Molecular characteristics, fitness, and virulence of high-risk and non-high-risk clones of carbapenemase-producing .

Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) inflict a notable burden on healthcare worldwide. Of specific concern are strains producing carbapenem-hydrolyzing enzymes, as the therapeutic options for these strains are still very limited. Specific sequence types of have been noted for their epidemic occurrence globally, but the mechanisms behind the success of specific clones remain unclear.

Identification and characterization of plasmids carrying the mobile colistin resistance gene using optical DNA mapping.

Objectives: Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic, but there has been a rapid increase in colistin resistance, threatening its use in the treatment of infections with carbapenem-resistant (CRE). Plasmid-mediated colistin resistance, in particular the gene, has been identified and WGS is the go-to method in identifying plasmids carrying genes. The goal of this study is to demonstrate the use of optical DNA mapping (ODM), a fast, efficient and amplification-free technique, to characterize plasmids carrying .

Four SARS-CoV-2 Genome Sequences from Late April in Stockholm, Sweden, Reveal a Rare Mutation in the Spike Protein.

Here, we report four coding-complete severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome sequences from Stockholm, Sweden, sampled in late April 2020. A rare variant at bp 23463 of the SARS-CoV-2 genome was found, which corresponds to the S1 subunit of the spike protein, changing an arginine (R) residue to histidine (H).

Cathelicidins Modulate TLR-Activation and Inflammation.

Cathelicidins are short cationic peptides that are part of the innate immune system. At first, these peptides were studied mostly for their direct antimicrobial killing capacity, but nowadays they are more and more appreciated for their immunomodulatory functions. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the various effects cathelicidins have on the detection of damage- and microbe-associated molecular patterns, with a special focus on their effects on Toll-like receptor (TLR) activation.

Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase- and Plasmid AmpC-Producing Escherichia coli Causing Community-Onset Bloodstream Infection: Association of Bacterial Clones and Virulence Genes with Septic Shock, Source of Infection, and Recurrence.

Invasive infections due to extended-spectrum-β-lactamase- and pAmpC-producing (ESBL/pAmpC-EC) are an important cause of morbidity, often caused by the high-risk clone sequence type (ST131) and isolates classified as extraintestinal pathogenic (ExPEC). The relative influence of host immunocompetence versus microbiological virulence factors in the acquisition and outcome of bloodstream infections (BSI) is poorly understood. Herein, we used whole-genome sequencing on 278 blood culture isolates of ESBL/pAmpC-EC from 260 patients with community-onset BSI collected from 2012 to 2015 in Stockholm to study the association of virulence genes, sequence types, and antimicrobial resistance with severity of disease, infection source, ESBL/pAmpC-EC BSI low-risk patients, and patients with repeated episodes.