Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Gaylen A. Uhlich, Heather S. Koppenhofer, Nereus W. Gunther, Amy R. Ream
Summary: The prophage-encoded Escherichia coli O157:H7 transcription factor (TF), PchE, inhibits biofilm formation and attachment to epithelial cells by reducing curli fimbriae expression and increasing flagella expression. Certain inducers of MarA and Rob, such as sodium salicylate and decanoate, have the ability to enhance O157:H7 motility dependent on pchE and provide new potential agents for controlling O157:H7 interactions with the host and its persistence in the environment.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Alistair D. Middlemiss, James R. J. Haycocks, Anne M. Stringer, Laura J. V. Piddock, Joseph T. Wade, David C. Grainger
Summary: The transcription factors MarA, SoxS, Rob and RamA control overlapping stress responses in enteric bacteria and their constitutive expression is linked to antibiotic resistance. The study mapped the binding sites of these factors across the Salmonella Typhimurium genome and identified changes in transcription start sites. This information helps disentangle direct and indirect gene regulation effects and deduce promoter architecture within the regulon. The control of csgD, which is involved in biofilm formation, is particularly sensitive to SoxS repression in Salmonella Typhimurium unlike in Escherichia coli where MarA indirectly regulates csgD expression.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jing Shi, Fulin Wang, Fangfang Li, Lu Wang, Ying Xiong, Aijia Wen, Yuanling Jin, Sha Jin, Fei Gao, Zhenzhen Feng, Jiacong Li, Yu Zhang, Zhuo Shang, Shuang Wang, Yu Feng, Wei Lin
Summary: The transcription activator Rob regulates genes involved in multidrug resistance and stress response. The researchers used cryo-EM structures to study how Rob interacts with bacterial RNA polymerase and promoter DNA. They found that Rob engages with RNA polymerase and promotes the formation of a transcription activation complex.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
A. Vergara, J. Moreno-Morales, I Roca, C. Pitart, T. Kostyanev, J. Rodriguez-Bano, H. Goossens, F. Marco, J. Vila
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Andrea Vergara, Herve Boutal, Adrian Ceccato, Miriam Lopez, Adria Cruells, Leticia Bueno-Freire, Javier Moreno-Morales, Jorge Puig de la Bellacasa, Pedro Castro, Antoni Torres, Francesc Marco, Climent Casals-Pascual, Jordi Vila
Article
Infectious Diseases
Y. Lopez, M. Tato, D. Gargallo-Viola, R. Canton, J. Vila, I Zsolt
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2020)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Ruben S. Rosales, Ana S. Ramirez, Maria M. Tavio, Carlos Poveda, Jose B. Poveda
BMC VETERINARY RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Arianna Pompilio, Marco Ranalli, Alessandra Piccirilli, Mariagrazia Perilli, Dragana Vukovic, Branislava Savic, Marcela Krutova, Pavel Drevinek, Daniel Jonas, Ersilia V. Fiscarelli, Vanessa Tuccio Guarna Assanti, Maria M. Tavio, Fernando Artiles, Giovanni Di Bonaventura
Summary: The ability of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia to form biofilms is a significant factor in the pathogenesis of infections, especially in deep infections. Biofilm formation is positively correlated with clinical outcomes such as mechanical ventilation, and negatively correlated with antibiotic resistance, particularly in pathogenic strains. Mature biofilms of S. maltophilia are much more resistant to antibiotics compared to planktonic cells, especially in the case of bloodborne strains. Additional studies with larger patient cohorts and isolates are warranted to further investigate this phenomenon.
