Molecular Identification of Multidrug-Resistant Campylobacter Species From Diarrheal Patients and Poultry Meat in Shanghai, China

Emerging resistance to the antimicrobial agents of choice for treatment of thermophilic Campylobacter infections is becoming a serious threat to public health. In this study, 548 Campylobacter (372 C. jejuni and 176 C. coli) isolates from diarrheal patients and poultry meat were subjected for antibiotic susceptibility analysis to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, gentamicin, erythromycin and clindamycin. Among them, 151 Campylobacter (32 C. jejuni and 119 C. coli) were identified as multidrug resistant isolates. PFGE analysis was performed on the 151 multidrug resistant isolates to determine their genetic relatedness, and 103 PFGE genotypes were determined. Some isolates from both human and chicken belonged to identical genotypes, indicating these clones might be able to spread between human and chicken. Antibiotic resistant genes of the 151 isolates were identified. The numbers of isolates carried tet (O), aadE, ermB, and aadE-sat4-aphA were 148 (98%), 89 (58.9%), 31 (20.5%), and 10 (6.6%), respectively. Almost all (n = 150, 99.3%) had gyrA mutation at codon 86. And the 23s rRNA A2075G point mutation was found in 56 (37.1%) isolates. Gene mutations at the cmeR-cmeABC intergenic region may lead to the activation of CmeABC multidrug efflux pump, and in this study novel sequence types of the intergenic region were identified in both C. jejuni and C. coli. This study determined the genetic prerequisites for antibiotic resistance of multidrug resistant Campylobacter isolates from diarrheal patients and poultry meat in Shanghai, China

Phosphomolybdic acid-responsive Pickering emulsions stabilized by ionic liquid functionalized Janus nanosheets

<p><b>A</b> Representative photomicrographs of Caspase-3 immunofluorescence staining (400×). <b>B</b> Quantification of Caspase-3 fluorescence intensity in different groups. <b>C</b> Representative Western blot band of Caspase-3 activation in the ischemic cortex at 24 h after reperfusion. <b>D</b> Effect of LBP (40 mg/kg) on the Caspase-3 activation in MCAO mice cortex at 24 h after reperfusion. Data are expressed as mean±SEM (n = 6). ^##P<0.01 vs. sham-operated group; **P<0.01 vs. vehicle group.</p

High-Level PM2.5/PM10 Exposure Is Associated With Alterations in the Human Pharyngeal Microbiota Composition

Previous studies showed that high concentration of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and PM10 carried a large number of bacterial and archaeal species, including pathogens and opportunistic pathogens. In this study, pharyngeal swabs from 83 subjects working in an open air farmer’s market were sampled before and after exposure to smog with PM2.5 and PM10 levels up to 200 and 300 μg/m3, respectively. Their microbiota were investigated using high-throughput sequencing targeting the V3–V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. The genus level phylotypes was increased from 649 to 767 in the post-smog pharyngeal microbiota, of which 142 were new and detected only in the post-smog microbiota. The 142 new genera were traced to sources such as soil, marine, feces, sewage sludge, freshwater, hot springs, and saline lakes. The abundance of the genera Streptococcus, Haemophilus, Moraxella, and Staphylococcus increased in the post-smog pharyngeal microbiota. All six alpha diversity indices and principal component analysis showed that the taxonomic composition of the post-smog pharyngeal microbiota was significantly different to that of the pre-smog pharyngeal microbiota. Redundancy analysis showed that the influences of PM2.5/PM10 exposure and smoking on the taxonomic composition of the pharyngeal microbiota were statistically significant (p &lt; 0.001). Two days of exposure to high concentrations of PM2.5/PM10 changed the pharyngeal microbiota profiles, which may lead to an increase in respiratory diseases. Wearing masks could reduce the effect of high-level PM2.5/PM10 exposure on the pharyngeal microbiota

Genotypic and Phenotypic Characteristics of <i>Moraxella catarrhalis</i> from Patients and Healthy Asymptomatic Participants among Preschool Children

