A nationwide study of two decades of invasive pneumococcal disease in the Faroe Islands, 2000-2023.

Background: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) remains a significant public health concern, particularly in vulnerable populations such as the elderly. This study focuses on the Faroe Islands, a unique setting for monitoring pneumococcal disease trends due to its high vaccination coverage and geographic isolation.

Objective: To examine the prevalence, trends and serotype distribution of IPD in the Faroe Islands from 2000 to 2023, focusing on the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) on disease incidence and serotype replacement.

Fritz Kauffmann: innovator in microbial classification.

Fritz Kauffmann (1899-1978) was a German/Danish microbiologist, who worked most of his years studying intestinal bacteria at Statens Serum Institut in Denmark. During his research, he implemented several diagnostic tools, which are still used in reference laboratories worldwide. Kauffmann was probably most known for developing the "Kauffmann-White scheme" based on the O- and flagella antigens on the surface of Salmonella.

Indoor air quality and symptoms of acute respiratory infections and gastrointestinal issues in children and employees in day-care nurseries.

Background: Children attending day-care centers (DCCs) experience more infections than those cared for at home and DCC employees have high sickness absence rates. This study aimed to investigate the association between indoor air quality and absenteeism among children and staff in DCCs.

Methods: CO levels, relative humidity (RH), and temperature were continuously measured in 22 DCCs over 3 winter months.

Analysis of Antibiotic Response in Clinical Wound Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates: Unveiling Proteome Dynamics of Tobramycin-Tolerant Phenotype.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an opportunistic human pathogen, causing serious chronic infections. P.

A serosurvey examining exposure to and tick-borne encephalitis virus in Danish blood donors, August 2022.

Objectives: (Bbsl) and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) are tick-borne pathogens. This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of these pathogens in Danish blood donors.

Methods: A total of 1000 plasma samples equally distributed (n = 200) from all five Danish regions were analyzed.

Metabolic flux regulates growth transitions and antibiotic tolerance in uropathogenic .

Unlabelled: Reducing growth and limiting metabolism are strategies that allow bacteria to survive exposure to environmental stress and antibiotics. During infection, uropathogenic (UPEC) may enter a quiescent state that enables them to reemerge after the completion of successful antibiotic treatment. Many clinical isolates, including the well-characterized UPEC strain CFT073, also enter a metabolite-dependent, quiescent state that is reversible with cues, including peptidoglycan-derived peptides and amino acids.

Multi-strain probiotics during pregnancy in women with obesity influence infant gut microbiome development: results from a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Probiotics have been described to influence host health and prevent the risk of obesity by gut microbiome (GM) modulation. In a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled feasibility study, we investigated whether Vivomixx® multi-strain probiotics administered to 50 women with obesity during pregnancy altered the GM composition and perinatal health outcomes of their infants up to 9 months after birth. The mothers and infants were followed up with four visits after birth: at 3 d, and at 3, 6, and 9 months after delivery.

Antigen-Heterologous Vaccination Regimen Triggers Alternate Antibody Targeting in SARS-CoV-2-DNA-Vaccinated Mice.

An in-depth analysis of antibody epitopes following vaccination with different regimens provides important insight for developing future vaccine strategies. B-cell epitopes conserved across virus variants may be ideal targets for vaccine-induced antibodies and therapeutic drugs. However, challenges lie in identifying these key antigenic regions, and directing the immune system to target them.

Reduction of acute respiratory infections in day-care by non-pharmaceutical interventions: a narrative review.

Objective: Children who start in day-care have 2-4 times as many respiratory infections compared to children who are cared for at home, and day-care staff are among the employees with the highest absenteeism. The extensive new knowledge that has been generated in the COVID-19 era should be used in the prevention measures we prioritize. The purpose of this narrative review is to answer the questions: Which respiratory viruses are the most significant in day-care centers and similar indoor environments? What do we know about the transmission route of these viruses? What evidence is there for the effectiveness of different non-pharmaceutical prevention measures?

Design: Literature searches with different terms related to respiratory infections in humans, mitigation strategies, viral transmission mechanisms, and with special focus on day-care, kindergarten or child nurseries, were conducted in PubMed database and Web of Science.

Nutrition of within the intestinal microbiome.

In this chapter, we update our 2004 review of "The Life of Commensal in the Mammalian Intestine" (https://doi.org/10.1128/ecosalplus.

Escherichia coli CRISPR arrays from early life fecal samples preferentially target prophages.

