Deletion of the Correia element in the mtr gene complex of Neisseria meningitidis

The mtr gene complex in Neisseria meningitidis encodes an efflux pump that is responsible for export of antibacterial hydrophobic agents. The promoter region of the mtrCDE operon harbours an insertion sequence known as a Correia element, and a binding site for the integration host factor (IHF) is present at the centre of the Correia element. It has been suggested that the expression of the mtrCDE operon in meningococci is subject to transcriptional regulation by the IHF and post-transcriptional regulation by cleavage in the inverted repeat of the Correia element. The promoter region of the mtrCDE operon as well as the association of changes at that point with decreased susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs in 606 Neisseria meningitidis strains were analysed in this study. Two different deletions were present in the analysed region. The first one, found in seven strains, corresponded to absence of the Correia element. The second one, affecting the -10 region and first 100 bp of the mtrR gene and present in 57 isolates, was only found in ST-1624 isolates. None of the deletions were associated with decreased susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs. Although most of the meningococcal strains carry the Correia element at that position, its deletion is not an exception.Fil: Enríquez, Rocío. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Laboratorio de Referencia para meningococos; España.Fil: Abad, Raquel. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Laboratorio de Referencia para meningococos; España.Fil: Chanto, Grettel. Centro Nacional de Referencia en Bacteriología (INCIENSA); Costa Rica.Fil: Corso, Alejandra. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Bacteriología; Argentina.Fil: Cruces, Raquel. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Laboratorio de Referencia para meningococos; España.Fil: Marc Gabastou, Jean. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Unidad de Medicamentos Esenciales; Ecuador.Fil: Gorla, María Cecilia. Adolfo Lutz Institute. Bacteriology Branch. Brasil.Fil: Maldonado, Aurora. Instituto de Salud Pública (ISP). Bacteriología; Chile.Fil: Moreno, Jaime. Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS). Microbiología. Colombia.Fil: Muros-Le Rouzic, Erwan. Sanofi-Pasteur. Global Scientific & Medical Affairs; Francia.Fil: Sorhouet, Cecilia. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Bacteriología; Argentina.Fil: Vazquez, Julio A. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Laboratorio de Referencia para meningococos; España

Deletion of the Correia element in the mtr gene complex of Neisseria meningitidis

The mtr gene complex in Neisseria meningitidis encodes an efflux pump that is responsible for export of antibacterial hydrophobic agents. The promoter region of the mtrCDE operon harbours an insertion sequence known as a Correia element, and a binding site for the integration host factor (IHF) is present at the centre of the Correia element. It has been suggested that the expression of the mtrCDE operon in meningococci is subject to transcriptional regulation by the IHF and post-transcriptional regulation by cleavage in the inverted repeat of the Correia element. The promoter region of the mtrCDE operon as well as the association of changes at that point with decreased susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs in 606 Neisseria meningitidis strains were analysed in this study. Two different deletions were present in the analysed region. The first one, found in seven strains, corresponded to absence of the Correia element. The second one, affecting the -10 region and first 100 bp of the mtrR gene and present in 57 isolates, was only found in ST-1624 isolates. None of the deletions were associated with decreased susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs. Although most of the meningococcal strains carry the Correia element at that position, its deletion is not an exception.Fil: Enríquez, Rocío. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Laboratorio de Referencia para meningococos; España.Fil: Abad, Raquel. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Laboratorio de Referencia para meningococos; España.Fil: Chanto, Grettel. Centro Nacional de Referencia en Bacteriología (INCIENSA); Costa Rica.Fil: Corso, Alejandra. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Bacteriología; Argentina.Fil: Cruces, Raquel. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Laboratorio de Referencia para meningococos; España.Fil: Marc Gabastou, Jean. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Unidad de Medicamentos Esenciales; Ecuador.Fil: Gorla, María Cecilia. Adolfo Lutz Institute. Bacteriology Branch. Brasil.Fil: Maldonado, Aurora. Instituto de Salud Pública (ISP). Bacteriología; Chile.Fil: Moreno, Jaime. Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS). Microbiología. Colombia.Fil: Muros-Le Rouzic, Erwan. Sanofi-Pasteur. Global Scientific & Medical Affairs; Francia.Fil: Sorhouet, Cecilia. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Bacteriología; Argentina.Fil: Vazquez, Julio A. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Laboratorio de Referencia para meningococos; España

