New Microbiologica最新文献

Campylobacter upsaliensis is an emerging pathogen implicated in human gastroenteritis. Contact with pets, especially dogs, has been identified as a risk factor. Fourteen (14) C. upsaliensis isolates were obtained from household dogs in Metro Manila, Philippines. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) determined high resistance to ciprofloxacin (92.86%), erythromycin (100%), and tetracycline (100%). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) identified 14 novel sequence types and 1 novel clonal complex, which is suggestive of a high genotypic diversity within C. upsaliensis. AST results indicate that antimicrobial stewardship and education of pet owners should be emphasised in veterinary practice.

The circumstances of death and the estimation of the post-mortem interval (PMI) are often a great challenge for scientific and judicial investigators, especially when some time has elapsed since death. Several techniques are used; nevertheless, each presents its own limitations. In the quest for new techniques that are more reliable or at least complementary to those existing and sometimes less expensive, researchers have in recent years turned toward exploring the dynamics of the different microbial communities of a corpse according to their different stages of decomposition. This article summarizes the various works done in the field and shows the different sources of microorganisms in the different parts of the human corpse and their potential interest in the field of forensic medicine.

Although respiratory viruses are known as the major causes of community-acquired respiratory tract infections all over the world, they can also cause serious nosocomial respiratory infections and hospital outbreaks. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence of community-acquired and nosocomial RSV and other viral respiratory tract infections in children hospitalized at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Cukurova University Faculty of Medicine. Nasopharyngeal swab samples were taken from 100 children aged 0-16 years with suspected community-acquired (60) and nosocomial (40) respiratory tract infections from September 2018 to June 2021. The Multiplex real-time PCR test was used for the diagnosis of respiratory viruses. Of children with community-acquired respiratory tract infections, 65% (39/60) were positive for at least one virus and the rate of coinfection in this group was 35.9% (14/39). In children with nosocomial respiratory tract infection, positivity was detected to be 62.5% (25/40) and the coinfection rate was 40% (10/25). The most predominant virus in community-acquired respiratory tract infections was influenza A virus (25%), followed by ADV (18.3%), hBoV (15%), RSV (11.7%), and RhV (10%). In nosocomial viral respiratory tract infections, the most common virus was RSV (20%), followed by influenza A virus (12.5%), RhV (12.5%), ADV (12.5%), hMpV (10%), and hBoV (10%). Early diagnosis of respiratory viral infections with real-time PCR test is important in terms of reducing morbidity and mortality, applying control methods to prevent the spread of nosocomial viruses, shortening the hospitalization period, preventing the use of unnecessary antibiotics, and giving appropriate antiviral treatment.

The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on patients with pre-existing chronic liver diseases (CLD) remains elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalized for Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) with CLD (CLD group) compared to those without CLD (non-CLD group). We performed a retrospective cohort study including patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalized at San Raffaele Hospital (Milan), stratified according to the presence or absence of CLD. A propensity score was estimated and used to match the two groups by age, gender, body mass index, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Predictors of mortality were assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression model. Among 1210 patients with COVID-19, 41 (3.4%) were included in the CLD group and 1169 (96.6%) in the non-CLD group. Using a propensity score, we matched 41 patients in the CLD group with 123 in the non-CLD group. At admission, patients in the CLD group had worse liver function, lower platelets count, and lower c-reactive protein levels. By multivariate analysis, the CLD group showed a higher risk of death: OR 4.04 (95% CI 1.29-12.70; p= 0.017). Our study showed that COVID-19 with chronic liver diseases has a higher risk of mortality during hospitalization.

In monkeypox virus (MPXV) transmission caused by contaminated material, we have to consider that recently the outbreak of several MPXV cases was linked to tattoo parlors in Cadiz, Spain. These tattoo parlors did not cause a single outbreak, but instead are an established transmission route for MPXV, underscoring the need for increased awareness. We recommend increasing awareness among tattooists and piercers not only to protect their own safety and health, but also to prevent spreading the virus to their customers. Personal protective equipment such as gloves should be utilized and vaccination can be considered for those at risk of occupational exposure.

