Fecal Calprotectin Excretion in Preterm Infants during the Neonatal Period

Fecal calprotectin has been proposed as a non-invasive marker of intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease in adults and children. Fecal calprotectin levels have been reported to be much higher in both healthy full-term and preterm infants than in children and adults.To determine the time course of fecal calprotectin (f-calprotectin) excretion in preterm infants from birth until hospital discharge and to identify factors influencing f-calprotectin levels in the first weeks of life, including bacterial establishment in the gut.F-calprotectin was determined using an ELISA assay in 147 samples obtained prospectively from 47 preterm infants (gestational age, and birth-weight interquartiles 27–29 weeks, and 880–1320 g, respectively) at birth, and at 2-week intervals until hospital discharge. (p = 0.047).During the first weeks of life, the high f-calprotectin values observed in preterm infants could be linked to the gut bacterial establishment

Effect of Antibiotic Therapy on Human Fecal Microbiota and the Relation to the Development of Clostridium difficile.

8 pages, 4 figures, 1 tableauInternational audienceThe gastrointestinal tract is a complex ecosystem. Recent studies have shown that the human fecal microbiota is composed of a consortium of microorganism. It is known that antibiotic treatment alters the microbiota, facilitating the proliferation of opportunists that may occupy ecological niches previously unavailable to them. It is therefore important to characterize resident microbiota to evaluate its latent ability to permit the development of pathogens such as Clostridium difficile. Using samples from 260 subjects enrolled in a previously published clinical study on antibiotic-associated diarrhea, we investigated the possible relationship between the fecal dominant resident microbiota and the subsequent development of C. difficile. We used molecular profiling of bacterial 16S rDNA coupled with partial least square (PLS) regression analysis. Fecal samples were collected on day 0 (D(0)) before antibiotic treatment and on day 14 (D(14)) after the beginning of the treatment. Fecal DNA was isolated, and V6-to-V8 regions of the 16S rDNA were amplified by polymerase chain reaction with general primers and analyzed by temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE). Main bacteria profiles were compared on the basis of similarity (Pearson correlation coefficient). The characteristics of the microbiota were determined using PLS discriminant analysis model. Eighty-seven TTGE profiles on D(0) have been analyzed. The banding pattern was complex in all cases. The subsequent onset of C. difficile was not revealed by any clustering of TTGE profiles, but was explained up to 46% by the corresponding PLS model. Furthermore, 6 zones out of the 438 dispatched from the TTGE profiles by the software happened to be specific for the group of patients who acquired C. difficile. The first approach in the molecular phylogenetic analysis showed related sequences to uncultured clones. As for the 87 TTGE profiles on D(14), no clustering could be found either, but the subsequent onset of C. difficile was explained up to 74.5% by the corresponding PLS model, thus corroborating the results found on D(0). The non exhaustive data of the microbiota we found should be taken as the first step to assess the hypothesis of permissive microbiota. The PLS model was used successfully to predict C. difficile development. We found that important criteria in terms of main bacteria could be markedly considered as predisposing factors for C. difficile development. Yet, the resident microbiota in case of antibiotic-associated diarrhea has still to be analyzed. Furthermore, these findings suggest that strategies reinforcing the ability of the fecal microbiota to resist to modifications would be of clinical relevance

Diffusion of ofloxacin in the endocarditis vegetation assessed with synchrotron radiation UV fluorescence microspectroscopy.

