Article
Environmental Sciences
K. S. Stenger, O. G. Wikmark, C. C. Bezuidenhout, L. G. Molale-Tom
Summary: Microplastics pollution in marine environments is a growing concern, with microplastics persisting in the ocean and potentially influencing the ecosystem. The formation of biofilms on plastic surfaces may alter microbial communities and facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Daniel Gelman, Ortal Yerushalmy, Sivan Alkalay-Oren, Chani Rakov, Shira Ben-Porat, Leron Khalifa, Karen Adler, Mohanad Abdalrhman, Shunit Coppenhagen-Glazer, Saima Aslam, Robert T. Schooley, Ran Nir-Paz, Ronen Hazan
Summary: Phage therapy is a promising method for treating bacterial infections, but there is currently inconsistency in evaluating bacteriophages in laboratories. The Clinical Phage Microbiology framework offers a method to match appropriate bacteriophage treatments, laying the foundation for standardizing laboratory protocols for personalized phage therapy in the future.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sonia Gupta, T. R. Sreekrishnan, Shaikh Ziauddin Ahammad
Summary: Sewage treatment plants (STPs) are considered hotspots for antibiotic resistance, but the impact of heavy metal contamination on the dispersion of antibiotic resistance in STPs is not well understood. This study reveals that the removal technologies used in STPs are inefficient in completely removing metal and antibiotic resistance, posing a risk of co-selection of antibiotic resistance. The study also identifies significant correlations between heavy metals, metal and antibiotic resistance, and integrons, suggesting a potential mechanism for the exacerbation of antibiotic resistance in the presence of heavy metals.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sonia Gupta, T. R. Sreekrishnan, Shaikh Ziauddin Ahammad
Summary: The study highlighted the inefficiency of removal of metal and antibiotic resistance in sewage treatment plants, and the potential ecological risk of co-selection of antibiotic resistance. There were strong correlations observed between heavy metals, metal and antibiotic resistance, and integrons, indicating the need for further research to understand the mechanism of co-selection and improve treatment system efficacy.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Taylor Andrzejak, Himanshu Raje, Gary LaFleur, Jonathan Willis, Raj Boopathy
Summary: The overuse and improper disposal of antibiotics result in antibiotic resistance, which poses health risks of antibiotic resistant infections to water recreationists. This study monitored water quality, microbial ecology, and antibiotic resistance in water and biofilm on submerged plastics at two public boat launches in southeastern Louisiana. The study found a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance in bacterial isolates from water and biofilm samples, highlighting the need for better management of antibiotic use and disposal.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Clemence Cuzin, Pamela Houee, Pierrick Lucas, Yannick Blanchard, Christophe Soumet, Arnaud Bridier
Summary: The study evaluated the potential of PHMB to select antibiotic resistance in bacteria, finding that exposure to PHMB led to the emergence of a variant of E. coli with stable resistance to gentamicin, associated with a nonsense mutation in the aceE gene. This demonstrated the potential for enzymes of central metabolic pathways to be a target for adaptation strategies, leading to cross-resistance towards biocides and antibiotics in bacteria.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiaojie Hu, Yingjie Zhang, Zeyou Chen, Yanzheng Gao, Brian Teppen, Stephen A. Boyd, Wei Zhang, James M. Tiedje, Hui Li
Summary: This study compared the antibiotic resistance expression between biofilm and planktonic bacteria when exposed to sub-minimal inhibitory concentration of tetracycline. The results showed that biofilm E. coli exhibited 1.6 times higher antibiotic resistance-associated fluorescence emissions compared to planktonic bacteria. The enhanced expression of antibiotic resistance in biofilm bacteria could be attributed to the high affinity of tetracycline with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and the higher selection pressure exerted by the accumulated tetracycline in biofilms.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Manon Lang, Andre Carvalho, Zeynep Baharoglu, Didier Mazel
Summary: This review aims to consolidate existing and recent knowledge about the uptake of aminoglycosides (AGs), explore the connection between AG-dependent bacterial stress and drug uptake, and present new strategies to enhance AG uptake for more efficient antibiotic therapies, with a focus on the connection between sugar transport and AG potentiation.
MICROBIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Cristina Uruen, Gema Chopo-Escuin, Jan Tommassen, Raul C. Mainar-Jaime, Jesus Arenas
Summary: Multidrug resistant bacteria pose a global threat, but only partially contribute to antibiotic failure. Another factor is the formation of biofilms, which provide an environment that allows bacteria to develop tolerance and resistance to antibiotics.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jian Ji, Shang Wu, Lina Sheng, Jiadi Sun, Yongli Ye, Yiyun Zhang, Yinzhi Zhang, Yajun Gong, Jianzhong Zhou, Xiulan Sun
Summary: The study utilized the LC-MS/MS metabolomics platform to analyze the metabolic profiles of 138 strains of Salmonella, and found that these profiles were related to the serotypes, sources, processing stages, and antibiotic resistance patterns of the bacteria. Specifically, Salmonella Derby with drug resistance to ceftriaxone exhibited a different metabolic status with changes in glutathione biosynthesis. Exogenous glutathione oxidized or citrulline, but not glutathione reduced, restored the susceptibility of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Derby to ceftriaxone. This study establishes a strategy based on functional metabolomics to manage the survival of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shuo Liu, Wei-Kang Deng, Shi-Hua Niu, Chun-Hao Mo, Xin-Di Liao, Cheng Xing
Summary: Microbial biofilms can protect bacteria against environmental stresses, such as antibiotics. This study investigated the effects of doxycycline (DOX) concentrations on the formation of soil microplastic (MP) biofilms and the potential risks associated with MP-attached strains during manuring. The results showed that DOX exposure increased soil MP biofilm formation, abundance of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and potential pathogens on MPs. Additionally, both MPs and DOX enhanced the biofilm production ability of the strains. These findings highlight the importance of DOX exposure in promoting ARG transfer and the abundance of residual pathogens on MPs through biofilm production during manuring.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jonathan Asante, Akebe L. K. Abia, Daniel Anokwah, Bakoena A. Hetsa, Dorcas O. Fatoba, Linda A. Bester, Daniel G. Amoako
Summary: The study investigates biofilm formation and biofilm/adhesion-encoding genes in coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) recovered from blood culture isolates. A total of 89 clinical CoNS were confirmed using the VITEK 2 system and qualitative and quantitative assays were performed to assess biofilm formation. The presence of adherence-related genes was also investigated, and a high prevalence of biofilm-forming CoNS with various resistance phenotypes was observed.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Isabel Silva, Marta Tacao, Isabel Henriques
Summary: This study investigated the role of copper and zinc in the selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes in a riverine bacterial community. Results showed that metal exposure led to the prevalence of bacteria intrinsically resistant to antibiotics, suggesting the importance of cross-resistance mechanisms in antibiotic resistance selection.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Catia Pereira, Omar M. Warsi, Dan Andersson
Summary: Experimental evolution studies have shown that weak antibiotic selective pressures can select resistant mutants even at concentrations below the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). This study addressed several important questions, including the lowest antibiotic concentrations at which de novo resistance mutations can occur, the types of adaptive mutations that are enriched under weak antibiotic selections, and whether the mutations selected in laboratory settings at subMIC are also observed in clinical isolates. The results showed rapid evolution for all antibiotics tested, with selection for resistance observed at concentrations as low as 1/2000th of the MICsusceptible. The evolved resistant mutants showed increased growth yield and outcompeted the susceptible ancestral strain even in the absence of antibiotics, indicating adaptation to the growth environment. Genomic analysis revealed that some of the mutations selected under these conditions are also found in clinical isolates, highlighting the importance of experimental evolution at very low antibiotic levels in identifying novel mutations contributing to bacterial adaptation during subMIC exposure.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Jackson Luu, Valerie J. Carabetta
Summary: Protein acetylation is a crucial posttranslational modification in bacteria, regulated by enzymatic and nonenzymatic mechanisms. Research on acetylation in bacterial virulence and biofilm formation is ongoing, shedding light on its impact on host-pathogen interactions and antimicrobial resistance.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Michael T. France, Helena Mendes-Soares, Larry J. Forney
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Microbiology
Daniela Vargas-Robles, Magda Magris, Natalia Morales, Maurits N. C. de Koning, Iveth Rodriguez, Tahidid Nieves, Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, Gloria I. Sanchez, Luis David Alcaraz, Larry J. Forney, Maria-Eglee Perez, Luis Garcia-Briceno, Leen-Jan van Doorn, Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Kenetta L. Nunn, Steven S. Witkin, G. Maria Schneider, Allison Boester, Dimitrios Nasioudis, Evelyn Minis, Karol Gliniewicz, Larry J. Forney
Summary: Changes in vaginal microbiome after childbirth are diverse;
Elevated levels of hyaluronan and Hsp70, decreased levels of lactic acid isomers in postpartum vaginal secretions;
These variations may result from alterations in the vaginal environment after delivery.
