Pub Date : 2025-10-18DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103006
Rohan Mishra , Adam Harvey , Amy Guo , Glenn Tillotson , Paul Feuerstadt , Sahil Khanna , William D. Shannon , Ken F. Blount
Objectives
Increasing evidence indicates a gut microbiome-brain axis, but more robust statistical methods are needed to solidify this connection. In a large phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial (PUNCH CD3; NCT03244644), fecal microbiota, live-jslm (REBYOTA; RBL, previously RBX2660), was effective in preventing recurrent Clostridium difficile infections, and trial participants had significant gut microbiome and metabolome shifts concurrent with significant changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Advanced statistical methods were applied to data from this trial to further explore and demonstrate associations between changing HRQOL and microbiome or metabolome changes.
Methods
A categorical statistical analysis queried whether patient-reported Cdiff32 HRQOL scores were more likely to improve after RBL than after placebo among PUNCH CD3 participants, and a Dirichlet-multinominal recursive partitioning model assessed whether mental domain Cdiff32 HRQOL scores were linked to participants’ fecal microbiome or bile acid compositions.
Results
Cdiff32 mental domain HRQOL scores were more likely to be improved after RBL administration compared with placebo among treatment responders. Cdiff32 mental domain scores were associated with changing gut microbiome and metabolome compositions, with a gradient of increased Clostridia and Bacteroidia and increased secondary bile acid predominance associated with better Cdiff32 scores.
Conclusions
The microbiota-gut-brain axis is posited to modulate health-related quality of life, microbiome, and metabolome changes through immune, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system functions in patients with recurrent C. difficile infection following RBL administration. These analyses provide a novel approach for investigating multi-omics data and categorical health-related quality of life questionnaires and generate new insights for further clinical studies.
{"title":"Microbiome and metabolome changes after fecal microbiota, live-jslm, administration are associated with health-related quality of life improvements","authors":"Rohan Mishra , Adam Harvey , Amy Guo , Glenn Tillotson , Paul Feuerstadt , Sahil Khanna , William D. Shannon , Ken F. Blount","doi":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Increasing evidence indicates a gut microbiome-brain axis, but more robust statistical methods are needed to solidify this connection. In a large phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial (PUNCH CD3; NCT03244644), fecal microbiota, live-jslm (REBYOTA; RBL, previously RBX2660), was effective in preventing recurrent <em>Clostridium difficile</em> infections, and trial participants had significant gut microbiome and metabolome shifts concurrent with significant changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Advanced statistical methods were applied to data from this trial to further explore and demonstrate associations between changing HRQOL and microbiome or metabolome changes.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A categorical statistical analysis queried whether patient-reported Cdiff32 HRQOL scores were more likely to improve after RBL than after placebo among PUNCH CD3 participants, and a Dirichlet-multinominal recursive partitioning model assessed whether mental domain Cdiff32 HRQOL scores were linked to participants’ fecal microbiome or bile acid compositions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Cdiff32 mental domain HRQOL scores were more likely to be improved after RBL administration compared with placebo among treatment responders. Cdiff32 mental domain scores were associated with changing gut microbiome and metabolome compositions, with a gradient of increased Clostridia and Bacteroidia and increased secondary bile acid predominance associated with better Cdiff32 scores.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The microbiota-gut-brain axis is posited to modulate health-related quality of life, microbiome, and metabolome changes through immune, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system functions in patients with recurrent <em>C. difficile</em> infection following RBL administration. These analyses provide a novel approach for investigating multi-omics data and categorical health-related quality of life questionnaires and generate new insights for further clinical studies.</div></div><div><h3>Clinical trial registration</h3><div>NCT03244644.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8050,"journal":{"name":"Anaerobe","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 103006"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145336434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
To assess the microbiological profile of chronic otitis media (COM)-squamosal disease with special reference to anaerobic bacteria, evaluate associations with clinical features, and determine antibiotic susceptibility of anaerobic isolates.
Methods
A prospective observational study was conducted over one year at JIPMER, Puducherry, including 60 patients diagnosed with COM-squamosal disease. Intraoperative ear discharge samples were cultured using aerobic and anaerobic techniques. Bacterial isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS, and anaerobes were confirmed by aerotolerance testing. Antibiotic susceptibility was performed according to EUCAST v.15 2025 guidelines.
