A Case of Persistent Intra-Abdominal Infection Despite Bacteriophage Therapy.

Multidrug resistant infections are a challenge in the health care setting and a cause of patient morbidity and mortality. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that target and kill bacteria and have been used in patients to treat bacterial infections. We present a case of disseminated infection, with pulmonary, intra-abdominal and bloodstream involvement.

Wastewater sequencing reveals community and variant dynamics of the collective human virome.

Wastewater is a discarded human by-product, but its analysis may help us understand the health of populations. Epidemiologists first analyzed wastewater to track outbreaks of poliovirus decades ago, but so-called wastewater-based epidemiology was reinvigorated to monitor SARS-CoV-2 levels while bypassing the difficulties and pit falls of individual testing. Current approaches overlook the activity of most human viruses and preclude a deeper understanding of human virome community dynamics.

Class-Driven Synergy and Antagonism between a Pseudomonas Phage and Antibiotics.

The ubiquitous bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is responsible for severe infections in patients with burns, cystic fibrosis, and neutropenia. Biofilm formation gives physical refuge and a protected microenvironment for sessile cells, rendering cure by antibiotics a challenge. Bacteriophages have evolved to prey on these biofilms over millions of years, using hydrolases and depolymerases to penetrate biofilms and reach cellular targets.

A Retrospective, Observational Study of 12 Cases of Expanded-Access Customized Phage Therapy: Production, Characteristics, and Clinical Outcomes.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is undermining modern medicine, a problem compounded by bacterial adaptation to antibiotic pressures. Phages are viruses that infect bacteria. Their diversity and evolvability offer the prospect of their use as a therapeutic solution.

Wastewater pandemic preparedness: Toward an end-to-end pathogen monitoring program.

Molecular analysis of public wastewater has great potential as a harbinger for community health and health threats. Long-used to monitor the presence of enteric viruses, in particular polio, recent successes of wastewater as a reliable lead indicator for trends in SARS-CoV-2 levels and hospital admissions has generated optimism and emerging evidence that similar science can be applied to other pathogens of pandemic potential (PPPs), especially respiratory viruses and their variants of concern (VOC). However, there are substantial challenges associated with implementation of this ideal, namely that multiple and distinct fields of inquiry must be bridged and coordinated.

Assessment of a SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring program in El Paso, Texas, from November 2020 to June 2022.

The border city of El Paso, Texas, and its water utility, El Paso Water, initiated a SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring program to assess virus trends and the appropriateness of a wastewater monitoring program for the community. Nearly weekly sample collection at four wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs), serving distinct regions of the city, was analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 genes using the CDC 2019-Novel coronavirus Real-Time RT-PCR diagnostic panel. Virus concentrations ranged from 86.

Discovery of the First Lytic / Polyvalent Bacteriophages.

Background: There are no verified lytic phages in the literature and few temperate phage genomes in databases. is an opportunistic zoonotic pathogen of great importance in veterinary and human medicine.

Materials And Methods: We discovered phages against canine-derived isolates by screening dog feces, hair, and skin swabs.

Genomic and Functional Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci-Specific Bacteriophages in the Wax Moth Larvae Model.

Phages are naturally occurring viruses that selectively kill bacterial species without disturbing the individual's normal flora, averting the collateral damage of antimicrobial usage. The safety and the effectiveness of phages have been mainly confirmed in the food industry as well as in animal models. In this study, we report on the successful isolation of phages specific to Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci, including (VRE) and from sewage samples, and demonstrate their efficacy and safety for VRE infection in the greater wax moth model.

Metabolic profiling reveals nutrient preferences during carbon utilization in Bacillus species.

The genus Bacillus includes species with diverse natural histories, including free-living nonpathogenic heterotrophs such as B. subtilis and host-dependent pathogens such as B. anthracis (the etiological agent of the disease anthrax) and B.

Identifying Causative Microorganisms in Left Ventricular Assist Device Infections as a Guide for Developing Bacteriophage Therapy.

Background: As more left ventricular-assist devices (LVADs) are implanted, multidrug-resistant LVAD infections are becoming increasingly common, partly due to bacterial biofilm production. To aid in developing bacteriophage therapy for LVAD infections, we have identified the most common bacterial pathogens that cause LVAD driveline infections (DLIs) in our heart transplant referral center.

Materials And Methods: We studied a retrospective cohort of patients who received LVADs from November 2003 to August 2017 to identify the common causative organisms of LVAD infection.

Phage Therapy Related Microbial Succession Associated with Successful Clinical Outcome for a Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection.

We rationally designed a bacteriophage cocktail to treat a 56-year-old male liver transplant patient with complex, recurrent prostate and urinary tract infections caused by an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing () (UCS1). We screened our library for phages that killed UCS1, with four promising candidates chosen for their virulence, mucolytic properties, and ability to reduce bacterial resistance. The patient received 2 weeks of intravenous phage cocktail with concomitant ertapenem for 6 weeks.

Loss of Dihydroxyacid Dehydratase Induces Auxotrophy in Bacillus anthracis.

