Dogs as carriers of virulent and resistant genotypes of Clostridioides difficile

While previous research on zoonotic transmission of community-acquired Clostridioides difficile infection (CA-CDI) focused on food-producing animals, the present study aimed to investigate whether dogs are carriers of resistant and/or virulent C. difficile strains. Rectal swabs were collected from 323 dogs and 38 C. difficile isolates (11.8%) were obtained. Isolates were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and a DNA hybridization assay. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST), core genome MLST (cgMLST) and screening for virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes were performed based on WGS. Minimum inhibitory concentrations for erythromycin, clindamycin, tetracycline, vancomycin and metronidazole were determined by E-test. Out of 38 C. difficile isolates, 28 (73.7%) carried genes for toxins. The majority of isolates belonged to MLST sequence types (STs) of clade I and one to clade V. Several isolates belonged to STs previously associated with human CA-CDI. However, cgMLST showed low genetic relatedness between the isolates of this study and C. difficile strains isolated from humans in Austria for which genome sequences were publicly available. Four isolates (10.5%) displayed resistance to three of the tested antimicrobial agents. Isolates exhibited resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, tetracycline and metronidazole. These phenotypic resistances were supported by the presence of the resistance genes erm(B), cfr(C) and tet(M). All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin. Our results indicate that dogs may carry virulent and antimicrobial-resistant C. difficile strains

The genetic study of three population microisolates in South Tyrol (MICROS): study design and epidemiological perspectives

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is increasing evidence of the important role that small, isolated populations could play in finding genes involved in the etiology of diseases. For historical and political reasons, South Tyrol, the northern most Italian region, includes several villages of small dimensions which remained isolated over the centuries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The MICROS study is a population-based survey on three small, isolated villages, characterized by: old settlement; small number of founders; high endogamy rates; slow/null population expansion. During the stage-1 (2002/03) genealogical data, screening questionnaires, clinical measurements, blood and urine samples, and DNA were collected for 1175 adult volunteers. Stage-2, concerning trait diagnoses, linkage analysis and association studies, is ongoing. The selection of the traits is being driven by expert clinicians. Preliminary, descriptive statistics were obtained. Power simulations for finding linkage on a quantitative trait locus (QTL) were undertaken.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Starting from participants, genealogies were reconstructed for 50,037 subjects, going back to the early 1600s. Within the last five generations, subjects were clustered in one pedigree of 7049 subjects plus 178 smaller pedigrees (3 to 85 subjects each). A significant probability of familial clustering was assessed for many traits, especially among the cardiovascular, neurological and respiratory traits. Simulations showed that the MICROS pedigree has a substantial power to detect a LOD score ≥ 3 when the QTL specific heritability is ≥ 20%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The MICROS study is an extensive, ongoing, two-stage survey aimed at characterizing the genetic epidemiology of Mendelian and complex diseases. Our approach, involving different scientific disciplines, is an advantageous strategy to define and to study population isolates. The isolation of the Alpine populations, together with the extensive data collected so far, make the MICROS study a powerful resource for the study of diseases in many fields of medicine. Recent successes and simulation studies give us confidence that our pedigrees can be valuable both in finding new candidates loci and to confirm existing candidate genes.</p

Weiterentwicklung von Deponieabdichtungssystemen. Teilvorhaben 25: Versuche und Berechnungen zum Schadstofftransport durch mineralische Abdichtungen und daraus resultierende Materialentwicklungen Anlagenband zum Abschlussbericht

The present appendix to the final report on the title project encloses tables and figures containing the experimental results. Sorption data are compiled (capacities, diffusion coefficients, isotherms) of NH_4&quot;+, K&quot;+, Pb&quot;2&quot;+, Zn&quot;2&quot;+, Cl&quot;-, NO_3&quot;-, SO_4&quot;2&quot;-, organic acids, aniline and trichloroethene sorption on different clays including kaolinite, Na-bentonite and Ca-bentonite. (orig.)SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: F95B2015+a / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekBundesministerium fuer Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie, Bonn (Germany)DEGerman

Akustische Stimulation der Cochlea über CI Elektroden

Background Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies have been recently described in children with acute disseminating encephalomyelitis (ADEM), but the clinical and neuroradiological characterisation of this subgroup is lacking. Objective To compare the clinical and neuroradiological features of paediatric ADEM with and without MOG antibodies. Methods Clinical course, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-, MRI studies, outcome and MOG status of 33 paediatric ADEM prospectively studied were reviewed. Results MOG antibodies (median 1: 2560; range 1: 160-1: 20 480) were detected in 19 children with ADEM. The majority of children showed a decline of serum MOG-IgG titres over time. Children with MOG antibodies did not differ in their age at presentation, sex ratio, the presence of oligoclonal bands, clinical symptoms or initial severity, apart from

Deletions in 16p13 including GRIN2A in patients with intellectual disability, various dysmorphic features, and seizure disorders of the rolandic region.

Contains fulltext : 88225.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Seizure disorders of the rolandic region comprise a spectrum of different epilepsy syndromes ranging from benign rolandic epilepsy to more severe seizure disorders including atypical benign partial epilepsy/pseudo-Lennox syndrome,electrical status epilepticus during sleep, and Landau-Kleffner syndrome. Centrotemporal spikes are the unifying electroencephalographic hallmark of these benign focal epilepsies, indicating a pathophysiologic relationship between the various epilepsies arising from the rolandic region. The etiology of these epilepsies is elusive, but a genetic component is assumed given the heritability of the characteristic electrographic trait. Herein we report on three patients with intellectual disability, various dysmorphic features, and epilepsies involving the rolandic region, carrying previously undescribed deletions in 16p13. The only gene located in the critical region shared by all three patients is GRIN2A coding for the alpha-2 subunit of the neuronal N-methyl-D-aspartate(NMDA) receptor.1 september 201

Population isolates in South Tyrol and their value for genetic dissection of complex diseases.

The study of genetic isolates is a promising approach for the study of complex genetic traits. The small and constant population size, lack of migration, and multiple relationships between individuals in the isolate population could reduce the genetic diversity, and lead to increased levels of linkage disequilibrium (LD). We studied the extent of LD on Xq13 in six population isolates from South Tyrol in the Eastern Italian Alps. We found different levels of LD in our study samples, probably reflecting their degrees of isolation and their demographic histories. The highest values were obtained in Val Gardena (ranking among the highest levels of LD in Europe) and in Stelvio, which qualified as a microisolate according to historical information, and biodemographic and genealogical criteria. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the two Ladin-speaking populations are genetically distant from each other, and from their German-speaking neighbours, and are characterized by a smaller effective population size than the neighbouring valleys. These peculiar characteristics suggest that South Tyrol could be a unique resource for the study of complex diseases, showing all the characteristics of isolated populations with the advantage of including, in a fairly homogeneous environment, two genetically differentiated sub-populations. This could allow investigators to gain an insight into the contribution of genetic heterogeneity in complex diseases