Results
Positive cultures were obtained in 76.6 % of cases; aerobes were isolated in 95.6 %, anaerobes in 21.7 %, and fungi in 4.3 %. Polymicrobial/Mixed growth infections were observed in 45.6 % of culture-positive specimens. The predominant aerobic isolate was Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while anaerobic isolates included Bacteroides fragilis, Finegoldia magna, and Peptoniphilus asaccharolyticus. Anaerobic isolates were largely susceptible to metronidazole and carbapenems, with variable resistance patterns.
Conclusion
Anaerobic bacteria significantly contribute to COM-squamosal infections but are often overlooked. Routine anaerobic culture and sensitivity testing should be incorporated into diagnostic protocols to guide effective antimicrobial therapy and prevent complications.
{"title":"Clinical and microbiological profile of patients with chronic otitis media - Squamosal disease with special reference to anaerobes","authors":"Parveez Musharaf , Sangitha Jayagandan , Rakhi Biswas , Kalaiarasi Raja","doi":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To assess the microbiological profile of chronic otitis media (COM)-squamosal disease with special reference to anaerobic bacteria, evaluate associations with clinical features, and determine antibiotic susceptibility of anaerobic isolates.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A prospective observational study was conducted over one year at JIPMER, Puducherry, including 60 patients diagnosed with COM-squamosal disease. Intraoperative ear discharge samples were cultured using aerobic and anaerobic techniques. Bacterial isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS, and anaerobes were confirmed by aerotolerance testing. Antibiotic susceptibility was performed according to EUCAST v.15 2025 guidelines.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Positive cultures were obtained in 76.6 % of cases; aerobes were isolated in 95.6 %, anaerobes in 21.7 %, and fungi in 4.3 %. Polymicrobial/Mixed growth infections were observed in 45.6 % of culture-positive specimens. The predominant aerobic isolate was <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>, while anaerobic isolates included <em>Bacteroides fragilis</em>, <em>Finegoldia magna</em>, and <em>Peptoniphilus asaccharolyticus</em>. Anaerobic isolates were largely susceptible to metronidazole and carbapenems, with variable resistance patterns.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Anaerobic bacteria significantly contribute to COM-squamosal infections but are often overlooked. Routine anaerobic culture and sensitivity testing should be incorporated into diagnostic protocols to guide effective antimicrobial therapy and prevent complications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8050,"journal":{"name":"Anaerobe","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 103010"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145328067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study aimed to develop a rapid and cost-effective method for the rapid identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of Bacteroides fragilis directly from positive blood cultures (BC) broths. Spiked BC bottles were used to compare the EUCAST standardized disk diffusion method for anaerobic bacteria (standard AST, sAST) with two alternative approaches: pellet-based AST (pAST) and direct disk diffusion (dDD). Rapid ID by MALDI-TOF MS from bacterial pellets correctly identified 93.5 % of isolates at the genus level and 85.9 % at the species level. pAST demonstrated excellent categorical agreement (CA) with sAST, achieving an overall CA of 98.5 %, with concordance rates exceeding 96 % for all tested antibiotics (meropenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, clindamycin, and metronidazole). In contrast, dDD showed poor performance, with an overall agreement of 69.5 %, especially low for piperacillin-tazobactam (48.8 %). These findings suggest that pAST offers a reliable and significantly faster alternative to conventional methods for anaerobic pathogens, whereas dDD remains insufficiently accurate for clinical use. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to validate these results and support routine implementation.
{"title":"Identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing of Bacteroides fragilis directly from positive blood culture broths","authors":"Mervenur Demir, Abdurrahman Ersoy, Gülşen Hazırolan","doi":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to develop a rapid and cost-effective method for the rapid identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of <em>Bacteroides fragilis</em> directly from positive blood cultures (BC) broths. Spiked BC bottles were used to compare the EUCAST standardized disk diffusion method for anaerobic bacteria (standard AST, sAST) with two alternative approaches: pellet-based AST (pAST) and direct disk diffusion (dDD). Rapid ID by MALDI-TOF MS from bacterial pellets correctly identified 93.5 % of isolates at the genus level and 85.9 % at the species level. pAST demonstrated excellent categorical agreement (CA) with sAST, achieving an overall CA of 98.5 %, with concordance rates exceeding 96 % for all tested antibiotics (meropenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, clindamycin, and metronidazole). In contrast, dDD showed poor performance, with an overall agreement of 69.5 %, especially low for piperacillin-tazobactam (48.8 %). These findings suggest that pAST offers a reliable and significantly faster alternative to conventional methods for anaerobic pathogens, whereas dDD remains insufficiently accurate for clinical use. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to validate these results and support routine implementation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8050,"journal":{"name":"Anaerobe","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 103009"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145328042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103007
Jucy Gabriel , Eleanor Keil , Sanath Chandramouli , Faiza Khondokar , Rachel Wilkinson , Jennifer Trannguyen , Senu Apewokin , Anushri Shankar , Shinsmon Jose
Objectives
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a significant healthcare burden, characterized by severe colitis and high recurrence rates. Although neutrophils migrate rapidly to the colon infected with C. difficile, it does not lead to pathogen clearance. Understanding how pathogen survives within the host remains a knowledge gap. This study investigates host-pathogen interactions in controlled in vitro settings.
