Article
Infectious Diseases
Qin Yang, Yao Zhu, Stefan Schwarz, Lingli Wang, Wenyu Liu, Wenlin Yang, Siguo Liu, Wanjiang Zhang
Summary: This study identified a novel integrative and conjugative element (ICE) that can mobilize resistance plasmids and translocatable units (TUs), contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance. The formation of different cointegrates between ICEs, plasmids, and TUs was confirmed through PCR assays. Conjugation assays showed that ICEs can transfer non-conjugative MGEs, such as TUs and plasmids, into recipient strains.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Marzia Cinthi, Francesca Romana Massacci, Sonia Nina Coccitto, Elisa Albini, Lucilla Cucco, Massimiliano Orsini, Serena Simoni, Eleonora Giovanetti, Andrea Brenciani, Chiara Francesca Magistrali
Summary: This study identified for the first time the presence of the optrA gene on a prophage and an ICE in SDSE isolates from swine brain. These findings are consistent with the current understanding of the key role of bacteriophages and ICEs in streptococcal evolution and adaptation.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Michael P. P. Ryan, Nicolas Carraro, Shannon Slattery, J. Tony Pembroke
Summary: Integrative Conjugative Elements (ICEs) are mosaics that integrate and excise into and from the host genome and can transfer to a specific host range. They encode adaptive functions and have undergone epidemiological and molecular characterization, revealing diversity and function. Comparative analysis shows conservation of key functions and the evolution of adaptive genes through gene acquisition in hotspots and variable regions catalyzed by element-encoded recombinases. SXT/R391 ICEs carry IS elements, transposons, and a mutagenic DNA polymerase PolV, and retain adaptive functions related to specific niches.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Qi Zheng, Liguan Li, Xiaole Yin, You Che, Tong Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrates the important role of integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). ICEs have a broader phylogenetic distribution and higher pathogenicity compared to other mobile genetic elements, and they are significantly enriched in potential human pathogens. The study also reveals the distinct ARG profiles harbored by different MGE groups, providing insights for optimizing control strategies against antibiotic resistance crises.
Article
Immunology
Miaomiao Xie, Kaichao Chen, Edward Wai-Chi Chan, Sheng Chen
Summary: With the development of multidrug resistance in Salmonella spp., ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, and azithromycin have become the main drugs used to treat Salmonella infections. However, not much research has been focused on azithromycin resistance in Salmonella. This study investigated the genetic features of plasmids encoding azithromycin resistance in food-borne Salmonella strains. The study found that these plasmids might originate from Escherichia coli and could play a role in the rapid spread of azithromycin resistance in Salmonella. The study also observed the formation of a new plasmid that poses a serious health threat. Further research on the dissemination and evolution routes of these plasmids in potential human pathogens is necessary.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Gowri Nayar, Ignacio Terrizzano, Ed Seabolt, Akshay Agarwal, Christina Boucher, Jaime Ruiz, Ilya B. Slizovskiy, James H. Kaufman, Noelle R. Noyes
Summary: Conjugation, a type of horizontal gene transfer, is considered an important mechanism for bacterial evolution, allowing organisms to acquire new phenotypic properties. A study developed a method called ggMOB to analyze the frequency of gene exchange through conjugation between different bacterial genera. The results showed that more than half of the bacterial genomes contained known conjugation features that matched exactly with at least one other genome. The presence of conjugation features varied significantly across different genera. The study also found that conjugation played a critical role in the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes across bacterial genera.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Changrui Qian, Hongmao Liu, Jiawei Cao, Yongan Ji, Wei Lu, Junwan Lu, Aifang Li, Xinyi Zhu, Kai Shen, Haili Xu, Qianqian Chen, Wangxiao Zhou, Hongyun Lu, Hailong Lin, Xueya Zhang, Qiaoling Li, Xi Lin, Kewei Li, Teng Xu, Mei Zhu, Qiyu Bao, Hailin Zhang
Summary: The study found different types of floR genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with floR-T1 being the most prevalent. A novel floR variant, floR-T2, showed lower identity with other FloR proteins and could be induced by florfenicol or chloramphenicol. These floR variants play an important role in host resistance and spread, potentially related to the Tn4371 family ICE.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Meng Liu, Jialin Liu, Guitian Liu, Hui Wang, Xiaoli Wang, Zixin Deng, Yongqun He, Hong-Yu Ou
Summary: This study developed an Integrative and Conjugative Element Ontology (ICEO) to represent the gene components, functional modules, and other information of bacterial integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs). ICEO can facilitate the representation, integration, and computer-assisted queries of systematic ICE knowledge.
