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Virology Journal Dec 2019Zoonoses are infectious diseases transmitted directly or indirectly between animals and humans. Several important zoonotic pathogens colonize farm animals... (Review)
Review
Zoonoses are infectious diseases transmitted directly or indirectly between animals and humans. Several important zoonotic pathogens colonize farm animals asymptomatically, which may lead to contamination of the food chain and public health hazards. Moreover, routine sampling of carcasses at retail by government authorities over the past 20 years suggests the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens has increased. If this continues, antibiotics may be ineffective against such pathogens in the future and alternative approaches, such as phage therapy, may be necessary. Intensive livestock farming is the only realistic way of meeting the demand for meat from an increasing global population and growth in middle class consumers in developing countries, particularly in Asia. This review elaborates on the use of phages to control zoonotic pathogens in intensively-reared livestock (poultry and pigs).
Topics: Animals; Asia; Bacterial Infections; Carrier State; Food Contamination; Food Industry; Foodborne Diseases; Humans; Livestock; Phage Therapy; Veterinary Medicine
PubMed: 31831017
DOI: 10.1186/s12985-019-1260-3 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2023(pneumococcus) typically colonizes the human upper airway asymptomatically but upon reaching other sites of the host body can cause an array of diseases such as... (Review)
Review
(pneumococcus) typically colonizes the human upper airway asymptomatically but upon reaching other sites of the host body can cause an array of diseases such as pneumonia, bacteremia, otitis media, and meningitis. Be it colonization or progression to disease state, pneumococcus faces multiple challenges posed by host immunity ranging from complement mediated killing to inflammation driven recruitment of bactericidal cells for the containment of the pathogen. Pneumococcus has evolved several mechanisms to evade the host inflicted immune attack. The major pneumococcal virulence factor, the polysaccharide capsule helps protect the bacteria from complement mediated opsonophagocytic killing. Another important group of pneumococcal proteins which help bacteria to establish and thrive in the host environment is surface associated glycosidases. These enzymes can hydrolyze host glycans on glycoproteins, glycolipids, and glycosaminoglycans and consequently help bacteria acquire carbohydrates for growth. Many of these glycosidases directly or indirectly facilitate bacterial adherence and are known to modulate the function of host defense/immune proteins likely by removing glycans and thereby affecting their stability and/or function. Furthermore, these enzymes are known to contribute the formation of biofilms, the bacterial communities inherently resilient to antimicrobials and host immune attack. In this review, we summarize the role of these enzymes in host immune evasion.
Topics: Humans; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Immune Evasion; Pneumococcal Infections; Glycoside Hydrolases; Polysaccharides; Bacterial Proteins
PubMed: 36816580
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1109449 -
Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection... Sep 2023As today's most prevalent and costly healthcare-associated infection, hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (HO-CDI) represents a major threat to patient... (Review)
Review
As today's most prevalent and costly healthcare-associated infection, hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (HO-CDI) represents a major threat to patient safety world-wide. This review will discuss how new insights into the epidemiology of CDI have quantified the prevalence of C. difficile (CD) spore contamination of the patient-zone as well as the role of asymptomatically colonized patients who unavoidable contaminate their near and distant environments with resilient spores. Clarification of the epidemiology of CD in parallel with the development of a new generation of sporicidal agents which can be used on a daily basis without damaging surfaces, equipment, or the environment, led to the research discussed in this review. These advances underscore the potential for significantly mitigating HO-CDI when combined with ongoing programs for optimizing the thoroughness of cleaning as well as disinfection. The consequence of this paradigm-shift in environmental hygiene practice, particularly when combined with advances in hand hygiene practice, has the potential for significantly improving patient safety in hospitals globally by mitigating the acquisition of CD spores and, quite plausibly, other environmentally transmitted healthcare-associated pathogens.
Topics: Humans; Clostridioides difficile; Health Facilities; Hospitals; Patient Safety; Clostridium Infections
PubMed: 37679758
DOI: 10.1186/s13756-023-01295-z -
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Aug 2022Malaria control relies on passive case detection, and this strategy fails detecting asymptomatic infections. In addition, infections in endemic areas harbor multiple...
