El efluente hospitalario como fuente de enterococos vancomicina resistentes

We would like to acknowledge César Criado Sánchez, Laboratory Technician of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Granada, Spain, for his invaluable help in making this study possible. We also thank Jean Louise Sanders for translating and editing the manuscript.Objetivos: Las especies de enterococos son intrínsecamente resistentes a varios antibióticos, adquieren resistencia con relativa facilidad, y difunden estos genes de resistencia a otras especies. La resistencia a los antibióticos en enterococos está asociada al uso de los mismos en la clínica médica y también a la diseminación de clones resistentes en el mundo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue comparar las características de las cepas de enterococos resistentes a vancomicina (ERV) aisladas en efluentes hospitalarios y aguas residuales urbanas. Métodos: Se obtuvieron muestras de los efluentes del Hospital Universitario José de San Martín (Buenos Aires) y muestras de aguas residuales urbanas de la ciudad de Buenos Aires. Resultados: Los recuentos de ERV fueron mayores en los efluentes hospitalarios, siendo la odds ratio 36.4 (IC95%: 26.0-50.8; p<0.0001). Los ERV aislados se identificaron principalmente como E. faecium. Los resultados indicaron una alta prevalencia de enterococos resistentes al resto de los antibióticos ensayados. Conclusión: Podemos concluir que los efluentes de los centros hospitalarios constituyen una fuente de enterococos de resistencia múltiple a antibióticos.Objectives: Enterococci are intrinsically resistant to many commonly used antimicrobial agents. They are able to acquire resistance with relative ease and can spread these genes to other species. Enterococci resistant to antibiotics are associated with the use of these in clinical practice and also the spread of resistant clones in the world. The aim of this work was to compare the characteristics of the strains of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) isolated from municipal wastewater and hospital effluent. Methods: Samples were obtained from the effluent of the Hospital Universitario José de San Martín (Buenos Aires) and the municipal wastewater of the city of Buenos Aires. Results: The bacterial counts of VRE were greater in the hospital effluent, with an odds ratio of 36.4 (95% CI: 26.0-50.8; p<0.0001). The VRE isolated were mainly identified as E. faecium. The results indicate a high prevalence of enterococci resistant to the antibiotics tested. Conclusion: We may conclude that the effluents of hospitals constitute a source of VRE showing multiple resistance to antibiotics.The authors declare that they have no fundin

Influence of Three Probiotics Strains, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis BB-12 and Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 on the Biochemical and Haematological Profiles and Body Weight of Healthy Rabbits

Currently, probiotics are used as growth promoters on a large scale to improve the productivity of several animals’ species within the aim of reducing the presence of antibiotic residues in animal products consumed by humans. Several reports evidenced the positive effect of probiotic supplementation on the growth performances and health of rabbits, mainly through the balance of the intestinal microbiota of the host animal. Therefore, certain probiotics, including Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria, Saccharomyces, can improve the biochemical and haematological profiles, especially in production animals. In this context, this study was performed on rabbits for the economic importance they play as a source of meat proteins in developing countries and their use as experimental models in research and biomedicine. This study then aimed to evaluate the effect of three strains of probiotics: Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis BB-12 and Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745, on the biochemical and haematological parameters and their influence on the rabbit’s weight of the ITELV2006 strain. The findings evidenced that the probiotic strain affected the biochemical and haematological parameters. Further, the strains showed a positive effect on the weight gain of the rabbits.This study aimed to investigate the effects of three strains of probiotics, these being Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis BB-12 and Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745, on the body weight, animal performances and blood parameters of rabbits (male and female) of the ITELV2006 strain. The supplementation of the feed of the rabbits with the three probiotic strains allowed observing positive effects on most of the biochemical and haematological parameters investigated during a period of 60 days (30 days of supplementation and 30 days without treatment). Further, there was a significant improvement in the body weight of the rabbits at the end of the experiment. The effect of the three probiotics investigated in this trial was found to be related to the sex of the rabbits and to the intake period (duration). Ultimately, these findings raise the possibility of using probiotics to investigate in an in-depth and specific manner based on fixed factors such as the strain, the gender and age of the animals, the main underlying mechanisms and effects, which would allow achieving optimal and adapted health benefits and sustainable production. In the context of animal production, it is worth investigating in a targeted study the effect of the three strains on muscle growth and development and finding evidence of the possible consequences on meat quality traits of the rabbits supplemented with probiotics

Prebiotic chemistry in neutral/reduced-alkaline gas-liquid interfaces.

