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Nature Communications Mar 2024Matrix-encapsulated communities of bacteria, called biofilms, are ubiquitous in the environment and are notoriously difficult to eliminate in clinical and industrial...
Matrix-encapsulated communities of bacteria, called biofilms, are ubiquitous in the environment and are notoriously difficult to eliminate in clinical and industrial settings. Biofilm formation likely evolved as a mechanism to protect resident cells from environmental challenges, yet how bacteria undergo threat assessment to inform biofilm development remains unclear. Here we find that population-level cell lysis events induce the formation of biofilms by surviving Vibrio cholerae cells. Survivors detect threats by sensing a cellular component released through cell lysis, which we identify as norspermidine. Lysis sensing occurs via the MbaA receptor with genus-level specificity, and responsive biofilm cells are shielded from phage infection and attacks from other bacteria. Thus, our work uncovers a connection between bacterial lysis and biofilm formation that may be broadly conserved among microorganisms.
Topics: Bacteriophages; Biofilms; Cell Aggregation; Cell Death; Vibrio cholerae
PubMed: 38443393
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46399-1 -
Microbiology Spectrum May 2024is a genus of halophilic, gram-negative bacteria found in estuaries around the globe. Integral parts of coastal cultures often involve contact with vectors of...
UNLABELLED
is a genus of halophilic, gram-negative bacteria found in estuaries around the globe. Integral parts of coastal cultures often involve contact with vectors of pathogenic spp. (e.g., consuming raw shellfish). High rates of mortality from certain spp. infections demonstrate the need for an improved understanding of spp. dynamics in estuarine regions. Our study assessed meteorological, hydrographic, and biological correlates of and at 10 sites in the Eastern Mississippi Sound System (EMSS) from April to October 2019. During the sampling period, median abundances of and were 2.31 log MPN/L and 2.90 log MPN/L, respectively. spp. dynamics were largely driven by site-based variation, with sites closest to freshwater inputs having the highest abundances. The E-W wind scalar, which affects Ekman transport, was a novel spp. correlate observed. A potential salinity effect on bacterial-particle associations was identified, where was associated with larger particles in conditions outside of their optimal salinity. Additionally, abundances were correlated to those of harmful algal species that did not dominate community chlorophyll. Correlates from this study may be used to inform the next iteration of regionally predictive models and may lend additional insight to spp. ecology in similar systems.
IMPORTANCE
spp. are bacteria found in estuaries worldwide; some species can cause illness and infections in humans. Relationships between spp. abundance, salinity, and temperature are well documented, but correlations to other environmental parameters are less understood. This study identifies unique correlates (e.g., E-W wind scalar and harmful algal species) that could potentially inform the next iteration of predictive models for the EMSS region. Additionally, these correlates may allow existing environmental monitoring efforts to be leveraged in providing data inputs for future Vibrio risk models. An observed correlation between salinity and /particle-size associations suggests that predicted environmental changes may affect the abundance of spp. in certain reservoirs, which may alter which vectors present the greatest vibrio risk.
Topics: Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Vibrio vulnificus; Estuaries; Alabama; Population Dynamics; Salinity; Vibrio Infections; Seawater; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 38578091
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03674-23 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2023To evaluate the diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in () infection.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in () infection.
METHODS
A retrospective analysis of patients with infection at the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University from January 1, 2020 to April 23, 2023 was conducted. 14 enrolled patients were diagnosed by culture or mNGS. The corresponding medical records were reviewed, and the clinical data analyzed included demographics, epidemiology laboratory findings, physical examination, symptoms at presentation, antibiotic and surgical treatment, and outcome.
RESULTS
In this study, 78.6% (11/14) patients had a history of marine trauma (including fish stab, shrimp stab, crab splints and fish hook wounds), 7.1% (1/14) had eaten seafood, and the remaining 14.3% (2/14) had no definite cause. Isolation of from clinical samples including blood, tissue, fester and secreta. 9 cases were positive for culture, 5 cases were detected synchronously by mNGS and got positive for . 85.7% (12/14) cases accepted surgical treatment, with 1 patient suffering finger amputated. 14 enrolled patients received appropriate antibiotic therapy, and all of them had recovered and discharged. 9 strains isolated in this study were sensitive to most beta-lactam antibiotics, aminoglycosides, quinolones, etc.
CONCLUSION
infection is a common water-exposed disease in Zhuhai, which requires identification of a number of pathogens. Of severe infections with unknown pathogen, mNGS can be used simultaneously, and the potential to detect multiple pathogens is of great help in guiding treatment.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Retrospective Studies; Vibrio Infections; Vibrio vulnificus; Anti-Bacterial Agents; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
PubMed: 38035326
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1210919 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2024Food-related illnesses have become a growing public concern due to their considerable socioeconomic and medical impacts. Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Staphylococcus...
