The population structure of vancomycin-resistant and -susceptible in a low-prevalence antimicrobial resistance setting is highly influenced by circulating global hospital-associated clones.

Between 2010 and 2015 the incidence of vancomycin-resistant (VRE) in Norway increased dramatically. Hence, we selected (1) a random subset of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) from the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases (2010-15; =239) and (2) Norwegian vancomycin-susceptible (VSE) bacteraemia isolates from the national surveillance system for antimicrobial resistance in microbes (2008 and 2014; =261) for further analysis. Whole-genome sequences were collected for population structure, gene cluster, mobile genetic element and virulome analysis, as well as antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

The chemotherapeutic drug methotrexate selects for antibiotic resistance.

Background: Understanding drivers of antibiotic resistance evolution is fundamental for designing optimal treatment strategies and interventions to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance. Various cytotoxic drugs used in cancer chemotherapy have antibacterial properties, but how bacterial populations are affected by these selective pressures is unknown. Here we test the hypothesis that the widely used cytotoxic drug methotrexate affects the evolution and selection of antibiotic resistance.

Piggybacking on Niche Adaptation Improves the Maintenance of Multidrug-Resistance Plasmids.

The persistence of plasmids in bacterial populations represents a puzzling evolutionary problem with serious clinical implications due to their role in the ongoing antibiotic resistance crisis. Recently, major advancements have been made toward resolving this "plasmid paradox" but mainly in a nonclinical context. Here, we propose an additional explanation for the maintenance of multidrug-resistance plasmids in clinical Escherichia coli strains.

Growth phase-specific evolutionary benefits of natural transformation in Acinetobacter baylyi.

Natural transformation in bacteria facilitates the uptake and genomic integration of exogenous DNA. This allows horizontal exchange of adaptive traits not easily achieved by point mutations, and has a major role in the acquisition of adaptive traits exemplified by antibiotic resistance determinants and vaccination escape. Mechanisms of DNA uptake and genomic integration are well described for several naturally transformable bacterial species; however, the selective forces responsible for its evolution and maintenance are still controversial.

Real-time polymerase chain reaction for detection of low-intensity Schistosoma japonicum infections in China.

More sensitive methods for diagnosing infection with Schistosoma japonicum are needed as control becomes more effective. We compared a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for stool samples with conventional diagnostic methods in a study of 1,727 persons from Anhui Province, China. Seroprevalence determined by using an indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA) was much higher (26.