Methods
Multiple strains of C. difficile (M7404, VPI10463, R20291, and clinical isolates) were co-cultured with neutrophils, macrophages, and intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) under anaerobic conditions, and bacterial growth was assessed by optical density and micro-replicator-mediated colony assays. Microbial transcriptomics and pathway enrichment analyses were performed 18 h after M7404-neutrophil coculture to understand the metabolic adaptations.
Results
Neutrophils significantly accelerated the growth of C. difficile in anaerobic co-culture. Transcriptomic analysis revealed extensive metabolic reprogramming in C. difficile, including upregulation of oxidative phosphorylation, carbon fixation, and fermentation pathways, suggesting that the bacterium exploits host-derived nutrients to its advantage. Further highlighting the microbial metabolic switch towards utilizing host-derived nutrients, we observed the upregulation of glycerol kinase and the ethanolamine utilization protein. The downregulation of TCA cycle enzymes and upregulation of catalases suggested a shift away from oxidative metabolism and an effort to mitigate neutrophil-induced stress. C. difficile bacterium underwent similar transcriptional programming in coculture with macrophages and IECs.
Conclusions
The transcriptional regulation of C. difficile metabolic genes in the presence of mammalian cells reveals a key virulence trait that enables pathogen persistence within a host. This study also highlights a paradoxical role of neutrophils in CDI, where it's presence may inadvertently enhance pathogen survival. Targeting these metabolic interactions could lead to novel therapeutic strategies for mitigating CDI severity.
{"title":"Metabolic plasticity enables Clostridioides difficile growth in coculture with neutrophils and other mammalian cells","authors":"Jucy Gabriel , Eleanor Keil , Sanath Chandramouli , Faiza Khondokar , Rachel Wilkinson , Jennifer Trannguyen , Senu Apewokin , Anushri Shankar , Shinsmon Jose","doi":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div><em>Clostridioides difficile</em> infection (CDI) is a significant healthcare burden, characterized by severe colitis and high recurrence rates. Although neutrophils migrate rapidly to the colon infected with <em>C. difficile</em>, it does not lead to pathogen clearance. Understanding how pathogen survives within the host remains a knowledge gap. This study investigates host-pathogen interactions in controlled <em>in vitro</em> settings.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Multiple strains of <em>C. difficile</em> (M7404, VPI10463, R20291, and clinical isolates) were co-cultured with neutrophils, macrophages, and intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) under anaerobic conditions, and bacterial growth was assessed by optical density and micro-replicator-mediated colony assays. Microbial transcriptomics and pathway enrichment analyses were performed 18 h after M7404-neutrophil coculture to understand the metabolic adaptations.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Neutrophils significantly accelerated the growth of <em>C. difficile</em> in anaerobic co-culture. Transcriptomic analysis revealed extensive metabolic reprogramming in <em>C. difficile</em>, including upregulation of oxidative phosphorylation, carbon fixation, and fermentation pathways, suggesting that the bacterium exploits host-derived nutrients to its advantage. Further highlighting the microbial metabolic switch towards utilizing host-derived nutrients, we observed the upregulation of glycerol kinase and the ethanolamine utilization protein. The downregulation of TCA cycle enzymes and upregulation of catalases suggested a shift away from oxidative metabolism and an effort to mitigate neutrophil-induced stress. <em>C. difficile</em> bacterium underwent similar transcriptional programming in coculture with macrophages and IECs.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The transcriptional regulation of <em>C. difficile</em> metabolic genes in the presence of mammalian cells reveals a key virulence trait that enables pathogen persistence within a host. This study also highlights a paradoxical role of neutrophils in CDI, where it's presence may inadvertently enhance pathogen survival. Targeting these metabolic interactions could lead to novel therapeutic strategies for mitigating CDI severity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8050,"journal":{"name":"Anaerobe","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 103007"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145306803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-13DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103005
Bryan Angelo P. Roxas , Jennifer Lising Roxas , Jessica S. Guo , David S. LeBauer , Fiona McCarthy , Gayatri Vedantam , V.K. Viswanathan
Objectives
Extensive multi-omic bacterial gene expression datasets are publicly available, but tools that unify these datasets for interpretation and hypothesis-testing are limited. The complexity and requirement of specialized bioinformatics and programming expertise pose significant major barriers for researchers attempting to query and analyze these datasets. Our objective was to develop an integrated search engine that simplifies access to publicly available gene expression data to facilitate comparison and analysis of multi-omics datasets.
