Unraveling Cecal Alterations in Colonized Mice through Comprehensive Metabolic Profiling.

The disruption of gut microbiota caused by antibiotics favors the intestinal colonization of - a Gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic bacterium that causes potentially fatal gastrointestinal infections. In an endeavor to elucidate the complexities of the gut-brain axis in the context of infection (CDI), a murine model has been used to investigate the potential effects of antibiotic administration and subsequent colonization by , as well as the impact of three different 10-day treatments (metronidazole, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation), on the cecal metabolome for the first time. This follows our previous research which highlighted the metabolic effect of CDI and these treatments in the brain and employs the same four different metabolomics-based methods (targeted GC-MS/MS, targeted HILIC-MS/MS, untargeted RP-LC-HRMS/MS and untargeted GC-MS).

infection epidemiology during the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece.

The aim was to highlight the incidence and epidemiology of infections (CDI) in a tertiary Greek hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. A single-center prospective observational cohort study was conducted (October 2021 until April 2022). 125 isolates were cultured from hospitalized patients stool samples and screened by PCR for toxin A (), toxin B (), binary toxin ( and ) genes and the regulating gene of .

Implication of COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of infection in a Greek tertiary hospital.

infection (CDI) represents an important global threat. In the COVID-19 era, the multifactorial nature of CDI has emerged. The aim was to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of CDI in a Greek hospital.

Metabolic Phenotyping Study of Mouse Brain Following Microbiome Disruption by Colonization.

infection (CDI) is responsible for an increasing number of cases of post-antibiotic diarrhea worldwide, which has high severity and mortality among hospitalized elderly patients. The disruption of gut microbiota due to antibacterial medication facilitates the intestinal colonization of . In the present study, a murine model was used to investigate the potential effects of antibiotic administration and subsequent colonization by , as well as the effects of three different 10-day treatments (metronidazole, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation), on the brain metabolome for the first time.

Diabetic Patient Adherence to Yearly Influenza Vaccination in Northern Greece.

Background Influenza virus infection is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus. Public health authorities recommend yearly vaccination of diabetic patients against seasonal influenza. Methods We surveyed to define the adherence to influenza vaccination and associated factors among diabetic patients in Thessaloniki, Greece.

An outbreak of Clostridioides difficile infections due to a 027-like PCR ribotype 181 in a rehabilitation centre: Epidemiological and microbiological characteristics.

Clostridioides difficile is one of the most important healthcare-associated pathogens. Recently, several new 027-like types have been found that all belong to the multilocus sequence typing (MLST) Clade 2. We report a rapidly spreading outbreak of C.

Epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus lugdunensis in a Greek tertiary-care hospital.

Staphylococcus lugdunensis is considered more pathogenic than other coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS), with its virulence resembling that of Staphylococcus aureus. We report a retrospective study of all S. lugdunensis infection cases during a 3.

Bacteremia due to a toxin A-negative, B-positive Clostridioides difficile ribotype 017 strain.

Clostridioides difficile is the leading cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea. Although the incidence of C. difficile-associated diarrhea is increasing worldwide, bacteremia due to C.

Insights into the Role of Human Gut Microbiota in Infection.

infection (CDI) has emerged as a major health problem worldwide. A major risk factor for disease development is prior antibiotic use, which disrupts the normal gut microbiota by altering its composition and the gut's metabolic functions, leading to the loss of colonization resistance and subsequent CDI. Data from human studies have shown that the presence of , either as a colonizer or as a pathogen, is associated with a decreased level of gut microbiota diversity.

in Food-Producing Animals, Horses and Household Pets: A Comprehensive Review.

is ubiquitous in the environment and is also considered as a bacterium of great importance in diarrhea-associated disease for humans and different animal species. Food animals and household pets are frequently found positive for toxigenic without exposing clinical signs of infection. Humans and animals share common ribotypes (RTs) suggesting potential zoonotic transmission.

Short communication: Bovine mastitis caused by a multidrug-resistant, mcr-1-positive (colistin-resistant), extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli clone on a Greek dairy farm.

We performed a survey aimed at analyzing milk samples collected from cows with mastitis for the presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli. Single-quarter mastitic milk samples obtained from 400 cows in 23 Greek dairy herds with a history of E. coli mastitis were processed for the selective isolation of ESBL-producing E.

Clostridium difficile infections in a university hospital in Greece are mainly associated with PCR ribotypes 017 and 126.

