Article
Engineering, Environmental
Weiwei Li, Zhongjun Yang, Jiamin Hu, Bianfang Wang, Hao Rong, Ziyun Li, Yuqing Sun, Yunkun Wang, Xuhua Zhang, Mingyu Wang, Hai Xu
Summary: This study investigated the extent of resistance to 'last-resort' antibiotics in hospital wastewater. The findings revealed high levels of resistance and prevalent multiple resistance to antibiotics, including 'last-resort' antibiotics. The study also discovered inconsistencies between resistance phenotypes and genotypes, as well as the first occurrence of tet(X4)-containing tigecycline-resistant Gram-positive pathogens. Furthermore, the wastewater treatment processes were effective in preventing the release of 'last -resort' antibiotic resistant pathogens.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Pai-Wei Su, Emirlyn Cheng Yang, Sin-Hua Moi, Cheng-Hong Yang, Li-Yeh Chuang
Summary: The problem of antibiotic-resistant strains is a global public health issue. This study focused on the multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and identified several drug resistance genes in these strains. The study also found that these genes influenced biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance patterns.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ameneh Yousefzadeh, Afshin Maleki, Saeed Dehestani Athar, Ebrahim Darvishi, Manochehr Ahmadi, Ebrahim Mohammadi, Van Tai Tang, Rasoul Nassiri Kalmarzi, Hajar Kashefi
Summary: Exposure to bioaerosols in hospital air can lead to adverse health effects, and identifying their distribution is crucial for reducing these effects and maintaining a healthy environment. The study revealed the type and concentration of bacterial and fungal bioaerosols in a teaching hospital, highlighting the need for measures such as proper ventilation and air conditioning systems to improve air quality.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Alice Elena Ghenea, Ramona Cioboata, Andrei Ioan Drocas, Eugen Nicolae Tieranu, Corina Maria Vasile, Aritina Morosanu, Cristian George Tieranu, Alex-Ioan Salan, Mihaela Popescu, Adriana Turculeanu, Vlad Padureanu, Anca-Loredana Udristoiu, Daniela Calina, Dan Cartu, Ovidiu Mircea Zlatian
Summary: The study evaluated the evolution of the incidence of infections with Klebsiella in a hospital in Romania, monitoring antibiotic resistance and detecting changes in resistance to various antimicrobial agents. The study found significant resistance of Klebsiella strains to multiple antibiotics, correlation between antibiotic resistance in Klebsiella and other bacteria, and associations between antibiotic consumption and development of resistance in Klebsiella over a period of 1 to 3 months.
Article
Microbiology
Abeer Al-Zubaidi, Chen-Yi Cheung, Gregory M. Cook, George Taiaroa, Valerie Mizrahi, J. Shaun Lott, Stephanie S. Dawes
Summary: This study demonstrates that partial depletion of RNase HI activity in Mycolicibacterium smegmatis leads to the accumulation of R-loops, and increases the sensitivity of the strains to multiple antibiotics. It also identifies four small molecules that inhibit recombinant RnhC activity and potentiate rifampicin activity, providing a potential approach for developing new antimycobacterial drugs.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Filippo Gavi, Barbara Fiori, Carlo Gandi, Marco Campetella, Riccardo Bientinesi, Filippo Marino, Daniele Fettucciari, Francesco Rossi, Stefano Moretto, Rita Murri, Francesco Pierconti, Marco Racioppi, Emilio Sacco
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant impact on the incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in our urology department. However, the overall prevalence of AMR and multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) remains high compared to European AMR.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Camille-Ann Thoms Rodriguez, Felecia Dawson, Jenene Cameron, Christine Seah, Marvin Reid, Roberto G. Melano, Maxine Gossell-Williams
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence and distribution of AmpC beta-lactamases (BLs) in uropathogens at the University Hospital of the West Indies Jamaica. The results showed a low prevalence of AmpC BL among the studied isolates. Cefoxitin screening was helpful, but the phenotypic screening using the Disc Approximation Test (DAT) could yield indeterminate results that needed clarification through molecular testing.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nadine Kraupner, Marion Hutinel, Kilian Schumacher, Declan A. Gray, Maja Genheden, Jerker Fick, Carl-Fredrik Flach, D. G. Joakim Larsson