Acknowledgements The authors used the research facilities of the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) and were supported by the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial “Esteban Terradas” (INTA) and by the Spanish MINECO project ESP2014-55811-C2-2-P. M.R.M.-Y. was supported by a research training grant from INTA. C.M. and P.E. were fellows of “Plan de Formación” from INTA. M.-P.Z. and E.G.-T. acknowledge the Spanish MINECO projects CGL2014-55230-R and CGL2015-69758-P. Additionally, we are grateful to M.T. Fernández for the recording of the FT-IR spectra.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Actividad docente de gamificación para estudio epidemiológico de un brote de COVID-19

La aplicación práctica de la epidemiología en el estudio de brotes epidémicos puede resultar ardua para el estudiantado. El uso de metodologías innovadoras podría facilitar la comprensión de la materia y ayudar a visualizar su utilidad e importancia. Por ese motivo, se ha diseñado una actividad docente en modo de juego que simula un brote de COVID-19, y que pretende ayudar a los alumnos en su aprendizaje de conceptos relacionados con la epidemiología de enfermedades transmisibles.Plan FIDO - Universidad de Granada. Proyecto de innovación docente 20-13

Preliminary investigation of the antimicrobial and mechanisms of resistance of Enterobacteria isolated from minced meat in the Northeast of Algeria: The case of butchers from Constantine

peer-reviewedFood products of animal origin such as fresh meat are easily contaminated by microorganisms if handling, processing and storage conditions are not fully respected. The present study aimed first to evaluate the bacterial load and microbial contamination rates of ground raw beef to identify the main pathogenic flora that dominate and second, to determine the resistance patterns and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) of isolated Gram-negative strains against certain families of antibiotics. Therefore, 39 samples have been collected from 5 butcher shops located in Constantine province in the North-East of Algeria. The samples were analysed for total bacterial count, presence of total and faecal coliforms, Staphylococci and Salmonella. Furthermore, 23 antibiotics were tested using the diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar, towards 22 strains isolates. Bacterial analyses showed a high contamination by total aerobic bacteria, total and faecal coliforms. Escherichia coli, Citrobacter spp., Enterobacter spp., Hafnia alvei, Salmonella pullorum and Staphylococcus spp (except Staphylococcus aureus) were further revealed in some samples. The results of the antibiogram test exhibit multi-resistance to more than eight antibiotics with varied effects. From the whole tested strains isolates, the fully susceptibility effect was for spectinomycin (SPT). This study reveals that the analysed minced meat was found to be highly contaminated with antibiotic resistant bacteria. This study allows concluding that appropriate use of antibiotics in compliance with good hygiene practices is essential to reduce the antibiotic resistance identified in this preliminary study

Risk factors related to bacterial contamination by Enterobacteriaceae and fecal coliforms and the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in Algerian farms, slaughterhouses and butcheries: a two-year follow-up study