Methods
We developed the Centralized Access to Gene Expression Datasets (CAT-GxD) search engine to provide integrated access to, and facilitate analysis of, publicly available transcriptomics and proteomics datasets of the CDC Urgent Threat pathogen Clostridioides difficile. Manual data curation was performed to integrate and standardize all 74 nonredundant transcriptomics and quantitative proteomics datasets available at Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and ProteomeXchange Consortium. The CAT-GxD search engine, developed on open-source R-shiny framework, is available at https://viz.datascience.arizona.edu/catgxd/.
Results
CAT-GxD successfully consolidated disparate transcriptomics and proteomics datasets, supporting interpretation and hypothesis testing. CAT-GxD provides customizable visualization of gene expression data under different conditions. We demonstrate the utility of CAT-GxD in analyzing the contribution of RNA polymerase, nitrogen-limitation N (RpoN) to C. difficile biology, and highlight the RpoN-dependent regulation of genes treated with succinate and the secondary bile acid deoxycholate.
Conclusions
CAT-GxD streamlines the analysis of C. difficile multi-omic data, reducing the complexity and analysis time. It facilitates the generation of novel hypotheses and the identification of anti-infective targets, and can be adapted to incorporate data analysis paradigms for diverse organisms.
{"title":"CAT-GxD: Centralized access to gene expression datasets","authors":"Bryan Angelo P. Roxas , Jennifer Lising Roxas , Jessica S. Guo , David S. LeBauer , Fiona McCarthy , Gayatri Vedantam , V.K. Viswanathan","doi":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Extensive multi-omic bacterial gene expression datasets are publicly available, but tools that unify these datasets for interpretation and hypothesis-testing are limited. The complexity and requirement of specialized bioinformatics and programming expertise pose significant major barriers for researchers attempting to query and analyze these datasets. Our objective was to develop an integrated search engine that simplifies access to publicly available gene expression data to facilitate comparison and analysis of multi-omics datasets.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We developed the Centralized Access to Gene Expression Datasets (CAT-GxD) search engine to provide integrated access to, and facilitate analysis of, publicly available transcriptomics and proteomics datasets of the CDC Urgent Threat pathogen <em>Clostridioides difficile</em>. Manual data curation was performed to integrate and standardize all 74 nonredundant transcriptomics and quantitative proteomics datasets available at Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and ProteomeXchange Consortium. The CAT-GxD search engine, developed on open-source R-shiny framework, is available at <span><span>https://viz.datascience.arizona.edu/catgxd/</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>CAT-GxD successfully consolidated disparate transcriptomics and proteomics datasets, supporting interpretation and hypothesis testing. CAT-GxD provides customizable visualization of gene expression data under different conditions. We demonstrate the utility of CAT-GxD in analyzing the contribution of RNA polymerase, nitrogen-limitation N (RpoN) to <em>C. difficile</em> biology, and highlight the RpoN-dependent regulation of genes treated with succinate and the secondary bile acid deoxycholate.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>CAT-GxD streamlines the analysis of <em>C. difficile</em> multi-omic data, reducing the complexity and analysis time. It facilitates the generation of novel hypotheses and the identification of anti-infective targets, and can be adapted to incorporate data analysis paradigms for diverse organisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8050,"journal":{"name":"Anaerobe","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 103005"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145298178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-09DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103004
Nagham Khanafer , Anne-Gaëlle Venier , Raymond Nasso , Romane Baroux , Philippe Vanhems
Introduction
Clostridioides difficile is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections. In healthcare settings, interventions like contact precautions (CP), hand hygiene with soap and water, sporicidal environmental cleaning, and antimicrobial stewardship, are essential to reducing the risk C. difficile transmission. This study aimed to evaluate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures targeting C. difficile infection (CDI) in French hospitals.
