Quinolone Resistance in Non-typhoidal Salmonella

Non‐typhoidal Salmonella is the primary foodborne zoonotic agent of salmonellosis in many countries. Non‐typhoidal Salmonella infections are transmitted to humans primarily through consumption of contaminated foods from animal origin, whereas S. Typhi and Paratyphi infections are spread directly or indirectly by contact with an infected person. Quinolones exhibit potent antibacterial activity against Salmonella and are usually the first choice of treatment for life‐threatening salmonellosis due to multidrug‐resistant strains. However, by the early 1990s, quinolones have been approved for use in food‐producing animals. The increased use of this group of antimicrobials in animal has led to the concomitant emergence of quinolone‐resistant non‐typhoidal Salmonella strains. However, in some countries, there are no legal provisions, which apply to veterinary drugs. This situation provides favorable conditions for spread and persistence of quinolone‐resistant bacteria in food‐producing animals. The objective of this chapter is to review the current regulatory controls for the use of quinolones in food‐producing animals, its effect on development of quinolone resistance, and the potential impact on human and animal health. Moreover, this chapter reviews the current knowledge of quinolone resistance mechanisms and the future directions of research with particular attention to the strategies to control the emergence of quinolone‐resistant Salmonella

Molecular Adsorption Behavior on an Au(111) Surface(STM-other surfaces)

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to study molecular adsorption behavior on reconstructed Au(111) surface. The STM images of ethyl 4-[2-(2-pyrazyl)ethenyl]cinnamate (E25PC) molecules adsorbed on Au(111) revealed ordered nucleation of molecular islands at the initial growth stage. The islands grew with spacing 38 Å in rows 77 Å apart. The periodicity of 38 Å×77 Å corresponds to that of STM images of bare Au(111) reconstructed surface in air. The behavior of molecules adsorbed on Au(111) is discussed from a view point of Au(111) herringbone reconstruction

Identification of novel mast cell genes by serial analysis of gene expression in cord blood-derived mast cells

AbstractThe gene expression profile of human cord blood-derived mast cells (MCs) was investigated using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). A total of 22 914 tags, representing 9181 unique transcripts, were sequenced. By selecting tags that were detected more frequently in MCs than in other tissues, genes characteristic of MCs were enriched. Reverse transcription-PCR and the high-density oligonucleotide array hybridization confirmed the validity of our SAGE result. About 70% of the selected genes were previously uncharacterized. Northern blot analysis showed the MC-specific expression of selected genes. This inventory will be useful to identify novel genes with important functions in MCs

The performance of an in-house loop-mediated isothermal amplification for the rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum samples in comparison with Xpert MTB/RIF, microscopy and culture

Simple, low-cost and effective diagnostic tests for tuberculosis (TB) are needed especially in TB-high burden settings. The present study evaluated the performance of an in-house loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for diagnosing TB by comparing it to Xpert MTB/RIF, microscopy and culture. In Thailand, a total of 204 excess sputum samples volume after the processing of cultures were used for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) detection by Xpert MTB/RIF and LAMP. Based on culture results as the gold standard, the overall sensitivity of LAMP and Xpert MTB/RIF were 82.1% (126/153; 95% confidential interval [CI]: 75.4-88.98%) and 86.9 % (133/153; 95% CI: 80.5-90.8%) respectively, and the specificity of both tests was 100% (51/51; 95% CI: 93.0-100.0%). In comparison with Xpert MTB/RIF, the sensitivity and specificity of LAMP were 94.7% (126/133; 95% CI: 89.5-97.9%), and 100.0% (73/73; 95% CI: 94.9-100.0%), respectively. The average threshold cycle (Ct) of Xpert MTB/RIF detection for positive and negative LAMP results was statistically different, of 18.4 and 27.0, respectively (p < 0.05). In comparison with the acid-fast staining technique, and analyzing LAMP and Xpert MTB/RIF in smear-negative/ culture-positive specimens, there was an increase of the detection rate by 47.7% (21/44) and 54.6% (24/44). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of LAMP appeared to be comparable to those of Xpert MTB/RIF. We claim that this LAMP has potential to provide a sensitive diagnostic test for the rapid TB diagnosis. It allowed a fast detection of MTB before the cultures and it could be used in resource-limited laboratory settings

