Invasive Streptococcus suis isolated in Spain contain a highly promiscuous and dynamic resistome

IntroductionStreptococcus suis is a major pathogen for swine and human. Here we aimed to know the rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in invasive S. suis isolates recovered along Spain between 2016 – 2021 and elucidate their genetic origin.MethodsAntibiotic susceptibility testing was performed for 116 isolates of different genetic backgrounds and geographic origins against 18 antibiotics of 9 families. The association between AMR and genotypes and the origin of the isolates were statistically analyzed using Pearson´s chi-square test and the likelihood ratio. The antimicrobial resistant genes were identified by whole genome sequencing analysis and PCR screenings.ResultsHigh AMR rates (>80%) were detected for tetracyclines, spectinomycin, lincosamides, and marbofloxacin, medium (20-40%) for sulphonamides/trimethoprim, tiamulin, penicillin G, and enrofloxacin, and low (< 20%) for florfenicol, and four additional β-lactams. The occurrence of multidrug resistance was observed in 90% of isolates. For certain antibiotics (penicillin G, enrofloxacin, marbofloxacin, tilmicosin, and erythromycin), AMR was significantly associated with particular sequence types (STs), geographic regions, age of pigs, and time course. Whole genome sequencing comparisons and PCR screenings identified 23 AMR genes, of which 19 were previously reported in S. suis (aph(3’)-IIIa, sat4, aadE, spw, aac(6’)-Ie-aph(2’’)-Ia, fexA, optrA, erm(B), mef(A/E), mrs(D), mph(C), lnu(B), lsa(E), vga(F), tet(M), tet(O), tet(O/W/32/O), tet(W)), and 4 were novel (aph(2’’)-IIIa, apmA, erm(47), tet(T)). These AMR genes explained the AMR to spectinomycin, macrolides, lincosamides, tiamulin, and tetracyclines. Several genes were located on mobile genetic elements which showed a variable organization and composition. As AMR gene homologs were identified in many human and animal pathogens, the resistome of S. suis has a different phylogenetic origin. Moreover, AMR to penicillin G, fluoroquinolones, and trimethoprim related to mutations in genes coding for target enzymes (pbp1a, pbp2b, pbp2x, mraY, gyrA, parC, and dhfr). Bioinformatic analysis estimated traits of recombination on target genes, also indicative of gene transfer events.ConclusionsOur work evidences that S. suis is a major contributor to AMR dissemination across veterinary and human pathogens. Therefore, control of AMR in S. suis should be considered from a One Health approach in regions with high pig production to properly tackle the issue of antimicrobial drug resistance

Human Sperm Remain Motile After a Temporary Energy Restriction but do Not Undergo Capacitation-Related Events

To acquire fertilization competence, mammalian sperm must undergo several biochemical and physiological modifications known as capacitation. Despite its relevance, the metabolic pathways that regulate the capacitation-related events, including the development of hyperactivated motility, are still poorly described. Previous studies from our group have shown that temporary energy restriction in mouse sperm enhanced hyperactivation, in vitro fertilization, early embryo development and pregnancy rates after embryo transfer, and it improved intracytoplasmic sperm injection results in the bovine model. However, the effects of starvation and energy recovery protocols on human sperm function have not yet been established. In the present work, human sperm were incubated for different periods of time in medium containing glucose, pyruvate and lactate (NUTR) or devoid of nutrients for the starving condition (STRV). Sperm maintained in STRV displayed reduced percentages of motility and kinematic parameters compared to cells incubated in NUTR medium. Moreover, they did not undergo hyperactivation and showed reduced levels of ATP, cAMP and protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Similar to our results with mouse sperm, starvation induced increased intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. Starved human sperm were capable to continue moving for more than 27 h, but the incubation with a mitochondrial uncoupler or inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation led to a complete motility loss. When exogenous nutrients were added back (sperm energy recovery (SER) treatment), hyperactivated motility was rescued and there was a rise in sperm ATP and cAMP levels in 1 min, with a decrease in intracellular Ca2+ concentration and no changes in sperm protein tyrosine phosphorylation. The finding that human sperm can remain motile for several hours under starvation due to mitochondrial use of endogenous metabolites implies that other metabolic pathways may play a role in sperm energy production. In addition, full recovery of motility and other capacitation parameters of human sperm after SER suggests that this treatment might be used to modulate human sperm fertilizing ability in vitro