Anthrax disease is caused by infection with the bacteria Bacillus anthracis which, if left untreated, can result in fatal bacteremia and toxemia. Current treatment for infection requires prolonged administration of antibiotics. Despite this, inhalational and gastrointestinal anthrax still result in lethal disease.

Antiviral Resistance and Phage Counter Adaptation to Antibiotic-Resistant Extraintestinal Pathogenic .

Extraintestinal pathogenic (ExPEC), often multidrug resistant (MDR), is a leading cause of urinary tract and systemic infections. The crisis of emergent MDR pathogens has led some to propose bacteriophages as a therapeutic. However, bacterial resistance to phage is a concerning issue that threatens to undermine phage therapy.

Evaluating recovery, cost, and throughput of different concentration methods for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect communities across the globe, the need to contain the spread of the outbreaks is of paramount importance. Wastewater monitoring of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the causative agent responsible for COVID-19, has emerged as a promising tool for health officials to anticipate outbreaks. As interest in wastewater monitoring continues to grow and municipalities begin to implement this approach, there is a need to further identify and evaluate methods used to concentrate SARS-CoV-2 virus RNA from wastewater samples.

Phage-Antibiotic Synergy Is Driven by a Unique Combination of Antibacterial Mechanism of Action and Stoichiometry.

The continued rise in antibiotic resistance is precipitating a medical crisis. Bacteriophage (phage) has been hailed as one possible therapeutic option to augment the efficacy of antibiotics. However, only a few studies have addressed the synergistic relationship between phage and antibiotics.

Tailored Antibacterials and Innovative Laboratories for Phage (Φ) Research: Personalized Infectious Disease Medicine for the Most Vulnerable At-Risk Patients.

Mutation is the most powerful driver of change for life on Earth. Pathogenic bacteria utilize mutation as a means to survive strong live-die selective pressures generated by chemical antibiotics. As such, the traditional drug-making pipeline, characterized by significant financial and time investment, is insufficient to keep pace with the rapid evolution of bacterial resistance to structurally fixed and chemically unmalleable antibacterial compounds.

Progress towards the Development of a NEAT Vaccine for Anthrax II: Immunogen Specificity and Alum Effectiveness in an Inhalational Model.

is the causative agent of anthrax disease, presents with high mortality, and has been at the center of bioweapon efforts. The only currently U.S.

Constructing and Characterizing Bacteriophage Libraries for Phage Therapy of Human Infections.

Phage therapy requires libraries of well-characterized phages. Here we describe the generation of phage libraries for three target species: , , and . The basic phage characteristics on the isolation host, sequence analysis, growth properties, and host range and virulence on a number of contemporary clinical isolates are presented.

Heme catabolism in the causative agent of anthrax.

A challenge common to all bacterial pathogens is to acquire nutrients from hostile host environments. Iron is an important cofactor required for essential cellular processes such as DNA repair, energy production and redox balance. Within a mammalian host, most iron is sequestered within heme, which in turn is predominantly bound by hemoglobin.

Progress toward the Development of a NEAT Protein Vaccine for Anthrax Disease.

Bacillus anthracis is a sporulating Gram-positive bacterium that is the causative agent of anthrax and a potential weapon of bioterrorism. The U.S.

Iron and zinc exploitation during bacterial pathogenesis.

Ancient bacteria originated from metal-rich environments. Billions of years of evolution directed these tiny single cell creatures to exploit the versatile properties of metals in catalyzing chemical reactions and biological responses. The result is an entire metallome of proteins that use metal co-factors to facilitate key cellular process that range from the production of energy to the replication of DNA.

Structure of the Bacillus anthracis Sortase A Enzyme Bound to Its Sorting Signal: A FLEXIBLE AMINO-TERMINAL APPENDAGE MODULATES SUBSTRATE ACCESS.

The endospore forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis causes lethal anthrax disease in humans and animals. The ability of this pathogen to replicate within macrophages is dependent upon the display of bacterial surface proteins attached to the cell wall by the B. anthracis Sortase A ((Ba)SrtA) enzyme.

Bacillus anthracis Overcomes an Amino Acid Auxotrophy by Cleaving Host Serum Proteins.

Unlabelled: Bacteria sustain an infection by acquiring nutrients from the host to support replication. The host sequesters these nutrients as a growth-restricting strategy, a concept termed "nutritional immunity." Historically, the study of nutritional immunity has centered on iron uptake because many bacteria target hemoglobin, an abundant circulating protein, as an iron source.

TRPML: transporters of metals in lysosomes essential for cell survival?

Key aspects of lysosomal function are affected by the ionic content of the lysosomal lumen and, therefore, by the ion permeability in the lysosomal membrane. Such functions include regulation of lysosomal acidification, a critical process in delivery and activation of the lysosomal enzymes, release of metals from lysosomes into the cytoplasm and the Ca(2+)-dependent component of membrane fusion events in the endocytic pathway. While the basic mechanisms of lysosomal acidification have been largely defined, the lysosomal metal transport system is not well understood.