Article
Microbiology
Fangzhou Chen, Peng Wang, Zhe Yin, Huiying Yang, Lingfei Hu, Ting Yu, Ying Jing, Jiayao Guan, Jiahong Wu, Dongsheng Zhou
Summary: This study provides a detailed analysis of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) carrying the bla(VIM) gene in Pseudomonas. Multiple new combinations of genes were identified within these MGEs. The transfer of these MGEs among strains helps the bacteria survive antibiotic stress.
ANNALS OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND ANTIMICROBIALS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Valentine Cyriaque, Jonas Stenlokke Madsen, Laurence Fievez, Baptiste Leroy, Lars H. Hansen, Fabrice Bureau, Soren J. Sorensen, Ruddy Wattiez
Summary: This study investigated the impact of lead on the spread dynamics of metal resistance genes carried by plasmids in bacterial communities. The results showed that the presence of the lead resistance operon did not facilitate lead resistance or variation in plasmid spread in Variovorax paradoxus, while it enhanced the spread of the plasmid in Delftia acidovorans SPH-1 and Pseudomonas putida KT2440. At an intermediate metal concentration, positive selection facilitated the spread of MRG-carrying plasmids, while high lead concentrations induced oxidative stress with positive impacts on proteins encoding plasmid conjugation and partitioning.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Ryuichiro Abe, Yukihiro Akeda, Yo Sugawara, Yuki Matsumoto, Daisuke Motooka, Tetsuya Iida, Shigeyuki Hamada
Summary: Epidemiological surveys have shown that carbapenem resistance is mainly transmitted by carbapenemase genes located on plasmids. However, the stability and advantages of chromosomally integrated carbapenemase genes are not well studied. This study demonstrated that the chromosomally integrated bla(IMP-6) gene in Escherichia coli exhibited increased stability compared to the original plasmids. Furthermore, meropenem treatment enabled the release of the integrated plasmid and amplified the copy number of bla(IMP-6), leading to enhanced resistance. These findings suggest that chromosomally encoded carbapenemase genes may serve as stable reservoirs of resistance and complicate strategies to prevent antimicrobial resistance dissemination.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joshua P. Ramsay, Tahlia R. Bastholm, Callum J. Verdonk, Dinah D. Tambalo, John T. Sullivan, Liam K. Harold, Beatrice A. Panganiban, Elena Colombi, Benjamin J. Perry, William Jowsey, Calum Morris, Michael F. Hynes, Charles S. Bond, Andrew D. S. Cameron, Christopher K. Yost, Clive W. Ronson
Summary: The horizontal transfer of ICEMlSym (R7A) can cause non-symbiotic Mesorhizobium spp. to become nitrogen-fixing legume symbionts. A subpopulation of Mesorhizobium japonicum R7A called R7A* is epigenetically primed for quorum sensing and horizontal transfer, maintained in laboratory culture. The epigenetic maintenance of the R7A* state requires ICEMlSym (R7A)-encoded copies of both qseC and qseC2, forming a stable epigenetic switch that controls qseM transcription and primes a subpopulation of R7A cells for quorum sensing and horizontal transfer.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Xuemei Yang, Xiaoxuan Liu, Yating Xu, Edward Wai-Chi Chan, Rong Zhang, Sheng Chen
Summary: This study identified a transferable conjugative plasmid carrying azithromycin resistance genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae, which could be transmitted to Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, resulting in azithromycin resistance. In addition, the plasmid could assist in the transfer of a virulence plasmid carried by the K. pneumoniae strain to other bacteria, facilitating the dissemination of these determinants.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Meng Li, Congcong Guan, Gaoyu Song, Xiaoxi Gao, Weina Yang, Tietao Wang, Yani Zhang