Meningococcal disease in North America: Updates from the Global Meningococcal Initiative

This review summarizes the recent Global Meningococcal Initiative (GMI) regional meeting, which explored meningococcal disease in North America. Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases are documented through both passive and active surveillance networks. IMD appears to be decreasing in many areas, such as the Dominican Republic (2016: 18 cases; 2021: 2 cases) and Panama (2008: 1 case/100,000; 2021: <0.1 cases/100,000); however, there is notable regional and temporal variation. Outbreaks persist in at-risk subpopulations, such as people experiencing homelessness in the US and migrants in Mexico. The recent emergence of β-lactamase-positive and ciprofloxacin-resistant meningococci in the US is a major concern. While vaccination practices vary across North America, vaccine uptake remains relatively high. Monovalent and multivalent conjugate vaccines (which many countries in North America primarily use) can provide herd protection. However, there is no evidence that group B vaccines reduce meningococcal carriage. The coronavirus pandemic illustrates that following public health crises, enhanced surveillance of disease epidemiology and catch-up vaccine schedules is key. Whole genome sequencing is a key epidemiological tool for identifying IMD strain emergence and the evaluation of vaccine strain coverage. The Global Roadmap on Defeating Meningitis by 2030 remains a focus of the GMI.Medical writing support for the development of this manuscript, under the direction of the authors, was provided Matthew Gunther of Ashfield MedComms, an Inizio company. Medical writing support was funded by Sanofi Pasteur. All authors discussed and agreed to the objectives of this manuscript and con- tributed throughout its production. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.S

Global Landscape Review of Serotype-Specific Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Surveillance among Countries Using PCV10/13: The Pneumococcal Serotype Replacement and Distribution Estimation (PSERENADE) Project.

Serotype-specific surveillance for invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is essential for assessing the impact of 10- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV10/13). The Pneumococcal Serotype Replacement and Distribution Estimation (PSERENADE) project aimed to evaluate the global evidence to estimate the impact of PCV10/13 by age, product, schedule, and syndrome. Here we systematically characterize and summarize the global landscape of routine serotype-specific IPD surveillance in PCV10/13-using countries and describe the subset that are included in PSERENADE. Of 138 countries using PCV10/13 as of 2018, we identified 109 with IPD surveillance systems, 76 of which met PSERENADE data collection eligibility criteria. PSERENADE received data from most (n = 63, 82.9%), yielding 240,639 post-PCV10/13 introduction IPD cases. Pediatric and adult surveillance was represented from all geographic regions but was limited from lower income and high-burden countries. In PSERENADE, 18 sites evaluated PCV10, 42 PCV13, and 17 both; 17 sites used a 3 + 0 schedule, 38 used 2 + 1, 13 used 3 + 1, and 9 used mixed schedules. With such a sizeable and generally representative dataset, PSERENADE will be able to conduct robust analyses to estimate PCV impact and inform policy at national and global levels regarding adult immunization, schedule, and product choice, including for higher valency PCVs on the horizon

Identification of strain-specific genes located outside the plasticity zone in nine clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori b

International audienc

Prevalencia de anticuerpos séricos contra la bacteria Brucella sp. en una población humana tropical

La brucelosis es una enfermedad bacteriana generalizada con tendencia a la cronicidad si no se trata adecuadamente. El diagnóstico de laboratorio se realiza por el aislamiento e identificación del agente o en la mayoría de los casos mediante pruebas serológicas. En este estudio se informa la prevalencia de anticuerpos séricos contra Brucella sp. en habitantes de comunidades rurales de Cartago dedicadas principalmente a la ganadería de leche. Se analizó un total de 714 muestras representativas de la población mediante la técnica de aglutinación Rosa de Bengala en lámina (RBT) y la prueba de aglutinación en microplaca (SAT). Se encontró una prevalencia de 0.87 %, y en ninguna persona seropositiva se demostró seroconversión. Aún, cuando el 71 % de la población refirió consumir leche no pasteurizada, no se encontró asociación estadísticamente significativa (1.09 %, IC 0.30-2.77) entre el consumo de leche no pasteurizada y la presencia de anticuerpos sugestivos de infección por Brucella sp. A pesar de ser una zona de alta prevalencia de brucelosis bovina por Brucella abortus, la ausencia de síntomas en la población y los bajos títulos de anticuerpos observados sugieren una escasa exposición previa al agente