Seasonal impact of grazing, viral mortality, resource availability and light on the group-specific growth rates of coastal Mediterranean bacterioplankton

Estimation of prokaryotic growth rates is critical to understand the ecological role and contribution of different microbes to marine biogeochemical cycles. However, there is a general lack of knowledge on what factors control the growth rates of different prokaryotic groups and how these vary between sites and along seasons at a given site. We carried out several manipulation experiments during the four astronomical seasons in the coastal NW Mediterranean in order to evaluate the impact of grazing, viral mortality, resource competition and light on the growth and loss rates of prokaryotes. Gross and net growth rates of different bacterioplankton groups targeted by group-specific CARD-FISH probes and infrared microscopy (for aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs, AAP), were calculated from changes in cell abundances. Maximal group-specific growth rates were achieved when both predation pressure and nutrient limitation were experimentally minimized, while only a minimal effect of viral pressure on growth rates was observed; nevertheless, the response to predation removal was more remarkable in winter, when the bacterial community was not subjected to nutrient limitation. Although all groups showed increases in their growth rates when resource competition as well as grazers and viral pressure were reduced, Alteromonadaceae consistently presented the highest rates in all seasons. The response to light availability was generally weaker than that to the other factors, but it was variable between seasons. In summer and spring, the growth rates of AAP were stimulated by light whereas the growth of the SAR11 clade (likely containing proteorhodopsin) was enhanced by light in all seasons. Overall, our results set thresholds on bacterioplankton group-specific growth and mortality rates and contribute to estimate the seasonally changing contribution of various bacterioplankton groups to the function of microbial communities. Our results also indicate that the least abundant groups display the highest growth rates, contributing to the recycling of organic matter to a much greater extent than what their abundances alone would predict.En prensa2,92

Construction and refinement of preference ordered decision classes

Preference learning methods are commonly used in multicriteria analysis. The working principle of these methods is similar to classical machine learning techniques. A common issue to both machine learning and preference learning methods is the difficulty of the definition of decision classes and the assignment of objects to these classes, especially for large datasets. This paper proposes two procedures permitting to automatize the construction of decision classes. It also proposes two simple refinement procedures, that rely on the 80-20 principle, permitting to map the output of the construction procedures into a manageable set of decision classes. The proposed construction procedures rely on the most elementary preference relation, namely dominance relation, which avoids the need for additional information or distance/(di)similarity functions, as with most of existing clustering methods. Furthermore, the simplicity of the 80-20 principle on which the refinement procedures are based, make them very adequate to large datasets. Proposed procedures are illustrated and validated using real-world datasets

Cirugía menor en las epicondilitis. Minor surgery in epicondilytis

En Cuba y a nivel internacional es conocida la necesidad de realizar con el mejoramiento de las técnicas quirúrgicas y anestésicas, la disminución del período hospitalario de los pacientes operados con determinadas condiciones y bajo circunstancias especiales que preserven la salud de estos y que le eviten riesgos posteriores, sin embargo se mantiene al paciente con una estadía prolongada después de recibir el tratamiento quirúrgico apropiado antes y después del advenimiento del período especial con sus características en cada territorio, lo cual motivó iniciar este trabajo acorde a las condiciones de nuestro medio y que permitiera obtener resultados satisfactorios al paciente y económico al país sin ingreso hospitalario. Por lo que se llevó a la práctica un sistema de atención al paciente portador de una epicondilitis del codo, que permite una adecuada asistencia con elevada productividad y resultados satisfactorios para los pacientes. DeCS: LIGAMENTO LATERAL DEL CODO/ cirugía/tratamiento. ABSTRACT In Cuba and all over the world it is necessary to improve surgical and anesthetic technique for shortening the hospital stay providing them proper conditions for a better recovery and avoiding risks subsequently, however the patient´s stay delays more than it is expected before and after the special period according to its characteristics in any part of the country, thus the present study is aimed at obtaining good results, both the patient and the country, without hospital admission, so an assistant program is carried out in patients suffering from epicondylitis allowing a proper care and good results for patient. DeCS: ELBOW LATERAL LIGAMENT/surgery/treatment

Can on-farm serology predict the risk of Salmonella shedding at slaughter in fattening pigs?

