Investigation of Fentanyl Usage in the Seattle Area.

Background: Fentanyl was developed in the 1960s as an alternative to morphine, but quickly became a drug of abuse due to its potency, inexpensiveness, and ease of synthesis. One source of exposure is mixing fentanyl into other drugs of abuse (e.g.

AlgR Phosphorylation Status Differentially Regulates Pyocyanin and Pyoverdine Production.

employs numerous, complex regulatory elements to control expression of its many virulence systems. The AlgZR two-component regulatory system controls the expression of several crucial virulence phenotypes. We recently determined, through transcriptomic profiling of a PAO1 Δ mutant strain compared to wild-type PAO1, that and are cotranscribed and show differential iron-dependent gene expression.

SPR741, an Antibiotic Adjuvant, Potentiates the and Activity of Rifampin against Clinically Relevant Extensively Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

is responsible for 10% of all nosocomial infections and has >50% mortality rates when causing ventilator-associated pneumonia. In this proof-of-concept study, we evaluated SPR741, an antibiotic adjuvant that permeabilizes the Gram-negative membrane, in combination with rifampin against AB5075, an extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strain. In standard assays and in a murine pulmonary model, we found that this drug combination can significantly reduce bacterial burden and promote animal survival despite an aggressive infection.

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa PrrF Small RNAs Regulate Iron Homeostasis during Acute Murine Lung Infection.

is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that requires iron for virulence. Iron homeostasis is maintained in part by the PrrF1 and PrrF2 small RNAs (sRNAs), which block the expression of iron-containing proteins under iron-depleted conditions. The PrrF sRNAs also promote the production of the quinolone signal (PQS), a quorum sensing molecule that activates the expression of several virulence genes.

Regulation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Virulence by Distinct Iron Sources.

is a ubiquitous environmental bacterium and versatile opportunistic pathogen. Like most other organisms, requires iron for survival, yet iron rapidly reacts with oxygen and water to form stable ferric (FeIII) oxides and hydroxides, limiting its availability to living organisms. During infection, iron is also sequestered by the host innate immune system, further limiting its availability.

The prrF-encoded small regulatory RNAs are required for iron homeostasis and virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that requires iron to cause infection, but it also must regulate the uptake of iron to avoid iron toxicity. The iron-responsive PrrF1 and PrrF2 small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are part of P. aeruginosa's iron regulatory network and affect the expression of at least 50 genes encoding iron-containing proteins.