boar. Thus, although the intermixing observed in a minority of HEV 3c and 3e supported clusters suggests that transmission/circulation of these subtypes between swine and wild boar can potentially occur, 3c and 3e European wild boar HEV populations remained mainly segregated. In contrast, one half of the HEV 3f supported clusters showed intermixing between swine and wild boar, providing evidence for transfer/circulation to swine. The data suggest that continued virologic surveillance in swine and wild boar is necessary, together with targeted measures to reduce the chance of HEV transmission to humans.

Herein, we aimed to investigate the antifungal susceptibility pattern of Candida auris clinical strains in our setting Bahrain Oncology Center-King Hamad University Hospital-Bahrain. C. auris strains isolated from different clinical specimens in the Microbiology Laboratory from October-2021 to November-2022 were evaluated. Species-level identification of fungi was performed by MALDI-TOF (Bruker, Germany). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined either by E-test strips or by MICRONAUT MIC system based on CDC guidelines for C. auris antifungal interpretation. Fluconazole, amphotericin-B, voriconazole, and caspofungin susceptibility data of the clinical strains were analyzed. A total of 40 clinical isolates were included: 25% were blood culture isolates, 65% were urinary, and 10% were soft tissue isolates. Only 29 strains could be tested for amphotericin-B and 32 for voriconazole. Overall resistance pattern was as follows: 100% resistance to fluconazole, 2.5% resistance to caspofungin, and 0% resistance to amphotericin b. Median voriconazole MIC was 0.015 ug/ml (min 0.08, max= 0.064 ug/ml). We had no fluconazole-sensitive strain and only one caspofungin-resistant strain. A single isolate (2.5%), which was associated with candidemia, demonstrated resistance to two antifungal agents: fluconazole and caspofungin. No triple or quadruple drug resistant strain existed.

Italy is recognized as having the highest Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence in Europe. The Tuscany region, where the prevalence of HCV infection is approximately 0.8%, implemented two programs for the control of chronic hepatitis C in Tuscany from 2018 to 2022. This retrospective study aims to investigate the incidence of HCV in a population screened in Southeastern Tuscany from 2013 to 2022. The study population included 246,137 patients from the provincial area of Arezzo and Grosseto, Tuscany, spanning from January 2013 to October 2022. Among the subjects included in the study, 3,190 (1.29%) tested positive for anti-HCV antibodies. Of this population, 2,119 patients (66.43%) also tested positive for HCV-RNA quantification, leading to their enrolment for subsequent viral genotyping. 1,106 patients had genotype (GT) 1 (52.2%), 484 had GT 3 (22.8%), 371 had GT 2 (17.5%), and 158 had GT 4 (7.5%). Our study underscores the prevalence of HCV GTs 1 and 3 as the most predominant GTs in the Southeast Tuscany region. We also observe a correlation between age, sex and HCV genotypic distribution.

Non-O1 and non-O139 Vibrio cholerae (NOVC) are serogroups that do not produce cholera toxin and are not responsible for epidemics. Even though rarely encountered in clinical practice, they can cause a spectrum of different conditions ranging from mild gastrointestinal syndrome to extraintestinal diseases, of which bacteremia and wound infections are the most severe. Risk factors for severe disease are cirrhosis, neoplasms, and diabetes mellitus. The mortality rate of NOVC bacteremia in hospitalized patients ranges from 24 to 61.5%. Incidence of NOVC infections is still rare, and consensus recommendations on treatment are not available. We report a case of NOVC bacteremia associated with severe cellulitis in an immunocompetent 75-year-old man who had eaten raw seafood in a location by the northern Adriatic Sea (Italy). Twenty-four hours after intake, he developed a high fever and vomiting. Afterwards, he started noticing the appearance of cellulitis in his right leg, which worsened in a matter of hours. The patient had a history of compensated type 2 diabetes mellitus. NOVC was isolated from both blood cultures and the leg ulcer. The non-O1, non-O139 serogroup was confirmed, and the detection of the cholera toxin gene was negative. Both tests were performed by the Reference National Laboratory of Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS). Multiple antimicrobial regimens were administered, with complete recovery. In conclusion, considering the severity of NOVC-associated manifestations, it is of pivotal importance to reach etiological diagnosis for a target antimicrobial therapy and to consider V. cholerae infection in the differential diagnosis in the presence of risk factors and potential exposure.

In the present retrospective study, we have evaluated bacterial pathogens isolated from patients admitted to the Burn Care Unit at the Military Medical Academy, Varna, Bulgaria over a three-year period (January 2019 - December 2021). We also tried to summarize the corresponding antibiotic resistance pattern of the isolated infectious agents. A total of 1030 isolates were obtained from 1912 burn wound samples investigated. There were 553 Gram-positive (53.7%) and 477 Gram-negative (46.3%) isolates. The most common isolates for the study period were coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (25%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (17.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (16.6%), Acinetobacter baumannii (7.7%), Enterobacter spp. (7.1%), Escherichia coli (4.4%), Proteus spp. (3.4%), and Klebsiella spp. (2.9%). Glycopeptide antibiotics and linezolid were the most effective drugs against gram-positive isolates, followed by amikacin (for synergistic combinations), whereas colistin, imipenem, meropenem, cefoperazon/sulbactam, and piperacillin/tazobactam were the most active drugs against Gram-negative isolates, and colistin, ampicillin/sulbactam - against A. baumannii.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia presents clinical complexities, with prolonged duration associated with unfavorable outcomes. This research delves into unconventional treatments, such as combinations involving daptomycin, oxacillin, ceftaroline, and fosfomycin, with the aim of swiftly sterilizing bloodstream infection to reduce complications. Our examination of 30 MSSA bacteremia patients with infective endocarditis uncovers differing results between single-agent therapies (oxacillin or daptomycin) and combined treatment plans. Microbiologic clearance at the 72 hour mark demonstrates greater efficacy within the combination cohort (bacteremia persistence 29%) versus monotherapy (bacteremia persistence 78%). This limited case series suggests the potential superiority of combination therapy, prompting further investigations.

Stephanoascus ciferrii, a conditional pathogenic fungus prevalent in nature, is more frequently encountered in patients with compromised immunity. However, the literature rarely reports infections caused by Stephanoascus ciferrii in peritoneal dialysis patients. Here, we detail the case of a 66-year-old female suffering from renal failure who experienced catheter-related infection during peritoneal dialysis. Dialysate turbidity prompted the detection of Stephanoascus ciferrii in both peritoneal dialysate and tubes through microbiological cultures. Subsequent treatment involved antifungal drugs and a transition to hemodialysis, resulting in the disappearance of peritonitis symptoms and the patient's discharge. In recent years, fungal infections, particularly dialysis-related infections, are on the rise. This marks the first reported case of catheter-related peritonitis infection caused by Stephanoascus ciferrii. Compared to bacterial infections, fungal infections pose challenges due to limited drug options, significant side effects, and prolonged treatment durations. Hence, prompt pathogen diagnosis and drug sensitivity testing are crucial for effective clinical treatment. In essence, this scientific case report underscores the uncommon occurrence of catheter-related peritonitis attributed to Stephanoascus ciferrii in a peritoneal dialysis patient with renal failure, emphasizing the distinctive management challenges and underscoring the critical significance of prompt diagnosis and suitable intervention in such instances.