Summary: Horizontal plasmid transfer of resistance genes is important in the formation of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. A megaplasmid named pPAG5 was identified in a clinical multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa PAG5 strain, belonging to the IncP-2 incompatibility group. Genetic analysis showed that pPAG5 could transfer resistance genes to P. aeruginosa, leading to a multidrug-resistant phenotype. Comparisons with related plasmids revealed a similar backbone structure essential for replication, partition, and conjugal transfer.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Yating Xu, Zhiwei Zheng, Lianwei Ye, Edward Wai-Chi Chan, Sheng Chen
Summary: A new quinolone resistance gene, qnrS, was found in foodborne Vibrio spp., which could mediate resistance to ciprofloxacin and cephalosporins. The qnrS2 gene could be found on both the chromosome and plasmids, with the pAQU-type qnrS2-bearing conjugative plasmids able to mediate resistance to both ciprofloxacin and cephalosporins. Transmission of this plasmid among Vibrio spp. may lead to the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Francesco Addabbo, Valentina Baglioni, Anette Schrag, Markus J. Schwarz, Andrea Dietrich, Pieter J. Hoekstra, Davide Martino, Maura Buttiglione
DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE AND CHILD NEUROLOGY
(2020)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Alberto Berardi, Viola Trevisani, Antonella Di Caprio, Jenny Bua, Mariachiara China, Barbara Perrone, Rossella Pagano, Laura Lucaccioni, Silvia Fanaro, Lorenzo Lughetti, Licia Lugli, Roberta Creti
Summary: Group B streptococcus (GBS) infection remains a leading cause of sepsis, pneumonia, and meningitis in infants, with early onset cases decreasing due to widespread use of intrapartum antibiotics, leading to late-onset infections as common presentation. The pathogenesis, mode of transmission, and risk factors for LOGBS are unclear, hindering effective prevention efforts.
INFECTION AND DRUG RESISTANCE
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Rodolphe Mader, Clemence Bourely, Jean-Philippe Amat, Els M. Broens, Luca Busani, Benedicte Callens, Paloma Crespo-Robledo, Peter Damborg, Maria-Eleni Filippitzi, William Fitzgerald, Thomas Gronthal, Marisa Haenni, Annet Heuvelink, Jobke van Hout, Heike Kaspar, Cristina Munoz Madero, Madelaine Norstrom, Karl Pedersen, Lucie Pokludova, Fabiana Dal Pozzo, Rosemarie Slowey, Anne Margrete Urdahl, Alkiviadis Vatopoulos, Christos Zafeiridis, Jean-Yves Madec
Summary: The European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance network in Veterinary medicine (EARS-Vet) aims to strengthen the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the animal sector in Europe. It plans to monitor AMR in six animal species and 11 bacterial species, aiming to fill important monitoring gaps and complement existing European AMR monitoring systems.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Anette-Eleonore Schrag, Davide Martino, Hanyuying Wang, Gareth Ambler, Noa Benaroya-Milstein, Maura Buttiglione, Francesco Cardona, Roberta Creti, Androulla Efstratiou, Tammy Hedderly, Isobel Heyman, Chaim Huyser, Pablo Mir, Astrid Morer, Natalie Moll, Norbert E. Muller, Kirsten R. Muller-Vahl, Kerstin J. Plessen, Cesare Porcelli, Renata Rizzo, Veit Roessner, Markus Schwarz, Zsanett Tarnok, Susanne Walitza, Andrea Dietrich, Pieter J. Hoekstra
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the association between group A streptococcal (GAS) infections and tic incidence among unaffected children with a family history of chronic tic disorders (CTDs). Findings showed a strong association between sex and tic onset, with girls having a lower risk of developing tics compared to boys. However, there was no statistical evidence to suggest an association between GAS exposure and tic onset.
Article
Microbiology
Roberta Creti, Monica Imperi, Alberto Berardi, Erika Lindh, Giovanna Alfarone, Marco Pataracchia, Simona Recchia
Summary: Invasive infections by group B streptococci (iGBS) are the leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in neonates and infants. Research in Italy from 2015 to 2019 found that the main clinical manifestations were sepsis, meningitis, bacteremia, and septic shock, with GBS serotype III being predominant in early-onset disease (EOD) and late-onset disease (LOD). Resistance to clindamycin was significant, with MDR-CC17 causing healthcare-associated infections. Monitoring of iGBS characteristics is crucial for prevention strategies and GBS vaccine development.
