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Journal of Microscopy and Ultrastructure 2021is a Gram-positive, catalase- and oxidase-negative, microaerophilic, nonmotile bacteria species rarely associated with human infections such as arthritis, bacteremia,...
INTRODUCTION
is a Gram-positive, catalase- and oxidase-negative, microaerophilic, nonmotile bacteria species rarely associated with human infections such as arthritis, bacteremia, endocarditis, and meningitis. The bacteria are also often confused with streptococci species or treated as a contaminant.
PATIENTS AND METHODOLOGY
We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study on all patients with isolates in blood samples from July 2010 to June 2019. All categorical data were presented as counts and proportions, whereas continuous data were presented as median and interquartile ranges.
RESULTS
A total of 20 isolates were identified over the study period of 9 years. Of these, was isolated in 10 (50%), in 6 (30%), and (not speciated) in 4 (20%). The median age was 74.3 years (12 males and 8 females). The two most frequent presentations were fever (15 of 20) and altered mentation (6 of 15). Most of the patients (11 of 15) had at least one predisposing comorbidity related to the urinary tract system (8 with recurrent urinary tract infection, 7 with urinary incontinence, 3 with an indwelling catheter, 2 with renal stones, and 1 each with benign prostatic hyperplasia and a recent cystoscopy). The median white blood cell count was 18,426 cells/mL, median hemoglobin 10.96 g/dL, median platelet count 191,000 cells/μL, median blood urea nitrogen 28.6 mg/dL, and median creatinine 1.54 mg/dL. The urinary tract was the most likely source of bacteremia (10 of 20) based on either imaging findings (5 cases), positive urine culture for (4 cases), or instrumentation history (1 case). In the rest, the cause of bacteremia could not be found. Endocarditis was suspected in 9 out of 20 patients. Transthoracic echocardiography/transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) confirmed 3 cases (2 aortic valves, 1 mitral valve and pacemaker). Interestingly, one case had septic emboli causing a right frontal stroke with a normal TEE and normal Doppler study for deep venous thrombosis. Blood cultures were positive in 35% (7 of 20) with polymicrobial growth, 3 with coagulase-negative staphylococci, 2 with , and the other 2 each with and Of the 20 cases, 9 and 10 required intensive care unit level care and vasopressor support, respectively. Most of the patients were treated for 5-14 days except the 3 cases with infective endocarditis (IE). The median hospital stay duration was 6.55 days with 2 fatalities (2 out of 20 patients).
CONCLUSION
Old age and underlying urologic conditions are the best-known risk factors for infection. Recent advances in diagnostic technology have led to an increase in detection of -related infections. The rare occurrence of in human infections and resultant lack of randomized control trials have resulted in a significant degree of clinical uncertainty in the management of IE.
PubMed: 33850708
DOI: 10.4103/JMAU.JMAU_61_19 -
Microbial Drug Resistance (Larchmont,... Dec 2023The current study aimed to determine the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of oral in stray dogs and cats in Algeria. Oral swabs from 200 stray animals (100 dogs...
The current study aimed to determine the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of oral in stray dogs and cats in Algeria. Oral swabs from 200 stray animals (100 dogs and 100 cats) were collected and cultured on Columbia agar medium supplemented with 5% defibrinated sheep blood. Isolates were identified using analytical profile index Rapid 20 Strep commercial kits, and antibiotic susceptibility was determined using the disk diffusion method. Of the 200 animals sampled, 34 carried in their oral cavities, with 26 isolates (76.47%) resistant to at least 2 drugs. Multidrug resistance profiles (to more than three different antimicrobials) were observed only in cats (26.08% of isolates). More isolates were resistant to erythromycin and tetracycline (71% and 65%, respectively) than to other antimicrobials. This is the first research study in Algeria detecting antimicrobial resistance in oral isolated from dogs and cats and highlights potential public health concerns. Clinical trials registration number: 01/2018.
Topics: Animals; Cats; Dogs; Aerococcus; Algeria; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cat Diseases; Dog Diseases; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Public Health
PubMed: 37855893
DOI: 10.1089/mdr.2022.0165 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2023Hyperactivation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis were found in acute high altitude challenge, but the role of...
