Acinetobacter baumannii from grass: novel but non-resistant clones

Acinetobacter baumannii is one the most worrisome nosocomial pathogens, which has long been considered almost mainly as a hospital-associated bacterium. There have been some studies about animal and environmental isolates over the last decade. However, little effort has been made to determine if this pathogen dwells in the grass. Here, we aim to determine the evolutionary relationships and antibiotic resistance of clones of A. baumannii sampled from grass to the major human international clones and animal clones. Two hundred and forty genomes were considered in total from four different sources for this study. Our core and accessory genomic epidemiology analyses showed that grass isolates cluster in seven groups well differentiated from one another and from the major human and animal isolates. Furthermore, we found new sequence types under both multilocus sequence typing schemes: two under the Pasteur scheme and seven for the Oxford scheme. The grass isolates contained fewer antibiotic-resistance genes and were not resistant to the antibiotics tested. Our results demonstrate that these novel clones appear to have limited antibiotic resistance potential. Given our findings, we propose that genomic epidemiology and surveillance of A. baumannii should go beyond the hospital settings and consider the environment in an explicit One Health approach

Public attitudes toward stuttering in Europe: within-country and between-country comparisons

Introduction: Epidemiological research methods have been shown to be useful in determining factors that might predict commonly reported negative public attitudes toward stuttering. Previous research has suggested that stuttering attitudes of respondents from North America and Europe (i.e., “The West”), though characterized by stereotypes and potential stigma, are more positive than those from several other regions of the world. This inference assumes that public attitudes within various regions characterized by “The West” are similar. Purpose: This study aimed to determine the extent to which public stuttering attitudes are similar or different both within regions of three different European countries and between or among five different European countries or similar geographic areas. It also aimed to compare these European attitudes to attitudes from 135 samples around the world using a standard measure. Material and methods: Using convenience sampling, 1111 adult respondents from eight different investigations completed the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S) in the dominant language of each country or area. In Study I, the authors compared attitudes within three different regions of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy, and Norway. In Study II, the authors compared attitudes between combined samples from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy, and Norway (with additional respondents from Sweden), and two other samples, one from Germany and the other from Ireland and England. Results: Attitudes of adults from the three samples within Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy, and Norway were remarkably similar. By contrast, attitudes between the five different countries or area were quite dramatically different. Demographic variables on the POSHA-S did not predict the rank order of these between-country/area differences. Compared to the POSHA-S worldwide database, European attitudes ranged from less positive than average (i.e., Italians) to more positive than average (i.e., Norwegians and Swedes). Conclusion: Factors related to national identity appear to play a significant role in differences in public attitudes in Europe and should be explored in future research

The Comparative Risk of Antimicrobial Resistance Transfer from Pig, Poultry and Bovine Manure to Grassland

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a multifactorial issue involving an intertwining relationship between animals, humans and the environment. Therefore, it is critical to fully understand all potential routes of AMR transmission. Manure landspreading introduces bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) into the environment as well as altering the indigenous resistome and microbiome. Grassland consists of ~70% of global agricultural land and is a vital source of food for livestock. The phyllosphere of plants is an under-researched area regarding the impact of agricultural management practices. Therefore, the grass phyllosphere is a possible source of AMR transmission to livestock, which may enter the food chain. Despite the important role grassland plays in food security, the temporal impact of manure application on its resistome and microbiome is unknown. Additionally, the comparative risk associated with different manure sources is unclear. This thesis aimed to compare the temporal and contrasting impact pig, cow and chicken manure had on grassland microbiomes and resistomes using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and high-throughput qPCR (HT-qPCR). Additionally, through culture- dependent approaches the antimicrobial resistance profiles of the WHO priority pathogens Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the manures and grassland were assessed and the molecular mechanisms of their resistance were investigated using PCR and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The manures, soil and the grass phyllosphere, both pre and post manuring, contained a diverse range of ARGs, MGEs and opportunistic pathogens, including the priority pathogens E. coli, K. pneumoniae and A. baumanii. Additionally, manure application resulted in an increased diversity of ARGs and MGEs being detected in grass and soil. In Ireland, current agricultural practices involve returning animals to land six weeks after splash-plate manure spreading. In this study, manure spreading altered the microbiome and resistome of grassland, however temporal analysis aligned with this current Irish agricultural practice, indicating that current guidelines are sufficient to reduce the spread of AMR to livestock. Pig manure was associated with the greatest change in the microbiome and resistome however overall, temporal patterns of manure types were similar, indicating that time had a greater impact than manure type. Overall, these results demonstrate the role of the grass phyllosphere as a novel reservoir of AMR and that current agricultural practices are sufficient to mitigate AMR dissemination

