Development of Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant (LA-MRSA) Loads in Pigs and Pig Stables During the Fattening Period.

Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant (LA-MRSA) is widespread in European pig production and poses an occupational hazard to farm workers and their household members. Farm workers are exposed to LA-MRSA through direct contact with pigs and airborne transmission, enabling bacteria to be carried home in the nose or on the skin. Consequently, it is important to consider LA-MRSA in a one-health context, studying human exposure by examining LA-MRSA levels in pigs, air, and dust in the farm environment.

Design and Selection of Engineered Lytic Proteins With Decolonizing Activity.

causes various infections in humans and animals, the skin being the principal reservoir of this pathogen. The widespread occurrence of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) limits the elimination and treatment of this pathogen. Phage lytic proteins have been proven as efficient antimicrobials against .

Airborne Spread of Methicillin Resistant From a Swine Farm.

Spread of livestock-associated methicillin resistant (LA-MRSA) to farmworkers has been recognized as a risk when working in LA-MRSA positive stables, due to LA-MRSA being present on airborne dust particles. Based on this, airborne spread of LA-MRSA through stable vents is a concern that is addressed in this study. The aim of the investigation was to quantify the airborne spread of LA-MRSA from a MRSA positive swine farm.

Pathology and bacteria related to digital dermatitis in dairy cattle in all year round grazing system in Brazil.

Digital dermatitis (DD) is one of the main causes of lameness in dairy cattle worldwide, and it is frequently reported in high-yielding, free stall dairy herds from regions with a temperate climate. However, DD is also observed with high prevalence in grazing cattle with a low milk yield in tropical regions. To clarify whether these differences have an impact on the etiology of the disease, we studied DD lesions from all year round grazing cattle of mixed breed in Brazil using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing and fluorescent in situ hybridization.

Microbiota Analysis of an Environmental Slurry and Its Potential Role as a Reservoir of Bovine Digital Dermatitis Pathogens.

At present, very little information exists regarding what role the environmental slurry may play as an infection reservoir and/or route of transmission for bovine digital dermatitis (DD), a disease which is a global problem in dairy herds. To investigate whether DD-related bacteria belong to the indigenous microbiota of the dairy herd environment, we used deep amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene in 135 slurry samples collected from different sites in 22 dairy farms, with and without DD-infected cows. Both the general bacterial populations and digital dermatitis-associated were targeted in this study.

A novel approach to probe host-pathogen interactions of bovine digital dermatitis, a model of a complex polymicrobial infection.

Background: Polymicrobial infections represent a great challenge for the clarification of disease etiology and the development of comprehensive diagnostic or therapeutic tools, particularly for fastidious and difficult-to-cultivate bacteria. Using bovine digital dermatitis (DD) as a disease model, we introduce a novel strategy to study the pathogenesis of complex infections.

Results: The strategy combines meta-transcriptomics with high-density peptide-microarray technology to screen for in vivo-expressed microbial genes and the host antibody response at the site of infection.

Potential bacterial core species associated with digital dermatitis in cattle herds identified by molecular profiling of interdigital skin samples.

Although treponemes are consistently identified in tissue from bovine digital dermatitis (DD) lesions, the definitive etiology of this debilitating polymicrobial disease is still unresolved. To study the microbiomes of 27 DD-infected and 10 healthy interdigital skin samples, we used a combination of different molecular methods. Deep sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene variable regions V1-V2 showed that Treponema, Mycoplasma, Fusobacterium and Porphyromonas were the genera best differentiating the DD samples from the controls.

Osteoblastic response to pectin nanocoating on titanium surfaces.

Osseointegration of titanium implants can be improved by organic and inorganic nanocoating of the surface. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of organic nanocoating of titanium surface with unmodified and modified pectin Rhamnogalacturonan-Is (RG-Is) isolated from potato and apple with respect to surface properties and osteogenic response in osteoblastic cells. Nanocoatings on titanium surfaces were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, contact angle measurements, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Discovery of bovine digital dermatitis-associated Treponema spp. in the dairy herd environment by a targeted deep-sequencing approach.

The bacteria associated with the infectious claw disease bovine digital dermatitis (DD) are spirochetes of the genus Treponema; however, their environmental reservoir remains unknown. To our knowledge, the current study is the first report of the discovery and phylogenetic characterization of rRNA gene sequences from DD-associated treponemes in the dairy herd environment. Although the spread of DD appears to be facilitated by wet floors covered with slurry, no DD-associated treponemes have been isolated from this environment previously.

Polymorphisms of the T cell receptor CD3delta and CD3epsilon chains affect anti-CD3 antibody binding and T cell activation.

T cell receptor (TCR) structure and function have been thoroughly studied for decades. Production and analyses of knock-out and knock-in mice with mutations in the CD3 chains have contributed significantly to these studies. The generation of such gene-modified mice relies on the availability of suitable embryonic stem (ES) cell lines.

Microfluidic dissolved oxygen gradient generator biochip as a useful tool in bacterial biofilm studies.

A microfluidic chip for generation of gradients of dissolved oxygen was designed, fabricated and tested. The novel way of active oxygen depletion through a gas permeable membrane was applied. Numerical simulations for generation of O(2) gradients were correlated with measured oxygen concentrations.

Cellular dynamics in the draining lymph nodes during sensitization and elicitation phases of contact hypersensitivity.

Background: The different role of various immunological effector cells in contact hypersensitivity (CHS) is receiving increased attention. During the past decade, the involvement of different cell types in CHS has been investigated by the use of antibody-induced depletion of specific subtypes of immunological cells and by studying knockout mice lacking one or more of these immunological cell populations.

Objectives: To develop a method for studying the collective cellular dynamics of immune cells in the draining lymph nodes during CHS in intact animals.

Protein kinase C (PKC) alpha and PKC theta are the major PKC isotypes involved in TCR down-regulation.

It is well known that protein kinase C (PKC) plays an important role in regulation of TCR cell surface expression levels. However, eight different PKC isotypes are present in T cells, and to date the particular isotype(s) involved in TCR down-regulation remains to be identified. The aim of this study was to identify the PKC isotype(s) involved in TCR down-regulation and to elucidate the mechanism by which they induce TCR down-regulation.

Masking of the CD3 gamma di-leucine-based motif by zeta is required for efficient T-cell receptor expression.

The T-cell receptor (TCR) is a multimeric receptor composed of the Ti alpha beta heterodimer and the noncovalently associated CD3 gamma delta epsilon and zeta(2) chains. All of the TCR chains are required for efficient cell surface expression of the TCR. Previous studies on chimeric molecules containing the di-leucine-based endocytosis motif of the TCR subunit CD3 gamma have indicated that the zeta chain can mask this motif.