Editorial Material
Infectious Diseases
Roberta Creti, Monica Imperi, Alberto Berardi, Silvia Angeletti, Giovanni Gherardi
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Florens Lohrmann, Markus Hufnagel, Mirjam Kunze, Baharak Afshar, Roberta Creti, Antoaneta Detcheva, Jana Kozakova, Javier Rodriguez-Granger, Uffe B. Skov Sorensen, Immaculada Margarit, Domenico Maione, Daniela Rinaudo, Graziella Orefici, John Telford, Manuel de la Rosa Fraile, Mogens Kilian, Androulla Efstratiou, Reinhard Berner, Pierrette Melin
Summary: This study describes the clinical and microbiological characteristics of neonatal Group B streptococcus (GBS) diseases. It found that respiratory distress is the most frequent clinical sign in early-onset GBS, while meningitis is found in more than 30% of late-onset GBS cases. The study also revealed that a significant number of mothers of early-onset GBS cases had not received antenatal screening.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giovanni Gherardi
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Alberto Berardi, Viola Trevisani, Antonella Di Caprio, Paola Caccamo, Giuseppe Latorre, Sabrina Loprieno, Alessandra Foglianese, Nicola Laforgia, Barbara Perrone, Giangiacomo Nicolini, Matilde Ciccia, Maria Grazia Capretti, Chiara Giugno, Vittoria Rizzo, Daniele Merazzi, Silvia Fanaro, Lucia Taurino, Rita Maria Pulvirenti, Silvia Orlandini, Cinzia Auriti, Cristina Haass, Laura Ligi, Giulia Vellani, Chryssoula Tzialla, Cristina Tuoni, Daniele Santori, Lorenza Baroni, Mariachiara China, Jenny Bua, Federica Visintini, Lidia Decembrino, Roberta Creti, Francesca Miselli, Luca Bedetti, Licia Lugli
Summary: The effectiveness of inadequate intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP administered < 4 h prior to delivery) in preventing early-onset sepsis (EOS) is debated. Italian prospective surveillance cohort data (2003-2022) were used to study the type and duration of IAP according to the timing of symptoms onset of group B streptococcus (GBS) and E. coli culture-confirmed EOS cases. IAP-exposed neonates frequently develop symptoms of EOS after birth, up to 48 h of life and beyond.
Article
Immunology
Alberto Berardi, Caterina Spada, Roberta Creti, Cinzia Auriti, Lucia Gambini, Vittoria Rizzo, Mariagrazia Capretti, Nicola Laforgia, Irene Papa, Anna Tarocco, Angela Lanzoni, Giacomo Biasucci, Giancarlo Piccinini, Giovanna Nardella, Giuseppe Latorre, Daniele Merazzi, Laura Travan, Maria Letizia Bacchi Reggiani, Lorenza Baroni, Matilde Ciccia, Laura Lucaccioni, Lorenzo Iughetti, Licia Lugli
Summary: Retrospective investigation in Italy from 2007 to 2018 found that at least two thirds of late-onset GBS cases are transmitted from mothers, who often have high maternal colonization such as vaginal/rectal carriage, positive breast milk culture, or GBS bacteriuria. The GBS strains from mother-infant pairs were mainly serotype III belonging to clonal complex 17, with some strains indistinguishable through pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Davide Martino, Anette Schrag, Zacharias Anastasiou, Alan Apter, Noa Benaroya-Milstein, Maura Buttiglione, Francesco Cardona, Roberta Creti, Androulla Efstratiou, Tammy Hedderly, Isobel Heyman, Chaim Huyser, Marcos Madruga, Pablo Mir, Astrid Morer, Nanette Mol Debes, Natalie Moll, Norbert Muller, Kirsten Muller-Vahl, Alexander Munchau, Peter Nagy, Kerstin Jessica Plessen, Cesare Porcelli, Renata Rizzo, Veit Roessner, Jaana Schnell, Markus Schwarz, Liselotte Skov, Tamar Steinberg, Zsanett Tarnok, Susanne Walitza, Andrea Dietrich, Pieter J. Hoekstra
Summary: This study examined the association between GAS pharyngeal exposures and tic exacerbations in children with CTD across Europe. The results did not support GAS exposures as contributing factors for tic exacerbations and suggested that specific workup or active management of GAS infections is unlikely to modify the course of tics in CTD.
Article
Pediatrics
Alberto Berardi, Tiziana Cassetti, Roberta Creti, Caterina Vocale, Simone Ambretti, Mario Sarti, Fabio Facchinetti, Stephen Cose, Paul Heath, Kirsty Le Doare
ITALIAN JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
(2020)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Lanfranco Fattorini, Roberta Creti, Carla Palma, Annalisa Pantosti
ANNALI DELL ISTITUTO SUPERIORE DI SANITA
(2020)