Pulmonary bacterial infections present a significant health risk to those with chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) including cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic-obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), novel therapeutics are desperately needed to combat the emergence of resistant superbugs. Phage therapy is one possible alternative or adjunct to current antibiotics with activity against antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClostridioides (Clostridium) difficile in the environment is thought to contribute to C. difficile infection in community settings. Here, we provide complete genome assemblies for two esculin hydrolysis-negative strains of C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHere, we present the complete genome sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages Kara-mokiny 1, Kara-mokiny 2, and Kara-mokiny 3. These phages have lytic capabilities against P. aeruginosa and belong to the myovirus morphotype.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Clostridium (Clostridiodes) difficile clade 3 ribotype (RT) 023 strains that fail to produce black colonies on bioMérieux ChromID agar have been reported, as well as variant strains of C. difficile that produce only toxin A. We have recently isolated strains of C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial resistance is a current global health crisis, and the increasing emergence of multidrug resistant infections has led to the resurgent interest in bacteriophages as an alternative treatment. Prior to clinical application, phage suitability is assessed, via susceptibility testing and breadth of host range to bacteriophage, however, these are both large-scale manual processes and labor-intensive. The aim of the study was to establish and validate a scaled down methodology for high-throughput screening to reduce procedural footprint.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndividuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) are given antimicrobials as prophylaxis against bacterial lung infection, which contributes to the growing emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens isolated. Pathogens such as that are commonly isolated from individuals with CF are armed with an arsenal of protective and virulence mechanisms, complicating eradication and treatment strategies. While translation of phage therapy into standard care for CF has been explored, challenges such as the lack of an appropriate animal model demonstrating safety exist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Environ Microbiol
December 2020
In recent years, community-associated infection (CA-CDI) has emerged as a significant health problem, accounting for ∼50% of all CDI cases. We hypothesized that the home garden environment could contribute to the dissemination of spores in the community and investigated 23 homes in 22 suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. We identified a high prevalence of toxigenic in this environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStreptococcus agalactiae or Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of sepsis in neonates. As a preventative measure prophylactic antibiotic administration is common in pregnant women colonised with GBS, but antibiotic-resistance and adverse effects on neonatal microbiomes may result. Use of bacteriophages (phages) is one option for targeted therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs a leading cause of neonatal sepsis, Streptococcus agalactiae, commonly known as Group B Streptococcus, is a major neonatal pathogen. Current global screening practices employ risk- or culture-based protocols for detection of these organisms. In Western Australia (WA), universal culture-based screening is provided, with subsequent intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis for all S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Streptococcus agalactiae, or group B streptococcus (GBS), is a leading neonatal pathogen that causes sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia. Globally, strategies have been implemented to address vertical transmission, and in Western Australia (WA), culture-based screening at 35-37 weeks' gestation is part of routine care and guides antibiotic administration. Previous Australian studies have focused on other regions or included low sample-size representatives; we aimed to describe antenatal GBS colonization in WA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial-resistant microbes are an increasing threat to human health. In cystic fibrosis (CF), airway infections with remain a key driver of lung damage. With few new antibiotics on the development horizon, alternative therapeutic approaches are needed against antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Cell Infect Microbiol
September 2019
Increasing reports of antimicrobial resistance and limited new antibiotic discoveries and development have fuelled innovation in other research fields and led to a revitalization of bacteriophage (phage) studies in the Western world. Phage therapy mainly utilizes obligately lytic phages to kill their respective bacterial hosts, while leaving human cells intact and reducing the broader impact on commensal bacteria that often results from antibiotic use. Phage therapy is rapidly evolving and has resulted in cases of life-saving therapeutic use and multiple clinical trials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Microbiol Rev
October 2018
, or group B streptococcus (GBS), is a major neonatal pathogen. Recent data have elucidated the global prevalence of maternal and neonatal colonization, but gaps still remain in the epidemiology of this species. A number of phenotypic and genotypic classifications can be used to identify the diversity of GBS strains, and some are more discriminatory than others.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrains of Clostridium difficile producing only binary toxin (CDT) are found commonly in animals but not humans. However, human diagnostic tests rarely look for CDT. The Cepheid Xpert C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPregnant women and their unborn children are a population that is particularly vulnerable to bacterial infection. Physiological changes that occur during pregnancy affect the way women respond to such infections and the options that clinicians have for treatment. Antibiotics are still considered the best option for active infections and a suitable prophylaxis for prevention of potential infections, such as vaginal/rectal colonization prior to birth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVirulence of Clostridium difficile is primarily attributed to the large clostridial toxins A and B while the role of binary toxin (CDT) remains unclear. The prevalence of human strains of C. difficile possessing only CDT genes (A-B-CDT+) is generally low (< 5%), however, this genotype is commonly found in neonatal livestock both in Australia and elsewhere.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe bodies and faecal pellets of the house dust mite (HDM), , are the source of many allergenic and nonallergenic proteins. One of these, the 14-kDa bacteriolytic enzyme LytFM, originally isolated from the spent HDM growth medium, may contribute to bacteriolytic activity previously detected by zymography at 14 kDa in the culture supernatants of some bacterial species isolated from surface-sterilised HDM. Based on previously reported findings of lateral gene transfer between microbes and their eukaryotic hosts, we investigated the presence of in the genomes of nine Gram-positive bacteria from surface-sterilised HDM, and the expression by these isolates of LytFM and its variants LytFM1/LytFM2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiagn Microbiol Infect Dis
September 2017
Streptococcus agalactiae is the leading cause of early-onset neonatal sepsis. Culture-based screening methods lack the sensitivity of molecular assays and do not indicate serotype; a potentially important virulence marker. We aimed to develop a multiplex PCR to detect S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: infection (CDI) is a significant gastrointestinal disease in the developed world and increasingly recognised as a zoonotic infection. In North America and Europe, the PCR ribotype (RT) 078 strain of is commonly found in production animals and as a cause of disease in humans although proof of transmission from animals is lacking. This strain is absent in Australian livestock.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 14 kDa protein homologous to the γ-d-glutamyl-l-diamino acid endopeptidase members of the NlpC/P60 Superfamily has been described in Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae but it is not clear whether other species produce homologues. Bioinformatics revealed homologous genes in other Sarcopteformes mite species (Psoroptes ovis and Blomia tropicalis) but not in Tetranychus urticae and Metaseiulus occidentalis. The degrees of identity (similarity) between the D.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Moraxella catarrhalis is an important pathogen that often causes otitis media in children, a disease that is not currently vaccine preventable. Asymptomatic colonisation of the human upper respiratory tract is common and lack of clearance by the immune system is likely due to the emergence of seroresistant genetic lineages. No active bacteriophages or prophages have been described in this species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of antimicrobial and health care-associated diarrhea in humans, presenting a significant burden to global health care systems. In the last 2 decades, PCR- and sequence-based techniques, particularly whole-genome sequencing (WGS), have significantly furthered our knowledge of the genetic diversity, evolution, epidemiology, and pathogenicity of this once enigmatic pathogen. C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClostridium difficile PCR ribotype 033 (RT033) is found in the gastrointestinal tracts of production animals and, occasionally, humans. The illumigene C. difficile assay (Meridian Bioscience, Inc.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA promising new strategy in antibacterial research is inhibition of the bacterial communication system termed quorum sensing. In this study, a novel and rapid pre-screening method was developed to detect the production of chemical inhibitors of this system (quorum-quenching compounds) by bacteria isolated from marine and estuarine waters. This method involves direct screening of mixed populations on an agar plate, facilitating specific isolation of bioactive colonies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF© LitMetric 2025. All rights reserved.