Differential Response to the Course of Cryptosporidium parvum Infection and Its Impact on Epithelial Integrity in Differentiated versus Undifferentiated Human Intestinal Enteroids.

is a leading cause of diarrhea and death in young children and untreated AIDS patients and causes waterborne outbreaks. Pathogenic mechanisms underlying diarrhea and intestinal dysfunction are poorly understood. We previously developed stem-cell derived human intestinal enteroid (HIE) models for Cryptosporidium parvum which we used in this study to investigate the course of infection and its effect on intestinal epithelial integrity.

The Effect of on Social Behavior Is Independent of the Adaptive Immune System.

Gut microbes can modulate almost all aspects of host physiology throughout life. As a result, specific microbial interventions are attracting considerable attention as potential therapeutic strategies for treating a variety of conditions. Nonetheless, little is known about the mechanisms through which many of these microbes work.

Reduced Ceftaroline Susceptibility among Invasive MRSA Infections in Children: a Clinical and Genomic Investigation.

Ceftaroline represents an attractive therapy option for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Little data is available, however, regarding the frequency of reduced susceptibility (RS) to ceftaroline among pediatric MRSA infections. We screened invasive MRSA isolates at a tertiary children's hospital for ceftaroline RS.

Phage Resistance Accompanies Reduced Fitness of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli in the Urinary Environment.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is among the most common infections treated worldwide each year and is caused primarily by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Rising rates of antibiotic resistance among uropathogens have spurred a consideration of alternative treatment strategies, such as bacteriophage (phage) therapy; however, phage-bacterial interactions within the urinary environment are poorly defined. Here, we assess the activity of two phages, namely, HP3 and ES17, against clinical UPEC isolates using and models of UTI.

CspZ FH-Binding Sites as Epitopes Promote Antibody-Mediated Lyme Borreliae Clearance.

Transmitted by ticks, the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease (LD), the most common vector-borne disease in the Northern hemisphere. No effective vaccines are currently available. B.

Stress-Induced Mutagenesis, Gambler Cells, and Stealth Targeting Antibiotic-Induced Evolution.

Mechanisms of evolution and evolution of antibiotic resistance are both fundamental and world health problems. Stress-induced mutagenesis defines mechanisms of mutagenesis upregulated by stress responses, which drive adaptation when cells are maladapted to their environments-when stressed. Work in mutagenesis induced by antibiotics had produced tantalizing clues but not coherent mechanisms.

Interactions between Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and Gut Commensals at the Interface of Human Colonoids.

The interactions between the gut microbiota and pathogens are complex and can determine the outcome of an infection. Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a major human enteric pathogen that colonizes the colon through attaching and effacing (AE) lesions and uses microbiota-derived molecules as cues to control its virulence. Different gut commensals can modulate EHEC virulence.

Characterization of Immunological Responses to Immunogenic Protein A (BipA), a Species-Specific Antigen for North American Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever.

Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is a neglected vector-borne bacterial disease distributed worldwide. Borrelia turicatae, Borrelia parkeri, and Borrelia hermsii are three argasid-borne TBRF species previously implicated in human disease in North America. TBRF is likely underdiagnosed due to its nonspecific symptoms and poorly developed diagnostic tests.

Evaluation of Tebipenem Hydrolysis by β-Lactamases Prevalent in Complicated Urinary Tract Infections.

Tebipenem pivoxil is the first orally available carbapenem antibiotic and has been approved in Japan for treating ear, nose, and throat and respiratory infections in pediatric patients. Its active moiety, tebipenem, has shown potent antimicrobial activity against clinical isolates of species from patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs), including those producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and/or AmpC β-lactamase. In the present study, tebipenem was tested for stability to hydrolysis by a set of clinically relevant β-lactamases, including TEM-1, AmpC, CTX-M, OXA-48, KPC, and NDM-1 enzymes.

Antiviral Activity of Olanexidine-Containing Hand Rub against Human Noroviruses.

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading cause of epidemic and sporadic acute gastroenteritis worldwide. HuNoV transmission occurs predominantly by direct person-to-person contact, and its health burden is associated with poor hand hygiene and a lack of effective antiseptics and disinfectants. Specific therapies and methods to prevent and control HuNoV spread previously were difficult to evaluate because of the lack of a cell culture system to propagate infectious virus.

Multiple Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Strains Infecting HEp-2 and A549 Cells Reveal Cell Line-Dependent Differences in Resistance to RSV Infection.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of pediatric acute respiratory infection worldwide. There are currently no approved vaccines or antivirals to combat RSV disease. A few transformed cell lines and two historic strains have been extensively used to study RSV.

The Human Nose Organoid Respiratory Virus Model: an Human Challenge Model To Study Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Pathogenesis and Evaluate Therapeutics.

There is an unmet need for preclinical models to understand the pathogenesis of human respiratory viruses and predict responsiveness to immunotherapies. Airway organoids can serve as an human airway model to study respiratory viral pathogenesis; however, they rely on invasive techniques to obtain patient samples. Here, we report a noninvasive technique to generate human nose organoids (HNOs) as an alternative to biopsy-derived organoids.

Considerations for the Use of Phage Therapy in Clinical Practice.