Purpose: Data regarding the incidence and molecular epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) in Greece are limited.

Methodology: A retrospective study of all laboratory-confirmed CDI cases in a university hospital during a 9-month period. Stool samples from inpatients with diarrhoea were tested with a combined glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and toxin enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test, as part of a two-step algorithm for CDI testing.

A two-step approach improves the diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of health care-associated diarrhea. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a two-step approach for the diagnosis of CDI. The two-step procedure consisted of GDH-toxin A/B EIA (Enzyme immunoassay targeting enterotoxin A and Cytotoxin B), followed by PCR detecting toxigenic C.

Point-prevalence survey of healthcare facility-onset healthcare-associated Clostridium difficile infection in Greek hospitals outside the intensive care unit: The C. DEFINE study.

Background: The correlation of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) with in-hospital morbidity is important in hospital settings where broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents are routinely used, such as in Greece. The C. DEFINE study aimed to assess point-prevalence of CDI in Greece during two study periods in 2013.

Epidemiology of Clostridium difficile in infants in Oxfordshire, UK: Risk factors for colonization and carriage, and genetic overlap with regional C. difficile infection strains.

Background: Approximately 30-40% of children <1 year of age are Clostridium difficile colonized, and may represent a reservoir for adult C. difficile infections (CDI). Risk factors for colonization with toxigenic versus non-toxigenic C.

Clostridium difficile infection: New insights into therapeutic options.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in healthcare settings and represents a major social and economic burden. The major virulence determinants are large clostridial toxins, toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB), encoded within the pathogenicity locus. Traditional therapies, such as metronidazole and vancomycin, frequently lead to a vicious circle of recurrences due to their action against normal human microbiome.

Wide dissemination of linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis in Greece is associated with a linezolid-dependent ST22 clone.

Objectives: Dependence on linezolid was recently described as significant growth acceleration of linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (LRSE) isolates upon linezolid exposure. We investigated the possible contribution of linezolid dependence to LRSE dissemination in Greece.

Methods: Linezolid resistance rates were estimated in six tertiary hospitals located throughout Greece between 2011 and 2013.

Molecular epidemiology of noroviruses in Northern Greece, 2005-2006.

Noroviruses (NoVs) are important human pathogens associated with acute viral gastroenteritis worldwide, displaying significant genetic heterogeneity. Genotype GII.4 is responsible for the majority of outbreaks reported to date.

An outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia bacteremia in hospitalized hematology patients selectively affecting those with acute myeloid leukemia.

Background: Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) is a group of common environmental bacteria that preferentially colonize and infect patients with cystic fibrosis but are also emerging as nosocomial pathogens, possibly due to their resistance to disinfectants and antimicrobials.

Methods: We investigated a 3-month outbreak of Bcc bacteremia among hospitalized hematology patients. Environmental investigation and infection control measures were implemented.

Lemierre's syndrome presenting to the ED: rapidly fatal sepsis caused by methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Staphylococcus protein A type t044.

We describe the case of a fatal septic illness in a previously healthy young man caused by community-acquired methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus of Staphylococcus protein A (spa) type t044. The patient developed a devastating Lemierre-like syndrome with extensive thrombosis of inferior vena cava and iliac veins with multiple metastatic septic emboli of the lungs. He presented to the emergency department with rapidly progressing sepsis followed by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

Molecular epidemiology of Clostridium difficile strains in children compared with that of strains circulating in adults with Clostridium difficile-associated infection.

Molecular analysis of Clostridium difficile (28 isolates) from children (n = 128) in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, identified eight toxigenic genotypes. Six of these were isolated from 27% of concurrent adult C. difficile-associated infections studied (n = 83).

Molecular evidence for Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodes ricinus ticks from Greece.

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis is increasingly being recognized in the United States and Europe. Ixodes ricinus tick is considered the primary vector of the causative pathogen, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, in Europe. Although previous studies in humans support the presence of A.

Clinical Clostridium difficile: clonality and pathogenicity locus diversity.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in healthcare settings. The major virulence determinants are large clostridial toxins, toxin A (tcdA) and toxin B (tcdB), encoded within the pathogenicity locus (PaLoc). Isolates vary in pathogenicity from hypervirulent PCR-ribotypes 027 and 078 with high mortality, to benign non-toxigenic strains carried asymptomatically.