85 research outputs found
Schwäbisch-Hällisches Pig
The traditional, local breed Schwäbisch-Hällisches Schwein is originally located in the region of Hohenlohe in Baden-Württemberg, which still is the main breeding area. The breed was developed since nearly 200 years ago by the local farmers and is well adapted to the regional conditions. Next to the genetic value of the old breed in terms of biodiversity, it is the basement for a sustainable local pork chain. In terms of scientific substantiation, their performances and products are mainly untapped. Thus the aim of the present chapter is to present history and current status of Schwäbisch-Hällisches pig breed, its exterior phenotypic characteristics, geographical location, production system and main products from this German autochthonous breed of pigs, one of the local pig breeds investigated in the project TREASURE. Moreover, a collection and review of available literature data, available until August 2017, on reproductive and productive traits of Schwäbisch-Hällisches pig breed were carried out. Meat quality of longissimus muscle completed the conventional productive traits as it is of great interest in autochthonous breeds. Although studies on Schwäbisch-Hällisches pig are scarce, current review gives the first insight into this local pig breed
Evaluation of the Qvella FAST System and the FAST-PBC cartridge for rapid species identification and antimicrobial resistance testing directly from positive blood cultures
Blood culture diagnostics require rapid and accurate identification (ID) of
pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Standard procedures, involving
conventional cultivation on agar plates, may take up to 48 hours or more until AST
completion. Recent approaches aim to shorten the processing time of positive blood
cultures (PBC). The FAST System is a new technology, capable of purifying and con centrating bacterial/fungal pathogens from positive blood culture media and produc ing a bacterial suspension called “liquid colony” (LC), which can be further used in
downstream analyses (e.g., ID and AST). Here, we evaluated the performance of the
FAST System LC generated from PBC in comparison to our routine workflow includ ing ID by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry
using Sepsityper, AST by automatized MicroScan WalkAway plus and directly inocula ted disk diffusion (DD), and MICRONAUT-AM for yeast/fungi. A total of 261 samples
were analyzed, of which 86.6% (226/261) were eligible for the comparative ID and
AST analyses. In comparison to the reference technique (culture-grown colonies), ID
concordance of the FAST System LC and Sepsityper was 150/154 (97.4%) and 123/154
(79.9%), respectively, for Gram positive; 67/70 (95.7%) and 64/70 (91.4%), respectively, for
Gram negative. For AST, categorical agreement (CA) of the FAST System LC in comparison
to the routine workflow for Gram-positive bacteria was 96.1% and 98.7% for MicroScan
and DD, respectively. Similar results were obtained for Gram-negative bacteria with
96.6% and 97.5% of CA for MicroScan and DD, respectively. Taken together, the FAST
System LC allowed the laboratory to significantly reduce the time to obtain correct ID
and AST (automated MicroScan) results 1 day earlier and represents a promising tool to
expedite the processing of PBC
Recipient-Reported Reactogenicity of Different SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Regimens among Healthcare Professionals and Police Staff in Germany
The rapid availability of effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 was key during the
COVID-19 pandemic. However, vaccine hesitancy and relatively low vaccine coverage rates among
the general population and particularly vulnerable populations such as healthcare staff reduced the
potential benefits of these vaccines. During the early phase of the pandemic, fear of vaccine-related
adverse events was common among individuals who refused vaccination. Between March and May
2021, we comparatively assessed the self-reported reactogenicity of different SARS-CoV-2 prime-boost
regimens using mRNA-based (BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273) and vector-based vaccines (ChAdOx1
nCoV-19) in (a) healthcare workers (HCW), and (b) police staff from southwest Germany. The majority
of participants (71.8%; 1564/2176) received a homologous vaccination. Among HCW, 75.0% were
female, whereas 70.0% of police staff were male. The most frequently reported reactions following
the first vaccine administration were pain at the injection site (77.94%; 1696/2176), tiredness (51.75%;
1126/2176), and headache (40.44%; 880/2176), which were more commonly reported by HCW as
compared to police staff. In homologous, mRNA-based and heterologous vaccination schedules,
more reactions were reported after the second vaccine dose. We conclude that the frequency and
intensity of self-perceived vaccine reactogenicity may differ between specific population groups and
might be mitigated by tailored communication strategies
Combinatorial host-response biomarker signature (BV score) and its subanalytes TRAIL, IP-10, and CRP in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae community-acquired pneumonia
BACKGROUND
Host-response biomarkers to differentiate bacterial from viral etiology in children with respiratory infections have shown high accuracies, but are understudied in Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) infections.