(1) Background: M. catarrhalis can ascend into the middle ear, where it is a prevalent causative agent of otitis media in children, or enter the lower respiratory tract, where it is associated with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). In this study, we aimed to provide an overview of the prevalence of M. catarrhalis in preschool children. (2) Methods: M. catarrhalis strains were isolated from samples. All isolates were characterized in terms of serotypes (STs), virulence genes, multilocus sequence type, and antibiotic susceptibility. (3) Results: The percentages of strains expressing lipooligosaccharides (LOSs), serotype A, B, C, or unknown were 67.61%, 15.71%, 4.28%, and 12.38%, respectively. Among the strains, 185 (88.10%) carried ompB2, 207 (98.57%) carried ompE, and 151 (71.90%) carried ompCD. The most frequently identified STs were ST449 (n = 13), ST64 (n = 11), and ST215 (n = 10). The resistance rates to the antibiotics cefuroxime, azithromycin, and erythromycin were 43.33%, 28.10%, and 39.05%, respectively. (4) Conclusions: High prevalence of some-specific ST types and high rates of antibiotic resistance indicate the necessity for an increased vigilance of resistant strains, a rational use of antibiotics in preschool children, and most importantly, the surveillance of healthy asymptomatic participants preschool children with M. catarrhalis. Our findings provide a platform for the development of novel M. catarrhalis vaccines

Rare Shewanella spp. associated with pulmonary and bloodstream infections of cancer patients, China: a case report

Abstract Background Members of Shewanella species are opportunistic pathogens that are found in marine environments. Currently more than sixty species have been identified, whereas the most commonly clinical cases associated with Shewanella species have involved only two species, i.e., S. algae and S. putrefaciens. We present two cases of pulmonary and bloodstream infections caused by two rare Shewanella spp. strains from patients of gastrointestinal cancer. Case presentation Two male patients with a history of gastrointestinal cancer presented to hospital with pulmonary and bloodstream infections, respectively. The infective pathogens of both cases were primarily isolated and identified as Shewanella algae (case I) and Shewanella putrefaciens (case II) by phenotypic features and VITEK 2 system, but they were further confirmed as Shewanella haliotis and Shewanella upenei by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The major bacterial composition of the bronchoalveolar lavage in case I was also identified as Shewanella by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing analysis. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that the two strains had broad susceptibility, but S. haliotis in the case I was resistant to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin and S. upenei in the case II was intermediate to imipenem, piperacillin/tazobactam and ciprofloxacin. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first cases of the pulmonary and bloodstream infections caused by Shewanella spp. from clinical patients in mainland China. Shewanella as a potential pathogen in China should not be ignored

Effects of LBP on the expression of Cleaved PARP-1.

<p><b>A</b> Representative Western blot band of Cleaved PARP-1 activation in the ischemic cortex at 24 h after reperfusion. <b>B</b> Effect of LBP (40 mg/kg) on the Cleaved PARP-1 activation in MCAO mice cortex at 24 h after reperfusion. Data are expressed as mean±SEM (n = 6). ^##P<0.01 vs. sham-operated group; *P<0.05, **P<0.01 vs. vehicle group.</p

Effects of LBP on the expression of Bcl-2 protein.

<p><b>A</b> Representative photomicrographs of Bcl-2 immunofluorescence staining (400×). <b>B</b> Quantification of Bcl-2 protein fluorescence intensity in different groups. <b>C</b> Representative Western blot band of Bcl-2 protein expression in the ischemic cortex at 24 h after reperfusion. <b>D</b> Effect of LBP (40 mg/kg) on the Bcl-2 expression in MCAO mice cortex at 24 h after reperfusion. Data are expressed as mean±SEM (n = 6). ^#P<0.05, ^##P<0.01 vs. sham-operated group; **P<0.01 vs. vehicle group.</p

Effects of LBP (40 mg/kg) on the caspase-3 activities in left hemisphere after 2 h of MCAO and 24 h of reperfusion.

<p>Data are expressed as mean±SEM (n = 6). ^##P<0.01, vs. sham-operated group, *P<0.05 vs. vehicle group.</p

Effects of LBP on the expression of CytC.

<p><b>A</b> Representative photomicrographs of CytC immunofluorescence staining (400×). <b>B</b> Quantification of CytC fluorescence intensity in different groups. <b>C</b> Representative Western blot band of CytC activation in the ischemic cortex at 24 h after reperfusion. <b>D</b> Effect of LBP (40 mg/kg) on the CytC activation in MCAO mice cortex at 24 h after reperfusion. Data are expressed as mean±SEM (n = 6). ^##P<0.01 vs. sham-operated group; *P<0.05, **P<0.01 vs. vehicle group.</p

LBP reduces the number of Tunel positive neurons after focal cerebral ischemic injury.

<p><b>A</b> TUNEL staining of representative sections in mice ischemic penumbra of the cortex at 24<b>B</b> Quantitative analysis of apoptosis cells in cortex in different groups at 24 h after reperfusion. Data are expressed as mean±SEM (n = 6). ^##P<0.01 vs. sham-operated group; *P<0.05, **P<0.01 vs. vehicle group.</p