Increasing antimicrobial resistance and medical device-related infections have led to a renewed interest in phage therapy as an alternative or adjunct to conventional antimicrobials. Expanded access and compassionate use cases have risen exponentially but have varied widely in approach, methodology, and clinical situations in which phage therapy might be considered. Large gaps in knowledge contribute to heterogeneity in approach and lack of consensus in many important clinical areas.

Human Milk Oligosaccharides Reduce Murine Group B Vaginal Colonization with Minimal Impact on the Vaginal Microbiota.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonizes the vaginal mucosa of a significant percentage of healthy women and is a leading cause of neonatal bacterial infections. Currently, pregnant women are screened in the last month of pregnancy, and GBS-positive women are given antibiotics during parturition to prevent bacterial transmission to the neonate. Recently, human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) isolated from breastmilk were found to inhibit GBS growth and biofilm formation , and women that make certain HMOs are less likely to be vaginally colonized with GBS.

Group B Streptococcus CAMP Factor Does Not Contribute to Interactions with the Vaginal Epithelium and Is Dispensable for Vaginal Colonization in Mice.

The Gram-positive pathogen group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal bacterial infections, preterm birth, and stillbirth. Although maternal GBS vaginal colonization is a risk factor for GBS-associated adverse birth outcomes, mechanisms promoting GBS vaginal persistence are not fully defined. GBS possesses a broadly conserved small molecule, CAMP factor, that is co-hemolytic in the presence of Staphylococcus aureus sphingomyelinase C.

Interactions of Both Pathogenic and Nonpathogenic CUG Clade Species with Macrophages Share a Conserved Transcriptional Landscape.

species are a leading cause of opportunistic, hospital-associated bloodstream infections with high mortality rates, typically in immunocompromised patients. Several species, including Candida albicans, the most prevalent cause of infection, belong to the monophyletic CUG clade of yeasts. Innate immune cells such as macrophages are crucial for controlling infection, and C.

Golden Syrian Hamsters as a Model for Revisiting the Role of Biological Sex Differences in SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

There is growing evidence that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects males more severely than females, including compelling evidence indicating that biological sex is an important clinical factor influencing disease pathology and outcomes. In their recent article in , S. Dhakal, C.

Deep Mutational Scanning Reveals the Active-Site Sequence Requirements for the Colistin Antibiotic Resistance Enzyme MCR-1.

Colistin (polymyxin E) and polymyxin B have been used as last-resort agents for treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. However, their efficacy has been challenged by the emergence of the mobile colistin resistance gene , which encodes a transmembrane phosphoethanolamine (PEA) transferase enzyme, MCR-1. The enzyme catalyzes the transfer of the cationic PEA moiety of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) to lipid A, thereby neutralizing the negative charge of lipid A and blocking the binding of positively charged polymyxins.

Dasabuvir Inhibits Human Norovirus Infection in Human Intestinal Enteroids.

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are acute viral gastroenteritis pathogens that affect all age groups, yet no approved vaccines and drugs to treat HuNoV infection are available. In this study, we screened an antiviral compound library to identify compound(s) showing anti-HuNoV activity using a human intestinal enteroid (HIE) culture system in which HuNoVs are able to replicate reproducibly. Dasabuvir (DSB), which has been developed as an anti-hepatitis C virus agent, was found to inhibit HuNoV infection in HIEs at micromolar concentrations.

Primary Infection May Be an Underlying Factor Contributing to Lethal Hemorrhagic Disease Caused by Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 3 in African Elephants ().

Distinct but related species of elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHVs) circulate within Asian and African elephant populations. Primary infection with EEHVs endemic among Asian elephants can cause clinical illness and lethal EEHV hemorrhagic disease (EEHV-HD). The degree to which this occurs among African elephants has not been fully established.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Microbial Sciences-the Texas Perspective.

The way that diversity, equity, and inclusion impact scientific careers varies for everyone, but it is evident that institutions providing an environment where being different or having differences creates a sense of being welcomed, supported, and valued are beneficial to the scientific community at large. In this commentary, three short stories from Texas-based microbiologists are used to depict (i) the importance of bringing the guiding principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion within their professional roles, (ii) the need to apply and translate those principles to support and enable successful scientific careers among peers and trainees, and (iii) the impact of effective science communication to increase the understanding of microbial environments among the community at large.

Population Genomics Reveals Distinct Temporal Association with the Emergence of ST1 Serotype V Group B Streptococcus and Macrolide Resistance in North America.

Identified in the 1970s as the leading cause of invasive bacterial disease in neonates and young infants, group B Streptococcus (GBS) is now also recognized as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among adults with underlying medical conditions and the elderly. Concomitant with the increasing incidence of GBS invasive disease in adults is the rise of resistance among GBS isolates to second line antibiotics. Previous research shows that among serotype V GBS, one of the most common capsular types causing adult invasive disease, sequence type 1 (ST1), accounts for an overwhelming majority of adult invasive disease isolates and frequently harbors macrolide resistance.

Loss of Dihydroxyacid Dehydratase Induces Auxotrophy in Bacillus anthracis.

Anthrax disease is caused by infection with the bacteria Bacillus anthracis which, if left untreated, can result in fatal bacteremia and toxemia. Current treatment for infection requires prolonged administration of antibiotics. Despite this, inhalational and gastrointestinal anthrax still result in lethal disease.