METHODS
We compared BV scores (0-34 indicating viral, and 66-100 indicating bacterial etiology), TRAIL (pg/mL), IP-10 (pg/mL), and CRP (mg/L) serum levels between Mp positive (Mp+) and negative (Mp-) community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses for clinical features and biomarkers.
RESULTS
Of 80 CAP patients (median age 6.3 years, 57.5% male), 26 were Mp + CAP. By comparing Mp + CAP with Mp-CAP patients, BV scores were lower (median 14.0, IQR 3.0-27.8 vs. 54.0, IQR 12.0-84.8; P = 0.0008), TRAIL levels were higher (86.5, IQR 67.4-123.0 vs. 65.5, IQR 42.5-103.9; P = 0.025), CRP levels were lower (12.9, IQR 4.0-22.3 vs. 36.7, IQR 13.0-132.8; P = 0.0019), and IP-10 levels were comparable (366.0, IQR 150.2-603.8 vs. 331.0, IQR 154.3-878.8; P = 0.73). ROC analyses yielded a comparable discriminatory accuracy for the combination of age, fever duration, respiratory symptoms duration, with either procalcitonin or BV (AUC 0.87 vs. 0.86, P = 0.94).
CONCLUSIONS
Children with Mp + CAP have atypically low, viral levels of the BV score, underscoring the complementary role of microbiological testing
Microbiological Characterisation of Community-Acquired Urinary Tract Infections in Bagamoyo, Tanzania: A Prospective Study
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections in sub-Saharan
Africa, but microbiological data to guide treatment decisions are limited. Hence, we investigated
the bacterial aetiology and corresponding antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in outpatients with
UTIs in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Urine samples from symptomatic individuals were subjected to
microbiological examinations for bacterial species identification using conventional methods and
disc diffusion-based resistance testing. Subsequently, urine samples were transferred to Germany for
confirmatory diagnostics using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry and automated resistance testing. Overall, 104 out of 270 (38.5%) individuals
had a positive urine culture and 119 putative pathogens were identified. The most frequently
detected bacteria were Escherichia coli (23%), Klebsiella spp. (7%), Enterobacter cloacae complex (3%)
and Staphylococcus aureus (2%). E. coli isolates showed high resistance against cotrimoxazole (76%),
ampicillin (74%), piperacillin (74%) and fluoroquinolones (37%), but widespread susceptibility to
meropenem (100%), fosfomycin (98%), piperacillin/tazobactam (97%) and amoxicillin/clavulanic
acid (82%). The agreement between E. coli susceptibility testing results in Tanzania and Germany
was ≥95%, except for piperacillin/tazobactam (89%) and ciprofloxacin (84%). Given the considerable
resistance to frequently prescribed antibiotics, such as cotrimoxazole and fluoroquinolones, future
research should explore the potential of oral alternatives (e.g., fosfomycin) for the treatment of UTIs
in Tanzania
Generation of synthetic shuttle vectors enabling modular genetic engineering of cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria have raised great interest in biotechnology due to their potential for a sustainable, photosynthesis-driven production of fuels and value-added chemicals. This has led to a concomitant development of molecular tools to engineer the metabolism of those organisms. In this regard, however, even cyanobacterial model strains lag behind compared to their heterotrophic counterparts. For instance, replicative shuttle vectors that allow gene transfer independent of recombination into host DNA are still scarce. Here, we introduce the pSOMA shuttle vector series comprising 10 synthetic plasmids for comprehensive genetic engineering of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The series is based on the small endogenous plasmids pCA2.4 and pCB2.4, each combined with a replicon from Escherichia coli, different selection markers as well as features facilitating molecular cloning and the insulated introduction of gene expression cassettes. We made use of genes encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) and a Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenase (BVMO) to demonstrate functional gene expression from the pSOMA plasmids in vivo. Moreover, we demonstrate the expression of distinct heterologous genes from individual plasmids maintained in the same strain and thereby confirmed compatibility between the two pSOMA subseries as well as with derivatives of the broad-host-range plasmid RSF1010. We also show that gene transfer into the filamentous model strain Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 is generally possible, which is encouraging to further explore the range of cyanobacterial host species that could be engineered via pSOMA plasmids. Altogether, the pSOMA shuttle vector series displays an attractive alternative to existing plasmid series and thus meets the current demand for the introduction of complex genetic setups and to perform extensive metabolic engineering of cyanobacteria
PTX3 Polymorphisms and Invasive Mold Infections After Solid Organ Transplant
Donor PTX3 polymorphisms were shown to influence the risk of invasive aspergillosis among hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Here, we show that PTX3 polymorphisms are independent risk factors for invasive mold infections among 1101 solid organ transplant recipients, thereby strengthening their role in mold infection pathogenesis and patients' risk stratificatio
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