Publications by authors named "Atsuko Horino"

We report the complete genome sequences of nine strains preserved in research facilities in Japan; GTC3P0019, GTC3P0050, GTC3P0054, GTC3P0254T (type strain), Kanagawa, Tokushima, KM376, KM390, and KM391. The genomic information of these strains may provide references for comparative studies of pathogenicity.

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We characterized 118 strains isolated from three areas of Japan (Saitama, Kanagawa, and Osaka) during the period of 2019 and 2020. Genotyping of the gene in these strains revealed that 29 of them were type 1 lineage (29/118, 24.6%), while 89 were type 2 lineage (89/118, 75.

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We characterized 515 specimens in Hokkaido. In 2013 and 2014, the gene type 1 strain, mostly macrolide-resistant, was dominant and the prevalence of macrolide resistance was over 50 %. After 2017, the gene type 2 lineage, mostly macrolide-sensitive, increased and the prevalence of macrolide resistance became 31.

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Melioidosis, an infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is endemic in specific regions, including Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. In Japan, where no autochthonous has been reported to date, melioidosis is a rare infectious disease. Herein, we report a case of melioidosis in a 68-year-old Japanese man with renal abscess and bacteremia, but without pneumonia.

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Here, we present the complete genome sequences of KCH-402 and KCH-405, which are gene type 2b and 2c strains, respectively. These strains harbor variations in the gene, which encodes the cytadherence-related proteins P40 and P90.

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Objective: To clarify therapeutic effects of azithromycin, clarithromycin, minocycline and tosufloxacin against macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) pneumonia and against macrolide-sensitive Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MSMP) pneumonia in pediatric patients.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter observational study was conducted from July 2013 to August 2015. The therapeutic effects of azithromycin, clarithromycin, minocycline and tosufloxacin were evaluated in 59 patients with pneumonia caused by MRMP and in 50 patients with pneumonia caused by MSMP.

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Melioidosis, an infectious disease with high mortality, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is endemic in southeast Asia and northern Australia. In Indonesia, autochthonous cases have been rarely reported, with most cases being sporadic and occurring in travelers. Herein, we report a fatal case of neurological melioidosis in a traveler from Indonesia presenting with septic shock.

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Recently, macrolide-resistant (MR) Mycoplasma pneumonia appeared, and prevalence of macrolide resistance among M. pneumoniae infections varies by country. However, reports on regional differences in the prevalence of MR M.

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Mycoplasma pneumoniae strain 309, a type 2a (subtype 2 variant) strain of this bacterium, has variations in the P1 protein, which is responsible for attachment of the bacterium to host cells. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of M. pneumoniae strain 309 isolated from a pneumonia patient in Japan.

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A 69-year-old man complained of fever in September 2009, after returning from Vietnam where he has been working for 20 years. He had diabetes mellitus and was on diabetic oral medication. He was examined at a nearby hospital, and found out to have pneumonia with cavity formation in the right upper lobe which was found out to be not due to tuberculosis.

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Histoplasmosis, caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, is an endemic mycosis in many countries of the world except for Japan. Outbreaks of histoplasmosis among Japanese people are very rare and are mainly imported by travelers. We report an outbreak of histoplasmosis among healthy Japanese people who traveled to a resort area in Southeast Asia.

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Mycoplasma penetrans has the ability to change its surface lipoprotein profiles frequently. The P35 family lipoproteins encoded by the mpl genes are key players in this profile variation. The M.

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Mycoplasma pneumoniae clinical isolates obtained between 1995 and 2005 were examined to determine the prevalent genotype. One hundred and twenty-seven strains isolated from bronchitis and pneumonia patients were genotyped by a PCR-RFLP method based on nucleotide sequence polymorphisms of the p1 gene, which encodes the major adhesin protein. The typing results established that 66 of the isolates were group I strains, 45 were group II strains and 16 were group II variants.

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In recent years, Mycoplasma pneumoniae strains that are clinically resistant to macrolide antibiotics have occasionally been encountered in Japan. Of 76 strains of M. pneumoniae isolated in three different areas in Japan during 2000 to 2003, 13 strains were erythromycin (ERY) resistant.

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Mycoplasma pneumoniae lacks a cell wall but has internal cytoskeleton-like structures that are assumed to support the attachment organelle and asymmetric cell shape of this bacterium. To explore the fine details of the attachment organelle and the cytoskeleton-like structures, a fluorescent-protein tagging technique was applied to visualize the protein components of these structures. The focus was on the four proteins--P65, HMW2, P41, and P24--that are encoded in the crl operon (for "cytadherence regulatory locus"), which is known to be essential for the adherence of M.

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Mycoplasma penetrans is a newly identified species of the genus MYCOPLASMA: It was first isolated from a urine sample from a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patient. M. penetrans changes its surface antigen profile with high frequency.

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The complete genomic sequence of an intracellular bacterial pathogen, Mycoplasma penetrans HF-2 strain, was determined. The HF-2 genome consists of a 1 358 633 bp single circular chromosome containing 1038 predicted coding sequences (CDSs), one set of rRNA genes and 30 tRNA genes. Among the 1038 CDSs, 264 predicted proteins are common to the Mycoplasmataceae sequenced thus far and 463 are M.

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Synopsis of recent research by authors named "Atsuko Horino"

  • - Atsuko Horino's recent research focuses on the genomic characterization of various strains of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Burkholderia pseudomallei, emphasizing the pathogenicity and antibiotic resistance profiles of these organisms across different regions in Japan.
  • - In studies published in 2023, Horino detailed the complete genome sequences of nine specific Mycoplasma strains and conducted genotyping of isolates from 2019-2020, revealing a significant prevalence of type 2 lineages associated with macrolide resistance.
  • - Horino also explored the patterns of macrolide resistance in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections over several years, noting significant changes in strain types and resistance characteristics in Hokkaido, Japan, along with the documentation of rare cases of melioidosis in Japanese patients.