Возможностим развития конкуренции на рынках теплоснабжения Донбасса

Проаналізовано стан ситем теплопостачання Донбасу, виявлено зниження виробництва та відпуску теплової енергії, що викликано появою конкурента — автономного опалення. Обгрунтовано причини протиріччя законодавства, що регулює діяльність у сфері комунального теплопостачання — природної монополії, в результаті чого порушені конституційні, цивільні, споживчі права людей. Розглянуто практику регулювання ринків теплопостачання в країнах з розвиненою ринковою економікою, і можливості застосування їх досвіду в Україні. Визначено роль держави, як найважливішого регулятора, який здійснює контроль за ринком теплопостачання, і є влавником стратегічно важливих підприємств сектора. Ключові слова: централізоване теплопостачання, природна монополія, автономне опалення, конкуренція, приватний капітал, державне регулювання.Проанализировано состояние ситем теплоснабжения Донбасса, выявлено снижение производства и отпуска тепловой энергии, что вызвано появлением конкурента — автономного отопления. Обоснованы причины протеворечивости законодательства регулирующего деятельность в сфере коммунального теплоснабжения — естественной монополии, в результате чего нарушены конституционные, гражданские, потребительские права людей. Рассмотрена практика регулирования рынков теплоснабжения в странах с развитой рыночной экономикой, и возможности применения их опыта в Украине. Определена роль государства, как важнейшего регулятора, осуществляющего контроль за рынком теплоснабжения, и собственика стратегически важных предприятий сектора. Ключевые слова: централизованное теплоснабжение, естественная монополия, автономное отопление, конкуренция, частный капитал, государственное регулирование.The state of Donbass Heating System Works, showed a reduction in production and supply of heat energy that is caused by the emergence of competitors — independent heating. Substantiated reasons imperfect legislation governing activities in the field of district heating — natural monopoly, resulting in a violation of the constitutional, civil, consumer rights of people. The practical management of district heating markets in countries with developed market economies, and the possibility of applying their experience in Ukraine. Defined the place of government as an important regulator, controlling the heating market, and the owners of strategically important enterprises in the sector. Key words: district heating, natural monopoly, independent heating, competition, private capital, government regulation

The Application of New Molecular Methods in the Investigation of a Waterborne Outbreak of Norovirus in Denmark, 2012

In December 2012, an outbreak of acute gastrointestinal illness occurred in a geographical distinct area in Denmark covering 368 households. A combined microbiological, epidemiological and environmental investigation was initiated to understand the outbreak magnitude, pathogen(s) and vehicle in order to control the outbreak. Norovirus GII.4 New Orleans 2009 variant was detected in 15 of 17 individual stool samples from 14 households. Norovirus genomic material from water samples was detected and quantified and sequencing of longer parts of the viral capsid region (>1000 nt) were applied to patient and water samples. All five purposely selected water samples tested positive for norovirus GII in levels up to 1.8×10(4) genomic units per 200 ml. Identical norovirus sequences were found in all 5 sequenced stool samples and 1 sequenced water sample, a second sequenced water sample showed 1 nt (<0.1%) difference. In a cohort study, including 256 participants, cases were defined as residents of the area experiencing diarrhoea or vomiting onset on 12-14 December 2012. We found an attack rate of 51%. Being a case was associated with drinking tap-water on 12-13 December (relative risk = 6.0, 95%CI: 1.6-22) and a dose-response relation for the mean glasses of tap-water consumed was observed. Environmental investigations suggested contamination from a sewage pipe to the drinking water due to fall in pressure during water supply system renovations. The combined microbiological, epidemiological and environmental investigations strongly indicates the outbreak was caused by norovirus contamination of the water supply system

Centre-specific bacterial pathogen typing affects infection-control decision making