Hyperactivation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis were found in acute high altitude challenge, but the role of gut microbiota and metabolites is unknown. We utilized adult male Sprague-Dawley rats at a simulated altitude of 5500 m for 3 days in a hypobaric-hypoxic chamber. ELISA and metabolomic analyses of serum and 16S rRNA and metabolomic analyses of fecal samples were then performed. Compared with the normoxic group, serum corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone (CORT), and thyroxine (tT) were increased in the hypoxia group, whereas thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) was decreased. Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, Parabacteroides, Butyricimonas, SMB53, Akkermansia, Phascolarctobacterium, and Aerococcus were enriched in hypoxia group, whereas [Prevotella], Prevotella, Kaistobacter, Salinibacterium, and Vogesella were enriched in normoxic group. Metabolomic analysis indicated that acute hypoxia significantly affected fecal and serum lipid metabolism. In addition, we found five fecal metabolites may mediate the cross-talk between TRH, tT, and CORT with [Prevotella], Kaistobacter, Parabacteroides, and Aerococcus, and 6 serum metabolites may mediate the effect of TRH and tT on [Prevotella] and Kaistobacter by causal mediation analysis. In conclusion, this study provides new evidence that key metabolites mediate the cross-talk between gut microbiota with HPA and HPT axis under acute hypobaric hypoxia challenge.
Topics: Rats; Male; Animals; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Altitude; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Corticosterone; Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; Hypoxia; Pituitary-Adrenal System
PubMed: 37286697
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35573-y -
Journal of Medical Microbiology Jun 2023species in particular are increasingly reported as causative agents of bacteraemia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, and endocarditis. We sought to establish the...
Epidemiology and urological pathogenic potential of species in greater Glasgow and Clyde (Descriptive study of in blood culture and urinary samples: clinical importance and potential marker of urinary tract pathology).
species in particular are increasingly reported as causative agents of bacteraemia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, and endocarditis. We sought to establish the epidemiology of in Glasgow hospitals and whether the presence of the organism in clinical isolates could be an indicator of undiagnosed urinary tract pathology. The knowledge gap among clinical staffs on species as emerging pathogens can be filled by understanding its epidemiology and clinical importance. Describe the epidemiology and clinical importance of . We reviewed positive blood cultures with species (2017-2021) and urinary isolates (2021) in Glasgow hospitals. Data were collected from clinical and laboratory database systems. All 22 positive blood cultures were and sensitive to amoxicillin, vancomycin, and ciprofloxacin. The median age was 80.5; the majority was male (18). In total, 15/22 (68 %) were diagnosed with urinary tract infection. Thirteen were treated with amoxicillin. No cases of infective endocarditis were noted. One patient was subsequently diagnosed with bladder carcinoma. All 83 positive urinary isolates in 72 patients were . One was resistant to amoxicillin; two to ciprofloxacin; all sensitive to nitrofurantoin and vancomycin. The majority was female (43/83), the median age was 80. The commonest risk factors were underlying malignancy including bladder cancer (5/18), chronic kidney disease (17) and diabetes (16). Clinical data was unavailable in 24 episodes. Of these, 41/59 (69.5 %) were diagnosed with urinary tract infection. One patient was subsequently diagnosed with metastatic renal cancer while bladder wall lesions were identified in three patients, two of whom were waiting for an urology review at the time of study. Thirteen patients (18 %) had 1 year recurrent bacteriuria and three were not treated on initial episode. are emerging pathogens and are likely to become more common due to advances in laboratory technologies and an ageing population. Clinical teams should be aware of their urological pathogenic potential and not dismiss them as contaminants. Whether infection is a potential indicator for undiagnosed urinary tract malignancy warrants further studies.
Topics: Aged, 80 and over; Female; Humans; Male; Aerococcus; Amoxicillin; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Blood Culture; Ciprofloxacin; Clinical Relevance; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Urinary Bladder; Urinary Tract Infections; Vancomycin
PubMed: 37335077
DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001690 -
Journal of the European Academy of... Jun 2024Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common clinical manifestation of a perturbed vaginal ecology associated with adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes if left...
BACKGROUND
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common clinical manifestation of a perturbed vaginal ecology associated with adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes if left untreated. The existing diagnostic modalities are either cumbersome or require skilled expertise, warranting alternate tests. Application of machine-learning tools to heterogeneous and high-dimensional multi-omics datasets finds promising potential in data integration and may aid biomarker discovery.
OBJECTIVES
The present study aimed to evaluate the potential of the microbiome and metabolome-derived biomarkers in BV diagnosis. Interpretable machine-learning algorithms were used to evaluate the utility of an integrated-omics-derived classification model.
METHODS
Vaginal samples obtained from reproductive-age group women with (n = 40) and without BV (n = 40) were subjected to 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and LC-MS-based metabolomics. The vaginal microbiome and metabolome were characterized, and machine-learning analysis was performed to build a classification model using biomarkers with the highest diagnostic accuracy.
