Versatility in carbon source utilization is a major contributor to niche adaptation in . Malonate is among the abundant carbon sources in the lung airways, yet it is understudied. Recently, we characterized how malonate impacts quorum sensing regulation, antibiotic resistance, and virulence factor production in .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultidrug-resistant bacteria present a significant public health challenge; such pathogens exhibit reduced susceptibility to conventional antibiotics, limiting current treatment options. Cationic non-ribosomal peptides (CNRPs) such as brevicidine and polymyxins have emerged as promising candidates to block Gram-negative bacteria. To investigate the capability of bacteria to biosynthesize CNRPs, and specifically polymyxins, over 11,000 bacterial genomes were mined in silico.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmerging evidence shows that the gut microbiota plays an important role in neuropathic pain (NP) via the gut-brain axis. Male rats were divided into sham, spinal nerve ligation (SNL), SNL + 200 mg GEG/kg BW (GEG200), and SNL + 600 mg GEG/kg BW (GEG600) for 5 weeks. The dosages of 200 and 600 mg GEG/kg BW for rats correspond to 45 g and 135 g raw ginger for human daily consumption, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Versatility in carbon source utilization assists in its adaptation to various niches. Recently, we characterized the role of malonate, an understudied carbon source, in quorum sensing regulation, antibiotic resistance, and virulence factor production in . These results indicate that global responses to malonate metabolism remain to be uncovered.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWithin the vaginal ecosystem, lactobacilli and spp. likely interact and influence each other's growth, yet the details of this interaction are not clearly defined. Using medium simulating vaginal fluid and a two-chamber co-culturing system to prevent cell-to-cell contact between the bacteria, we examined the possibility that 62B (Lj 62B) and/or (Gp) JCP8151B produce extracellular factors through which they influence each other's viability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Glycogen metabolism by Lactobacillus spp. that dominate the healthy vaginal microbiome contributes to a low vaginal pH (3.5-4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that causes high morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) and immunocompromised patients, including patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), severely burned patients, and patients with surgical wounds. Due to the intrinsic and extrinsic antibiotic resistance mechanisms, the ability to produce several cell-associated and extracellular virulence factors, and the capacity to adapt to several environmental conditions, eradicating within infected patients is difficult. is one of the six multi-drug-resistant pathogens (ESKAPE) considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an entire group for which the development of novel antibiotics is urgently needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite the implementation of stringent guidelines for the prevention of catheter-associated (CA) urinary tract infection (UTI), CAUTI remains one of the most common health care-related infections. We previously showed that an antimicrobial/antibiofilm agent inhibited biofilm development by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens isolated from human infections. In this study, we examined the ability of a novel biofilm preventative agent (BPA) coating on silicone urinary catheters to inhibit biofilm formation on the catheters by six different bacterial pathogens isolated from UTIs: three strains, representative of the most common bacterium isolated from UTI; one a multidrug-resistant isolate; one common among patients with long-term catheterization; and one isolate of methicillin-resistant , as both a Gram-positive and a resistant organism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmerging evidence suggests an important role of the gut-brain axis in the development of neuropathic pain (NP). We investigated the effects of gingerol-enriched ginger (GEG) on pain behaviors, as well as mRNA expressions of inflammation tight junction proteins in GI tissues (colon) and brain tissues (amygdala, both left and right) in animals with NP. Seventeen male rats were randomly divided into three groups: Sham, spinal nerve ligation (SNL, pain model), and SNL+0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuroinflammation is a central factor in neuropathic pain (NP). Ginger is a promising bioactive compound in NP management due to its anti-inflammatory property. Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiome and gut-derived metabolites play a key role in NP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF, a gram-negative opportunistic pathogen, is one of the major species isolated from infected chronic wounds. The multidrug resistance exhibited by and its ability to form biofilms that are difficult to eradicate, along with the rising cost of producing new antibiotics, has necessitated the search for alternatives to standard antibiotics. Pyocins are antimicrobial compounds produced by that protect themselves from their competitors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGeranylgeraniol (GGOH) is found in edible oils such as olive, linseed, and sunflower oils, which have favorable metabolic effects. However, it is unknown whether these physiological benefits are mediated through the gut microbiome. Thus, the purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that GGOH supplementation would improve glucose homeostasis and benefit the bone microstructure in obese mice through suppression of inflammation and modification of gut microbiota composition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTopical antimicrobials that reduce the bacterial bioburden within a chronically-infected wound may have helpful or harmful effects on the healing process. We used murine models of full-thickness skin wounds to determine the effects of the novel biofilm-dispersing wound gel (BDWG) and its gel base on the healing of uninfected wounds. The rate of wound closure over 19 days was comparable among the BDWG-treated (BT) wounds and the controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that uses malonate among its many carbon sources. We recently reported that, when grown in blood from trauma patients, P. aeruginosa expression of malonate utilization genes was upregulated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that produces numerous virulence factors and causes serious infections in trauma patients and patients with severe burns. We previously showed that the growth of P. aeruginosa in blood from severely burned or trauma patients altered the expression of numerous genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHereditary hemochromatosis (HH), an iron-overload disease, is a prevalent genetic disorder. As excess iron causes a multitude of metabolic disturbances, we postulated that iron overload in HH disrupts colonic homeostasis and colon-microbiome interaction and exacerbates the development and progression of colonic inflammation and colon cancer. To test this hypothesis, we examined the progression and severity of colitis and colon cancer in a mouse model of HH (Hfe-/-), and evaluated the potential contributing factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe role of the gut microbiome in bone health has received significant attention in the past decade. We investigated the effects of green tea polyphenols (GTP) and annatto-extracted tocotrienols (AT) on bone properties and gut microbiome in obese mice. Male mice were assigned to a two (no AT vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome plays an important role in the pathophysiology of both obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We previously reported that dietary annatto-extracted tocotrienol exerts beneficial effects by modulating inflammatory responses in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that tocotrienol supplementation when combined with an HFD would result in an altered gut microbiota composition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in burn patients. One of the major causes of sepsis in burn patients is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We hypothesized that during dissemination from infected burn wounds and subsequent sepsis, P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF. Severely burned patients are susceptible to bacterial infection within their burn wounds, which frequently leads to sepsis, multiple organ failure and death. The opportunistic pathogen , an organism inherently resistant to multiple antibiotics, is a common cause of sepsis in these patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFmSystems
May 2019
Trauma patients (TPs) are highly susceptible to infections, which often lead to sepsis. Among the numerous causative agents, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is especially important, as P. aeruginosa sepsis is often fatal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol
November 2018
Objective: One of the most common sequelae of tympanostomy tube (TT) placement is post-tympanostomy tube otorrhea (PTTO). Granulation tissue formation has been reported in 5-13.8% of patients with TT placement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes serious infections in immunocompromised hosts including severely burned patients. In burn patients, P. aeruginosa infection often leads to septic shock and death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe opportunistic pathogen is a major cause of sepsis in severely burned patients. If it is not eradicated from the wound, it translocates to the bloodstream, causing sepsis, multiorgan failure, and death. We recently described the heparinase-encoding gene, , whose expression was significantly enhanced when strain UCBPP_PA14 (PA14) was grown in whole blood from severely burned patients.
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