Arte convenzionale – ovvero – perché non possono esistere artisti realmente anticonformisti

The representation of the artist is generally that of a nonconformist, a lonely Bohemian eager to revolutionise the world from his studio. From this perspective, the traditional interpretation of art history is one of linear progress, spurred on by moments of innovation aiming at new states of conventionalism. This article shows how such a perspective has much to do with the philosophy of modern times, even though it doesn’t provide a satisfactory explanation of the meaning and development of art throughout the centuries, bound as they are instead to the necessity of convention with the values of society (or of its élite) rather than on wild individualism

Correction: Alhamami et al. First Emergence of Resistance to Macrolides and Tetracycline Identified in Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida Isolates from Beef Feedlots in Australia. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 1322

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [1]: There are metadata errors in Supplementary Figure S2 and Table 8, which state that isolate 17BRD-035 was isolated from a feedlot in NSW when in fact it came from Queensland. Figure S2 in Supplementary Materials was changed accordingly and was included with a separate document: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/microorganisms9061322/s1 In Table 8, the ST column for strain P. m 17BRD-035 was changed from NSW to QLD, the correct Table 8 is as follows: Table 8. Resistance profile, RAPD pattern and presence of antimicrobial resistance genes among isolates of Pasteurella multocida (P. m) (n = 28) and Mannheimia haemolytica (M. h) (n = 1) +, present, −, absent. Table (see supplement) The authors apologize for any inconvenience caused and state that the scientific conclusions are unaffected. The original article has been updated

Commonality among Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Sequence Type ST131 Extraintestinal Escherichia coli Isolates from Humans and Companion Animals in Australia ᰔ †

Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131), an emergent multidrug-resistant extraintestinal pathogen, has spread epidemically among humans and was recently isolated from companion animals. To assess for humancompanion animal commonality among ST131 isolates, 214 fluoroquinolone-resistant extraintestinal E. coli isolates (205 from humans, 9 from companion animals) from diagnostic laboratories in Australia, provisionally identified as ST131 by PCR, selectively underwent PCR-based O typing and bla CTX-M-15 detection. A subset then underwent multilocus sequence typing (MLST), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis, extended virulence genotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and fluoroquinolone resistance genotyping. All isolates were O25b positive, except for two O16 isolates and one O157 isolate, which (along with six O25b-positive isolates) were confirmed by MLST to be ST131. Only 12% of isolates (25 human, 1 canine) exhibited bla CTX-M-15 . PFGE analysis of 20 randomly selected human and all 9 companion animal isolates showed multiple instances of >94% profile similarity across host species; 12 isolates (6 human, 6 companion animal) represented pulsotype 968, the most prevalent ST131 pulsotype in North America (representing 23% of a large ST131 reference collection). Virulence gene and antimicrobial resistance profiles differed minimally, without host species specificity. The analyzed ST131 isolates also exhibited a conserved, host species-independent pattern of chromosomal fluoroquinolone resistance mutations. However, eight (89%) companion animal isolates, versus two (10%) human isolates, possessed the plasmid-borne qnrB gene (P < 0.001). This extensive across-species strain commonality, plus the similarities between Australian and non-Australian ST131 isolates, suggest that ST131 isolates are exchanged between humans and companion animals both within Australia and intercontinentally

Dissemination and persistence of extended-spectrum cephalosporin- resistance encoding IncI1-blaCTXM-1 plasmid among Escherichia coli in pigs

This study investigated the ecology, epidemiology and plasmid characteristics of extended-spectrum cephalosporin (ESC)-resistant E. coli in healthy pigs over a period of 4 years (2013–2016) following the withdrawal of ESCs. High carriage rates of ESC-resistant E. coli were demonstrated in 2013 (86.6%) and 2014 (83.3%), compared to 2015 (22%) and 2016 (8.5%). ESC resistance identified among E. coli isolates was attributed to the carriage of an IncI1 ST-3 plasmid (pCTXM1-MU2) encoding blaCTXM-1. Genomic characterisation of selected E. coli isolates (n = 61) identified plasmid movement into multiple commensal E. coli (n = 22 STs). Major STs included ST10, ST5440, ST453, ST2514 and ST23. A subset of the isolates belong to the atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (aEPEC) pathotype that harboured multiple LEE pathogenic islands. pCTXM1-MU2 was similar (99% nt identity) to IncI1-ST3 plasmids reported from Europe, encoded resistance to aminoglycosides, sulphonamides and trimethoprim, and carried colicin Ib. pCTXM1-MU2 appears to be highly stable and readily transferable. This study demonstrates that ESC resistance may persist for a protracted period following removal of direct selection pressure, resulting in the emergence of ESC-resistance in both commensal E. coli and aEPEC isolates of potential significance to human and animal health.This study was funded by the DVM clinical research programme, University of Adelaide and Small Grant Scheme of School of Veterinary Life Sciences, Murdoch University

In vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Robenidine, Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid and Polymyxin B Nonapeptide Against Important Human and Veterinary Pathogens