Malaria control relies on passive case detection, and this strategy fails detecting asymptomatic infections. In addition, infections in endemic areas harbor multiple parasite genotypes that could affect case management and malaria epidemiology. Here, we performed AmpSeq genotyping to capture polymorphisms associated with antimalarial resistance and the genetic diversity within natural Plasmodium falciparum infections. Known genetic polymorphisms associated with altered drug susceptibility were screened for the five most common marker genes, , , , , and , and genetic diversity was established from two known AmpSeq markers, and . Relative abundance of the different genotypes within mixed infections was calculated from the number of reads per genotype. Genotyping was performed on 117 samples, 63 from asymptomatic and 54 from symptomatic individuals. We identified up to 15 genotypes within an infection, and the median multiplicity of infection was higher in asymptomatic infections (median MOI = 5 in asymptomatics versus median MOI = 2 in symptomatics, 0.001). No genetic differentiation on parasites from asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals was found. No mutation associated with ART resistance was identified. Prevalence of the P. falciparum chloroquine resistance wild-type genotype (CVMNK) reached 80%, confirming a return to chloroquine (CQ) sensitive parasites in Cameroon. In addition, the CQ-associated resistant genotype (CVIET) was present at very low density in polyclonal infections. Persistence of low-density chloroquine resistant parasites indicates competition-survival trade-offs may contribute to maintaining genetic diversity . Thus, monitoring the expansion of these low-density genotypes in different immune backgrounds will be critical to evaluate drug policy changes.
Topics: Antimalarials; Asymptomatic Infections; Chloroquine; Drug Resistance; Folic Acid Antagonists; Genotype; Humans; Malaria; Malaria, Falciparum; Mutation; Plasmodium falciparum; Protozoan Proteins
PubMed: 35862750
DOI: 10.1128/aac.00188-22 -
Cellular Microbiology Nov 2019Neisseria meningitidis is a Gram-negative bacterium that asymptomatically colonises the nasopharynx of humans. For an unknown reason, N. meningitidis can cross the... (Review)
Review
Neisseria meningitidis is a Gram-negative bacterium that asymptomatically colonises the nasopharynx of humans. For an unknown reason, N. meningitidis can cross the nasopharyngeal barrier and invade the bloodstream where it becomes one of the most harmful extracellular bacterial pathogen. This infectious cycle involves the colonisation of two different environments. (a) In the nasopharynx, N. meningitidis grow on the top of mucus-producing epithelial cells surrounded by a complex microbiota. To survive and grow in this challenging environment, the meningococcus expresses specific virulence factors such as polymorphic toxins and MDAΦ. (b) Meningococci have the ability to survive in the extra cellular fluids including blood and cerebrospinal fluid. The interaction of N. meningitidis with human endothelial cells leads to the formation of typical microcolonies that extend overtime and promote vascular injury, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and acute inflammation. In this review, we will focus on the interplay between N. meningitidis and these two different niches at the cellular and molecular level and discuss the use of inhibitors of piliation as a potent therapeutic approach.
Topics: Bacterial Toxins; Blood Vessels; Endothelial Cells; Epithelial Cells; Host Microbial Interactions; Humans; Inovirus; Meningococcal Infections; Nasopharynx; Neisseria meningitidis; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 31167044
DOI: 10.1111/cmi.13063 -
Klinische Monatsblatter Fur... Feb 2022Glaucoma is a group of chronic eye diseases that lead to degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons followed by irreversible loss of vision in the...
Glaucoma is a group of chronic eye diseases that lead to degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons followed by irreversible loss of vision in the patient. Glaucoma is a disease that initially evolves asymptomatically with the first symptoms appearing only at an advanced stage of this eye disease. For this reason, it is always necessary to develop state-of-the-art technologies and methods for the identification and characterization of new, specific biomarkers for the early diagnosis of glaucoma. Therefore, the analysis of biological fluids, as in this case the tear fluid of patients, represents an attractive source to identify new specific as well as sensitive biomarkers in glaucoma. These biomarkers could be involved in the pathophysiological processes of glaucoma or possibly serve for diagnostic differentiation of various types of glaucoma.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Cell Differentiation; Disease Models, Animal; Glaucoma; Humans; Retinal Ganglion Cells
PubMed: 35211938
DOI: 10.1055/a-1749-6972 -
Journal of Medical Ultrasonics (2001) Oct 2022Aortic aneurysms expand asymptomatically and rupture lethally. Acute aortic dissection is also a highly lethal cardiovascular emergency and requires prompt recognition.... (Review)
Review
Aortic aneurysms expand asymptomatically and rupture lethally. Acute aortic dissection is also a highly lethal cardiovascular emergency and requires prompt recognition. Although cardiovascular ultrasonography has a suboptimal accuracy rate for detecting aortic dissection, it is noninvasive, readily available, and easy to use. Recently, the concept of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) refers to the use of portable and/or implemented ultrasound at the patient's bedside for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Aortic POCUS could become an important tool for aortic aneurysm screening and primary diagnosis of acute aortic dissection.