Whole-genome sequencing is becoming the de facto standard for bacterial outbreak surveillance and infection prevention. This is accompanied by a variety of bioinformatic tools and needs bioinformatics expertise for implementation. However, little is known about the concordance of reported outbreaks when using different bioinformatic workflows. In this multi-centre proficiency testing among 13 major Dutch healthcare-affiliated centres, bacterial whole-genome outbreak analysis was assessed. Centres who participated obtained two randomized bacterial datasets of Illumina sequences, a Klebsiella pneumoniae and a Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, and were asked to apply their bioinformatic workflows. Centres reported back on antimicrobial resistance, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), and outbreak clusters. The reported clusters were analysed using a method to compare landscapes of phylogenetic trees and calculating Kendall–Colijn distances. Furthermore, fasta files were analysed by state-of-the-art single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis to mitigate the differences introduced by each centre and determine standardized SNP cut-offs. Thirteen centres participated in this study. The reported outbreak clusters revealed discrepancies between centres, even when almost identical bioinformatic workflows were used. Due to stringent filtering, some centres failed to detect extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes and MLST loci. Applying a standardized method to determine outbreak clusters on the reported de novo assemblies, did not result in uniformity of outbreak-cluster composition among centres

Antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from high-risk men in Johannesburg, South Africa

Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial drug resistance has emerged worldwide; however, the situation in sub-Saharan Africa is not well documented. We investigated the molecular epidemiology and occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in two core transmission groups of men in Johannesburg, South Africa. We recruited men who have sex with men (MSM) presenting with urethral discharge and men with recurrent episodes of urethral discharge. Molecular testing and culture for N. gonorrhoeae were performed, followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used to identify resistance-conferring mutations and to determine the genetic relatedness of the isolates. In all, 51 men were recruited; 42 (82%) had N. gonorrhoeae infections. Most gonococcal isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin (78%) and tetracycline (74%); 33% were penicillin resistant. All gonococcal isolates were susceptible to cephalosporins and spectinomycin. Azithromycin resistance was observed in 4 (15%) isolates (epidemiological cutoff), all with mutations in the mtrR promoter region. Most of the isolates (19/27) harbored the gonococcal genetic island, which is associated with antimicrobial resistance. WGS revealed a diverse epidemic with mostly novel NG-STAR (70%) and NG-MAST (70%) sequence types. Thus, we demonstrate a high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains obtained from high-risk men in South Africa. The introduction of diagnostics and scale-up of surveillance are warranted to prevent the emergence of multidrug-resistant infections.The National Health Laboratory Service Research Trust and the University of Pretoria Postgraduate Study Abroad Program.http://aac.asm.org2021-04-20hj2021Medical Microbiolog

Molecular epidemiological analysis of Mycoplasma genitalium shows low prevalence of azithromycin resistance and a well-established epidemic in South Africa

OBJECTIVES: Macrolide resistance in Mycoplasma genitalium is emerging globally. There is paucity of data from sub-Saharan Africa where syndromic management is used to treat sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We conducted a molecular epidemiological study to determine the prevalence of azithromycin resistance and epidemic diversity of M. genitalium infections in South Africa. METHODS : We analysed 90 M. genitalium-positive specimens that had been collected consecutively from men and women (50% symptomatic) from geographically diverse communities across the northern part of South Africa between 2015 and 2019. Melting curve analysis followed by targeted sequencing of the 23S rRNA gene was performed to detect azithromycin resistance. Molecular typing was done through single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis of the MG191 gene and short tandem repeats (STR) assessment of the MG309 gene. An overview of all published M. genitalium sequence types was generated and novel sequence types identified in this study were allocated numbers accordingly. RESULTS : Azithromycin resistance was detected in 1/90 M. genitalium-positive specimens (1.1%; 95% CI 0% to 3.3%) as conferred by A2071G mutation; this strain also harboured a C234T mutation in the parC gene with wild type gyrA gene. SNP typing and STR assessment was successful in 38/90 specimens (42%) and showed a genetically diverse epidemic, without geographic clustering, with eight novel sequence types identified. CONCLUSION : This is the first study that determines resistance in M. genitalium infection since introduction of azithromycin in the syndromic management regimen for STIs in South Africa in 2015. Despite a well-established epidemic, azithromycin-resistant M. genitalium infection is still uncommon in the public healthcare sector. However, it has the potential to undermine the effectiveness of syndromic management. Introduction of molecular diagnostics and continuous surveillance are warranted for early detection emergence of resistance.The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland) and by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, U.S. National Institute of Health.http://sti.bmj.comhj2022Medical Microbiolog

Elevated risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants compared with Alpha variant in vaccinated individuals

