495,813 research outputs found
Antimicrobial peptides: agents of border protection for companion animals.
Over the past 20 years, there have been significant inroads into understanding the roles of antimicrobial peptides in homeostatic functions and their involvement in disease pathogenesis. In addition to direct antimicrobial activity, these peptides participate in many cellular functions, including chemotaxis, wound healing and even determination of canine coat colour. Various biological and genetic approaches have helped to elucidate the role of antimicrobial peptides with respect to innate immunity and host defense. Associations of antimicrobial peptides with various skin diseases, including psoriasis, rosacea and atopic dermatitis, have been documented in humans. In the longer term, therapeutic modulation of antimicrobial peptide expression may provide effective new treatments for disease. This review highlights current knowledge about antimicrobial peptides of the skin and circulating leukocytes, with particular focus on relevance to physiology and disease in companion animals
Multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus spp. in houseflies and blowflies from farms and their environmental settings
Background: Antimicrobial resistance is rising globally at an alarming rate. While multiple active surveillance programs have been established to monitor the antimicrobial resistance, studies on the environmental link to antimicrobial spread are lacking.
Methods: A total of 493 flies were trapped from a dairy unit, a dog kennel, a poultry farm, a beef cattle unit, an urban trash facility and an urban downtown area to isolate Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus spp. for antimicrobial susceptibility testing and molecular characterization.
Results: E. coli, K. pneumoniae and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus were recovered from 43.9%, 15.5% and 66.2% of the houseflies, and 26.0%, 19.2%, 37.0% of the blowflies, respectively. In total, 35.3% of flies were found to harbor antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and 9.0% contained multidrug-resistant isolates. Three Staphylococcus aureus isolates were recovered from blowflies while three extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL)-carrying E. coli and one ESBL-carrying K. pneumoniae were isolated from houseflies. Whole genome sequencing identified the antimicrobial resistance genes bla(CMY-2) and bla(CTXM-1) as ESBLs.
Conclusion: Taken together, our data indicate that flies can be used as indicators for environmental contamination of antimicrobial resistance. More extensive studies are warranted to explore the sentinel role of flies for antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial stewardship practices in Virginia
The Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the President\u27s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recognize the need to combat antimicrobial resistance through the promotion of antimicrobial stewardship programs. Health care facilities in Virginia were surveyed using a 23-item survey focused on facility characteristics and antimicrobial stewardship strategies. Antimicrobial stewardship activities were highly variable and many are missing key personnel and resources
Triple-targeting Gram-negative selective antimicrobial peptides capable of disrupting the cell membrane and lipid A biosynthesis
Early lipid A biosynthesis is a potential antimicrobial target as this is an essential component of lipid A producing Gram-negative bacteria. Herein, we introduce a potent and highly synergistic Gram-negative selective triple-targeting antimicrobial peptide. The peptide contains a dual lipid A biosynthesis inhibiting sequence and an antimicrobial sequence
ENHANCED METHOD FOR AMPLIFYING ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF LACTOPEROXIDASE SYSTEM IN MILK AND DERIVED PRODUCTS BY CARROT EXTRACT AND BETA CAROTENE
OSCN– has been known and well documented as natural antimicrobial
agent generated from the lactoperoxidase system (LPOS) but the antimicrobial
activity exerted from this system is too low for certain food such as milk and
derived products (up to 1.2 log CFU/ml) resulting in the restriction on industrial
development of LPOS. Our previous study concluded that involvement of carrot
extract and beta carotene in LPOS significantly boosted the antimicrobial activity
(up to 6 log CFU/ml) against S. enteritidis. This finding should be continued to
the application on food. Since we found that LPOS generates low antimicrobial
activity on milk and derived product, our research will be conducted on the
application of LPOS plus carrot extract and beta carotene on milk and derived
product. Because the high antimicrobial activity is needed for industrial
purposes, this research may open the way for industrial development of natural
antimicrobial agent from LPOS.
This research will be conducted in three steps of experiment: (1) ensuring
the incredible antimicrobial activity of LPOS plus carrot extract and beta
carotene against three poisonous tropical bacteria: C. jejuni, S. enteritidis, and E.
coli, (2) utilization of LPOS plus carrot extract and beta carotene in milk: full
cream and skimmed milk, and (3) utilization of LPOS plus carrot extract and beta
carotene in milk derived product: yogurt and tropical fruity milk. The
purification of LPO from bovine milk, the complimentary data analysis for
generation of LPOS antimicrobial activity by the addition of carrot extract and
beta carotene will be conducted in Japan and for the application in tropical
poisonous bacteria, milk, and milk derived product will be conducted in
Indonesia.
The outcomes of this research from three step of research are three
international publications at international‐scopus‐indexed‐journals :
International Journal of Dairy Science and one of patent: “enhanced method for
improvement of LPOS antimicrobial activity by involvement of carrot extract and
beta carotene in milk and derived product”.
Keywords: Lactoperoxidase, antimicrobial activity, carrot extract, beta carotene,
milk, derived products
Antimicrobial use in European acute care hospitals: results from the second point prevalence survey (PPS) of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use, 2016 to 2017
Antimicrobial agents used to treat infections are life-saving. Overuse may result in more frequent adverse effects and emergence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms. In 2016-17, we performed the second point-prevalence survey (PPS) of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use in European acute care hospitals. We included 1,209 hospitals and 310,755 patients in 28 of 31 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. The weighted prevalence of antimicrobial use in the EU/EEA was 30.5% (95% CI: 29.2-31.9%). The most common indication for prescribing antimicrobials was treatment of a community-acquired infection, followed by treatment of HAI and surgical prophylaxis. Over half (54.2%) of antimicrobials for surgical prophylaxis were prescribed for more than 1 day. The most common infections treated by antimicrobials were respiratory tract infections and the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents were penicillins with beta-lactamase inhibitors. There was wide variation of patients on antimicrobials, in the selection of antimicrobial agents and in antimicrobial stewardship resources and activities across the participating countries. The results of the PPS provide detailed information on antimicrobial use in European acute care hospitals, enable comparisons between countries and hospitals, and highlight key areas for national and European action that will support efforts towards prudent use of antimicrobials
Evaluation of Antimicrobial Efficacy Against E. Coli Isolates of Different Serogroups Obtained From Diarrhoeic Neonates of Calves, Kids, and Lambs
Fourteen antimicrobials were evaluated their efficacy against 115 Escherichia coli isolates recovered from faecal samples collected from neonatal diarrhoeic calves (66), kids (25) and lambs (24). Of these isolates 37 were nontypeable, four were of rough type and 74 isolates were typeable for 'O' antigen belonging to 19 different serogroups (O2, O3, O5, O17, O21, O22, O25, O41, O45, O55, O60, O65, O70, O76, O114, O116, O147, O152, and O158). Evaluation of antimicrobial efficacy by disc diffusion method revealed that the most effective antibiotics were ciprofloxacin, sparfloxacin and triple sulpha followed by co-trimoxazole, chloramphenicol, nitrofurantoin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, polymixin-B and amoxyclav in decreasing order of their efficacy while ampicillin and cephotaxime were found totally ineffective against these isolates. All the isolates showed multiple drug resistance to various antibiotics ranging from two to ten antibiotics. The resistance patterns were independent of serogroups of isolates and the animal species from which isolates were obtained. However, there was a variation in resistance pattern for same antibiotic vis-a vis locations of their isolation
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