Food-related illnesses have become a growing public concern due to their considerable socioeconomic and medical impacts. Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Staphylococcus aureus have been implicated as causative organisms of food-related infections and poisoning, and both can form biofilms which confer antibiotic resistance. Hence, the need for continuous search for compounds with antibiofilm and antivirulence properties. In this study, 22 iodinated hydrocarbons were screened for their antibiofilm activity, and of these, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (IPBC) was found to effectively control biofilm formation of both pathogens with a MIC of 50 µg/mL which was bactericidal to V. parahaemolyticus and S. aureus. Microscopic studies confirmed IPBC inhibits biofilm formation of both bacteria and also disrupted their mixed biofilm formation. Furthermore, IPBC suppressed virulence activities such as motility and hemolytic activity of V. parahaemolyticus and the cell surface hydrophobicity of S. aureus. It exhibited a preservative potential against both pathogens in a shrimp model. IPBC disrupted the cell membrane of S. aureus and V. parahaemolyticus and differentially affected gene expressions related to biofilm formation and virulence. Additionally, it displayed broad-spectrum antibiofilm activities against other clinically relevant pathogens. These findings indicate IPBC offers a potential means of controlling infections mediated by Vibrio and Staphylococcus biofilms.
Topics: Biofilms; Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Staphylococcus aureus; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Animals; Virulence
PubMed: 38644387
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55479-7 -
The American Journal of Tropical... Aug 2023Cholera is a leading global public health threat, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the changing determinants of cholera related to...
Cholera is a leading global public health threat, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the changing determinants of cholera related to water-sanitation practices between 1994-1998 and 2014-2018 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Data of all cause diarrhea cases were extracted from the Diarrheal Disease Surveillance System of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, and analysis was performed among three groups: Vibrio cholerae detected as sole pathogen, V. cholerae detected as mixed infection, and detection of no common enteropathogen in stool specimens (reference). Using sanitary toilet, drinking tap water, drinking boiled water, family size greater than five, and slum dwelling were the main exposures. Overall, 3,380 (20.30%) and 1,290 (9.69%) patients were positive for V. cholerae during 1994-1998 and 2014-2018, respectively. In 1994-1998, use of sanitary toilet (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.76-0.97) and drinking tap water (aOR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.72-0.92) were found to be negatively associated and in 2014-2018, drinking tap water (aOR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.21-1.78) and slum dwelling (aOR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.10-1.86) were found to be positively associated with V. cholerae infection after adjusting for age, sex, monthly income, and seasonality. Because the determinants of cholera such as drinking tap water can change over time in developing cities, ameliorating the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) situation is of paramount importance. In addition, in settings such as urban slums, where long-term WASH monitoring might be difficult to achieve, mass vaccination with oral cholera vaccine should be introduced to control cholera.
Topics: Humans; Cholera; Sanitation; Bangladesh; Vibrio cholerae; Drinking Water; Diarrhea
PubMed: 37277103
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0575 -
The Lancet. Infectious Diseases Jun 2024
Topics: Humans; Cholera; Cholera Vaccines; Disease Outbreaks
PubMed: 38789155
DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(24)00301-3 -
Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift Nov 2023Vibrio cholerae, an important human pathogen, is naturally occurring in specific aquatic ecosystems. With very few exceptions, only the cholera-toxigenic strains... (Review)
Review
Vibrio cholerae, an important human pathogen, is naturally occurring in specific aquatic ecosystems. With very few exceptions, only the cholera-toxigenic strains belonging to the serogroups O1 and O139 are responsible for severe cholera outbreaks with epidemic or pandemic potential. All other nontoxigenic, non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae (NTVC) strains may cause various other diseases, such as mild to severe infections of the ears, of the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts as well as wound and bloodstream infections. Older, immunocompromised people and patients with specific preconditions have an elevated risk. In recent years, worldwide reports demonstrated that NTVC infections are on the rise, caused amongst others by elevated water temperatures due to global warming.The aim of this review is to summarize the knowledge gained during the past two decades on V. cholerae infections and its occurrence in bathing waters in Austria, with a special focus on the lake Neusiedler See. We investigated whether NTVC infections have increased and which specific environmental conditions favor the occurrence of NTVC. We present an overview of state of the art methods that are currently available for clinical and environmental diagnostics. A preliminary public health risk assessment concerning NTVC infections related to the Neusiedler See was established. In order to raise awareness of healthcare professionals for NTVC infections, typical symptoms, possible treatment options and the antibiotic resistance status of Austrian NTVC isolates are discussed.
Topics: Humans; Vibrio cholerae; Cholera; Austria; Ecosystem
PubMed: 37530997
DOI: 10.1007/s00508-023-02241-0 -
Science (New York, N.Y.) Apr 2024Despite an increasingly detailed picture of the molecular mechanisms of bacteriophage (phage)-bacterial interactions, we lack an understanding of how these interactions...