Materials and methods
An anonymous online survey was conducted from August to December 2022. The assessed CDI-related IPC practices. Descriptive analysis was performed using IBM SPSS.
Results
A total of 350 professionals from all French regions completed the survey; 70.3 % were members of an infection control team members. CP for symptomatic patients were implemented by 70 %, and continued ≥48 h after diarrhea resolution of by 49 %; 4.9 % continued CP until discharge. Gloves, gowns, and aprons were worn before room entry by 62 %, 55 % and 21 % respectively. Hand hygiene with soap and water followed by alcohol-based hand rubs was reported by 85 %. Daily surface cleaning of rooms, toilets and floors was reported by 98 %, 96 %, and 87 % respectively. Cleaning was performed using sporicidal products (71 %), chlorine-containing agents (23 %), or non-sporicidal agents (5 %).
Conclusion
While key IPC measures are widely acknowledged, their implementation varies. Broader studies are needed to evaluate their effectiveness and address inconsistencies.
{"title":"Current practices to reduce the risk of transmission of Clostridioides difficile in France: results of a national survey","authors":"Nagham Khanafer , Anne-Gaëlle Venier , Raymond Nasso , Romane Baroux , Philippe Vanhems","doi":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div><em>Clostridioides difficile</em> is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections. In healthcare settings, interventions like contact precautions (CP), hand hygiene with soap and water, sporicidal environmental cleaning, and antimicrobial stewardship, are essential to reducing the risk <em>C. difficile</em> transmission. This study aimed to evaluate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures targeting <em>C. difficile</em> infection (CDI) in French hospitals.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and methods</h3><div>An anonymous online survey was conducted from August to December 2022. The assessed CDI-related IPC practices. Descriptive analysis was performed using IBM SPSS.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 350 professionals from all French regions completed the survey; 70.3 % were members of an infection control team members. CP for symptomatic patients were implemented by 70 %, and continued ≥48 h after diarrhea resolution of by 49 %; 4.9 % continued CP until discharge. Gloves, gowns, and aprons were worn before room entry by 62 %, 55 % and 21 % respectively. Hand hygiene with soap and water followed by alcohol-based hand rubs was reported by 85 %. Daily surface cleaning of rooms, toilets and floors was reported by 98 %, 96 %, and 87 % respectively. Cleaning was performed using sporicidal products (71 %), chlorine-containing agents (23 %), or non-sporicidal agents (5 %).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>While key IPC measures are widely acknowledged, their implementation varies. Broader studies are needed to evaluate their effectiveness and address inconsistencies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8050,"journal":{"name":"Anaerobe","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 103004"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145257094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-07-25DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.102987
Jessica M Chisholm, Charlotte Bell, Molly Lattin, Su Chen Lim, Simon A Reid, Linda A Selvey, Thomas V Riley
Background: Despite historically being considered a healthcare-associated pathogen, rates of Clostridioides difficile infection in the community have risen greatly in recent decades. As a pathogen of One Health importance, sources of C. difficile in the community have been sought to understand and control community-associated C. difficile infection transmission.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of C. difficile isolated from retail garden products in two Australian states.
Methods: Soil conditioners, soil mixes and turf samples were collected from commercial garden product suppliers in Western Australia and Queensland from May 2023 to January 2024. Following enrichment culture, PCR ribotyping and toxin gene profiling were performed on C. difficile isolates.
Results: C. difficile was recovered from 257 of 479 (53.7 %) retail garden products in this study. Prevalence was highest in turf (67.1 %, 53/79), followed by soil mixes (57.1 %, 148/259) and soil conditioners (39.7 %, 56/141). Of the 113 distinct ribotypes identified, the most common were 014/020 and QX 686. Toxigenic ribotypes associated with both human infection and production animals in Australia, including 014/020, 056 and 087, were recovered.
Conclusion: A high prevalence of C. difficile was found in garden products sold to consumers, including toxigenic strains associated with C. difficile infection in humans and animals. More discriminatory characterisation of isolates is required to determine if retail garden products contribute to the burden of community-associated C. difficile infection in Australia.
