Twitter as a Tool for Teaching and Communicating Microbiology: The #microMOOCSEM Initiative

Online social networks are increasingly used by the population on a daily basis. They are considered a powerful tool for science communication and their potential as educational tools is emerging. However, their usefulness in academic practice is still a matter of debate. Here, we present the results of our pioneering experience teaching a full Basic Microbiology course via Twitter (#microMOOCSEM), consisting of 28 lessons of 40-45 minutes duration each, at a tweet per minute rate during 10 weeks. Lessons were prepared by 30 different lecturers, covering most basic areas in Microbiology and some monographic topics of general interest (malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, etc.). Data analysis on the impact and acceptance of the course were largely affirmative, promoting a 330% enhancement in the followers and a >350-fold increase of the number of visits per month to the Twitter account of the host institution, the Spanish Society for Microbiology. Almost one third of the course followers were located overseas. Our study indicates that Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC) via Twitter are highly dynamic, interactive, and accessible to great audiences, providing a valuable tool for social learning and communicating science. This strategy attracts the interest of students towards particular topics in the field, efficiently complementing customary academic activities, especially in multidisciplinary areas like Microbiology.Versión del edito

Prevalence and diversity of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases in faecal Escherichia coli isolates of healthy humans.

Extended-spectrum -lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli isolates were detected in seven of 105 faecal samples from healthy humans, from two Spanish cities, during 2007. In these isolates, five ESBLs were detected, CTX-M-14 (n = 2), CTX-M-1 (n = 2), CTX-M-32 (n = 1), CTX-M-8 (n = 1) and TEM-52 (n = 1). Both blaCTX-M-14a (surrounded by ISEcp1-IS903) and blaCTX-M-14b variants (included in an integron structure) were identified in this study. This is the first time that the blaCTX-M-8 gene and ESBLs of the CTX-M-8 group have been found in Europe and Spain, respectively. Faecal E. coli of healthy humans therefore constitute a reservoir of blaCTX-M genes with different surrounding genetic elements. © 2009 The Authors. Journal Compilation © 2009 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Molecular characterization of multiresistant Escherichia coli producing or not extended-spectrum beta-lactamases

Background: The prevalence and type of plasmids, resistance genes and integrons carried by two collections of multiresistant E. coli producing or not extended-spectrum beta-lactamases have been compared. Rep-PCR was used to determine the clonal relationship of the organisms. Plasmids were classified according to their incompatibility. Class 1 and Class 2 integrons and antibiotic resistance genes were analysed by PCR and sequencing. Results: Both collections of organisms contained a large diversity of unrelated strains with some clones distributed in both groups of isolates. Large plasmids were identified in the two groups of organisms. Plasmids with replicons repK and repColE were more frequent among ESBL-producing isolates, while repFIA, repFII and repA/C replicons were more frequent in isolates lacking ESBL. Conjugative plasmids with repK and repA/C replicons coded for CTX-M-14 and CMY-2 beta-lactamases, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the distribution of class 1 and class 2 integrons among multiresistant E. coli producing or not ESBL, and dfrA17-ant(3[prime][prime])-Ie was the cassette arrangement most commonly found. Conclusions: In the concrete temporal and geographical context of this study, multiresistant E. coli producing ESBL or other mechanisms of resistance were largely clonally diverse and present some differences in the types of harboured plasmids. Still, some clones were found in both ESBL-producing and --lacking isolates

Prevalence and diversity of integrons and associated resistance genes in faecal Escherichia coli isolates of healthy humans in Spain

Objectives: To analyse the prevalence and diversity of integrons in faecal Escherichia coli isolates from healthy humans in Spain. Methods: One hundred E. coli isolates were obtained in Levine agar plates from faecal samples of 100 healthy humans during March to October 2007. Susceptibility to 16 antimicrobial agents was determined by the disc diffusion method. The presence and characterization of class 1, 2 and 3 integrons, as well as the presence of other antimicrobial resistance genes, were performed by PCR and DNA sequencing. Results: Integrases associated with class 1 and/or class 2 integrons were identified in 29 E. coli isolates (intI1 gene in 26 isolates, intI2 in 1 isolate and intI1 + intI2 in 2 isolates), the remaining 71 isolates being free of these integrons. Seven different gene cassette arrangements were demonstrated in 27 of the 28 intI1-positive isolates and were as follows (number of isolates): dfrA1 + aadA1 (12), aadA (8), dfrA17 + aadA5 (3), dfrA7 (1), dfrA5 (1), dfrA1 (1) and dfrA12 + orfF + aadA2 (1). Four isolates presented defective class 1 integrons lacking the 3-conserved region. The three isolates containing class 2 integrons harboured the dfrA1 + sat + aadA1 gene cassette array in their variable region. Integron-positive isolates showed higher percentages of resistance to streptomycin, ampicillin, tetracycline, trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol and nalidixic acid than integron-negative isolates. Sixty-five percent of the integron-positive isolates belonged to phylogenetic groups A or D. Conclusions: A high prevalence of integrons was detected in faecal E. coli of healthy humans. Individuals in the community could be a reservoir of integron-containing E. coli isolates. © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved

Diversity of gene cassette promoters in class 1 integrons from wastewater environments

The diversity of gene cassette promoters in class 1 integrons was investigated in 47 strains isolated from wastewaters. The weak PcW and PcH1 variants predominated, suggesting that, similar to clinical environments, high rates of gene cassette recombination, rather than high expression of gene cassettes, have been preferentially selected in wastewaters.publishe

Characterisation of CTX-M and SHV extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and associated resistance genes in Escherichia coli strains of food samples in Tunisia

Objectives: To assess the occurrence of extended-spectrum -lactamases (ESBLs) in Escherichia coli isolates of faecal samples of animals (n = 40) and food samples (n = 38) obtained in Tunisia in 2006, and to characterize the type of ESBLs, their genetic environments and the associated resistance genes. Methods: Samples were inoculated in supplemented media (2 mg/L cefotaxime) for isolation of broad-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant E. coli isolates (one isolate/sample). ESBLs and their genetic environments as well as integrons and their gene cassette composition were characterized by PCR and sequencing. Results: ESBL-producing E. coli isolates were detected in 10 of the 38 food samples analysed (26%) and in none of the tested animal faecal samples. Genes found were as follows (number of isolates): blaCTX-M-1 (5), blaCTX-M-1 + blaTEM-1b (1), blaCTX-M-14 + blaTEM-1b (2), blaCTX-M-8 (1) and blaSHV-5 (1). All ESBL-positive isolates showed unrelated PFGE patterns. IS Ecp1 and IS 903 were detected surrounding blaCTX-M-14, and IS Ecp1/IS 26 and orf477 surrounding some of the blaCTX-M-1 genes. Four of the ESBL-positive strains harboured class 1 integrons including different gene cassette combinations. Conclusions: ESBLs, mainly of the CTX-M class, are detected in E. coli of food origin in Tunisia, being the first time that this mechanism has been detected in food E. coli strains in Africa. ©The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved

Occurrence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Salmonella enterica in North Spain with evidence of CTX-M-9 clonal spread among animals and humans

Among the 1233 Salmonella enterica isolates obtained in two Spanish hospitals, five isolates (0.4%) (serovars: Virchow, four; Livingstone, one) had the phenotype of an extended-spectrum -lactamase (ESBL) producer. The genetic characterization of the ESBL of S. enterica Livingstone revealed a bla SHV-2 gene. The bla CTX-M-10 gene in a phage-related genetic environment was found in one S. enterica Virchow isolate, and the bla CTX-M-9 gene within the In60 integron was found in the three remaining Virchow isolates. These three isolates presented indistinguishable or closely related pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns among themselves and also as compared with the two other bla CTX-M-9-containing isolates previously obtained from animals. ESBL production is an emerging mechanism of resistance in S. enterica in the two studied hospitals. © 2009 The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Detection of multiple-antimicrobial resistance and characterization of the implicated genes in Escherichia coli isolates from foods of animal origin in Tunis

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of antimicrobial resistance was conducted for 98 Escherichia coli isolates recovered from 40 food samples of animal origin (poultry, sheep, beef, fish, and others) obtained in supermarkets and local butcheries in Tunis during 2004 and 2005. Susceptibility to 15 antimicrobial agents was tested by disk diffusion and agar dilution methods, the mechanisms of resistance were evaluated using PCR and sequencing methods, and the clonal relationship among isolates was evaluated using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. High resistance was detected to tetracycline, sulphonamides, nalidixic acid, ampicillin, streptomycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (29 to 43% of isolates), but all isolates were susceptible to cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefoxitin, azthreonam, and amikacin. One-third of the isolates had multiresistant phenotypes (resistance to at least five different families of antimicrobial agents). Different variants of blaTEM, tet, sul, dfrA, aadA, and aac(3) genes were detected in most of the strains resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, sulphonamide, trimethoprim, streptomycin, and gentamicin, respectively. The presence of class 1 and class 2 integrons was studied in 15 sulphonamideresistant unrelated E. coli strains, and 14 of these strains harbored class 1 integrons with five different arrangements of gene cassettes, and a class 2 integron with the dfrAl + sat + aadAl arrangement was found in one strain. This study revealed the high diversity of antimicrobial resistance genes, some of them included in integrons, in E. coli isolates of food origin. Copyright ©, International Association tor Food Protection