Despite an increasingly detailed picture of the molecular mechanisms of bacteriophage (phage)-bacterial interactions, we lack an understanding of how these interactions evolve and impact disease within patients. In this work, we report a year-long, nationwide study of diarrheal disease patients in Bangladesh. Among cholera patients, we quantified (prey) and its virulent phages (predators) using metagenomics and quantitative polymerase chain reaction while accounting for antibiotic exposure using quantitative mass spectrometry. Virulent phage (ICP1) and antibiotics suppressed to varying degrees and were inversely associated with severe dehydration depending on resistance mechanisms. In the absence of antiphage defenses, predation was "effective," with a high predator:prey ratio that correlated with increased genetic diversity among the prey. In the presence of antiphage defenses, predation was "ineffective," with a lower predator:prey ratio that correlated with increased genetic diversity among the predators. Phage-bacteria coevolution within patients should therefore be considered in the deployment of phage-based therapies and diagnostics.
Topics: Cholera; Vibrio cholerae; Bacteriophages; Humans; Genetic Variation; Bangladesh; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Severity of Illness Index; Adult; Metagenomics
PubMed: 38669570
DOI: 10.1126/science.adj3166 -
MBio Oct 2023To counteract infection with phage, bacteria have evolved a myriad of molecular defense systems. Some of these systems initiate a process called abortive infection, in...
To counteract infection with phage, bacteria have evolved a myriad of molecular defense systems. Some of these systems initiate a process called abortive infection, in which the infected cell kills itself to prevent phage propagation. However, such systems must be inhibited in the absence of phage infection to prevent spurious death of the host. Here, we show that the cyclic oligonucleotide based anti-phage signaling system (CBASS) accomplishes this by sensing intracellular folate molecules and only expressing this system in a group. These results enhance our understanding of the evolution of the seventh pandemic and more broadly how bacteria defend themselves against phage infection.
Topics: Vibrio cholerae; Quorum Sensing; Bacteriophages; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 37623317
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00875-23 -
BMC Microbiology Oct 2023Virulence determinants are crucial to the risk assessment of pathogens in an environment. This study investigated the presence of eleven key virulence-associated genes...
Occurrence of virulence determinants in vibrio cholerae, vibrio mimicus, vibrio alginolyticus, and vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates from important water resources of Eastern Cape, South Africa.
BACKGROUND
Virulence determinants are crucial to the risk assessment of pathogens in an environment. This study investigated the presence of eleven key virulence-associated genes in Vibrio cholerae (n = 111) and Vibrio mimicus (n = 22) and eight virulence determinants in Vibrio alginolyticus (n = 65) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (n = 17) isolated from six important water resources in Eastern Cape, South Africa, using PCR techniques. The multiple virulence gene indexes (MVGI) for sampling sites and isolates as well as hotspots for potential vibriosis outbreaks among sampling sites were determined statistically based on the comparison of MVGI.
RESULT
The PCR assay showed that all the V. cholerae isolates belong to non-O1/non-O139 serogroups. Of the isolates, Vibrio Cholera (84%), V. mimicus (73%), V. alginolyticus (91%) and V. parahaemolyticus (100%) isolates harboured at least one of the virulence-associated genes investigated. The virulence gene combinations detected in isolates varied at sampling site and across sites. Typical virulence-associated determinants of V. cholerae were detected in V. mimicus while that of V. parahaemolyticus were detected in V. alginolyticus. The isolates with the highest MVGI were recovered from three estuaries (Sunday river, Swartkopps river, buffalo river) and a freshwater resource (Lashinton river). The cumulative MVGI for V. cholerae, V. mimicus, V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus isolates were 0.34, 0.20, 0.45, and 0.40 respectively. The targeted Vibrio spp. in increasing order of the public health risk posed in our study areas based on the MVGI is V. alginolyticus > V. parahaemolyticus > V. cholerae > V. mimicus. Five (sites SR, PA5, PA6, EL4 and EL6) out of the seventeen sampling sites were detected as the hotspots for potential cholera-like infection and vibriosis outbreaks.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that humans having contact with water resources in our study areas are exposed to potential public health risks owing to the detection of virulent determinants in human pathogenic Vibrio spp. recovered from the water resources. The study affirms the relevancy of environmental Vibrio species to the epidemiology of vibriosis, cholera and cholera-like infections. Hence we suggest a monitoring program for human pathogenic Vibrio spp. in the environment most especially surface water that humans have contact with regularly.
Topics: Humans; Vibrio cholerae; Vibrio mimicus; Cholera; Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Vibrio alginolyticus; Virulence; South Africa; Water Resources; Vibrio; Virulence Factors; Vibrio Infections
PubMed: 37891478
DOI: 10.1186/s12866-023-03060-z