CRISPR-Cas systems are defense mechanisms against phages and other nucleic acids that invade bacteria and archaea. In Escherichia coli, it is generally accepted that CRISPR-Cas systems are inactive in laboratory conditions due to a transcriptional repressor. In natural isolates, it has been shown that CRISPR arrays remain stable over the years and that most spacer targets (protospacers) remain unknown.

Malaria elimination in Ghana: recommendations for reactive case detection strategy implementation in a low endemic area of Asutsuare, Ghana.

Background: Progress toward malaria elimination is increasing as many countries near zero indigenous malaria cases. In settings nearing elimination, interventions will be most effective at interrupting transmission when targeted at the residual foci of transmission. These foci may be missed due to asymptomatic infections.

Delivery of E. coli Nissle to the mouse gut by mucoadhesive microcontainers does not improve its competitive ability against strains linked to ulcerative colitis.

For patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), administration of the probiotic E. coli Nissle (EcN) holds promise for alleviation of disease symptoms. The mechanisms are unclear, but it has been hypothesised that a capacity of the probiotic to outcompete potentially detrimental UC-associated E.

Aggregative adherence fimbriae form compact structures as seen by SAXS.

Bacterial colonization is mediated by fimbriae, which are thin hair-like appendages dispersed from the bacterial surface. The aggregative adherence fimbriae from enteroaggregative E. coli are secreted through the outer membrane and consist of polymerized minor and major pilin subunits.

Exploring the dynamics of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato antibodies-a registry-based study on laboratory data from Sweden and Denmark.

Objectives: Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick-transmitted infection in the northern hemisphere and is caused by bacteria in the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl)-complex. The diagnosis is partially based on serology, and clinicians often take follow-up serum samples to look for seroconversion or an increase in IgG-antibody levels. In this registry-based study, we proposed a method for determining actual changes in IgG and examined antibody reactivity and decay.

A Candidate DNA Vaccine Encoding the Native SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Induces Anti-Subdomain 1 Antibodies.

The ideal vaccine against viral infections should elicit antibody responses that protect against divergent strains. Designing broadly protective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and other divergent viruses requires insight into the specific targets of cross-protective antibodies on the viral surface protein(s). However, unlike therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, the B-cell epitopes of vaccine-induced polyclonal antibody responses remain poorly defined.

Can protection motivation theory predict protective behavior against ticks?

Background: Cases of reported tick-borne diseases in humans have increased over the past decades. Strategies informing the public about ticks, their associated diseases, and preventive measures are often highlighted as important in limiting pathogen transfer and disease. However, knowledge about the motivation for people to apply preventative measures is sparse.

Tick-borne diseases under the radar in the North Sea Region.

The impact of tick-borne diseases caused by pathogens such as Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Borrelia miyamotoi, Rickettsia helvetica and Babesia species on public health is largely unknown. Data on the prevalence of these pathogens in Ixodes ricinus ticks from seven countries within the North Sea Region in Europe as well as the types and availability of diagnostic tests and the main clinical features of their corresponding diseases is reported and discussed. Raised awareness is needed to discover cases of these under-recognized types of tick-borne disease, which should provide valuable insights into these diseases and their clinical significance.

High level of colonization with third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales in African community settings, Ghana.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in eight Ghanaian communities to investigate the extent of intestinal colonization with 3-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales. The study collected faecal samples and corresponding lifestyle data from 736 healthy residents to assess the occurrence of cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, with a focus on genotypes of plasmid-mediated ESBLs, AmpCs, and carbapenemases. The results showed that 371 participants (50.

Reactive Case Detection Strategy for Malaria Control and Elimination: A 12 Year Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis from 25 Malaria-Endemic Countries.

Reactive case detection (RACD) is the screening of household members and neighbors of index cases reported in passive surveillance. This strategy seeks asymptomatic infections and provides treatment to break transmission without testing or treating the entire population. This review discusses and highlights RACD as a recommended strategy for the detection and elimination of asymptomatic malaria as it pertains in different countries.

Neoehrlichia mikurensis in Danish immunocompromised patients: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The tick-borne bacterium, Neoehrlichia mikurensis (N. mikurensis) can cause severe febrile illness and thromboembolic complications in immunocompromised individuals. We investigated the presence of N.

Diarrhoea-causing microorganisms are rare in adult patients undergoing diagnostic laparoscopy for suspected appendicitis: a prospective observational cohort study.

We investigated if diarrhoea-causing bacteria, including Yersinia species, could mimic the symptoms of appendicitis and lead to surgery. This prospective observational cohort study (NCT03349814) included adult patients undergoing surgery for suspected appendicitis. Rectal swabs were analysed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Yersinia, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella and Aeromonas spp.