The emergence and global spread of antimicrobial resistance among bacterial pathogens demand alternative strategies to treat life-threatening infections. Combination drugs and repurposing of old compounds with known safety profiles that are not currently used in human medicine can address the problem of multidrug-resistant infections and promote antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary medicine. In this study, the antimicrobial activity of robenidine alone or in combination with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or polymyxin B nonapeptide (PMBN) against Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, including those associated with canine otitis externa and human skin and soft tissue infection, was evaluated in vitro using microdilution susceptibility testing and the checkerboard method. Fractional inhibitory concentration indices (FICIs) and dose reduction indices (DRI) of the combinations against tested isolates were determined. Robenidine alone was bactericidal against Acinetobacter baumannii [minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) mode = 8 μg/ml] and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (MIC mode = 2 μg/ml). Against Acinetobacter spp., an additivity/indifference of the combination of robenidine/EDTA (0.53 > FICIs > 1.06) and a synergistic effect of the combination of robenidine/PMBN (0.5 < FICI) were obtained. DRIs of robenidine were significantly increased in the presence of both EDTA and PMBN from 2- to 2048-fold. Robenidine exhibited antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of either EDTA or PMBN. Robenidine also demonstrated potent antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens and all Gram-negative pathogens isolated from cases of canine otitis externa in the presence of EDTA. Robenidine did not demonstrate antibiofilm activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. EDTA facilitated biofilm biomass degradation for both Gram-positives and Gram-negatives. The addition of robenidine to EDTA was not associated with any change in the effect on biofilm biomass degradation. The combination of robenidine with EDTA or PMBN has potential for further exploration and pharmaceutical development, such as incorporation into topical and otic formulations for animal and human use

Molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Australian veterinarians

This work investigated the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from veterinarians in Australia in 2009. The collection (n = 44) was subjected to extensive molecular typing (MLST, spa, SCCmec, dru, PFGE, virulence and antimicrobial resistance genotyping) and antimicrobial resistance phenotyping by disk diffusion. MRSA was isolated from Australian veterinarians representing various occupational emphases. The isolate collection was dominated by MRSA strains belonging to clonal complex (CC) 8 and multilocus sequence type (ST) 22. CC8 MRSA (ST8-IV [2B], spa t064; and ST612-IV [2B] , spa variable,) were strongly associated with equine practice veterinarians (OR = 17.5, 95% CI = 3.3-92.5, P < 0.001) and were often resistant to gentamicin and rifampicin. ST22-IV [2B], spa variable, were strongly associated with companion animal practice veterinarians (OR = 52.5, 95% CI = 5.2-532.7, P < 0.001) and were resistant to ciprofloxacin. A single pig practice veterinarian carried ST398-V [5C2], spa t1451. Equine practice and companion animal practice veterinarians frequently carried multiresistant-CC8 and ST22 MRSA, respectively, whereas only a single swine specialist carried MRSA ST398. The presence of these strains in veterinarians may be associated with specific antimicrobial administration practices in each animal species

Identification by Virtual Screening and In Vitro Testing of Human DOPA Decarboxylase Inhibitors

Dopa decarboxylase (DDC), a pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of dopamine and serotonin, is involved in Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is a neurodegenerative disease mainly due to a progressive loss of dopamine-producing cells in the midbrain. Co-administration of L-Dopa with peripheral DDC inhibitors (carbidopa or benserazide) is the most effective symptomatic treatment for PD. Although carbidopa and trihydroxybenzylhydrazine (the in vivo hydrolysis product of benserazide) are both powerful irreversible DDC inhibitors, they are not selective because they irreversibly bind to free PLP and PLP-enzymes, thus inducing diverse side effects. Therefore, the main goals of this study were (a) to use virtual screening to identify potential human DDC inhibitors and (b) to evaluate the reliability of our virtual-screening (VS) protocol by experimentally testing the “in vitro” activity of selected molecules. Starting from the crystal structure of the DDC-carbidopa complex, a new VS protocol, integrating pharmacophore searches and molecular docking, was developed. Analysis of 15 selected compounds, obtained by filtering the public ZINC database, yielded two molecules that bind to the active site of human DDC and behave as competitive inhibitors with Ki values ≥10 µM. By performing in silico similarity search on the latter compounds followed by a substructure search using the core of the most active compound we identified several competitive inhibitors of human DDC with Ki values in the low micromolar range, unable to bind free PLP, and predicted to not cross the blood-brain barrier. The most potent inhibitor with a Ki value of 500 nM represents a new lead compound, targeting human DDC, that may be the basis for lead optimization in the development of new DDC inhibitors. To our knowledge, a similar approach has not been reported yet in the field of DDC inhibitors discovery

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. Isolates From Healthy Pigs in Australia: Results of a Pilot National Survey

This study investigated the frequency of antimicrobial non-susceptibility (defined as the frequency of isolates with minimum inhibitory concentrations above the CLSI susceptible clinical breakpoint) among E. coli and Salmonella spp. isolated from healthy Australian finisher pigs. E. coli (n = 201) and Salmonella spp. (n = 69) were isolated from cecal contents of slaughter-age pigs, originating from 19 farms distributed throughout Australia during July-December 2015. Isolates underwent minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) susceptibility testing to 11 antimicrobials. The highest frequencies of non-susceptibility among respective isolates of E. coli and Salmonella spp. were to ampicillin (60.2 and 20.3%), tetracycline (68.2 and 26.1%), chloramphenicol (47.8 and 7.3%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (33.8 and 11.6%). Four E. coli isolates had MICs above the wild-type epidemiological cut-offvalue for ciprofloxacin, with two isolates from the same farm classified as clinically resistant (MICs of > 4 μg/ml), a noteworthy finding given that fluoroquinolones (FQs) are not legally available for use in Australian food-producing animals. Three of these four E. coli isolates belonged to the sequence type (ST) 10, which has been isolated from both humans and production animals, whilst one isolate belonged to a new ST (7573) and possessed qnrS1. This study shows that non-susceptibility to first line antimicrobials is common among E. coli and Salmonella spp. isolates from healthy slaughter age pigs in Australia. However, very low levels of non-susceptibility to critically important antimicrobials (CIAs), namely third generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones were observed. Nevertheless, the isolation of two ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli isolates from Australian pigs demonstrates that even in the absence of local antimicrobial selection pressure, fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli clonal lineages may enter livestock production facilities despite strict biosecurity

Urinary tract infection in cats (letter)

A. L. Litster, S. M. Moss and D. J. Trot