The objective of this study was to assess whether on-farm serology and other farm characteristics could be used as predictors of Salmonella shedding at the abattoir. For that, 1,500 pigs from 30 pig fattening units were selected. One month before slaughter, 50 pigs from each pig unit were tagged and bled for the detection of antibodies against Salmonella. Pooled floor fecal (PFF) samples from 10 pens were also collected for Salmonella detection in each pig unit. At the slaughter, colon content of each pig was collected for Salmonella shedding detection. Salmonella was present in 13 (43.3%) of the farms. Mean herd seroprevalence (OD%≥40) was 31.7% (95%CI= 21.8-41.0). A total of 316 pigs (23.6%) shed Salmonella at slaughter. A random-effects logistic regression analysis showed that serology, the percentage of Salmonella-positive pens on the farm, and the internal biosecurity score predicted reasonably well (Area under the curve -AUC-= 0.76; P<0.05) whether a pig would shed Salmonella at slaughter or not, with estimates of sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of 71.6% and 73.6%, respectively.Work supported by grant RTI2018-093915-B-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe” from the European Union

Molecular Basis of Human Sperm Capacitation

In the early 1950s, Austin and Chang independently described the changes that are required for the sperm to fertilize oocytes in vivo. These changes were originally grouped under name of “capacitation” and were the first step in the development of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in humans. Following these initial and fundamental findings, a remarkable number of observations led to characterization of the molecular steps behind this process. The discovery of certain sperm-specific molecules and the possibility to record ion currents through patch-clamp approaches helped to integrate the initial biochemical observation with the activity of ion channels. This is of particular importance in the male gamete due to the fact that sperm are transcriptionally inactive. Therefore, sperm must control all these changes that occur during their transit through the male and female reproductive tracts by complex signaling cascades that include post-translational modifications. This review is focused on the principal molecular mechanisms that govern human sperm capacitation with particular emphasis on comparing all the reported pieces of evidence with the mouse model

One Health Approach : Invasive California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) as an Important Source of Antimicrobial Drug-Resistant Salmonella Clones on Gran Canaria Island

The aim of this study was to investigate the invasive species Lampropeltis californiae (California kingsnake) as a reservoir of Salmonella and its ability to spread different clones of the bacterium with zoonotic potential into the environment, as well as study its antimicrobial resistance patterns in Gran Canaria (Spain). The main results showed that a high diversity of Salmonella subsp. salamae strains circulate in Gran Canaria with a high prevalence of resistance shown for antimicrobials of public health importance, as summarised in the European Decision 2013/652/EU. The increase in the reptile population has led to a rise in the number of zoonotic infections due to close contact with reptiles, with reptile-associated salmonellosis being particularly relevant. California kingsnake invasion not only threatens the endemic reptile population of the island of Gran Canaria (Spain) but also poses serious public health problems by spreading zoonotic pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to the environment. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the occurrence, genetic diversity, and AMR among Salmonella spp. strains isolated from California kingsnakes in Gran Canaria Island (Spain). Of 73 invasive individuals captured, 20.5% carried Salmonella spp., belonging to different subspecies and serovars, with subsp. salamae as the most abundant. Pulsed-field electrophoresis showed high genetic diversity among subsp. salamae isolates, and among these, 73.3% showed resistance to at least one of the antimicrobials tested. In conclusion, the present study revealed the importance of wild invasive California kingsnakes as reservoirs of drug-resistant Salmonella spp. that could pose a direct threat to livestock and humans. Identification of drug-resistant Salmonella strains in wildlife provides valuable information on potential routes of transmission that involve risks to public and animal health

Identificación de genes de resistencia a antibióticos mediante secuenciación masiva en E. coli aislados en heces de ovejas rasa aragonesa

Mediante la aplicación de técnicas de secuenciación masiva de aislados de E. coli en heces se encontró un elevado número de genes de resistencia, aunque estas resistencias no se asociaron a la presencia de diarreas o noEste trabajo ha sido financiado con fondos del Gobierno de Aragón. B. Alcalá recibe una ayuda del Programa investigo (Plan Nacional de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia)