Infections, Brazil.

In 2015, two new species related to the Staphylococcus aureus were proposed. We describe five isolates of the new species Staphylococcus argenteus cultured from human cases of bacteremia and skin and soft tissue infections. This is the first report of , from South America, causing community-acquired and nosocomial infections.

Antifungal Activity of the Phenolic Compounds Ellagic Acid (EA) and Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE) against Drug-Resistant .

is an emerging healthcare-associated fungal pathogen that has become a serious global health threat. Current treatment options are limited due to drug resistance. New therapeutic strategies are required to target this organism and its pathogenicity.

Resistance profile to antimicrobials agents in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospitals in South Brazil between 2014-2019.

Introduction: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common pathogen causing healthcare-associated infections. Owing to the restricted use of beta-lactams in MRSA infections, non-beta-lactam antimicrobials are required for treatment. However, MRSA can develop resistance mechanisms to non-beta-lactam antimicrobials, which reduces viable treatment options.

Vancomycin MIC and agr dysfunction in invasive MRSA infections in southern Brazil.

In methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) treatment, the vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) increase, vancomycin heteroresistance (hVISA) presence, and accessory gene regulator (agr) dysfunction are predictors of vancomycin therapy failure. This study evaluated the association between vancomycin MIC (≥ 1.0 μg/mL) and agr dysfunction in invasive MRSA isolates.

Enterococci from Wild Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) as an Indicator of Marine Ecosystem Health and Human Impact.

Enterococci are commensals that proliferated as animals crawled ashore hundreds of millions of years ago. They are also leading causes of multidrug-resistant hospital-acquired infections. While most studies are driven by clinical interest, comparatively little is known about enterococci in the wild or the effect of human activity on them.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci in outpatient routines: the implications of switching from CLSI to BrCAST/EUCAST guidelines.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are frequently isolated in clinical specimens and are important reservoirs of resistance genes. In 2019, the Brazilian government set the BrCAST/EUCAST (Brazilian Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing) guidelines as the national standard, resulting in changes in the interpretation of CoNS susceptibility tests. From outpatients, disk-diffusion susceptibility of 65 CoNS cultures were evaluated and compared using classification criteria from both CLSI and BrCAST/EUCAST.

Identifying gram-positive cocci in dermatoscopes and smartphone adapters using MALDI-TOF MS: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The increasingly frequent use of dermoscopy makes us think about the possibility of transfer of microorganisms, through the dermatoscope, between doctor and patients.

Objectives: To identify the most frequent gram-positive cocci in dermatoscopes and smartphone adapters, as well as the resistance profile, and to evaluate the factors associated with a higher risk of bacterial contamination of the dermatoscopes.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 118 dermatologists from Porto Alegre/Brazil between September 2017 and July 2018.

Antimicrobial resistance and genetic relationships of enterococci from siblings and non-siblings caterpillars.

Background: Studies evaluating bacteria in insects can provide information about host-microorganism-environment interactions. The gut microbial community has a profound effect on different physiological functions of insects. spp.

Coexistence of virulence genes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates.

Introduction: The pathogenic versatility of Staphylococcus aureus is attributed to various virulence genes, including enterotoxins and hemolysins.

Methods: Here, the virulence genes in 177 nosocomial MRSA strains in Porto Alegre, Brazil were detected by PCR.

Results: The overall prevalence rates were as follows: sea, 4.

Evaluation of a selective chromogenic medium for detecting vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

Rapid identification of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) can assist in choosing the appropriate treatment and preventing VRE spread. The performance of chromID™ VRE agar was evaluated using 184 clinical isolates of Enterococcus spp. and reference strains.

Enterococcus species diversity in fecal samples of wild marine species as determined by real-time PCR.

Analyses using culture-independent molecular techniques have improved our understanding of microbial composition. The aim of this work was to identify and quantify enterococci in fecal samples of wild marine species using real-time quantitative PCR. Seven Enterococcus species were examined in fecal DNA of South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis), Subantarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus tropicalis), green turtles (Chelonia mydas), Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus), snowy-crowned tern (Sterna trudeaui), white-backed stilt (Himantopus melanurus), white-chinned petrels (Procellaria aequinoctialis), red knot (Calidris canutus), and black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris).

Staphylococcus aureus resistance to topical antimicrobials in atopic dermatitis.

Background:: Topical antimicrobial drugs are indicated for limited superficial pyodermitis treatment, although they are largely used as self-prescribed medication for a variety of inflammatory dermatoses, including atopic dermatitis. Monitoring bacterial susceptibility to these drugs is difficult, given the paucity of laboratory standardization.

Objective:: To evaluate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus topical antimicrobial drug resistance in atopic dermatitis patients.

Pleural effusion with negative culture: a challenge for pneumococcal diagnosis in children.

Background: Pneumococcal parapneumonic effusion seems to be increasing in children in the postvaccine era and is frequently associated with negative culture. Due to the low yield of culture, culture-independent tools are evaluated.

Methods: Culture-negative pleural fluid specimens from 38 children with parapneumonic effusion were examined for pneumococcal lytA by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and soluble antigen (C-polysaccharide) using an immunochromatographic test (BinaxNow Streptococcus pneumoniae).

Characteristics of serogroup 20 S.pneumoniae isolates from Brazil.

Background: Although serogroup 20 is not part of any conjugate pneumococcal vaccine, its serotype 20A, but not 20B, belongs to the polysaccharide 23-valent formula. Little is known about its clinical, laboratorial and epidemiological characteristics.

Methods: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bacterial genotypes (by PFGE and MLST), clinical characteristics of patients (from review of medical records) and antimicrobial susceptibility of serogroup 20 isolates which were recovered from patients with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) from 2007 to 2012.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci in Southern Brazil: looking toward its high diversity.

Introduction: Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the most prevalent pathogens in nosocomial infections and may serve as a reservoir of mobile genetic elements such as the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) encoding methicillin resistance. Molecular characterization of SCCmec types combined with advanced molecular typing techniques may provide essential information for understanding the evolution and epidemiology of CoNS infections. We therefore aimed to investigate the SCCmec distribution, multidrug-resistance (MDR), and biofilm formation in CoNS blood culture isolates from a hospital in Southern Brazil.

Resistance to antimicrobial agents among enterococci isolated from fecal samples of wild marine species in the southern coast of Brazil.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate species distribution, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and presence of resistance genes in enterococci isolated from fecal samples of wild marine species, including seabirds (n=12), sea turtles (n=8), and mammals (n=3) found alive or dead in southern coast of Brazil. Enterococci were classified based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, tested for antibiotic susceptibility, and the presence of tet(S), tet(M), tet(L), mrsC, and erm(B) genes by PCR. Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium were the most common species.

Complete Genome Sequence of Enterococcus faecalis Strain P8-1 Isolated from Wild Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) Feces on the South Coast of Brazil.

Enterococcus faecalis strains have a ubiquitous nature that allows them to survive in different niches. Studies involving enterococci isolated from marine animals are scarce. Therefore, in this study, we report the complete genome sequence of E.

A Novel Chiropteran Circovirus Genome Recovered from a Brazilian Insectivorous Bat Species.

This report describes the identification and characterization of a novel circovirus using metagenomic approaches in respiratory fluid samples from Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis). The genome and deduced protein sequences share low identity with another circovirus recovered in distantly related bats from China.

Influence of a subinhibitory concentration of vancomycin on the in vitro expression of virulence-related genes in the vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis.

Introduction: Exposure to subinhibitory concentrations (SICs) of antimicrobials may alter the bacterial transcriptome.

Methods: Here, we evaluated the expression of nine virulence-related genes in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) urinary tract infection isolates grown at SICs of vancomycin.

Results: A Subinhibitory concentrations of vancomycin interferes with gene modulation, but does not affect the phenotype of a VRE strain in vitro .

Antimicrobial resistance and virulence factor gene profiles of Enterococcus spp. isolates from wild Arctocephalus australis (South American fur seal) and Arctocephalus tropicalis (Subantarctic fur seal).

Enterococci are natural inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tracts in humans and animals. Epidemiological data suggest that enterococci are important reservoirs of antimicrobial resistant genes that may be transmitted from other bacterial species The aim of this study was to investigate the species composition, antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in enterococci recovered from fecal samples of wild Arctocephalus australis and A. tropicalis found dead along the South Coast of Brazil.

Molecular epidemiology of heteroresistant vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus in Brazil.

To determine the epidemiological and molecular characteristics of 12 Staphylococcus aureus isolates presenting heteroresistance to vancomycin in laboratories of two cities in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Epidemiological data, including the city of isolation, health institution, and date of isolation were considered, as well as the associated clinical specimen. For molecular characterization, we analyzed the staphylococcal cassette chromosome types, the erm gene presence, and the genomic diversity of isolates using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Complete Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus aureus FCFHV36, a Methicillin-Resistant Strain Heterogeneously Resistant to Vancomycin.

We report here the sequence of the entire chromosome of Staphylococcus aureus strain FCFHV36, a methicillin-resistant strain heterogeneously intermediate to vancomycin, bearing a type II staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec element (SCCmec), belonging to multilocus sequence type (MLST) 105, and isolated from a vertebra of a patient with osteomyelitis.

Serotypes and genotypes of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae before and after PCV10 implementation in southern Brazil.

To reduce the burden of pneumococcal diseases, different formulations of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) have been introduced in many countries. In Brazil, PCV10 has been available since 2010. We aimed to analyze the serotype and genetic composition of invasive pneumococci from Brazil in pre- and post-vaccination periods (2007-2012).

Evaluation of methods in detecting vancomycin MIC among MRSA isolates and the changes in accuracy related to different MIC values.

Introduction: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) presenting reduced susceptibility to vancomycin has been associated to therapeutic failure. Some methods used by clinical laboratories may not be sufficiently accurate to detect this phenotype, compromising results and the outcome of the patient.

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of methods in the detection of vancomycin MIC values among clinical isolates of MRSA.