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Kenetta L. Nunn, Geremy C. Clair, Joshua N. Adkins, Kristin Engbrecht, Thomas Fillmore, Larry J. Forney
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Joanna-Lynn C. Borgogna, Michelle D. Shardell, Savannah G. Grace, Elisa K. Santori, Benjamin Americus, Zhong Li, Alexander Ulanov, Larry Forney, Tiffanie M. Nelson, Rebecca M. Brotman, Jacques Ravel, Carl J. Yeoman
Summary: The study found a direct impact of common biogenic amines on vaginal Lactobacillus species, with increases in biogenic amines associated with the development of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and affecting the growth and lactic acid production of Lactobacillus species. Results suggest that biogenic amines play an important role in destabilizing vaginal Lactobacillus species and diminishing their protective role in the vaginal microenvironment.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Wesley Loftie-Eaton, Angela Crabtree, David Perry, Jack Millstein, Justin Baytosh, Thibault Stalder, Barrie D. Robison, Larry J. Forney, Eva M. Top
Summary: This study demonstrates that the success of plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance spread in a gut microbiome depends on the donor-recipient species combinations and their spatial arrangement. It also suggests that rare gut microbiome members should not be ignored as potential reservoirs of multidrug resistance plasmids from food.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Bing Ma, Sripriya Sundararajan, Gita Nadimpalli, Michael France, Elias McComb, Lindsay Rutt, Jose M. Lemme-Dumit, Elise Janofsky, Lisa S. Roskes, Pawel Gajer, Li Fu, Hongqiu Yang, Mike Humphrys, Luke J. Tallon, Lisa Sadzewicz, Marcela F. Pasetti, Jacques Ravel, Rose M. Viscardi
Summary: Despite advancements in neonatal intensive care, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Leaky gut, characterized by immature intestinal barrier and increased permeability, is the main cause of susceptibility to NEC. Early detection and intervention to prevent leaky gut in preterm neonates is crucial for reducing the risk of life-threatening complications. This study investigated the role of breastmilk feeding and intestinal microbiota in the maturation of the intestinal barrier. The results provide insights into potential preventive and therapeutic strategies for NEC and other adverse health conditions in preterm infants.
Article
Microbiology
Michael France, Bing Ma, Jacques Ravel
Summary: This study investigates whether bacterial strains in the vaginal microbiota can persist over longer periods of time. The results show that these strains can persist in the vagina for years, providing an opportunity for them to evolve in response to the host microenvironment.
Article
Microbiology
Michael T. France, Lindsay Rutt, Shilpa Narina, Sarah Arbaugh, Elias McComb, Mike S. Humphrys, Bing Ma, Matthew R. Hayward, Elizabeth K. Costello, David A. Relman, Douglas S. Kwon, Jacques Ravela
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2020)