Faecal carriage of enterococci harbouring oxazolidinone resistance genes among healthy humans in the community in Switzerland

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the faecal carriage of enterococci harbouring oxazolidinone resistance genes among healthy humans in Switzerland and to genetically characterize the isolates. Methods: A total of 399 stool samples from healthy individuals employed in different food-processing plants were cultured on a selective medium containing 10 mg/L florfenicol. Resulting enterococci were screened by PCR for the presence of cfr, optrA and poxtA. A hybrid approach combining short-read and long-read WGS was used to analyse the genetic context of the cfr, optrA and poxtA genes. Results: Enterococcus faecalis (n = 6), Enterococcus faecium (n = 6), Enterococcus gallinarum (n = 1) and Enterococcus hirae (n = 2) were detected in 15/399 (3.8%) of the faecal samples. They carried cfr + poxtA, optrA, optrA + poxtA or poxtA. Four E. faecalis harbouring optrA and one E. faecium carrying poxtA were resistant to linezolid (8 mg/L). In most optrA-positive isolates, the genetic environments of optrA were highly variable, but often resembled previously described platforms. In most poxtA-positive isolates, the poxtA gene was flanked on both sides by IS1216E elements and located on medium-sized plasmids. Conclusions: Faecal carriage of Enterococcus spp. harbouring cfr, optrA and poxtA in healthy humans associated with the food-production industry demonstrates the possibility of spread of oxazolidinone resistance genes into the community. Given the importance of linezolid as a last-resort antibiotic for the treatment of serious infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens, the detection of the oxazolidinone resistance determinants in enterococci from healthy humans is of concern for public health

Complete Genome Sequence of Hafnia paralvei Isolate AVS0177, Harboring mcr−9mcr-9 on a Plasmid

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of a Hafnia paralvei strain isolated from a lake in Switzerland in 2020. The genome consists of a 4.7-Mbp chromosome, a large plasmid (213 kb) harboring mcr-9, and a small plasmid (6 kb)

Complete Genome Sequence of Colistin-Resistant, mcr-10-Harboring, Enterobacter cloacae Isolate AVS0889, Recovered from River Water in Switzerland

Here, we report the complete genome sequence of colistin-resistant Enterobacter cloacae sequence type 1 (ST1) isolate AVS0889, which was recovered from a river in Switzerland in 2021. The genome consists of a 4.95-Mbp chromosome and five plasmids, including a large plasmid (90.8 kb) harboring a disrupted mcr-10 gene

High occurrence of Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, and Vagococcus lutrae harbouring oxazolidinone resistance genes in raw meat-based diets for companion animals – a public health issue, Switzerland, September 2018 to May 2020

Introduction: Enterococci harbouring genes encoding resistance to florfenicol and the oxazolidinone antimicrobial linezolid have emerged among food-producing animals and meat thereof, but few studies have analysed their occurrence in raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) for pets.AimWe aimed to examine how far RMBDs may represent a source of bacteria with oxazolidinone resistance genes. Methods: Fifty-nine samples of different types of RMBDs from 10 suppliers (three based in Germany, seven in Switzerland) were screened for florfenicol-resistant Gram-positive bacteria using a selective culture medium. Isolates were phenotypically and genotypically characterised.ResultsA total of 27 Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, and Vagococcus lutrae isolates were obtained from 24 of the 59 samples. The optrA, poxtA, and cfr genes were identified in 24/27, 6/27 and 5/27 isolates, respectively. Chloramphenicol and linezolid minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranged from 24.0 mg/L-256.0 mg/L, and 1.5 mg/L-8.0 mg/L, respectively. According to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints, 26 of 27 isolates were resistant to chloramphenicol (MICs ≥ 32 mg/L), and two were resistant to linezolid (MICs ≥ 8 mg/L). Multilocus sequence typing analysis of the 17 E. faecalis isolates identified 10 different sequence types (ST)s, with ST593 (n = 4 isolates) and ST207 (n = 2 isolates) occurring more than once, and two novel STs (n = 2 isolates). E. faecium isolates belonged to four different STs (168, 264, 822, and 1846). Conclusion: The high occurrence in our sample of Gram-positive bacteria harbouring genes encoding resistance to the critical antimicrobial linezolid is of concern since such bacteria may spread from companion animals to humans upon close contact between pets and their owners

Nutzen der Digitalisierung auf eine nachhaltige Landschafts- und Raumentwicklung: Ergebnisse einer breit angelegten Delphi-Umfrage in der Schweiz

