Case series study of nosocomial Legionnaires’ disease in Apulia region (southern Italy): The role of different molecular methods in identifying the infection source.

Background And Aim: Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by the inhalation or aspiration of water droplets contaminated with Legionella pneumophila and other Legionella species. These bacteria are commonly found in natural habitats and man-made water systems. Legionnaires' disease is a significant public health problem, especially in healthcare settings where patients may be exposed to contaminated environmental sources.

Bioinformatic survey of CRISPR loci across 15 Serratia species.

The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR-Cas) system of prokaryotes is an adaptative immune defense mechanism to protect themselves from invading genetic elements (e.g., phages and plasmids).

Editorial for the Special Issue "Antimicrobial Resistance and Genetic Elements in Bacteria".

Throughout human history, bacterial infections have been an omnipresent threat, which have, on occasion, resulted in devastating pandemics affecting humanity [...

Legionella anisa or Legionella bozemanii? Traditional and molecular techniques as support in the environmental surveillance of a hospital water network.

Understanding the actual distribution of different Legionella species in water networks would help prevent outbreaks. Culture investigations followed by serological agglutination tests, with poly/monovalent antisera, still represent the gold standard for isolation and identification of Legionella strains. However, also MALDI-TOF and mip-gene sequencing are currently used.

"Ectomosphere": Insects and Microorganism Interactions.

This study focuses on interacting with insects and their ectosymbiont () microorganisms for environmentally safe plant production and protection. Some cases help compare ectosymbiont microorganisms that are insect-borne, -driven, or -spread relevant to endosymbionts' behaviour. Ectosymbiotic bacteria can interact with insects by allowing them to improve the value of their In addition, some bacteria are essential for creating ecological niches that can host the development of pests.

Identification and Characterisation of pST1023 A Mosaic, Multidrug-Resistant and Mobilisable IncR Plasmid.

We report the identification and characterisation of a mosaic, multidrug-resistant and mobilisable IncR plasmid (pST1023) detected in ST1023, a monophasic variant 4,[5],12:i: strain of widespread pandemic lineage, reported as a Southern European clone. pST1023 contains exogenous DNA regions, principally gained from pSLT-derivatives and IncI1 plasmids. Acquisition from IncI1 included and and these conferred the ability to be mobilisable in the presence of a helper plasmid, as we demonstrated with the conjugative plasmids pST1007-1D (IncFII) or pVC1035 (IncC).

Comparative Genomics Suggests a Taxonomic Revision of the Staphylococcus cohnii Species Complex.

Staphylococcus cohnii (SC), a coagulase-negative bacterium, was first isolated in 1975 from human skin. Early phenotypic analyses led to the delineation of two subspecies (subsp.), Staphylococcus cohnii subsp.

Antimicrobial resistance gene shuffling and a three-element mobilisation system in the monophasic Salmonella typhimurium strain ST1030.

In this study we describe the genetic elements and the antimicrobial resistance units (RUs) harboured by the Salmonella Typhimurium monophasic variant 1,4,[5],12:i:- strain ST1030. Of the three identified RUs two were chromosomal, RU1 (IS26-bla-IS26-strAB-sul2- IS26) and RU2 (IS26-tetR(B)-tetA(B)-ΔIS26), and one, RU3 (a sul3-associated class 1 integron with cassette array dfrA12-orfF-aadA2-cmlA1-aadA1), was embedded in a Tn21-derived element harboured by the conjugative I1 plasmid pST1030-1A. IS26 elements mediated the antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) shuffling and this gave rise to pST1030-1A derivatives with different sets of ARGs.

Genomics: Novel Insights on Candidate Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence Genes in an Emerging Opportunistic Pathogen.

Coagulase Negative Staphylococci (CoNS) are becoming increasingly recognized as an important cause of human and animal infections. Notwithstanding their clinical relevance, annotation of genes potentially involved in pathogenicity and/or antibiotic resistance in the CoNS species (SAR) is currently very limited. In the current work we describe the genome of a novel methicillin resistant isolate of SAR, which we named Bari, and present a comprehensive analysis of predicted antibiotic resistance profiles and virulence determinants for all the 22 currently available SAR genomes.

Characterization of CRISPR-Cas Systems in Isolated from (Olivier, 1790) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune system has been attracting increasing scientific interest for biological functions and biotechnological applications. Data on the system are scarce. Here, we report a comprehensive characterisation of CRISPR-Cas systems identified in strains isolated as secondary symbionts of , also known as Red Palm Weevil (RPW), one of the most invasive pests of major cultivated palms.

Human health risk assessment for the occurrence of enteric viruses in drinking water from wells: Role of flood runoff injections.