Emerging Infectious Diseases in Water Buffalo: An Economic and Public Health Concern

Water buffalo is an indispensable livestock in Asia and other countries due to its high meat and milk quality, aside from draft power source. It adapts well to tropical climate and has significant contribution to the livestock industry, provided with improved breeding and good animal husbandry practices. Infectious diseases are hindrance to good reproductive performance of livestock, resulting in huge economic loss. In addition, most of these diseases are zoonotic, posing serious threats on human health. However, its degree of severity varies in each region and is often overlooked. This chapter reviews the common and current updates on emerging bacterial, viral, protozoal, fungal and endoparasitic pathogens that infect water buffaloes worldwide. All of the diseases directly affect the animals’ health condition except for schistosomiasis where water buffalo played an important role as shedder of infection to humans. Leptospirosis, brucellosis, Bovine Tb, BVDV and fasciolosis have projected economic impact to water buffalo industry as well as its effect as zoonoses. However, the data seem underquantified since most are neglected diseases and are highly prevalent in developing countries. Further studies are needed particularly in countries where water buffalo is the major livestock than cattle to fully utilize the potential of the animal

Effect of Continuous Feeding of Ayu-Narezushi on Lipid Metabolism in a Mouse Model of Metabolic Syndrome

Ayu-narezushi, a traditional Japanese fermented food, comprises abundant levels of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and free amino acids. This study aimed to examine the potential beneficial effects of ayu-narezushi and investigated whether ayu-narezushi led to improvements in the Tsumura Suzuki obese diabetes (TSOD) mice model of spontaneous metabolic syndrome because useful LAB are known as probiotics that regulate intestinal function. In the present study, the increased body weight of the TSOD mice was attenuated in those fed the ayu-narezushi-comprised chow (ayu-narezushi group) compared with those fed the normal rodent chow (control group). Serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels were significantly lower in the Ayu-narezushi group than in the control group at 24 weeks of age. Furthermore, hepatic mRNA levels of carnitine-palmitoyl transferase 1 and acyl-CoA oxidase, which related to fatty acid oxidation, were significantly increased in the ayu-narezushi group than in the control group at 24 weeks of age. In conclusion, these results suggested that continuous feeding with ayu-narezushi improved obesity and dyslipidemia in the TSOD mice and that the activation of fatty acid oxidation in the liver might contribute to these improvements

Five-dimensional AGT Conjecture and the Deformed Virasoro Algebra

We study an analog of the AGT relation in five dimensions. We conjecture that the instanton partition function of 5D N=1 pure SU(2) gauge theory coincides with the inner product of the Gaiotto-like state in the deformed Virasoro algebra. In four dimensional case, a relation between the Gaiotto construction and the theory of Braverman and Etingof is also discussed.Comment: 12 pages, reference added, minor corrections (typos, notation changes, etc

Wildlife Tuberculosis: An Emerging Threat for Conservation in South Asia

Wildlife tuberculosis (TB) is becoming one of the emerging challenges for conservation globally. South Asian region is home to many endangered species like Asian elephants, rhinoceros, and Bengal tigers. Although it carries more than one‐third of global burden of human TB, TB in livestock and wildlife has not been adequately studied. This chapter reviews the present knowledge and information about animal‐adapted members of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and wildlife TB in South Asia. Recent studies of TB from different wild animals in Nepal and Bangladesh have found that M.orygis is an emerging threat of wildlife TB in the region. These studies have demonstrated wide diversity of M. orygis strains circulating in the region indicating its endemic distribution. M. orygis–associated TB was discovered from a free‐ranging rhinoceros in Nepal and the finding could signify threat of TB in other wild animals, including a possibility of unknown maintenance host. Recent studies also revealed an emerging challenge caused by TB to elephants in different South Asian countries like Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka. Wildlife TB is becoming a conservation challenge in South Asia, but given the paucity of research in this area, it is overlooked and underexplored