The diffusion of antibiotics in endocarditis vegetation bacterial masses has not been described, although it may influence the efficacy of antibiotic therapy in endocarditis. The objective of this work was to assess the diffusion of ofloxacin in experimental endocarditis vegetation bacterial masses using synchrotron-radiation UV fluorescence microspectroscopy. Streptococcal endocarditis was induced in 5 rabbits. Three animals received an unique i.v. injection of 150 mg/kg ofloxacin, and 2 control rabbits were left untreated. Two fluorescence microscopes were coupled to a synchrotron beam for excitation at 275 nm. A spectral microscope collected fluorescence spectra between 285 and 550 nm. A second, full field microscope was used with bandpass filters at 510-560 nm. Spectra of ofloxacin-treated vegetations presented higher fluorescence between 390 and 540 nm than control. Full field imaging showed that ofloxacin increased fluorescence between 510 and 560 nm. Ofloxacin diffused into vegetation bacterial masses, although it accumulated in their immediate neighborhood. Fluorescence images additionally suggested an ofloxacin concentration gradient between the vegetation peripheral and central areas. In conclusion, ofloxacin diffuses into vegetation bacterial masses, but it accumulates in their immediate neighborhood. Synchrotron radiation UV fluorescence microscopy is a new tool for assessment of antibiotic diffusion in the endocarditis vegetation bacterial masses

Host’s Immunity and <i>Candida</i> Species Associated with Denture Stomatitis: A Narrative Review

Denture-related Candida stomatitis, which has been described clinically in the literature, is either localized or generalized inflammation of the oral mucosa in connection with a removable prosthesis. During this inflammatory process, the mycobacterial biofilm and the host’s immune response play an essential role. Among microorganisms of this mixed biofilm, the Candida species proliferates easily and changes from a commensal to an opportunistic pathogen. In this situation, the relationship between the Candida spp. and the host is influenced by the presence of the denture and conditioned both by the immune response and the oral microbiota. Specifically, this fungus is able to hijack the innate immune system of its host to cause infection. Additionally, older edentulous wearers of dentures may experience an imbalanced and decreased oral microbiome diversity. Under these conditions, the immune deficiency of these aging patients often promotes the spread of commensals and pathogens. The present narrative review aimed to analyze the innate and adaptive immune responses of patients with denture stomatitis and more particularly the involvement of Candida albicans sp. associated with this pathology

Differential Activities of Four Lactobacillus casei Promoters during Bacterial Transit through the Gastrointestinal Tracts of Human-Microbiota-Associated Mice

In a previous study using fusion of the deregulated lactose promoter lacTp* and reporter genes, we suggested that Lactobacillus casei could initiate de novo protein synthesis during intestinal transit. In order to confirm this finding and extend it to other promoters, we adopted a reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-QPCR) approach combined with a transcriptional fusion system consisting of luciferase genes under the control of four promoters (ccpA, dlt, ldh, and lacT*) from L. casei DN-114 001. Promoter expression was monitored during cell growth, and variable luciferase activities were detected. In 3-day cultures, all the genetically modified strains survived but without exhibiting luciferase activity. Luciferase mRNA levels determined by RT-QPCR analysis (RNA/CFU) were not significant. The cultures were administered to human-microbiota-associated mice, and the feces were collected 6 h later. L. casei promoters lacTp* and ldhp initiated mRNA synthesis during gastrointestinal transit. The promoters, ccpAp and dltp, exhibited no luciferase activity, nor was de novo-synthesized luciferase mRNA detected in the feces. L. casei seems to adapt its physiology to the gastrointestinal tract environment by modulating promoter activities. The approach (fecal transcriptional analysis) described herein may, moreover, be of value in studying gene expression of transiting bacteria in human fecal specimens

Impact of antenatal antibiotic or corticosteroid treatment on the implantation of the neonatal intestinal microbiota

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Mean spectra of untreated (gray) and ofloxacin (black) treated vegetations.

<p>Bold and thin lines represent respectively mean and borders of the 95% confidence interval. Confidence interval border lines may superimpose on mean lines.</p

Fluorescence of control and ofloxacin vegetations.

<p>Mean (95% confidence interval) peak areas (arbitrary units) were measured using spectral (a) and full-field (b) fluorescence microscopes. Differences between control and ofloxacin (c) were all significant (Mann-Whitney test, <i>P</i><0.0001 for all comparisons).</p

Transmission image (left) and maps of the 390–440 nm peak area (right) of control (A) and ofloxacin treated (B) vegetation maps.

<p>The grayscale was the same for both fluorescence maps. White bar  = 10 µm.</p