Topics: Humans; Point-of-Care Systems; Aortic Dissection; Aortic Aneurysm; Ultrasonography; Echocardiography
PubMed: 34767103
DOI: 10.1007/s10396-021-01151-w -
Pharmaceutics Apr 2023Pancreatic cancer is fast becoming a global menace and it is projected to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030. Pancreatic adenocarcinomas, which... (Review)
Review
Pancreatic cancer is fast becoming a global menace and it is projected to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030. Pancreatic adenocarcinomas, which develop in the pancreas' exocrine region, are the predominant type of pancreatic cancer, representing about 95% of total pancreatic tumors. The malignancy progresses asymptomatically, making early diagnosis difficult. It is characterized by excessive production of fibrotic stroma known as desmoplasia, which aids tumor growth and metastatic spread by remodeling the extracellular matrix and releasing tumor growth factors. For decades, immense efforts have been harnessed toward developing more effective drug delivery systems for pancreatic cancer treatment leveraging nanotechnology, immunotherapy, drug conjugates, and combinations of these approaches. However, despite the reported preclinical success of these approaches, no substantial progress has been made clinically and the prognosis for pancreatic cancer is worsening. This review provides insights into challenges associated with the delivery of therapeutics for pancreatic cancer treatment and discusses drug delivery strategies to minimize adverse effects associated with current chemotherapy options and to improve the efficiency of drug treatment.
PubMed: 37242560
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15051318 -
Trends in Microbiology May 2023Paenibacillus larvae is a spore-forming bacterial entomopathogen and causal agent of the important honey bee larval disease, American foulbrood (AFB). Active infections... (Review)
Review
Paenibacillus larvae is a spore-forming bacterial entomopathogen and causal agent of the important honey bee larval disease, American foulbrood (AFB). Active infections by vegetative P. larvae are often deadly, highly transmissible, and incurable for colonies but, when dormant, the spore form of this pathogen can persist asymptomatically for years. Despite intensive investigation over the past century, this process has remained enigmatic. Here, we provide an up-to-date synthesis on the often overlooked microbiota factors involved in the spore-to-vegetative growth transition (corresponding with the onset of AFB disease symptoms) and offer a novel outlook on AFB pathogenesis by focusing on the 'collaborative' and 'competitive' interactions between P. larvae and other honey bee-adapted microorganisms. Furthermore, we discuss the health trade-offs associated with chronic antibiotic exposure and propose new avenues for the sustainable control of AFB via probiotic and microbiota management strategies.
Topics: Bees; Animals; United States; Paenibacillus larvae; Larva; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Probiotics; Spores, Bacterial
PubMed: 36526535
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.11.012 -
MBio Oct 2023Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is a human pathogen known to cause cold sores and genital herpes. HSV-1 establishes lifelong infections in our sensory neurons, with no...
Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is a human pathogen known to cause cold sores and genital herpes. HSV-1 establishes lifelong infections in our sensory neurons, with no cure or vaccine available. HSV-1 can reactivate sporadically and travel back along sensory nerves, where it can form lesions in the oral and genital mucosa, eye, and skin, or be shed asymptomatically. New treatment options are needed as resistance is emerging to current antiviral therapies. Here, we show that interferons (IFNs) are capable of blocking virus release from nerve endings, potentially stopping HSV-1 transmission into the skin. Furthermore, we show that IFNγ has the potential to have widespread antiviral effects in the neuron and may have additional effects on HSV-1 reactivation. Together, this study identifies new targets for the development of immunotherapies to stop the spread of HSV-1 from the nerves into the skin.
Topics: Humans; Herpesvirus 1, Human; Interferons; Sensory Receptor Cells; Axons; Antiviral Agents; Herpes Simplex
PubMed: 37655893
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01818-23