Summary: The study found that effluent from hospitals can select for multi-resistant bacteria, while effluent from municipal wastewater treatment plants does not have a significant impact on resistance selection. However, influent from the WWTP may have a small selective effect on beta-lactam-resistant strains in certain cases. Further research is needed to clarify the contribution of different selective agents in resistance selection.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ranjith Kumar Manoharan, Sathiyaraj Srinivasan, Gnanendra Shanmugam, Young-Ho Ahn
Summary: Wastewater treatment plants are hotspots of emerging antimicrobial genes and mobile genetic elements. Hospital wastewater influences the abundance of ARGs and MGEs in activated sludge.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Takashi Ueda, Yoshio Takesue, Kazuhiko Nakajima, Kaoru Ichiki, Kaori Ishikawa, Kumiko Yamada, Toshie Tsuchida, Naruhito Otani, Yoshiko Takahashi, Mika Ishihara, Shingo Takubo, Kosuke Iijima, Hiroki Ikeuchi, Motoi Uchino, Takeshi Kimura
Summary: This study investigated the correlation between antibiotic diversity and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Gram-negative organisms. The findings suggest that antibiotic heterogeneity is negatively associated with the development of antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Carl-Fredrik Flach, Marion Hutinel, Mohammad Razavi, Christina Ahren, D. G. Joakim Larsson
Summary: Sewage monitoring shows promise and limitations as a complement to traditional clinical resistance surveillance for early warning of rare forms of resistance. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) detected in sewage were related to those found in patients, but there were also inconsistencies between the two sources.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhen-Chao Zhou, Xin-Yi Shuai, Ze-Jun Lin, Yang Liu, Lin Zhu, Hong Chen
Summary: This study demonstrated the presence of multi-resistant plasmids in inhalable particulate matter and their significant impact on gene horizontal transfer. PM2.5 and PM10 were shown to increase conjugative transfer rates and reactive oxygen species levels. The study highlights the airborne spread of multi-resistant plasmids and the influence of inhalable PM on antibiotic resistance gene transfer.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xuan Chen, Jinzhi Han, Xixi Cai, Shaoyun Wang
Summary: The translation highlights the potential of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as antibacterial agents and the need to address resistance issues in their application. It also emphasizes the importance of uncovering the evolutionary constraints of microorganisms on AMP resistance in nature and using these constraints to achieve sustainable utilization.
BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Chrysoula Dioli, Olga Pappa, Eirini Siatravani, Spyridoula Bratakou, Apostolos Tatsiopoulos, Panagiota Giakkoupi, Vivi Miriagou, Apostolos Beloukas
Summary: A study in the Boeotia district of Greece found antibiotic-resistant E. coli in water environments, which exhibited similar resistance patterns and genes as clinical isolates. The results suggest that river water and wastewater may serve as reservoirs of resistant E. coli, posing potential threats to human and animal health.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Catarina Geraldes, Luis Tavares, Solange Gil, Manuela Oliveira
Summary: Enterococcus are opportunistic pathogens of increasing importance in clinical settings, particularly in terms of hospital-acquired infections. These bacteria exhibit intrinsic and extrinsic resistance to various classes of antibiotics, with a particular emphasis on vancomycin-resistant enterococci. In addition to resistance, enterococci possess other characteristics such as the ability to form biofilms and exchange genetic information, enhancing their survival in harsh environments. These traits, along with reports of decreased susceptibility to biocides, contribute to the persistent presence of enterococci in hospitals and their role in causing difficult-to-treat infections.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Raphael Tamo, Teja Turk, Juerg Boeni, Roger D. Kouyos, Stefan Schmutz, Michael Huber, Cyril Shah, Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, Oliver Distler, Edouard Battegay, Pietro Giovanoli, Matthias Guckenberger, Malcolm Kohler, Rouven Mueller, Heidi Petry, Frank Ruschitzka, Allison McGeer, Hugo Sax, Rainer Weber, Alexandra Trkola, Stefan P. Kuster
Summary: This study aimed to investigate transmission dynamics of influenza in acute care settings, revealing that although most healthcare workers and inpatients had symptoms when infected with influenza, a portion of transmission events occurred asymptomatically. Influenza was found to be common in acute care, with both symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission events being rare.