The extent to which severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs) break through infection- or vaccine-induced immunity is not well understood. We analyzed 28,578 sequenced SARS-CoV-2 samples from individuals with known immune status obtained through national community testing in the Netherlands from March to August 2021. We found evidence of an increased risk of infection by the Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), or Delta (B.1.617.2) variants compared with the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant after vaccination. No clear differences were found between vaccines. However, the effect was larger in the first 14 to 59 days after complete vaccination compared with ≥60 days. In contrast to vaccine-induced immunity, there was no increased risk for reinfection with Beta, Gamma, or Delta variants relative to the Alpha variant in individuals with infection-induced immunity.</p

Biological Roles of the O-Methyl Phosphoramidate Capsule Modification in Campylobacter jejuni.

Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, and the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) of this organism is required for persistence and disease. C. jejuni produces over 47 different capsular structures, including a unique O-methyl phosphoramidate (MeOPN) modification present on most C. jejuni isolates. Although the MeOPN structure is rare in nature it has structural similarity to some synthetic pesticides. In this study, we have demonstrated, by whole genome comparisons and high resolution magic angle spinning NMR, that MeOPN modifications are common to several Campylobacter species. Using MeOPN biosynthesis and transferase mutants generated in C. jejuni strain 81-176, we observed that loss of MeOPN from the cell surface correlated with increased invasion of Caco-2 epithelial cells and reduced resistance to killing by human serum. In C. jejuni, the observed serum mediated killing was determined to result primarily from activation of the classical complement pathway. The C. jejuni MeOPN transferase mutant showed similar levels of colonization relative to the wild-type in chickens, but showed a five-fold drop in colonization when co-infected with the wild-type in piglets. In Galleria mellonella waxmoth larvae, the MeOPN transferase mutant was able to kill the insects at wild-type levels. Furthermore, injection of the larvae with MeOPN-linked monosaccharides or CPS purified from the wild-type strain did not result in larval killing, indicating that MeOPN does not have inherent insecticidal activity

A Flagellar Glycan-Specific Protein Encoded by Campylobacter Phages Inhibits Host Cell Growth

We previously characterized a carbohydrate binding protein, Gp047, derived from lytic Campylobacter phage NCTC 12673, as a promising diagnostic tool for the identification of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. We also demonstrated that this protein binds specifically to acetamidino-modified pseudaminic acid residues on host flagella, but the role of this protein in the phage lifecycle remains unknown. Here, we report that Gp047 is capable of inhibiting C. jejuni growth both on solid and liquid media, an activity, which we found to be bacteriostatic. The Gp047 domain responsible for bacterial growth inhibition is localized to the C-terminal quarter of the protein, and this activity is both contact- and dose-dependent. Gp047 gene homologues are present in all Campylobacter phages sequenced to date, and the resulting protein is not part of the phage particle. Therefore, these results suggest that either phages of this pathogen have evolved an effector protein capable of host-specific growth inhibition, or that Campylobacter cells have developed a mechanism of regulating their growth upon sensing an impending phage threat

A functional Campylobacter jejuni maf4 gene results in novel glycoforms on flagellin and altered autoagglutination behaviour

Flagellin of Campylobacter jejuni is extensively modified with (derivatives of) pseudaminic acid. The flagellar glycosylation locus contains several genes with homopolymeric G-tracts prone to slipped-strand mispairing, some of which belong to the maf gene family. We investigated the function of the putative phase-variable maf4 gene of C. jejuni strain 108. A constructed maf4 mutant displayed unaltered flagella assembly and bacterial motility. 2D-PAGE analysis revealed that the flagellin of strain 108 migrated at a more acidic pI than the protein of the Maf4 mutant. MS-MS in combination with high-resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron MS (MALDI-FT-ICR-MS) on flagellin-derived glycopeptides showed that the flagellins of the mutant lacked two previously unidentified modifications of pseudaminic acid. These glycoforms carried additional CO(2) and C(2)H(2)O(2) groups, consistent with the more acidic pI of the wild-type flagellin. Phenotypically, the maf4 mutant displayed strongly delayed bacterial autoagglutination. Collectively, our results suggest that the presence of a functional Maf4 expands the flagellin glycan repertoire with novel glycoforms of pseudaminic acid and, in the event of phase variation, alters the population behaviour of C. jejuni