{"title":"High prevalence of Clostridioides difficile in retail garden products from two Australian states.","authors":"Jessica M Chisholm, Charlotte Bell, Molly Lattin, Su Chen Lim, Simon A Reid, Linda A Selvey, Thomas V Riley","doi":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.102987","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.102987","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Despite historically being considered a healthcare-associated pathogen, rates of Clostridioides difficile infection in the community have risen greatly in recent decades. As a pathogen of One Health importance, sources of C. difficile in the community have been sought to understand and control community-associated C. difficile infection transmission.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of C. difficile isolated from retail garden products in two Australian states.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Soil conditioners, soil mixes and turf samples were collected from commercial garden product suppliers in Western Australia and Queensland from May 2023 to January 2024. Following enrichment culture, PCR ribotyping and toxin gene profiling were performed on C. difficile isolates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>C. difficile was recovered from 257 of 479 (53.7 %) retail garden products in this study. Prevalence was highest in turf (67.1 %, 53/79), followed by soil mixes (57.1 %, 148/259) and soil conditioners (39.7 %, 56/141). Of the 113 distinct ribotypes identified, the most common were 014/020 and QX 686. Toxigenic ribotypes associated with both human infection and production animals in Australia, including 014/020, 056 and 087, were recovered.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A high prevalence of C. difficile was found in garden products sold to consumers, including toxigenic strains associated with C. difficile infection in humans and animals. More discriminatory characterisation of isolates is required to determine if retail garden products contribute to the burden of community-associated C. difficile infection in Australia.</p>","PeriodicalId":8050,"journal":{"name":"Anaerobe","volume":" ","pages":"102987"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144726869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-07-17DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.102985
Zhenghui Li, Ashlesh K Murthy, C Hal Jones, Kwok Lee, Urvi Rajyaguru, Deepika Athinarayanan, Lubomira Andrew, Richard V Goering, Shuhei Ito, Elisa Gonzalez, Pingping Zhang, Paul A Liberator, Warren V Kalina, Michael W Pride, Frederick J Angulo, Jennifer C Moïsi, Kazuhiro Tateda
Background: To characterize Clostridioides difficile isolates identified during a prospective multi-hospital population-based study of C. difficile infection (CDI).
Methods: Between December 2018 and March 2020, inpatients ≥50 years of age with new-onset diarrhea in nine Tokyo hospitals were investigated for CDI. Stool specimens were screened by C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE® and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) positive stools tested by Xpert® C. difficile/Epi PCR assay. PCR positive stools were tested by cytotoxicity neutralization assay to determine presence of functional toxin. GDH positive stools were also anaerobically cultured and whole genome sequences of C. difficile isolates were acquired.
Results: Toxigenic C. difficile were isolated from 64 patients with CDI; 22 were RT018/356, 9 were RT369, 4 each were RT106 and RT002, 15 were other RTs, and 10 had an unknown RT. Four isolates were positive for binary toxin: one isolate each of RT027, RT078/126, RT080, and one unknown. In terms of the pathogenicity locus profile, 55 were tcdA+/tcdB+ and 9 were tcdA-/tcdB+. In terms of ST, 23 were ST17, nine were ST81, 31 were other STs, and one had a novel ST.
Conclusions: Consistent with prior studies, C. difficile isolates from patients with CDI represented diverse ribotypes with approximately one third of isolates RT018/356. Of note, one isolate each of RT027 and RT078/126 were identified, indicating these hypervirulent strains are present in hospitals in Japan. Public health interventions are needed to reduce the CDI burden in Japan.