The Comparative Risk of Antimicrobial Resistance Transfer from Pig, Poultry and Bovine Manure to Grassland

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a multifactorial issue involving an intertwining relationship between animals, humans and the environment. Therefore, it is critical to fully understand all potential routes of AMR transmission. Manure landspreading introduces bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) into the environment as well as altering the indigenous resistome and microbiome. Grassland consists of ~70% of global agricultural land and is a vital source of food for livestock. The phyllosphere of plants is an under-researched area regarding the impact of agricultural management practices. Therefore, the grass phyllosphere is a possible source of AMR transmission to livestock, which may enter the food chain. Despite the important role grassland plays in food security, the temporal impact of manure application on its resistome and microbiome is unknown. Additionally, the comparative risk associated with different manure sources is unclear. This thesis aimed to compare the temporal and contrasting impact pig, cow and chicken manure had on grassland microbiomes and resistomes using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and high-throughput qPCR (HT-qPCR). Additionally, through culture- dependent approaches the antimicrobial resistance profiles of the WHO priority pathogens Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the manures and grassland were assessed and the molecular mechanisms of their resistance were investigated using PCR and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The manures, soil and the grass phyllosphere, both pre and post manuring, contained a diverse range of ARGs, MGEs and opportunistic pathogens, including the priority pathogens E. coli, K. pneumoniae and A. baumanii. Additionally, manure application resulted in an increased diversity of ARGs and MGEs being detected in grass and soil. In Ireland, current agricultural practices involve returning animals to land six weeks after splash-plate manure spreading. In this study, manure spreading altered the microbiome and resistome of grassland, however temporal analysis aligned with this current Irish agricultural practice, indicating that current guidelines are sufficient to reduce the spread of AMR to livestock. Pig manure was associated with the greatest change in the microbiome and resistome however overall, temporal patterns of manure types were similar, indicating that time had a greater impact than manure type. Overall, these results demonstrate the role of the grass phyllosphere as a novel reservoir of AMR and that current agricultural practices are sufficient to mitigate AMR dissemination

The Comparative Risk of Antimicrobial Resistance Transfer from Pig, Poultry and Bovine Manure to Grassland

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a multifactorial issue involving an intertwining relationship between animals, humans and the environment. Therefore, it is critical to fully understand all potential routes of AMR transmission. Manure landspreading introduces bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) into the environment as well as altering the indigenous resistome and microbiome. Grassland consists of ~70% of global agricultural land and is a vital source of food for livestock. The phyllosphere of plants is an under-researched area regarding the impact of agricultural management practices. Therefore, the grass phyllosphere is a possible source of AMR transmission to livestock, which may enter the food chain. Despite the important role grassland plays in food security, the temporal impact of manure application on its resistome and microbiome is unknown. Additionally, the comparative risk associated with different manure sources is unclear. This thesis aimed to compare the temporal and contrasting impact pig, cow and chicken manure had on grassland microbiomes and resistomes using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and high-throughput qPCR (HT-qPCR). Additionally, through culture- dependent approaches the antimicrobial resistance profiles of the WHO priority pathogens Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the manures and grassland were assessed and the molecular mechanisms of their resistance were investigated using PCR and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The manures, soil and the grass phyllosphere, both pre and post manuring, contained a diverse range of ARGs, MGEs and opportunistic pathogens, including the priority pathogens E. coli, K. pneumoniae and A. baumanii. Additionally, manure application resulted in an increased diversity of ARGs and MGEs being detected in grass and soil. In Ireland, current agricultural practices involve returning animals to land six weeks after splash-plate manure spreading. In this study, manure spreading altered the microbiome and resistome of grassland, however temporal analysis aligned with this current Irish agricultural practice, indicating that current guidelines are sufficient to reduce the spread of AMR to livestock. Pig manure was associated with the greatest change in the microbiome and resistome however overall, temporal patterns of manure types were similar, indicating that time had a greater impact than manure type. Overall, these results demonstrate the role of the grass phyllosphere as a novel reservoir of AMR and that current agricultural practices are sufficient to mitigate AMR dissemination