Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, opportunistic pathogen that infects immunocompromised individuals, especially in the hospital setting. This bacterium is an important pathogen in people with weakened immune systems, injuries, and other underlying physiologic dysfunctions. P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections. The outcome of these infections depends on the virulence of the microorganism as well as host-related conditions and factors. The complement system plays a crucial role in defense against bloodstream infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a common pathogen associated with recreational water facilities and poses risks to public health. However, data on the prevalence of in tourist destinations like the Canary Islands, Spain, remain limited. We assessed prevalence in 23 tourist facilities from 2016 to 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
March 2024
is an important human opportunistic pathogen responsible for a wide range of infections. The complement system is the main early host defense mechanism to control these infections. counteracts complement attack by binding Factor H (FH), a complement regulator that inactivates C3b, preventing the formation of the C3-convertase and complement amplification on the bacterial surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major opportunistic human pathogen commonly connected with recreational water activities. Spain is a tourist destination where most of the establishments have swimming pool. Nevertheless, the prevalence of P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe increasing emergence of multidrug resistant isolates of causes major problems in hospitals worldwide. This concern is particularly significant in bloodstream infections that progress rapidly, with a high number of deaths within the first hours and without time to select the most appropriate treatment. In fact, despite improvements in antimicrobial therapy and hospital care, bacteremia remains fatal in about 30% of cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhage lysins are a promising alternative to common antibiotic chemotherapy. However, they have been regarded as less effective against Gram-negative pathogens unless engineered, e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackgroundLegionnaires' disease is a respiratory illness often associated with hotels and travel. Spain is a major tourist destination and one of the European countries with most cases of Legionnaires' disease , both community- and travel-associated. However, the prevalence of in tourist facilities is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a major cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections. This microorganism secretes two major proteases, alkaline protease A (AprA) and elastase B (LasB). Despite several studies having demonstrated that both purified proteases cleave a number of components of the immune system, their contribution to bloodstream infections remains poorly investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLegionella spp. is the etiological agent of the serious respiratory pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. This respiratory illness is frequently associated with travel and tourist resorts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCystic fibrosis (CF) disease is characterized by an intense airway inflammatory response mediated by neutrophils and chronic respiratory infections caused by . High levels of the complement component C5a, the strongest neutrophil chemoattractant molecule, are commonly found in the CF lung and have been associated with a worsening of the disease. In this study, we investigated how the isolates from CF patients modulate the levels of C5a and identified the bacterial factors involved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Classification and early detection of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is required to establish an effective treatment. We tested the utility of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to classify and predict the severity of COVID-19.
Methods: We used MALDI-TOF MS to analyze the serum peptidome from 72 patients with COVID-19 (training cohort), clinically classified as mild (28), severe (23), and critical (21), and 20 healthy controls.
Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed)
January 2021
Objectives: To establish the agent responsible for a gastroenteritis outbreak in a hotel in Menorca (Spain) in September 2016.
Methods: The study included epidemiological and laboratory analysis. Environmental and stool samples were examined for bacterial and viral pathogens.
Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed)
November 2020
Objectives: To determine the aetiological agent causing a gastroenteritis outbreak in two hotels in Majorca (Spain) on August and September 2014.
Methods: An epidemiological study was carried out. Environmental and stool samples were analyzed for different pathogens, including norovirus.
Identifying the pathogen responsible for an infection is a requirement in order to personalize antimicrobial treatments. Detecting bacterial enzymes, such as proteases, lipases, and oxidoreductases, is a winning approach for detecting pathogens at the point of care. In this Article, a new method for detecting urease-producing bacteria rapidly and at ultralow concentrations is reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe increasing prevalence of nosocomial infections produced by multidrug-resistant (MDR) or extensively drug-resistant (XDR) is frequently linked to widespread international strains designated high-risk clones. In this work, we attempted to decipher the interplay between resistance profiles, high-risk clones, and virulence, testing a large ( = 140) collection of well-characterized isolates from different sources (bloodstream infections, nosocomial outbreaks, cystic fibrosis, and the environment) in a infection model. Consistent with previous data, we documented a clear inverse correlation between antimicrobial resistance and virulence in the model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPseudomonas aeruginosa adaptation to survive in the host hinges on its ability to probe the environment and respond appropriately. Rapid adaptation is often mediated by two-component regulatory systems, such as the PhoP/PhoQ system that responds to Mg ion concentration. However, there is limited information about the role of PhoQ in P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColorimetric tests are becoming increasingly popular in point-of-need analyses due to the possibility of detecting the signal with the naked eye, which eliminates the utilization of bulky and costly instruments only available in laboratories. However, colorimetric tests may be interpreted incorrectly by nonspecialists due to disparities in color perception or a lack of training. Here we solve this issue with a method that not only detects colorimetric signals but also interprets them so that the test outcome is understandable for anyone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrob Agents Chemother
October 2011
Clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to carbapenems are being isolated with increasing frequency. Loss of the expression of the major nonspecific porins OmpK35/36 is a frequent feature in these isolates. In this study, we looked for porins that could compensate for the loss of the major porins in carbapenem-resistant organisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to survey the microbial levels of food contact surfaces in hotels. Microbiological levels of 4611 surfaces (chopping machines, kitchenware, knives, worktops, and cutting boards) from 280 different facilities in Spain were determined in a 3-year period. The contact-plate technique was used throughout the survey.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral vomiting episodes were reported in December 2007 by the management of a beach club in Calvià. The subsequent case investigation confirmed tuna fish consumption a few hours before onset of emesis in all cases. Microbiological analyses detected high bacterial levels in ready-to-eat fish samples, indicating inappropriate cooking procedures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrob Agents Chemother
April 2011
To investigate the contribution of LamB in Klebsiella pneumoniae antimicrobial resistance, we determined the MICs of various antibiotics and the frequency of mutation to increased cefoxitin or meropenem resistance of the strains CSUB10S (expressing only OmpK36), CSUB10R (lacking OmpK35 and OmpK36), and their derived isogenic insertion-duplication mutants deficient in LamB. Expression of LamB was indispensable in order for CSUB10S to lose OmpK36 and become resistant to cefoxitin, while in CSUB10R, LamB deficiency promoted increased resistance to carbapenem.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRespiratory infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae are characterized by high rates of mortality and morbidity. Management of these infections is often difficult, due to the high frequency of strains that are resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents. Multidrug efflux pumps play a major role as a mechanism of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecreational waters are a source of infection by several microorganisms causing acute gastrointestinal, cutaneous and respiratory illnesses. Cryptosporidium, noroviruses and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains are the most important causes of diarrhea, while Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus aureus are the main causes of cutaneous infections, and Legionella is the major cause of acute lower respiratory disease. Approximately 90% of outbreaks occur in treated recreational waters (swimming pools, spas and recreational parks), while the remaining 10% arise from natural waters used for leisure (bathing in rivers, beaches, etc).
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