Institut des sciences veterinaires, Universite Freres Mentouri, Constantine 1This study was conducted to investigate first the bacterial contamination by Enterobacteriaceae, fecal coliforms and the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and second to identify the main associated risk factors in Algerian farms, slaughterhouses and butcheries during a two-years period. Thus, a cross-sectional study was performed using a simple random sampling method to target 20 farms, 10 slaughterhouses and 5 butcheries. A structured questionnaire was further used to assess hygienic status of the farms and slaughterhouses. A total of 265 samples were collected from wall, floor, litter, food, water and animals’ samples composed mainly of meat, neck skin and liver. Samples from walls and floors, from different sites were analyzed to evaluate the overall contamination and the hygiene of sites for Total viable bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae counts and Fecal coliforms counts. Furthermore, E.coli and salmonella spp. were identified in all samples. The overall contamination by sampling sites expressed as log10 CFU/g (mean ± SD) for Total Aerobic Microbial Count, Enterobacteriaceae count and fecal coliforms counts were around 4.71 ± 1.1, 4.73 ± 1.3 and 4.68 ± 1.2 respectively. The findings evidenced that the prevalence of E.coli and Salmonella spp. were 63.40% and 18.49% respectively. The highest rate of E.coli contamination was for poultry farms (70%), beef farms (64%) and butcheries (74.54%) followed by poultry meat slaughterhouses (60%) and sheep farms (48%) while beef slaughterhouses have the lowest rate of contamination (33.84%). For salmonella spp. the contamination was found to be mainly in poultry meat slaughterhouses (31.11%), butcheries (25.45%), followed by poultry farms (22%), beef farms (20%) and sheep farms (12%) while beef slaughterhouses have the lowest rate of contamination (4.61%). This study evidenced multifactor effects of microbial contamination in farms such as animal density, litter hygiene and scraping, manure storage, water and pest control, contact with other animals and decontamination process. Overall, this trial indicated a high rate of microbial contamination for which further studies are needed to determine all the potential risk factors in order to evaluate the corrective effects.Institut des sciences veterinaires, Universite Freres Mentouri, Constantine

Study of Probiotic Effects of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and Lactobacillus plantarum 299v Strains on Biochemical and Morphometric Parameters of Rabbits after Obesity Induction

Simple Summary: On the basis of the extensive literature, two main strategies have been used to manipulate intestinal microbial composition and selectively stimulate the growth and activity of certain species, these being the administration of either prebiotics or food supplements containing living bacteria such as probiotics. Several animal studies have indicated that certain probiotics, including Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, can suppress body weight gain in rodents, while some probiotics strains have little effect or promote weight gain. The potential anti-obesity effect of probiotics seems to depend on the strains used and the underlying mechanisms, leading to their effects remaining not fully understood. It is in this context that this study was designed to investigate the potential of two probiotics strains, these being Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12® and Lactobacillus plantarum 299v® in rabbits, whereby obesity and metabolic syndrome was first induced in a first experiment, and the animals were then used in a second experiment to test the hypothesis of probiotics effect on biochemical and morphometric parameters. The model of obesity induced by giving a “cafeteria” diet for 14 weeks in this trial demonstrated a change in the biochemical and morphometric parameters investigated in the ITELV2006 rabbit strain. This study revealed that B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and L. plantarum 299v strains could exert beneficial effects in reducing the incidence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in the ITELV2006 rabbit strain. Abstract: This study aimed first to develop an experimental model of obesity and metabolic syndrome over 14 weeks using a diet called “cafeteria”, which is a high-fat diet, to evaluate its consequences on the biochemical and morphometric parameters in ITELV2006 strain rabbits. Second, the trial aimed to evaluate the effect of two strains of probiotics, these being Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12® and Lactobacillus plantarum 299v®, on the obesity and MetS induced during the first experiment. Overall, the results of the “cafeteria” diet demonstrated significant changes in numerous biochemical and morphometric parameters, reproducing obesity and the main clinical manifestations of the metabolic syndrome in humans. The administration of the two probiotic strains demonstrated an impact on certain parameters of obesity and induced MetS. This study makes it possible to conclude that probiotics could be useful in the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome of rabbits, but in a dependent manner. Furthermore, this study evidenced the importance of selecting specific probiotic strains and dosages to achieve desirable results on rabbits or other species.Veterinary Institute Sciences, El-Khroub, AlgeriaD01N01UN25012018000