Antibiotic-resistant S. aureus infections can be life-threatening. Linezolid is known to hinder S. aureus biofilm formation, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Molecular docking revealed that linezolid can bind to icaA, and this was confirmed by thermal drift assays. Linezolid demonstrated a dose-dependent inhibition of icaA enzyme activity. Mutating Trp267, a key residue identified through molecular docking, significantly decreased linezolid binding and inhibitory effects on mutant icaA activity. However, the mutant icaA Trp267Ala showed only slight activity reduction compared to icaA. Linezolid had minimal impact on icaB's thermal stability and activity. The 50S ribosomal L3ΔSer145 mutant S. aureus exhibited similar growth and biofilm formation to the wild-type strain. Linezolid effectively suppressed the growth and biofilm formation of wildtype S. aureus. Although linezolid lost its ability to inhibit the growth of the mutant strain, it still effectively hindered its biofilm formation. Linezolid exhibited weaker attenuation of sepsis-induced lung injury caused by 50S ribosomal L3ΔSer145 mutant S. aureus compared to wild-type S. aureus. These findings indicate that linezolid hampers S. aureus biofilm formation by directly inhibiting icaA activity, independently of its impact on bacterial growth.

To achieve the World Health Organization goal of hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication, barriers to treatment should be investigated and overcome. The aim of this study was to identify those barriers and describe the strategies adopted to achieve HCV micro-elimination in a cohort of coinfected people living with HIV (PLWH-HCV). Adult PLWH-HCV followed at our hospital with detectable serum HCV-RNA in 2018 were enrolled. After a three-year follow-up, barriers to HCV treatment were investigated and strategies to overcome them were described. Of 492 PLWH-HCV seen in 2018, 29 (5.9%) had detectable serum HCV-RNA. Eight out of 29 (27.6%) were excluded because they were already under treatment, while 2 others were excluded because they moved to other outpatient clinics. Among the remaining 19 study participants, the most common barriers to treatment were poor adherence to therapies and follow-up visits (n=9, 47%), recent HCV diagnosis awaiting proper staging (n=3, 16%) and treatment hesitancy (n=2, 10%). During the following three years, direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) treatment was completed in 11/19 (58%) cases, with achievement of sustained virological response in 100% of cases. For the remaining cases, 2/19 (10.5%) were lost to follow-up, 2/19 (10.5%) died before treatment initiation and 4/19 (21.0%) are still awaiting treatment. Despite 3 years of effort, HCV micro-elimination has not been achieved at our center. We observed that poor adherence and treatment hesitancy were the main barriers to treatment. Strategies addressing these issues need to be implemented.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important public health problem with potential risk for Turkey. In order to contribute to the epidemiological data, we aimed to investigate the changes in seroprevalence, viremia rates, and genotypes in the last five years in HCV patients in the southern region of Turkey, which has received heavy migration in recent years, according to demographic criteria. In our study, we analyzed the results retrospectively with demographic data. Conducted at a single center, the study involved 259,875 anti-HCV antibody tests administered between January 2018 and July 2022. The study revealed a prevalence of 0.5% for HCV antibody positivity and a viremia prevalence of 0.1%. Among Turkish nationals, the most common genotypes were GT1 (65.1%), while foreign nationals, mainly of Syrian and Ukrainian origin, showed GT4 (52.3%) as the predominant genotype (p<0.001 for both). Although GT2 (7.4% vs. 4.5%) and GT3 (23.3% vs. 13.6%) were relatively higher in Turkish nationals compared to foreign nationals, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.750 and p=0.154, respectively). This highlights the importance of continuous monitoring and public health efforts to address the potential impact of these demographic shifts on HCV epidemiology in the region.

In this study the antibiotic susceptibility pattern and bla genes were characterized in Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates that fingerprinted by rep-PCR and PFGE methods at Kurdistan Province, Iran. A total of 70 K. pneumoniae were isolated from clinical samples to detect the antimicrobial susceptibility, carbapenemase and MBL-producing isolates. The PCR assay was used to identify the bla genes. Isolates were typed by PFGE and Rep-PCR methods. The highest and lowest rates of resistance were observed in cefotaxime (67.1%) and imipenem (8.6%), respectively. The rate of blaNDM-1 and blaOXA-48 genes were 1 (1.4%) and 14 (20%) isolates, respectively. All were classified in 27 clusters by rep-PCR and 39 PFGE types. The low frequency of carbapenemase and MBL genes in this study are epidemiologically important.

The purpose of the current study was to describe the prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) in northeastern Bulgaria. From January 2019 to December 2021, we tested 1493 samples for anti-HSV-1 IgG and 817 samples for anti-HSV-2 IgG antibodies in the Virology Laboratory, "St. Marina" University Hospital, Varna, Bulgaria. HSV-1 was considerably more widespread, with an overall seroprevalence of 73.3% (95% CI: 71.0-75.5%), than HSV-2 infection, which showed a seropositive rate of 10.0% (95% CI: 8.1-12.4%). Age was the most significant risk factor for both infections, while gender had no role in herpes simplex seropositivity.