Sodium salicylate interferes with quorum-sensing-regulated virulence in chronic wound isolates of in simulated wound fluid.

An important factor for delayed healing of chronic wounds is the presence of bacteria. Quorum sensing (QS), a cell density-dependent signalling system, controls the production of many virulence factors and biofilm formation in . Inhibition by sodium salicylate (NaSa) of QS-regulated virulence expression was evaluated in QS-characterized clinical wound isolates of cultured in serum-containing medium.

Oxygenated Cyclohexene Derivatives and Other Constituents from the Roots of .

Three new oxygenated cyclohexene derivatives, trichocarpeols A (), B (), and C (), along with nine known secondary metabolites, were isolated from the methanolic root extract of . They were identified by NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analyses, and the structure of trichocarpeol A () was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Out of the 12 isolated natural products, uvaretin () showed activity against the Gram-positive bacterium with a MIC value of 18 μM.

Incidences of community onset severe sepsis, Sepsis-3 sepsis, and bacteremia in Sweden - A prospective population-based study.

Background: Sepsis is a major healthcare challenge globally. However, epidemiologic data based on population studies are scarce.

Methods: During a 9-month prospective, population-based study, the Swedish Sepsis-2 criteria were used to investigate the incidence of community onset severe sepsis in adults aged ≥18 years (N = 2,196; mean age, 69; range, 18-102 years).

The mobile FOX AmpC beta-lactamases originated in Aeromonas allosaccharophila.

Objective: It is important to understand the origins of antibiotic resistance genes so that risks associated with the emergence of novel resistance genes can be assessed and managed. The chromosomal ampC gene (CAV-1) of Aeromonas caviae (A. caviae) has been reported as the origin of mobile FOX cephalosporinases.

CMY-1/MOX-family AmpC β-lactamases MOX-1, MOX-2 and MOX-9 were mobilized independently from three Aeromonas species.

Objectives: To investigate the origin of CMY-1/MOX-family β-lactamases.

Methods: Publicly available genome assemblies were screened for CMY-1/MOX genes. The loci of CMY-1/MOX genes were compared with respect to synteny and nucleotide identity, and subjected to phylogenetic analysis.

Fecal pollution can explain antibiotic resistance gene abundances in anthropogenically impacted environments.

Discharge of treated sewage leads to release of antibiotic resistant bacteria, resistance genes and antibiotic residues to the environment. However, it is unclear whether increased abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in sewage and sewage-impacted environments is due to on-site selection pressure by residual antibiotics, or is simply a result of fecal contamination with resistant bacteria. Here we analyze relative resistance gene abundance and accompanying extent of fecal pollution in publicly available metagenomic data, using crAssphage sequences as a marker of human fecal contamination (crAssphage is a bacteriophage that is exceptionally abundant in, and specific to, human feces).

High rate of antibiotic resistance among pneumococci carried by healthy children in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have been introduced in the infant immunisation programmes in many countries to reduce the rate of fatal pneumococcal infections. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) a 13-valent vaccine (PCV13) was introduced in 2013. Data on the burden of circulating pneumococci among children after this introduction are lacking.

PER extended-spectrum β-lactamases originate from Pararheinheimera spp.

To investigate the origin of PER extended-spectrum β-lactamases, publicly available sequence databases were searched for bla genes. Three genomes from Pararheinheimera, a genus associated with water and soil environments, were found to carry bla genes but lacked the ISCR1/ISPa12/ISPa13 insertion sequences commonly associated with bla in clinical isolates. Sequence analysis revealed 78-96% nucleotide identity and conserved synteny between the clinical mobile genetic elements (MGEs) encoding bla and the bla locus in the Pararheinheimera genomes.

Clostridioides difficile incidence related to in-hospital cephalosporin use: a tale of two highly comparable hospitals.

Background: Antibiotic treatment is a well-known risk factor for healthcare facility-associated Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (HCF-CDI). Antibiotic stewardship programmes (ASPs) targeting high-risk antibiotics have been shown to decrease HCF-CDI incidence. HCF-CDI incidence is high in Nordic countries despite relatively low antibiotic use in hospital.

Maternal gut and breast milk microbiota affect infant gut antibiotic resistome and mobile genetic elements.

The infant gut microbiota has a high abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) compared to adults, even in the absence of antibiotic exposure. Here we study potential sources of infant gut ARGs by performing metagenomic sequencing of breast milk, as well as infant and maternal gut microbiomes. We find that fecal ARG and mobile genetic element (MGE) profiles of infants are more similar to those of their own mothers than to those of unrelated mothers.

A reference cytochrome c oxidase subunit I database curated for hierarchical classification of arthropod metabarcoding data.

Metabarcoding is a popular application which warrants continued methods optimization. To maximize barcoding inferences, hierarchy-based sequence classification methods are increasingly common. We present methods for the construction and curation of a database designed for hierarchical classification of a 157 bp barcoding region of the arthropod cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) locus.

Exploring photoinactivation of microbial biofilms using laser scanning microscopy and confined 2-photon excitation.

One pertinent complication in bacterial infection is the growth of biofilms, that is, communities of surface-adhered bacteria resilient to antibiotics. Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) has been proposed as an alternative to antibiotic treatment; however, novel techniques complementing standard efficacy measures are required. Herein, we present an approach employing multiphoton microscopy complemented with Airyscan super-resolution microscopy, to visualize the distribution of curcumin in Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms.

Diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin, neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio, C-reactive protein, and lactate in patients with suspected bacterial sepsis.

Background: Early recognition is a key factor to achieve improved outcomes for septic patients. Combinations of biomarkers, as opposed to single ones, may improve timely diagnosis and survival. We investigated the performance characteristics of sepsis biomarkers, alone and in combination, for diagnosis of verified bacterial sepsis using Sepsis-2 and Sepsis-3 criteria, respectively.

Respiratory viral infections are underdiagnosed in patients with suspected sepsis.

The study aim was to investigate the prevalence and clinical relevance of viral findings by multiplex PCR from the nasopharynx of clinically septic patients during a winter season. During 11 weeks of the influenza epidemic period in January-March 2012, consecutive adult patients suspected to be septic (n = 432) were analyzed with cultures from blood and nasopharynx plus multiplex PCR for respiratory viruses on the nasopharyngeal specimen. The results were compared with those from microbiology analyses ordered as part of standard care.

Bacterial resistance to arsenic protects against protist killing.

Protists kill their bacterial prey using toxic metals such as copper. Here we hypothesize that the metalloid arsenic has a similar role. To test this hypothesis, we examined intracellular survival of Escherichia coli (E.