Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs)-producing E. coli have been proposed as an indicator bacterium for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance within a OneHealth framework. However, it is important to understand the effects and potential biases ESBL-selection has on E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtraintestinal pathogenic (ExPEC) sequence type (ST) 38 is one of the top 10 human pandemic lineages. Although a major cause of urinary tract and blood stream infections, ST38 has been poorly characterized from a global phylogenomic perspective. A comprehensive genome-scale analysis of 925 ST38 isolate genomes identified two broad ancestral clades and linkage of discrete ST38 clusters with specific variants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) impacts animal welfare and productivity in the poultry industry worldwide, yet it has an understudied pathogenesis. While Avian Pathogenic (APEC) are known to be one of the main causes, there is a lack of whole genome sequence data, with only a few BCO-associated APEC (APEC) genomes available in public databases. In this study, we conducted an analysis of 205 APEC genome sequences to generate new baseline phylogenomic knowledge regarding the diversity of sequence types and the presence of virulence associated genes (VAGs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Covid-19 pandemic has shocked the global energy system. It has resulted in tremendous uncertainty and diminished the recent advances to increase access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy-an objective preserved in the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG-7). According to the IEA, attaining universal electricity access in Africa in line with SDG-7 entails annual investments of approximately $20 billion over the next decade.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFST131 is a globally dispersed extraintestinal pathogenic lineage contributing significantly to hospital and community acquired urinary tract and bloodstream infections. Here we describe a detailed phylogenetic analysis of the whole genome sequences of 284 Australian ST131 isolates from diverse sources, including clinical, food and companion animals, wildlife and the environment. Our phylogeny and the results of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis show the typical ST131 clade distribution with clades A, B and C clearly displayed, but no niche associations were observed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infections requiring medical attention and a leading justification for antibiotic prescription. Trimethoprim is prescribed empirically for uncomplicated cases. UTIs are primarily caused by extraintestinal pathogenic (ExPEC) and ExPEC strains play a central role in disseminating antimicrobial-resistance genes worldwide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Inflammation is central in disease pathophysiology and accurate methods for its detection and quantification are increasingly required to guide diagnosis and therapy. Here we explored the ability of Fast Field-Cycling Magnetic Resonance (FFC-MR) in quantifying the signal of ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (USPIO) phagocytosed by J774 macrophage-like cells as a proof-of-principle.
Methods: Relaxation rates were measured in suspensions of J774 macrophage-like cells loaded with USPIO (0-200 μg/ml Fe as ferumoxytol), using a 0.
Schizosaccharomyces pombe, also known as fission yeast, is an established model for studying chromosome biological processes. Over the years, research employing fission yeast has made important contributions to our knowledge about chromosome segregation during meiosis, as well as meiotic recombination and its regulation. Quantification of meiotic recombination frequency is not a straightforward undertaking, either requiring viable progeny for a genetic plating assay, or relying on laborious Southern blot analysis of recombination intermediates.
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