Article
Microbiology
Maria A. Gomis-Font, Cristina Pitart, Ester del Barrio-Tofino, Yuliya Zboromyrska, Sara Cortes-Lara, Xavier Mulet, Francesc Marco, Jordi Vila, Carla Lopez-Causape, Antonio Oliver
Summary: A Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate recovered from a patient with ventilator-associated pneumonia after COVID-19 infection showed resistance to multiple antibiotics due to various gene mutations, including modifications in MexD substrate specificity.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Donia Bouzid, Jordi Vila, Glen Hansen, Davide Manissero, Josep Pareja, Sonia N. Rao, Benoit Visseaux
Summary: This systematic review examines the association between respiratory pathogen rt-PCR Ct values and clinical presentation or outcomes. The findings suggest that low Ct values may be associated with disease severity and outcomes for certain pathogens.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuly Lopez, Laura Munoz, Domingo Gargallo-Viola, Rafael Canton, Jordi Vila, Ilonka Zsolt
Summary: The study revealed that ozenoxacin demonstrated superior accumulation inside bacterial cells compared to other quinolone drugs, and showed higher inhibitory activity against DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV isolated from Staphylococcus aureus.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
SoeYu Naing, Max van Wijk, Jordi Vila, Clara Balleste-Delpierre
Summary: Effective policy responses and good governance are crucial in addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study surveyed politicians, policy advisors, and stakeholders from 15 different countries to better understand their knowledge and attitudes towards AMR. While participants generally had sufficient knowledge of AMR, those from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) showed poorer perceptions and attitudes towards antimicrobial use compared to high-income countries (HICs) participants. Education level and field of expertise were found to significantly influence knowledge, perceptions, and practices regarding AMR. Inter-regional differences in knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards AMR were also observed among politicians, policy advisors, and stakeholders.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Clara Balleste-Delpierre, Angel Ramirez, Laura Munoz, Christopher Longshaw, Ignasi Roca, Jordi Vila
Summary: This study investigated the in vitro antimicrobial activity of cefiderocol and other antibiotics against a diverse collection of Acinetobacter baumannii clinical isolates, revealing cefiderocol and colistin as the most active agents. Notably, cefiderocol demonstrated superior efficacy against multidrug-resistant and carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates, suggesting it as a promising alternative treatment option for infections caused by these strains.
Article
Cell Biology
Haroon Arshad, Anastasios Siokis, Raimo Franke, Aamna Habib, Juan Carlos Lopez Alfonso, Yuliya Poliakova, Eva Luecke, Katina Michaelis, Mark Broenstrup, Michael Meyer-Hermann, Ursula Bilitewski, Jordi Vila, Laurent Abel, Thomas Illig, Jens Schreiber, Frank Pessler
Summary: Amino acid metabolism is dysregulated in both community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and infection-triggered chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. Total amino acid concentrations, asparagine, and threonine show promise as plasma biomarkers for differentiating CAP from COPD exacerbation, while reduced tryptophan and histidine levels are accurate biomarkers for distinguishing acute CAP from healthy controls. The kynurenine/tryptophan ratio correlates with clinical recovery and resolution of inflammation.
Article
Microbiology
Mariana Fernandez-Pittol, Juan Carlos Hurtado, Maryam Ali, Alvar Simarro, Fadiana Proano, Maria Sierra, Jordi Vila
Summary: In various healthcare settings, such as emergency surgery patients, there is a need for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2. The QuantuMDx Q-POC is an automated fast workflow platform that detects three genes, allowing differentiation between SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses. This study compared QuantuMDx Q-POC with the Cobas 6800 algorithm for SARS-CoV-2 detection, showing high sensitivity and a short detection time of 30 minutes. Overall, the QuantuMDx Q-POC system is a reliable option for rapid SARS-CoV-2 detection.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Lucia Boix-Palop, Andrea Vergara, Emma Padilla, Diego Martinez, Ana Blanco, Josefa Perez, Esther Calbo, Jordi Vila, Climent Casals-Pascual
Summary: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of plasma Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) concentration in adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and its association with etiology, severity, and prognosis. The study found that LCN2 concentration was higher in bacterial CAP compared to non-bacterial CAP and had a limited ability to distinguish between the two. It also found that LCN2 concentration was associated with disease severity in adult patients with CAP. However, its utility as a biomarker to discriminate between viral and bacterial etiology in CAP is limited.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Natalia Roson-Calero, Clara Balleste-Delpierre, Javier Fernandez, Jordi Vila
Summary: In recent decades, there has been an increasing trend in infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, which are associated with higher morbidity and mortality. Various interventions should be implemented to reduce the emergence and spread of MDR bacteria. This mini-review aims to compile and discuss different strategies for eradicating MDR bacteria from the gut microbiota.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Sara Batista, Mariana Fernandez-Pittol, Lorena San Nicolas, Diego Martinez, Marc Rubio, Montserrat Garrigo, Jordi Vila, Griselda Tudo, Julian Gonzalez-Martin
Summary: Patients with chronic pulmonary diseases infected by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) often develop complications and suffer from treatment failure due to biofilm formation. There is a lack of correlation between in vitro susceptibility tests and the treatment of clinical isolates producing biofilm. This study found that the use of potential antibiofilm agents (PAAs) in combination with three-drug combinations can effectively reduce the bactericidal concentration in biofilm forms of MAC isolates.