INFECTION CONTROL AND HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Huyen Nguyen, Benjamin Hampel, David Garcia Nunez, Manuel Battegay, Anna Hachfeld, Enos Bernasconi, Alexandra Calmy, Matthias Cavassini, Pietro Vernazza, Jacques Fellay, Hannes Rudolph, Michael Huber, Karoline Leuzinger, Matthieu Perreau, Alexandra Scherrer, Alban Nicolas Ramette, Sabine Yerly, Huldrych F. Guenthard, Roger D. Kouyos, Katharina Kusejko
Summary: Through the Swiss HIV Cohort Study, we identified and characterized 89 trans women, finding them to be epidemiologically distinct from cis heterosexual women and men who have sex with men in terms of sociological and clinical data, as well as high-risk behaviors, and found in various transmission contexts.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Jessy J. Duran Ramirez, Tala Ballouz, Huyen Nguyen, Katharina Kusejko, Sandra E. Chaudron, Michael Huber, Hans H. Hirsch, Matthieu Perreau, Alban Ramette, Sabine Yerly, Matthias Cavassini, Marcel Stockle, Hansjakob Furrer, Pietro Vernazza, Enos Bernasconi, Huldrych F. Gunthard, Roger D. Kouyos
Summary: The study reveals a significant increase in non-B subtypes of HIV-1 among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Switzerland, with CRF01_AE being the most prevalent subtype. The majority of molecular transmission clusters (MTCs) among MSM were found to be comprised of Europeans.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Vi Ngoc-Nha Tran, Alireza Shams, Sinan Ascioglu, Antal Martinecz, Jingyi Liang, Fabrizio Clarelli, Rafal Mostowy, Ted Cohen, Pia Abel zur Wiesch
Summary: This study extends a mechanistic binding-kinetic model and incorporates clinical drug concentration data to develop a web-based tool that allows non-quantitative scientists to create and visualize computational models of bacterial antibiotic target-binding. The vCOMBAT online tool is publicly available.
BMC BIOINFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thomas Loustau, Cherine Abou-Faycal, William Erne, Pia Abel zur Wiesch, Ayoub Ksouri, Thomas Imhof, Matthias Moegelin, Chengbei Li, Malaurie Mathieu, Nathalie Salome, Gerard Cremel, Sayda Dhaouadi, Balkiss Bouhaouala-Zahar, Manuel Koch, Gertraud Orend
Summary: The extracellular matrix molecule Tenascin-C (TNC) promotes cancer and chronic inflammation through various mechanisms and contributes to an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment. Research has identified a highly conserved MAtrix REgulating MOtif (MAREMO) or M-motif in fibronectin and TNC. Mimetic peptides of the M-motif have been found to inhibit the functions of TNC.
Article
Virology
Luisa Salazar-Vizcaya, Katharina Kusejko, Huldrych F. Guenthard, Juerg Boeni, Karin J. Metzner, Dominique L. Braun, Dunja Nicca, Enos Bernasconi, Alexandra Calmy, Katharine E. A. Darling, Gilles Wandeler, Roger D. Kouyos, Andri Rauch
Summary: We propose that sexual behavior patterns may influence the formation of transmission networks, and this hypothesis can be addressed by quantifying mapped interactions between groups based on similarities in sexual behavior along a virus phylogeny. This approach is particularly relevant for studying large transmission networks such as HIV or COVID-19.
Article
Microbiology
Mathilde Boumasmoud, Vanina Dengler Haunreiter, Tiziano A. Schweizer, Lilly Meyer, Bhavya Chakrakodi, Peter W. Schreiber, Kati Seidl, Denise Kuehnert, Roger D. Kouyos, Annelies S. Zinkernagel
Summary: Healthcare-associated outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) are a global problem. This study identified the genomic and phenotypic determinants of VREfm transmission and revealed a persistent clone with decreased daptomycin susceptibility and acquired ability to utilize N-acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc). The study also characterized a novel plasmid that confers a nutrient utilization advantage and is horizontally transferable. The findings highlight the potential of combining different perspectives to understand the adaptation strategies of VREfm.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Judith Bergada-Pijuan, Michelle Frank, Sara Boroumand, Frederique Hovaguimian, Carlos A. Mestres, Robert Bauernschmitt, Thierry Carrel, Bernd Stadlinger, Frank Ruschitzka, Annelies S. Zinkernagel, Roger D. Kouyos, Barbara Hasse
Summary: The evidence regarding the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) in preventing infective endocarditis (IE) before dental procedures is inconclusive. Only one cohort study suggested a possible decrease in the risk of IE among high-risk patients who received AP prior to invasive dental procedures, but the results were not statistically significant. Further high-quality studies are needed to determine whether it is necessary to recommend the use of AP.