Brucellosis in Mammals of Costa Rica: An Epidemiological Survey

Brucellosis has been an endemic disease of cattle and humans in Costa Rica since the beginning of XX century. However, brucellosis in sheep, goats, pigs, water buffaloes, horses and cetaceans, has not been reported in the country. We have performed a brucellosis survey in these host mammal species, from 1999-2016. In addition, we have documented the number of human brucellosis reported cases, from 2003-2016. The brucellosis seroprevalence in goat and sheep herds was 0.98% and 0.7% respectively, with no Brucella isolation. Antibodies against Brucella were not detected in feral or domestic pigs. Likewise, brucellosis seroprevalence in horse and water buffalo farms was estimated in 6.5% and 21.7%, respectively, with no Brucella isolation. Six cetacean species showed positive reactions against Brucella antigens, and B. ceti was isolated in 70% (n = 29) of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). A steady increase in the diagnosis of human brucellosis cases was observed. Taking into account the prevalence of brucellosis in the various host mammals of Costa Rica, different measures are recommended.Medicina Veterinari

Molecular characterization of invasive serogroup Y Neisseria meningitidis strains isolated in the Latin America region

Fil: Abad, Raquel. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Centro Nacional de Microbiología. Reference Laboratory for Meningococci; España.Fil: Agudelo, Clara Inés. Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS). Microbiología; Colombia.Fil: Brandileone, María Cristina. Adolfo Lutz Institute. Bacteriology Branch; Brasil.Fil: Chanto, Grettel. Centro Nacional de Referencia en Bacteriología (INCIENSA); Costa Rica.Fil: Gabastou, Jean-Marc. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO). Vacunas y Tecnologías de Salud. Unidad de Medicamentos Esenciales; Ecuador.Fil: Hormazabal, Juan Carlos. Instituto de Salud Pública (ISP). Bacteriología; Chile.Fil: O Gorla, M Cecilia. Adolfo Lutz Institute. Bacteriology Branch; Brasil.Fil: Maldonado, Aurora. Instituto de Salud Pública (ISP). Bacteriología; Chile.Fil: Moreno, Jaime. Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS). Microbiología; Colombia.Fil: Muros-Le Rouzic, Erwan. Sanofi-Pasteur. Global Scientific and Medical Affairs; Francia.Fil: Lersch, Robert. Sanofi-Pasteur. Global Scientific and Medical Affairs; Francia.Fil: Regueira, Mabel. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Bacteriología; Argentina.Fil: Salcedo, Celia. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Centro Nacional de Microbiología. Reference Laboratory for Meningococci; España.Fil: Sorhouet, Cecilia. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Departamento de Bacteriología; Argentina.Fil: Vázquez, Julio A. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Centro Nacional de Microbiología. Reference Laboratory for Meningococci; España.Objectives: To improve the understanding of serogroup Y invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Latin America, particularly IMD molecular epidemiology; 166 Y serogroup isolates received at the National Reference Laboratories of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica during 2000-2006 were characterized by their molecular markers. Methods: This analysis included serological assays to determine serogroup/serotype/serosubtype, DNA sequencing and genotyping of the porB and/or porA genes, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and fetA allele determination. Results: Sixteen different antigenic combinations were observed. Sixty-two (37.3%) isolates were NT:P1.5 and 36 (21.7%) isolates were 14:NST. Thirty-two different STs appeared, but 3 STs (ST-1624, ST-23, and ST-5770) accounted for 69.9% (116) of the strains. Most of the IMD isolates belonged to the ST-23, ST-167 clonal complexes or the group composed by ST-5770 and related STs. Conclusions: Isolates obtained in Colombia and Costa Rica were similar to that of the United States, in that most sequence types belonged to the ST-23 clonal complex. IMD isolates found in Argentina appear to be the result of an independent event and did not spread from nearby countries, being the sequence type ST-1624 (ST-167 clonal complex) the most frequently found. We were unable to correlate an antigenic shift of outer membrane proteins with an increase of serogroup Y meningococcal cases in our collection of isolates

Genome-Based Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes, Costa Rica

International audienceGenomic data on the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes from Central America are scarce. Here, we analysed 92 isolates collected in Costa Rica over a decade from different regions, compared them to publicly available genomes and identified unrecognized outbreaks. This study calls for mandatory reporting of listeriosis to improve pathogen surveillance