Extended-Spectrum ß-Lactamase-Producing in Conventional and Organic Pig Fattening Farms.

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing global problem and complicates successful treatments of bacterial infections in animals and humans. We conducted a longitudinal study in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to compare the occurrence of ESBL-producing ( in three conventional and four organic pig farms. ESBL-positive , especially of the CTX-M type, were found in all fattening farms, confirming that antimicrobial resistance is widespread in pig fattening and affects both conventional and organic farms.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for ESBL/AmpC- in Pre-Weaned Dairy Calves on Dairy Farms in Germany.

The objectives of this study were to ascertain the fecal ESBL/AmpC- prevalence and to detect risk factors for their occurrence in young pre-weaned calves and their dams on large dairy farms in Germany. From 2018-2019 we investigated 2816 individual fecal samples from pre-weaned dairy calves and their dams, representing seventy-two farms (mean = 667 milking cows) from eight German federal states. To assess possible risk factors associated with ESBL/AmpC- prevalence in calves and dams, a questionnaire was performed, collecting management data.

Hypervirulent Sequence Type 420 with a Chromosomally Inserted Virulence Plasmid.

Background: causes severe diseases including sepsis, pneumonia and wound infections and is differentiated into hypervirulent (hvKp) and classic (cKp) pathotypes. hvKp isolates are characterized clinically by invasive and multiple site infection and phenotypically in particular through hypermucoviscosity and increased siderophore production, enabled by the presence of the respective virulence genes, which are partly carried on plasmids.

Methods: Here, we analyzed two isolates of a human patient that caused severe multiple site infection.

Comparison of seven commercial SARS-CoV-2 rapid point-of-care antigen tests: a single-centre laboratory evaluation study.

Background: Antigen point-of-care tests (AgPOCTs) can accelerate SARS-CoV-2 testing. As some AgPOCTs have become available, interest is growing in their utility and performance. Here we aimed to compare the analytical sensitivity and specificity of seven commercially available AgPOCT devices.

Performance of a Point-of-Care Test for the Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen.

The rapid detection of infections caused by the (SARS-CoV-2) is necessary in the ongoing pandemic. Antigen-specific point-of-care tests (POCT) may be useful for this purpose. Here, such a POCT (SARS-CoV-2 NADAL COVID-19 Ag) was compared to a laboratory-developed triplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) designed for the detection of viral nucleoprotein gene and two control targets.

Kinetics of Nucleo- and Spike Protein-Specific Immunoglobulin G and of Virus-Neutralizing Antibodies after SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Kinetics of neutralizing antibodies and immunoglobulin G (IgG) against the nucleo (N) or spike (S) proteins of (SARS-CoV-2) were studied in patients up to 165 days after PCR diagnosis of infection. Two immunoassays were selected out of eight IgG or total antibody tests by comparing their specificities and sensitivities. Sensitivities were calculated with convalescent sera from 26 PCR-confirmed cases, of which 76.

A severe pediatric infection with a novel enterovirus A71 strain, Thuringia, Germany.

Infection by Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) is an important cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). Outbreaks including severe cases with neurological and cardiopulmonary complications have been reported particularly from Southeast Asia. In Europe, the epidemiology of EV-A71 is not well understood.

Database on natural polymorphisms and resistance-related non-synonymous mutations in thymidine kinase and DNA polymerase genes of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2.

The use of genotypic resistance testing of herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) is increasing because the rapid availability of results significantly improves the treatment of severe infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. However, an essential precondition is a broad knowledge of natural polymorphisms and resistance-associated mutations in the thymidine kinase (TK) and DNA polymerase (pol) genes, of which the DNA polymerase (Pol) enzyme is targeted by the highly effective antiviral drugs in clinical use. Thus, this review presents a database of all non-synonymous mutations of TK and DNA pol genes of HSV-1 and HSV-2 whose association with resistance or natural gene polymorphism has been clarified by phenotypic and/or functional assays.

Drug resistance of clinical varicella-zoster virus strains confirmed by recombinant thymidine kinase expression and by targeted resistance mutagenesis of a cloned wild-type isolate.

In this study, approaches were developed to examine the phenotypes of nonviable clinical varicella-zoster virus (VZV) strains with amino acid substitutions in the thymidine kinase (TK) (open reading frame 36 [ORF36]) and/or DNA polymerase (Pol) (ORF28) suspected to cause resistance to antivirals. Initially, recombinant TK proteins containing amino acid substitutions described as known or suspected causes of antiviral resistance were analyzed by measuring the TK activity by applying a modified commercial enzyme immunoassay. To examine the effects of these TK and Pol substitutions on the replication of recombinant virus strains, the method of en passant mutagenesis was used.