Presence of hypervirulence-associated determinants in Klebsiella pneumoniae from hospitalised patients in Germany.

Background: Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae is a ubiquitous Gram-negative bacterium and a common coloniser of animals and humans. Today, K.

Integrated molecular, phenotypic and epidemiological surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Germany.

Numbers of infections with Neisseria gonorrhoeae are among the top three sexually transmitted infections (STI) worldwide. In addition, the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae pose an important public-health issue. The integration of genomic, phenotypic and epidemiological data to monitor Neisseria gonorrhoeae fosters our understanding of the emergence and spread of AMR in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and helps to inform therapy guidelines and intervention strategies.

Detection and characterization of putative hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in microbiological diagnostics.

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae strains (hvKp) can cause invasive community-acquired infections in healthy patients of all ages. In this study, the prevalence of putative hvKp in a German tertiary center was investigated and hvKp were characterized by phenotypic and molecular assays. All K.

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among children and staff in German daycare centres.

In daycare centres, the close contact of children with other children and employees favours the transmission of infections. The majority of children <6 years attend daycare programmes in Germany, but the role of daycare centres in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is unclear. We investigated the transmission risk in daycare centres and the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to associated households.

Advancing Precision Vaccinology by Molecular and Genomic Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in Germany, 2021.

Background: Comprehensive pathogen genomic surveillance represents a powerful tool to complement and advance precision vaccinology. The emergence of the Alpha variant in December 2020 and the resulting efforts to track the spread of this and other severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern led to an expansion of genomic sequencing activities in Germany.

Methods: At Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German National Institute of Public Health, we established the Integrated Molecular Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 (IMS-SC2) network to perform SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance at the national scale, SARS-CoV-2-positive samples from laboratories distributed across Germany regularly undergo whole-genome sequencing at RKI.

Genome-Based Analysis of spp. Isolates from Animals and Food Products in Germany, 2013-2017.

The increase in infections with multidrug-resistant and virulent () strains poses a serious threat to public health. However, environmental reservoirs and routes of transmission for spp. that cause infections in humans and in livestock animals are not well understood.

Hypervirulent of Lineage ST66-K2 Caused Tonsillopharyngitis in a German Patient.

Hypervirulent (hvKp) is a novel pathotype that has been rarely described in Europe. This study characterizes a hvKp isolate that caused a community-acquired infection. The hypermucoviscous () strain 18-0005 was obtained from a German patient with tonsillopharyngitis in 2017.

Extensively drug-resistant ST307 outbreak, north-eastern Germany, June to October 2019.

From June to October 2019, 17 patients (six infected, 11 colonised) with an extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strain were notified from four Western Pomerania medical facilities. The XDR produced carbapenemases NDM-1 and OXA-48, and was only susceptible to chloramphenicol, tigecycline and cefiderocol. Synergistic activity was observed for the combination of aztreonam plus ceftazidime-avibactam.