Digitalisierung verändert die Anforderungen an den Raum, dessen Nutzungen und damit Raum und Landschaft selbst. Für Technik und Fachplanungen kristallisieren sich die Entwicklungstrends allmählich heraus. Doch wie sich die Digitalisierung auf den Raum und die Planung konkret auswirkt, ist momentan noch kaum erforscht. Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung werden in den Bereichen Mobilität, Energie und Versorgung besonders deutlich, aber auch in Bezug auf Freizeit und Erholung und die flächenhaften Nutzungen werden Trends in der Fachwelt diskutiert.Hier erste Antworten und Hilfestellungen für die Planung in den Gemeinden und Regionen zu finden, um deren Handlungsfähigkeit im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung zu erhöhen, ist Ziel des Forschungsprojekts „NUDIG – Nutzen der Digitalisierung für eine nachhaltige Landschafts- und Raumentwicklung“ der HSR Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil / Schweiz. Als Grundlage werden im ersten Schritt aus der Literatur und aus beschriebene Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung vom Forschungsteam systematisiert und bewertet. Als Ergebnis der Desktoprecherche kann die Raumwirksamkeit der Digitalisierung und mögliche Steuerungsansätze phänomenologisch beschrieben werden, eine Evidenz oder sogar Empirie über die Raumwirksamkeit lässt sich hingegen nicht ableiten. Eine empirische Untersuchung der Raumwirksamkeit der Digitalisierung, die sich mit mehreren Disziplinen der räumlichen Planung und deren Wechselwirkungen befasst, scheint zumindest zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt nicht möglich. Um die Ergebnisse und die darausfolgenden Thesen der Literaturrecherche dennoch zu plausibilisieren wurde eine zweifstufige Delphi-Umfrage gestartet, wo Fachexpertinnen und Fachexperten der einzelnen Planungsdisziplinen gefragt sind,ihre Einschätzungen zu den Auswirkungen und dem Nutzen der Digitalisierung auf die Planung abzugeben. Das zentrale Ergebnis der Umfrage ist, dass sich die Fachdisziplinen der Digitalisierung nicht verweigern können und die Raumnutzungen und die Wahrnehmung von Raum beeinflusst und verändert werden. Die Digitalisierung eröffnet für alle Raumkategorien und die unterschiedlichen Fachdisziplinen Potenziale für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung, wenngleich die einzelnen positiven und auch negativen Einschätzungen derFachdisziplinen variieren. Dieser Beitrag soll daher einerseits die Vorgehensweise der Delphi-Umfrage beleuchten sowie die relevantesten Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerungen aus der Umfrage erläutern. Andererseits liegt der Fokus auf der Frage ob mithilfe der Digitalisierung und der dadurch entstehenden neuen planerischen Perspektiven, eine Trendumkehr, eine umweltverträglichere und ressourceneffizientere Raum-, Verkehrs- und Landschaftsplanung, unterstützt und wie dieser Aspekt von der Fachwelt beurteilt wird

RNAi Screening Uncovers a Synthetic Sick Interaction between CtIP and the BARD1 Tumor Suppressor

Human CtIP is best known for its role in DNA end resection to initiate DNA double-strand break repair by homologous recombination. Recently, CtIP has also been shown to protect reversed replication forks from nucleolytic degradation upon DNA replication stress. However, still little is known about the DNA damage response (DDR) networks that preserve genome integrity and sustain cell survival in the context of CtIP insufficiency. Here, to reveal such potential buffering relationships, we screened a DDR siRNA library in CtIP-deficient cells to identify candidate genes that induce synthetic sickness/lethality (SSL). Our analyses unveil a negative genetic interaction between CtIP and BARD1, the heterodimeric binding partner of BRCA1. We found that simultaneous disruption of CtIP and BARD1 triggers enhanced apoptosis due to persistent replication stress-induced DNA lesions giving rise to chromosomal abnormalities. Moreover, we observed that the genetic interaction between CtIP and BARD1 occurs independently of the BRCA1-BARD1 complex formation and might be, therefore, therapeutical relevant for the treatment of BRCA-defective tumors.Peer reviewe

Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli

Multidrug resistance in Escherichia coli has become a worrying issue that is increasingly observed in human but also in veterinary medicine worldwide. E. coli is intrinsically susceptible to almost all clinically relevant antimicrobial agents, but this bacterial species has a great capacity to accumulate resistance genes, mostly through horizontal gene transfer. The most problematic mechanisms in E. coli correspond to the acquisition of genes coding for extended-spectrum β-lactamases (conferring resistance to broad-spectrum cephalosporins), carbapenemases (conferring resistance to carbapenems), 16S rRNA methylases (conferring pan-resistance to aminoglycosides), plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes (conferring resistance to [fluoro]quinolones), and mcr genes (conferring resistance to polymyxins). Although the spread of carbapenemase genes has been mainly recognized in the human sector but poorly recognized in animals, colistin resistance in E. coli seems rather to be related to the use of colistin in veterinary medicine on a global scale. For the other resistance traits, their cross-transfer between the human and animal sectors still remains controversial even though genomic investigations indicate that extended- spectrum β-lactamase producers encountered in animals are distinct from those affecting humans. In addition, E. coli of animal origin often also show resistances to other—mostly older—antimicrobial agents, including tetracyclines, phenicols, sulfonamides, trimethoprim, and fosfomycin. Plasmids, especially multiresistance plasmids, but also other mobile genetic elements, such as transposons and gene cassettes in class 1 and class 2 integrons, seem to play a major role in the dissemination of resistance genes. Of note, coselection and persistence of resistances to critically important antimicrobial agents in human medicine also occurs through the massive use of antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine, such as tetracyclines or sulfonamides, as long as all those determinants are located on the same genetic elements