Sudden emergence of a Neisseria gonorrhoeae clade with reduced susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins, Norway

Neisseria gonorrhoeae multilocus sequence type (ST)-7827 emerged in a dramatic fashion in Norway in the period 2016–2018. Here, we aim to shed light on the provenance and expansion of this ST. ST-7827 was found to be polyphyletic, but the majority of members belonged to a monophyletic clade we termed PopPUNK cluster 7827 (PC-7827). In Norway, both PC-7827 and ST-7827 isolates were almost exclusively isolated from men. Phylogeographical analyses demonstrated an Asian origin of the genogroup, with multiple inferred exports to Europe and the USA. The genogroup was uniformly resistant to fluoroquinolones, and associated with reduced susceptibility to both azithromycin and the extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs) cefixime and ceftriaxone. From a genetic background including the penA allele 13.001, associated with reduced ESC susceptibility, we identified repeated events of acquisition of porB alleles associated with further reduction in ceftriaxone susceptibility. Transmission of the strain was significantly reduced in Norway in 2019, but our results indicate the existence of a recently established global reservoir. The worrisome drug-resistance profile and rapid emergence of PC-7827 calls for close monitoring of the situation

Comparing HLA Shared Epitopes in French Caucasian Patients with Scleroderma

Although many studies have analyzed HLA allele frequencies in several ethnic groups in patients with scleroderma (SSc), none has been done in French Caucasian patients and none has evaluated which one of the common amino acid sequences, 67FLEDR71, shared by HLA-DRB susceptibility alleles, or 71TRAELDT77, shared by HLA-DQB1 susceptibility alleles in SSc, was the most important to develop the disease. HLA-DRB and DQB typing was performed for a total of 468 healthy controls and 282 patients with SSc allowing FLEDR and TRAELDT analyses. Results were stratified according to patient’s clinical subtypes and autoantibody status. Moreover, standardized HLA-DRß1 and DRß5 reverse transcriptase Taqman PCR assays were developed to quantify ß1 and ß5 mRNA in 20 subjects with HLA-DRB1*15 and/or DRB1*11 haplotypes. FLEDR motif is highly associated with diffuse SSc (χ2 = 28.4, p<10−6) and with anti-topoisomerase antibody (ATA) production (χ2 = 43.9, p<10−9) whereas TRAELDT association is weaker in both subgroups (χ2 = 7.2, p = 0.027 and χ2 = 14.6, p = 0.0007 respectively). Moreover, FLEDR motif- association among patients with diffuse SSc remains significant only in ATA subgroup. The risk to develop ATA positive SSc is higher with double dose FLEDR than single dose with respectively, adjusted standardised residuals of 5.1 and 2.6. The increase in FLEDR motif is mostly due to the higher frequency of HLA-DRB1*11 and DRB1*15 haplotypes. Furthermore, FLEDR is always carried by the most abundantly expressed ß chain: ß1 in HLA DRB1*11 haplotypes and ß5 in HLA-DRB1*15 haplotypes

Bacteriocin Detection from Whole Bacteria by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

Class I bacteriocins (lantibiotics) and class II bacteriocins are antimicrobial peptides secreted by gram-positive bacteria. Using two lantibiotics, lacticin 481 and nisin, and the class II bacteriocin coagulin, we showed that bacteriocins can be detected without any purification from whole producer bacteria grown on plates by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). When we compared the results of MALDI-TOF-MS performed with samples of whole cells and with samples of crude supernatants of liquid cultures, the former samples led to more efficient bacteriocin detection and required less handling. Nisin and lacticin 481 were both detected from a mixture of their producer strains, but such a mixture can yield additional signals. We used this method to determine the masses of two lacticin 481 variants, which confirmed at the peptide level the effect of mutations in the corresponding structural gene

Maturation by LctT Is Required for Biosynthesis of Full-Length Lantibiotic Lacticin 481

In lantibiotic lacticin 481 biosynthesis, LctT cleaves the precursor peptide and exports mature lantibiotic. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry revealed that a truncated form of lacticin 481 is produced in the absence of LctT or after cleavage site inactivation. Production of truncated lacticin 481 is 4-fold less efficient, and its specific activity is about 10-fold lower

Научно-аналитические подходы к оценкам состояния и повышения эффективности технологических процессов инновационных производств

New scientifically-valid methodological principles of estimation and analyze of level of effectiveness of technological processes of innovations productions are proposed. The principles based on equations of basic balances. Use of proposal principles allows to control of effectiveness of innovations projects and realize their compare and analyze. = Излагаются новые научно обоснованные методологические подходы к оценке и анализу уровня эффективности технологических процессов инновационных производств. В основу положены уравнения основных балансов (материально-сырьевого, материально-энергетического и производственно-экономического), рассчитываемые по данным ГУ «БелИСА», собранным системой мониторинга Государственной программы инновационного развития Республики Беларусь и РУП «БелНИЦ “Экология”». Использование предложенных подходов позволяет осуществлять управление эффективностью инновационных проектов, производить их сравнение и анализ

Verger Cidricole de Demain : conception, évaluation et diffusion de systèmes de production à haute performance environnementale et économiquement viables

National audienceLe projet « Verger Cidricole de Demain », coordonné par l’IFPC (Institut Français des ProductionsCidricoles), vise à concevoir, expérimenter et évaluer des vergers économiquement viables etéconomes en intrants. Dans une approche dite « système », sont combinées diverses pratiques pour lamaitrise des bio-agresseurs et la conduite du verger (entretien du sol, fertilisation, gestion del’alternance de production...). Le projet s’appuie sur une participation multi-acteurs depuis les étapes deconception et d’implantation des vergers à celles de pilotage et d’évaluation, avec l’originalité d’undispositif multi-site entièrement implanté chez des producteurs répartis dans le Grand Ouest (9 sites,dont 2 en agriculture biologique). Après 3 ans de suivi, l’enregistrement détaillé des pratiques permet detirer les premiers enseignements sur les performances, les impacts et le fonctionnement des vergersinnovants testés durant leur phase juvénile. Les premiers résultats montrent notamment que leschangements de pratiques de fertilisation et d’entretien du sol semblent davantage pénaliser l’entrée enproduction des systèmes bas-intrants que la réduction des intrants phytosanitaires (hors herbicides). Lapoursuite des enregistrements, leurs analyses sur plusieurs années et en phase adulte, restentcependant indispensables avant de conclure et de diffuser aux producteurs les combinaisons depratiques les plus prometteuses