RESULTS
Microbiome-based diagnostic model exhibited a ROC-AUC (10-fold CV) of 0.84 ± 0.21 and accuracy of 0.79 ± 0.18, and important features were Aerococcus spp., Mycoplasma hominis, Sneathia spp., Lactobacillus spp., Prevotella spp., Gardnerella spp. and Fannyhessea vaginae. The metabolome-derived model displayed superior performance with a ROC-AUC of 0.97 ± 0.07 and an accuracy of 0.92 ± 0.08. Beta-leucine, methylimidazole acetaldehyde, dimethylethanolamine, L-arginine and beta cortol were among key predictive metabolites for BV. A predictive model combining both microbial and metabolite features exhibited a high ROC-AUC of 0.97 ± 0.07 and accuracy of 0.94 ± 0.08 with diagnostic performance only slightly superior to the metabolite-based model.
CONCLUSION
Application of machine-learning tools to multi-omics datasets aid biomarker discovery with high predictive performance. Metabolome-derived classification models were observed to have superior diagnostic performance in predicting BV than microbiome-based biomarkers.
Topics: Humans; Female; Vaginosis, Bacterial; Biomarkers; Adult; Machine Learning; Microbiota; Metabolomics; Young Adult; Vagina; Metabolome; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Multiomics
PubMed: 38284174
DOI: 10.1111/jdv.19805 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2023Intravesical therapy (IVT), including Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is the standard of care for high grade (HG) non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Despite...
INTRODUCTION
Intravesical therapy (IVT), including Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is the standard of care for high grade (HG) non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Despite the use of IVT, many patients recur after treatment. The bladder microbiome and its role in disease processes has recently risen to prominence. We aim to characterize changes that occur in the bladder microbiome over the course of intravesical therapy and assess whether these changes correlate with outcomes in patients with NMIBC.
METHODS
Patients with NMIBC undergoing induction BCG or intravesical therapy were prospectively enrolled from January 2019 to March 2020. Patients with clinical T2 or greater pathology or active urinary tract infection at enrollment were excluded. Twenty-nine patients had catheterized (bladder) urine samples collected prior to induction intravesical therapy and prior to each IVT instillation. Twenty-seven received BCG while 2 received intravesical gemcitabine. Bacteria were identified using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Bladder microbiome changes were evaluated and differences between patients who recurred and patients who did not recur after IVT were investigated.
RESULTS
Across the 29 patients analyzed, bacterial richness decreased significantly following intravesical therapy (Richness, P=0.01). Evenness and overall diversity did not change significantly (Pielou, P=0.62; Shannon, P=0.13). Patients who experienced recurrence had a higher relative abundance of in their urine (P<0.01), while those who did not recur had significantly more (P=0.01) and species (P=0.05). Patients with decreased levels of alpha diversity were more likely to fall within the non-recurrence cohort.
CONCLUSION
IVT for NMIBC appears to change the urinary microbiome by decreasing richness while not altering evenness or overall diversity. The presence of species may be predictive of a poor cancer response to IVT, while the presence of and may predict a favorable response to IVT. Further studies are warranted to elucidate and confirm the significance of changes in the bladder microbiome.
Topics: Humans; BCG Vaccine; Urinary Bladder; Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Neoplasms; Adjuvants, Immunologic; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms; Neoplasm Invasiveness
PubMed: 37091677
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1125809 -
Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious... Nov 2021This study aimed to review the clinical characteristics of patients with Aerococcus spp. detected by blood culture, and drug susceptibility of Aerococcus spp. All cases...
This study aimed to review the clinical characteristics of patients with Aerococcus spp. detected by blood culture, and drug susceptibility of Aerococcus spp. All cases of Aerococcus spp. determined using blood culture between June 2013 and May 2020 in a single institution were included; patient information (age, sex, comorbidities, outcome, diagnosis, antimicrobial agents) was analyzed. The cohort comprised 25 patients (18 [72%] men and 7 [28%] women; median age, 84.5 [range, 75-87] years). Thirteen (52%) patients had urinary tract infections(UTI) caused by Aerococcus spp. All patients had a favorable prognosis, except 1 who died owing to infective endocarditis. Drug susceptibility testing showed that most isolates were susceptible to β-lactams except 1. However, 24 (96%) cases were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 10 (40%) to quinolones. Aerococcus spp. are important causative agents of bacteremia and UTI. The increasing reports of Aerococcus spp. infections could lead to better treatment schemes and facilitate diagnosis.