{"title":"Molecular characterization of Clostridioides difficile isolated from older adults during prospective population-based active surveillance at nine hospitals in Tokyo, Japan, 2018-2020.","authors":"Zhenghui Li, Ashlesh K Murthy, C Hal Jones, Kwok Lee, Urvi Rajyaguru, Deepika Athinarayanan, Lubomira Andrew, Richard V Goering, Shuhei Ito, Elisa Gonzalez, Pingping Zhang, Paul A Liberator, Warren V Kalina, Michael W Pride, Frederick J Angulo, Jennifer C Moïsi, Kazuhiro Tateda","doi":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.102985","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.102985","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>To characterize Clostridioides difficile isolates identified during a prospective multi-hospital population-based study of C. difficile infection (CDI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Between December 2018 and March 2020, inpatients ≥50 years of age with new-onset diarrhea in nine Tokyo hospitals were investigated for CDI. Stool specimens were screened by C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE® and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) positive stools tested by Xpert® C. difficile/Epi PCR assay. PCR positive stools were tested by cytotoxicity neutralization assay to determine presence of functional toxin. GDH positive stools were also anaerobically cultured and whole genome sequences of C. difficile isolates were acquired.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Toxigenic C. difficile were isolated from 64 patients with CDI; 22 were RT018/356, 9 were RT369, 4 each were RT106 and RT002, 15 were other RTs, and 10 had an unknown RT. Four isolates were positive for binary toxin: one isolate each of RT027, RT078/126, RT080, and one unknown. In terms of the pathogenicity locus profile, 55 were tcdA+/tcdB+ and 9 were tcdA-/tcdB+. In terms of ST, 23 were ST17, nine were ST81, 31 were other STs, and one had a novel ST.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Consistent with prior studies, C. difficile isolates from patients with CDI represented diverse ribotypes with approximately one third of isolates RT018/356. Of note, one isolate each of RT027 and RT078/126 were identified, indicating these hypervirulent strains are present in hospitals in Japan. Public health interventions are needed to reduce the CDI burden in Japan.</p>","PeriodicalId":8050,"journal":{"name":"Anaerobe","volume":" ","pages":"102985"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144666880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Taxonomy for clinicians – recent changes in names of anaerobic species with pathogenic or probiotic properties","authors":"Lyudmila Boyanova, Raina Gergova, Rumyana Markovska","doi":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103002","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8050,"journal":{"name":"Anaerobe","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 103002"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-30DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103003
L. Ruffier d’Epenoux , E. Fayoux , K. Rwayane , C. Hervochon , S. Corvec
Background
Cutibacterium acnes is now recognized a major opportunistic pathogen causing a wide range of infections. Henceforth, this bacterium is largely involved in device-related infections especially prosthetic joint infections, spine infections but also cardiovascular infections, neurosurgical implant infections and breast infections. It has also been associated with acne and probably sarcoidosis and prostate tumors. We conducted a narrative review to better understand the phylotypes involved in these clinical entities and if hemolysis can be a diagnosis maker of pathogenicity.
Methods
We searched the PubMed database for English language articles related to C. acnes phylotype and clinical entities and hemolysin characteristic.
Results
As a successful commensal microorganism, C. acnes produces many virulence factors including cytolysins that most likely facilitate tissue damages due to its β-hemolytic trait. In this review, we summarize its involvement in different clinical settings and the role of this virulence factor depending on the phylotype implicated. Our analysis of the literature on C. acnes β-hemolysis clinical strains sheds new light on its potential impact in distinguishing C. acnes infection strains from contaminant strains.
Conclusion
The litterature and our results demonstrate the genetic nature of the β-hemolysis in C. acnes strains rather than being a mean to differentiate virulent clinical strains from commensal or other strains.
{"title":"Advances in understanding Cutibacterium acnes hemolysis: virulence factor or genomic trait?","authors":"L. Ruffier d’Epenoux , E. Fayoux , K. Rwayane , C. Hervochon , S. Corvec","doi":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anaerobe.2025.103003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div><em>Cutibacterium acnes</em> is now recognized a major opportunistic pathogen causing a wide range of infections. Henceforth, this bacterium is largely involved in device-related infections especially prosthetic joint infections, spine infections but also cardiovascular infections, neurosurgical implant infections and breast infections. It has also been associated with acne and probably sarcoidosis and prostate tumors. We conducted a narrative review to better understand the phylotypes involved in these clinical entities and if hemolysis can be a diagnosis maker of pathogenicity.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We searched the PubMed database for English language articles related to <em>C. acnes</em> phylotype and clinical entities and hemolysin characteristic.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>As a successful commensal microorganism, <em>C. acnes</em> produces many virulence factors including cytolysins that most likely facilitate tissue damages due to its β-hemolytic trait. In this review, we summarize its involvement in different clinical settings and the role of this virulence factor depending on the phylotype implicated. Our analysis of the literature on <em>C. acnes</em> β-hemolysis clinical strains sheds new light on its potential impact in distinguishing <em>C. acnes</em> infection strains from contaminant strains.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The litterature and our results demonstrate the genetic nature of the β-hemolysis in <em>C. acnes</em> strains rather than being a mean to differentiate virulent clinical strains from commensal or other strains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8050,"journal":{"name":"Anaerobe","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 103003"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号