FONA-7, a Novel Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Variant of the FONA Family Identified in Serratia fonticola

Serratia fonticola is a human pathogen widely found in the environment, with birds being reported as possible natural hosts. During an epidemiological and genomic surveillance study conducted to monitor the occurrence of extended-spectrum b-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales in South American wild birds, we identified an ESBL-positive S. fonticola in a fecal sample collected from a Hudsonian Whimbrel, during its non-breeding range on the Pacific Coast of Chile. Whole genome sequencing analysis and in silico modeling revealed a novel variant of the class A ESBLs FONA family, designated FONA-7, which shows 96.28% amino acid identity with FONA-6; with amino acid substitutions occurring in the signal peptide sequence (Thr22/Ser), and in the mature protein (Ser39/Asn and Thr227/Ile). This finding denotes that migratory birds can be potential vectors for the transboundary spread of ESBL-producing bacteria, creating a further theoretical riskfor the origin of novel plasmid-encoded b-lactamases.Fil: Fuentes Castillo, Danny. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Power, Pablo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Microbiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Cerdeira, Louise. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Cardenas-Arias, Adriana. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Moura, Quézia. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Oliveira, Flavio A.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Levy, Carlos E.. Universidade Estadual de Campinas; BrasilFil: Gutkind, Gabriel Osvaldo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Microbiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; ArgentinaFil: Catão-Dias, José L.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Lincopan, Nilton. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi

Hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. in Aquatic Mammals, Amazon Basin, Brazil

4 Pág. Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA)Hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. (hemoplasmas) are uncultivable bacteria that infect mammals, including humans. We detected a potentially novel hemoplasma species in blood samples from wild river dolphins in the Amazon River Basin, Brazil. Further investigation could determine pathogenicity and zoonotic potential of the detected hemoplasma.This study was funded by Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (scholarship no. 141868/2019-8 and fellowship no. 304999-18), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (scholarship no. 2016/20956-0 and grant no. 2018/25069-7), and by the Juan de la Cierva incorporación and formación fellowship nos. IJC2020-046019-I and FJC2020-046311-1, the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and the Small Grant in Aid of Research from the Society for Marine Mammalogy.Peer reviewe

Characterization of Monkey Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and Human Typical and Atypical EPEC Serotype Isolates from Neotropical Nonhuman Primates

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) has been associated with infantile diarrhea and mortality in humans in developing countries. While diarrhea is also a major problem among primates kept in captivity, the role of E. coli is unclear. This study was designed to characterize diarrheagenic E. coli recovered from the feces of 56 New World nonhuman primates, primarily marmosets (Callithrix spp.). Seventeen of the 56 primates had signs of diarrhea and/or enteritis. E. coli recovered from feces from these animals was tested by PCR for genes encoding virulence factors of diarrheagenic E. coli and for patterns of adherence to HeLa cells. In addition, isolates were characterized by the fluorescence actin staining test and by their ability to induce attaching and effacing lesions. PCR for the eae gene was positive in 10 of the 39 (27%) apparently healthy animals and in 8 of the 17 (47%) animals with diarrhea and/or enteritis. Colonies of eae(+) E. coli were serotyped and examined by PCR for genes encoding EPEC virulence markers. The eae(+) E. coli isolates recovered from both healthy and sick nonhuman primates demonstrated virulence-associated attributes similar to those of EPEC strains implicated in human disease and are designated monkey EPEC. The results presented here indicate that EPEC may be a significant pathogen for nonhuman primates, deserving further investigation. The similarities between the affected animals investigated in this study and human EPEC infections suggest that marmosets may represent an important model for EPEC in humans

Guiana Dolphin Unusual Mortality Event and Link to Cetacean Morbillivirus, Brazil

During November–December 2017, a mass die-off of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) began in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Molecular and pathologic investigations on 20 animals indicated that cetacean morbillivirus played a major role. Our findings increase the knowledge on health and disease aspects of this endangered species

Worldwide occurrence of feline hemoplasma infections in wild felid species

While hemoplasma infections in domestic cats are well studied, almost no information is available on their occurrence in wild felids. The aims of the present study were to investigate wild felid species as possible reservoirs of feline hemoplasmas and the molecular characterization of the hemoplasma isolates. Blood samples from the following 257 wild felids were analyzed: 35 Iberian lynxes from Spain, 36 Eurasian lynxes from Switzerland, 31 European wildcats from France, 45 lions from Tanzania, and 110 Brazilian wild felids, including 12 wild felid species kept in zoos and one free-ranging ocelot. Using real-time PCR, feline hemoplasmas were detected in samples of the following species: Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx, European wildcat, lion, puma, oncilla, Geoffroy's cat, margay, and ocelot. "Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum" was the most common feline hemoplasma in Iberian lynxes, Eurasian lynxes, Serengeti lions, and Brazilian wild felids, whereas "Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis" was the most prevalent in European wildcats; hemoplasma coinfections were frequently observed. Hemoplasma infection was associated with species and free-ranging status of the felids in all animals and with feline leukemia virus provirus-positive status in European wildcats. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA and the partial RNase P gene revealed that most hemoplasma isolates exhibit high sequence identities to domestic cat-derived isolates, although some isolates form different subclusters within the phylogenetic tree. In conclusion, 9 out of 15 wild felid species from three different continents were found to be infected with feline hemoplasmas. The effect of feline hemoplasma infections on wild felid populations needs to be further investigated