Topics: Aerococcus; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Blood Culture; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Female; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Humans; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Prognosis; Urinary Tract Infections
PubMed: 34391074
DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2021.115506 -
Cancer Medicine Dec 2022High-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection is a key factor that alters cervicovaginal microbiota patterns and causes cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CINs) or...
BACKGROUND
High-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection is a key factor that alters cervicovaginal microbiota patterns and causes cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CINs) or even cervical cancer. Although local excisional treatment can clear hrHPV infection and restore the cervicovaginal microbiota, it is unclear which cervicovaginal microbiota represents recovery. Our objective was to describe the cervicovaginal microbiota before and after treatments and to assess the association between the microbiota and HPV persistence.
RESULTS
A cohort of 91 participants was classified into four groups (healthy control women and HPV16-infected women with CIN I, CIN II/III, and squamous cell carcinoma [SCC]). Endocervical swabs were collected 3 months prior to treatment and at 3 months post-treatment for bacterial 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and for HPV DNA testing. There was an increase in the number of Lactobacillus bacterial species present after the clinical treatments, and the community state type (CST) profiles were shifted from dysbiotic CSTs II and IV to Lactobacillus-dominated CSTs I and III. Specifically, the composition of Geobacter and Prevotella before treatment and Lactobacillus secaliphilus after treatment might have been related to CIN I, the composition of Burkholderia before treatment and Lactobacillus iners after treatment might have been related to CIN II/III, and the composition of Atopobium and Aerococcus before treatment and Bacilli after treatment might have been related to SCC. Further functional predictions revealed that the composition differences were linked to infectious disease- and cancer-related genes.
CONCLUSION
Our study provides an illustration of the changes in CSTs and the cervicovaginal microbiota before and after HPV16 clearance in each disease state.
Topics: Humans; Female; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Human papillomavirus 16; Papillomavirus Infections; Vagina; Microbiota
PubMed: 35569127
DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4801 -
Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical... 2022is an alpha-hemolytic, gram-positive coccus that is responsible for 54/1,000,000 cases of all urinary tract infections. Risk factors include male gender, advanced age,...
is an alpha-hemolytic, gram-positive coccus that is responsible for 54/1,000,000 cases of all urinary tract infections. Risk factors include male gender, advanced age, and genitourinary tract abnormalities. It has often been misidentified as or due to its morphological similarities. Fewer than 50 cases of infective endocarditis have been reported, most affecting the mitral or aortic valve. We present the case of a 61-year-old woman who presented with recurrent fevers and worsening dyspnea on exertion and was found to have bacteremia. A transesophageal echocardiogram showed evidence of moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation and vegetations involving its posterior and septal leaflets. The patient was successfully treated with intravenous penicillin G for 6 weeks. She was not deemed a candidate for cardiac surgery.
PubMed: 35754564
DOI: 10.1080/08998280.2022.2054042 -
Digestive and Liver Disease : Official... Nov 2023Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with imbalance of gut microbiome, indicating participation of gut environment in hepatic health status. Therefore,...
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with imbalance of gut microbiome, indicating participation of gut environment in hepatic health status. Therefore, modulating gut environment via fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a promising therapeutic procedure for NASH patients. However, the effect and mechanism of the FMT remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the gut-liver axis to understand the FMT-mediated hepatic improvement in NASH. Feces from specific pathogen free mice were infused allogeneically into gastrointestinal tract of mice fed with high fat, high cholesterol and fructose (HFHCF), resulting in suppressing hepatic pathogenic events, featured by decreasing inflammatory and fibrotic mediators. The FMT elevated NF-E2-related factor 2 (NRF2), a key transcription factor that regulates antioxidant enzymes, in livers. The HFHCF-induced NASH increased intestinal permeability with abundant Facklamia and Aerococcus, an imbalanced gut environment that was significantly improved by the FMT, characterized with restoration of intestinal barrier function and an enrichment of Clostridium. Notably, the gut environment created by FMT was inferred to produce metabolites from the aromatic biogenic amine degradation pathway, specifically 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (4-HPA), which is known to ameliorate liver injury. We suggest that gut-derived molecules, related to hepatic improvement such as 4-HPA are the potential therapeutic agents for preventing and treating NASH.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Mice; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Fecal Microbiota Transplantation; Oxidative Stress; Inflammation
PubMed: 37380586
DOI: 10.1016/j.dld.2023.06.015