Article
Biology
Jana S. Huisman, Jeremie Scire, Daniel C. Angst, Jinzhou Li, Richard A. Neher, Marloes H. Maathuis, Sebastian Bonhoeffer, Tanja Stadler, Miles P. Davenport
Summary: This study presents a method for timely estimation of the effective reproductive number (Re) in the COVID-19 epidemic, and evaluates it on a global scale. The results show that in most countries, the estimated Re dropped below 1 only after the introduction of major non-pharmaceutical interventions. For Europe, the implementation of these interventions was associated with reductions in the estimated Re. However, the effects of relaxing non-pharmaceutical interventions on subsequent Re estimates varied globally.
Article
Immunology
Emma F. Avery, Julia N. Kleynhans, Bruno Ledergerber, Isabella C. Schoepf, Christian W. Thorball, Neeltje A. Kootstra, Peter Reiss, Lene Ryom, Dominique L. Braun, Maria C. Thurnheer, Catia Marzolini, Marco Seneghini, Enos Bernasconi, Matthias Cavassini, Helene Buvelot, Roger D. Kouyos, Jacques Fellay, Huldrych F. Guenthard, Philip E. Tarr
Summary: In Switzerland, leukocyte count is independently associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) events in people with HIV (PWH), even after adjusting for traditional and HIV-related risk factors.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Suraj Balakrishna, Tom Loosli, Maryam Zaheri, Paul Frischknecht, Michael Huber, Katharina Kusejko, Sabine Yerly, Karoline Leuzinger, Matthieu Perreau, Alban Ramette, Chris Wymant, Christophe Fraser, Paul Kellam, Astrid Gall, Hans H. Hirsch, Marcel Stoeckle, Andri Rauch, Matthias Cavassini, Enos Bernasconi, Julia Notter, Alexandra Calmy, Huldrych F. Gunthard, Karin J. Metzner, Roger D. Kouyos
Summary: This study compared the reliability of Sanger sequencing and Next-generation sequencing (NGS) in detecting HIV drug resistance mutations (DRMs). The results showed good agreement between the two methods when detecting mutations at a threshold of 5% or higher. However, at lower thresholds, NGS detected a substantial number of low-frequency mutations, which were likely to be sequencing errors.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Letter
Infectious Diseases
Niklas Koehler, Soenke Andres, Matthias Merker, Viola Dreyer, Agnieszka John, Martin Kuhns, David Krieger, Eva Choong, Nick Verougstraete, Pia Abel zur Wiesch, Sebastian G. Wicha, Christina Koenig, Barbara Kalsdorf, Patricia M. Sanchez Carballo, Dagmar Schaub, Jim Werngren, Thomas Schon, Charles A. Peloquin, Nicolas Schoenfeld, Alain G. Verstraete, Laurent A. Decosterd, Rob Aarnoutse, Stefan Niemann, Florian P. Maurer, Christoph Lange
JOURNAL OF INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Marco Labarile, Tom Loosli, Marius Zeeb, Katharina Kusejko, Michael Huber, Hans H. Hirsch, Matthieu Perreau, Alban Ramette, Sabine Yerly, Matthias Cavassini, Manuel Battegay, Andri Rauch, Alexandra Calmy, Julia Notter, Enos Bernasconi, Christoph Fux, Huldrych F. Gunthard, Chloe Pasin, Roger D. Kouyos
Summary: This study investigated and predicted the dynamics of HIV transmission in Switzerland using a network-based clustering method and statistical learning approaches. The study found that network characteristics can capture major heterogeneities in transmission and that cluster structure has the potential for real-time prediction of ongoing transmission.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Kalongo Hamusonde, Dunja Nicca, Huldrych F. Gunthard, Marcel Stoeckle, Katharine E. A. Darling, Alexandra Calmy, Enos Bernasconi, David Haerry, Patrick Schmid, Roger D. Kouyos, Andri Rauch, Luisa Salazar-Vizcaya
Summary: We examined the changes in sexual behavior of HIV-positive individuals over a span of 20 years. Since the Swiss U = U statement, the use of condoms with stable partners has consistently decreased from over 90% to 29%, with similar trends observed among men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexuals. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures, MSM have maintained a higher frequency of occasional partnerships compared to heterosexual individuals.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Antal Martinecz, Martin J. Boeree, Andreas H. Diacon, Rodney Dawson, Colin Hemez, Rob E. Aarnoutse, Pia Abel zur Wiesch
Summary: Antibiotic treatments often show a slowdown in bacterial killing, which can be attributed to antibiotic persistence or heteroresistance. The reasons for the slowdown in tuberculosis patients are unknown, but our study suggests that it may be due to heteroresistance rather than persistence. We also propose that higher doses of rifampicin can accelerate bacterial killing in the slow phase, which supports the use of higher rifampicin doses in tuberculosis treatments.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2023)