We demonstrated that floods can induce severe microbiological contamination of drinking water from wells and suggest strategies to better address water safety plans for groundwater drinking supplies. Since 2002, the Italian Water Research Institute (IRSA) has detected hepatitis A virus, adenovirus, rotavirus, norovirus, and enterovirus in water samples from wells in the Salento peninsula, southern Italy. Perturbations in the ionic strength in water flow can initiate strong virus detachments from terra rossa sediments in karst fractures.

Occurrence of Legionella in groundwater used for sprinkler irrigation in Southern Italy.

Legionellae are opportunistic bacteria that cause various conditions after exposure to contaminated aerosols, ranging from a serious type of pneumonia to a mild case of an influenza-like illness. Despite the risks of exposure, little is known about the occurrence of Legionella in natural environments and, even though studies have shown that there is a potential risk of transmission via inhalation, it does not have to be detected in groundwater that is used for irrigation. The culture methods traditionally used to detect Legionella have several limits that can be partly solved by applying molecular techniques.

IS26 mediated antimicrobial resistance gene shuffling from the chromosome to a mosaic conjugative FII plasmid.

In the present study we report the identification of a sul3-associated class 1 integron containing the dfrA12-orfF-aadA2-cmlA1-aadA1-qacH array embedded in a Tn21-derived element that is part of a conjugative FII plasmid named pST1007-1A. The plasmid was identified in the Salmonella Typhimurium strain ST1007, a member of a clinically relevant clonal MDR lineage diffuse in Italy. ST1007 exhibited resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphamethoxazole, tetracycline and trimethoprim encoded by bla, cmlA1, (aadA1, aadA2, strAB), (sul2, sul3), tet(B) and dfrA12 genes, respectively.

Carbapenemases-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in hospitals of two regions of Southern Italy.

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infections are reported with increasing frequency elsewhere in the world, representing a worrying phenomenon for global health. In Italy, there are hotspot data on the diffusion and type of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae and K. pneumoniae in particular, with very few data coming from Apulia and Basilicata, two regions of Southern Italy.

A novel group of IncQ1 plasmids conferring multidrug resistance.

The IncQ is a group of non-conjugative but mobilisable plasmids that are found and stably maintained in a wide range of bacteria contributing to the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes and to the insurgence of multidrug resistant bacteria. Here we report the identification, in clinical Salmonella Typhimurium strains, of an IncQ1 plasmid (pNUC) which confers resistance to sulfamethoxazole, streptomycin and tetracycline through the presence of sul2, strAB and tetA genes, respectively. pNUC was detected in five multidrug resistant S.

Identification of pigmented Serratia marcescens symbiotically associated with Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

To characterize red pigment-producing bacteria (RPPB) regularly released during oviposition by red palm weevil (RPW), RPPB were recovered from eggs deposited in apples supplied as substrate for oviposition. The presence of RPPB was also detected from gut, the reproductive apparatus of dissected adult and virgin insects and from pupal cases collected within infested palms. RPPB were also identified all along the tissue of these palms.

Diffusion and persistence of multidrug resistant Salmonella Typhimurium strains phage type DT120 in southern Italy.

Sixty-two multidrug resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strains isolated from 255 clinical strains collected in Southern Italy in 2006-2008 were characterised for antimicrobial resistance genes, pulsotype, and phage type. Most strains (83.9%) were resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline (ACSSuT) encoded in 88.

Resistance genes, phage types and pulsed field gel electrophoresis pulsotypes in Salmonella enterica strains from laying hen farms in southern Italy.

Twenty-four Salmonella enterica isolates (13 serovar Enteritidis and 11 Typhimurium) isolated from 5,600 samples from intensive laying hen farms in Italy in 1998-2007 were characterized for antimicrobial resistance genes, pulsotype and phage type. Most of S. Typhimurium strains were pulsotype STYMXB.

Phenotypic and genetic traits of Salmonella enterica subsp. serovar Typhimurium strains causing salmonellosis foci in rabbit farms from Southern Italy in 1999-2003.

In this study, we characterised the Salmonella Typhimurium strains responsible for four outbreaks which occurred in distinct rabbit farms (Southern Italy) from 1999 to 2003. Strains were typed by Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and the genetic basis of antimicrobial resistance was established. A major group of clonally related isolates, pulsotype STYMXB.

Validation of a seminested PCR approach for rapid detection of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum.

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum) is the causative agent of fowl typhoid, one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity on poultry farms.

SXT-related integrating conjugative element and IncC plasmids in Vibrio cholerae O1 strains in Eastern Africa.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the extent of resistance patterns and associated mobile genetic elements in epidemic V. cholerae O1 El Tor strains isolated from Eastern Africa in the late 1990s.

Methods: Self-transmissible genetic elements and associated clusters of genes encoding resistance were detected by conjugation experiments.