Emerging Insights on the Interaction Between Anticancer and Immunosuppressant Drugs and Intestinal Microbiota in Pediatric Patients

Diseases affecting the immune system, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), are pathological conditions affecting the pediatric population and are often associated with alterations in the intestinal microbiota, such as a decrease in bacterial diversity. Growing evidence suggests that gut microbiota can interfere with chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressant drugs, used in the treatment of these diseases, reducing or facilitating drug efficacy. In particular, the effect of intestinal microflora through translocation, immunomodulation, metabolism, enzymatic degradation, and reduction of bacterial diversity seems to be one of the reasons of interindividual variability in the therapeutic response. Although the extent of the role of intestinal microflora in chemotherapy and immunosuppression remains still unresolved, current evidence on bacterial compositional shifts will be taken in consideration together with clinical response to drugs for a better and personalized therapy. This review is focused on the effect of the intestinal microbiota on the efficacy of pharmacological therapy of agents used to treat IBD, JIA, and ALL

Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa with acquired bla(vim) metallo-beta-lactamase determinants, Italy.

6nonenoneROSSOLINI G.M.; RICCIO M.L.; CORNAGLIA G.; PAGANI L.; LAGATOLLA C.; SELAN L. AND FONTANA R.Rossolini, G. M.; Riccio, M. L.; Cornaglia, G.; Pagani, L.; Lagatolla, Cristina; Selan, L. AND FONTANA R

Antimicrobial activity of aztreonam in combination with old and new β-lactamase inhibitors against mbl and esbl co-producing gram-negative clinical isolates: Possible options for the treatment of complicated infections

none14noMetallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are among the most challenging bacterial enzymes to over-come. Aztreonam (ATM) is the only β-lactam not hydrolyzed by MBLs but is often inactivated by co-produced extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL). We assessed the activity of the combination of ATM with old and new β-lactamases inhibitors (BLIs) against MBL and ESBL co-producing Gram-negative clinical isolates. Six Enterobacterales and three non-fermenting bacilli co-producing MBL and ESBL determinants were selected as difficult-to-treat pathogens. ESBLs and MBLs genes were characterized by PCR and sequencing. The activity of ATM in combination with seven different BLIs (clavulanate, sulbactam, tazobactam, vaborbactam, avibactam, relebactam, zidebactam) was assessed by microdilution assay and time–kill curve. ATM plus avibactam was the most effective combination, able to restore ATM susceptibility in four out of nine tested isolates, reaching in some cases a 128-fold reduction of the MIC of ATM. In addition, relebactam and zidebactam showed to be effective, but with lesser reduction of the MIC of ATM. E. meningoseptica and C. indologenes were not inhibited by any ATM–BLI combination. ATM–BLI combinations demonstrated to be promising against MBL and ESBL co-producers, hence providing multiple options for treatment of related infections. However, no effective combination was found for some non-fermentative bacilli, suggesting the presence of additional resistance mechanisms that complicate the choice of an active therapy.openMorroni G.; Bressan R.; Fioriti S.; D'Achille G.; Mingoia M.; Cirioni O.; Di Bella S.; Piazza A.; Comandatore F.; Mauri C.; Migliavacca R.; Luzzaro F.; Principe L.; Lagatolla C.Morroni, G.; Bressan, R.; Fioriti, S.; D'Achille, G.; Mingoia, M.; Cirioni, O.; Di Bella, S.; Piazza, A.; Comandatore, F.; Mauri, C.; Migliavacca, R.; Luzzaro, F.; Principe, L.; Lagatolla, C

Bartonella spp. isolated from wild and domestic ruminants in North America.

Bartonella species were isolated from 49% of 128 cattle from California and Oklahoma, 90% of 42 mule deer from California, and 15% of 100 elk from California and Oregon. Isolates from all 63 cattle, 14 deer, and 1 elk had the same polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism profiles. Our findings indicate potential for inter- and intraspecies transmission among ruminants, as well as risk that these Bartonella spp. could act as zoonotic agents

Determination of the capsular polysaccharide structure of the Klebsiella pneumoniae ST512 representative strain KPB-1 and assignments of the glycosyltransferases functions

Klebsiella pneumoniae strain KPB-1 was isolated in early 2011 from the pleural fluid of an inpatient admitted at an Italian hospital. It was characterized to produce the KPC-3 carbapenemase and to belong to sequence type 512, a derivative of sequence type 258 clade II characterized by the cps-2 gene cluster. The K-antigen of K. pneumoniae KPB-1 was purified and its structure determined by using GLC-MS of appropriate carbohydrate derivatives and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy of the native polysaccharide. All the collected data demonstrated the following repeating unit for the K. pneumoniae KPB-1 capsular polysaccharide:[Formula presented] The reactions catalysed by each glycosyltransferase in the cps-2 gene cluster were assigned on the basis of structural homology with other Klebsiella K antigens