Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization in preterm newborns with respiratory distress syndrome

© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: [email protected] describe the prevalence of Pneumocystis jirovecii in mother-infant pairs of very low birth weight newborns <32 weeks gestation. Molecular and microscopic methods were used for detection of P. jirovecii in patients' specimens. Pneumocystis DNA was detected in eight nasopharyngeal aspirates (14%) of 56 newborns and in seven oral washes (21%) of 34 mothers. Pneumocystis detection immediately after birth suggests the possibility of its transplacental transmission. Comparing to non-colonized infants, more frequent occurrence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was seen in colonized ones (P=0.02), suggesting a potential clinical importance of this pathogen in abnormal lung development.publishersversionpublishe

The First Evidence of Cryptosporidium meleagridis Infection in a Colon Adenocarcinoma From an Immunocompetent Patient

Objectives: The potential linkage between Cryptosporidium spp. infection and colorectal human cancer was suggested by limited reports showing higher prevalence of C. parvum and C. hominis in patients with colon cancer. Here we conducted research concerning presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in malignant tissue collected from patients with colorectal cancer.Methods: Cancerous colon tissue samples collected from 145 non-HIV infected patients with colorectal cancer were screened for Cryptosporidium spp. by immunofluorescence antibody test and genus-specific nested polymerase chain reaction followed by sequencing.Results: Screened pathogen was found in cancerous tissue originating from immunocompetent man with colon adenocarcinoma. Genotyping revealed presence of Cryptosporidium meleagridis. The presence of Cryptosporidium life cycle stages (oocysts and endogenous stages) in colon carcinoma tissue was confirmed by genus-specific FITC-labeling.Conclusions: Herein, we report on a C. meleagridis infection of a colon adenocarcinoma in an immunocompetent patient. This is the first report of C. meleagridis infection in the human colon and first evidence of active development of this species in cancer tissue

Medicinal plants extracts affect virulence factors expression and biofilm formation by the uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Medicinal plants are an important source for the therapeutic remedies of various diseases including urinary tract infections. This prompted us to perform research in this area. We decided to focus on medicinal plants species used in urinary tract infections prevention. The aim of our study was to determine the influence of Betulapendula, Equisetum arvense, Herniaria glabra, Galium odoratum, Urtica dioica, and Vaccinium vitis-idaea extracts on bacterial survival and virulence factors involved in tissue colonization and biofilm formation of the uropathogenic Escherichia coli rods. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of plant extracts were performed. Antimicrobial assay relied on the estimation of the colony forming unit number. Hydrophobicity of cells was established by salt aggregation test. Using motility agar, the ability of bacteria to move was examined. The erythrocyte hemagglutination test was used for fimbriae P screening. Curli expression was determined using YESCA agar supplemented with congo red. Quantification of biofilm formation was carried out using a microtiter plate assay and a spectrophotometric method. The results of the study indicate significant differences between investigated extracts in their antimicrobial activities. The extracts of H. glabra and V. vitis-idaea showed the highest growth-inhibitory effects (p < 0.05). Surface hydrophobicity of autoaggregating E. coli strain changed after exposure to all plant extracts, except V. vitis-idaea (p > 0.05). The B. pendula and U. dioica extracts significantly reduced the motility of the E. coli rods (p < 0.05). All the extracts exhibited the anti-biofilm activity

Respiratory microsporidiosis caused by Enterocytozoon bieneusi in an HIV-negative hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient

A 23-year-old, HIV-negative woman who had undergone a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was admitted to the hospital with respiratory failure and symptoms of bronchiolitis obliterans. A chest computed tomography scan revealed diffuse ground-glass opacification and fibrous plugs. Due to worsening respiratory failure despite treatment, ventilation was provided through a tracheostomy tube. Molecular examination of bronchoalveolar lavage and urine revealed Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection. After treatment with albendazole the patient gradually improved, but the pathogen was not eradicated and reappeared on follow-up examination. E. bieneusi belongs to the most clinically important microsporidial species infecting humans, mostly those who are immunocompromised. This fungus tends to infect enterocytes of the intestine, and there are limited studies concerning its extraintestinal location. This is the first report of a case of disseminated respiratory and urinary E. bieneusi infection in a transplant recipient. Keywords: Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Respiratory tract infection, Hematopoietic stem cell transplan

Microsporidia (Encephalitozoon cuniculi) in Patients with Degenerative Hip and Knee Disease, Czech Republic

Total joint arthroplasty is a commonly used surgical procedure in orthopedics. Revision surgeries are required in >10% of patients mainly because of prosthetic joint infection caused by bacteria or aseptic implant loosening caused by chronic inflammation. Encephalitozoon cuniculi is a microsporidium, an obligate intracellular parasite, capable of exploiting migrating proinflammatory immune cells for dissemination within the host. We used molecular detection methods to evaluate the incidence of E. cuniculi among patients who had total hip or knee arthroplasty revision. Out of 49 patients, E. cuniculi genotypes I, II, or III were confirmed in joint samples from 3 men and 2 women who had implant loosening. Understanding the risks associated with the presence of microsporidia in periprosthetic joint infections is essential for proper management of arthroplasty. Furthermore, E. cuniculi should be considered a potential contributing cause of joint inflammation and arthrosis

Host-specific Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in shelter dogs from central Europe

Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis and microsporidia are unicellular opportunistic pathogens that can cause gastrointestinal infections in both animals and humans. Since companion animals may serve as a source of infection, the aim of the present screening study was to analyse the prevalence of these intestinal protists in fecal samples collected from dogs living in 10 animal shelters in central Europe (101 dogs from Poland and 86 from the Czech Republic), combined with molecular subtyping of the detected organisms in order to assess their genetic diversity. Genus-specific polymerase chain reactions were performed to detect DNA of the tested species and to conduct molecular subtyping in collected samples, followed by statistical evaluation of the data obtained (using χ2 or Fisher's tests). The observed prevalence was 15.5, 10.2, 1 and 1% for G. intestinalis, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Cryptosporidium spp. and Encephalitozoon cuniculi, respectively. Molecular evaluation has revealed the predominance of dog-specific genotypes (Cryptosporidium canis XXe1 subtype; G. intestinalis assemblages C and D; E. cuniculi genotype II; E. bieneusi genotypes D and PtEbIX), suggesting that shelter dogs do not pose a high risk of human transmission. Interestingly, the percentage distribution of the detected pathogens differed between both countries and individual shelters, suggesting that the risk of infection may be associated with conditions typical of a given location

Encephalitozoon cuniculi Microsporidia in Cerebrospinal Fluid from Immunocompetent Patients, Czech Republic

We retrospectively analyzed of 211 frozen cerebrospinal fluid samples from immunocompetent persons in the Czech Republic and detected 6 Encephalitozoon cuniculi–positive samples. Microsporidiosis is generally underestimated and patients are not usually tested for microsporidia, but latent infection in immunodeficient and immunocompetent patients can cause serious complications if not detected and treated