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Germs Sep 2023The annual incidence of infective endocarditis (IE) is 3-9 cases per 100000 in developed countries and most cases are due to staphylococci and streptococci. IE due to...
INTRODUCTION
The annual incidence of infective endocarditis (IE) is 3-9 cases per 100000 in developed countries and most cases are due to staphylococci and streptococci. IE due to Gram-positive anaerobic cocci (GPAC) is very rare.
CASE REPORT
We present a case of a 38-year-old female with bacteremia and infective endocarditis of the native mitral valve. She presented with fever, chills, and abdominal pain. A computed tomographic scan of the abdomen showed splenic abscesses. Blood cultures and broad-range PCR from the splenic abscess sample were negative. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a mobile filamentous structure on the atrial side of the anterior mitral leaflet which was suggestive for infective endocarditis. Karius test (cell-free microbial DNA testing) showed Gram-positive anaerobic cocci She was successfully treated with antibiotics.
CONCLUSIONS
In cases of infection with fastidious organisms like GPACs, the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) can allow the correct identification of culprit pathogens and streamlined treatment.
PubMed: 38146378
DOI: 10.18683/germs.2023.1396 -
Nutrients Jan 2023Dietary methionine restriction (MR) has been shown to decrease plasma trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) levels in high-fat diet mice; however, the specific mechanism used is...
Dietary methionine restriction (MR) has been shown to decrease plasma trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) levels in high-fat diet mice; however, the specific mechanism used is unknown. We speculated that the underlying mechanism is related with the gut microbiota, and this study aimed to confirm the hypothesis. In this study, we initially carried out an in vitro fermentation experiment and found that MR could reduce the ability of gut microbiota found in the contents of healthy mice and the feces of healthy humans to produce trimethylamine (TMA). Subsequently, mice were fed a normal diet (CON, 0.20% choline + 0.86% methionine), high-choline diet (H-CHO, 1.20% choline + 0.86% methionine), or high-choline + methionine-restricted diet (H-CHO+MR, 1.20% choline + 0.17% methionine) for 3 months. Our results revealed that MR decreased plasma TMA and TMAO levels in H-CHO-diet-fed mice without changing hepatic FMO3 gene expression and enzyme activity, significantly decreased TMA levels and expression of choline TMA-lyase () and its activator , and decreased CutC activity in the intestine. Moreover, MR significantly decreased the abundance of TMA-producing bacteria, including ( phylum) and ( phylum), and significantly increased the abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria and SCFA levels. Furthermore, both MR and sodium butyrate supplementation significantly inhibited bacterial growth, down-regulated gene expression levels in TMA-producing bacteria, including and and decreased TMA production from bacterial growth under in vitro anaerobic fermentation conditions. In conclusion, dietary MR alleviates choline-induced TMAO elevation by manipulating gut microbiota in mice and may be a promising approach to reducing circulating TMAO levels and TMAO-induced atherosclerosis.
Topics: Humans; Mice; Animals; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Choline; Methionine; Methylamines; Bacteria; Racemethionine
PubMed: 36615863
DOI: 10.3390/nu15010206