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Journal of Applied Microbiology Sep 2022The purpose of the present investigation is to fill the current gap in information regarding the microbiological quality of toys containing aqueous media and the related...
AIMS
The purpose of the present investigation is to fill the current gap in information regarding the microbiological quality of toys containing aqueous media and the related risks for users.
METHODS
Over 18 years, a total of 491 sealed toys containing aqueous media were analysed using conventional microbial culture methods. In addition, molecular methods (PCR/nested RT-PCR, followed by Sanger sequencing) were employed to test for enteric viruses (enteroviruses and adenoviruses) in a subset of toys; subsequently, the infectivity of the positive samples was tested on cell cultures.
RESULTS
Of the examined toys, 23.8% were noncompliant with the limits of the European guideline. The most frequently exceeded limits were those for Aerobic bacteria (84.6%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (29.9%). Other opportunistic bacterial species that were frequently detected were Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Burkholderia cepacia, Sphingomonas paucimobilis and Comamonas acidovorans. In a subset of 28 samples, adenovirus (25%) and enterovirus (11%) genome was also found to be present, although the samples with viral positivity did not show infectivity after inoculation on appropriate cell monolayers.
CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate a condition of microbial exposure related to the use of toys containing aqueous media.
SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY
The investigation highlights the need for more stringent monitoring during the production, packaging and storage of toys containing aqueous matrices in order to safeguard children's health.
Topics: Bacteria; Burkholderia cepacia; Child; Humans; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
PubMed: 35771141
DOI: 10.1111/jam.15695 -
Medicine Jan 2022Infections with Sphingomonas paucimobilis are rarely described in the literature and can be community-acquired or associated with healthcare, especially in patients with...
RATIONALE
Infections with Sphingomonas paucimobilis are rarely described in the literature and can be community-acquired or associated with healthcare, especially in patients with chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus), malignancies, or other causes of immunosuppression, except in people without comorbidities. We present the case of a patient with diabetes mellitus and hypertension diagnosed during a routine evaluation, with splenic abscess caused by S paucimobilis. Our literature search revealed no other case report of splenic abscess caused only by S paucimobilis.
PATIENT CONCERNS
We present the case of a 55-year-old Caucasian man with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension.
DIAGNOSIS
Thoraco-abdominal computed tomography revealed splenomegaly of 20X16X18 cm, with a homogeneous subcapsular hypodense collection, with a mass effect on the left hemidiaphragm.
INTERVENTIONS
The patient underwent surgical intervention and S paucimobilis was isolated on blood agar.
OUTCOME
The patient received treatment with ciprofloxacin (500 mg twice daily) for 14 days, with favorable outcomes.
LESSONS
S paucimobilis, a low-virulence bacterium, can cause community-acquired or nosocomial infections. Visceral localizations, usually symptomatic, can evolve rapidly, and the diagnosis is associated with complications or, as in our case, with careful investigation of some changes in laboratory investigations.
Topics: Abdominal Abscess; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Humans; Hypertension; Intraabdominal Infections; Male; Middle Aged; Sphingomonas; Splenic Diseases; Splenomegaly; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 35029916
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000028522 -
Journal of Ophthalmic Inflammation and... Mar 2023Over the past 20 years, scattered reports have emerged about a low virulence, gram negative bacillus, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, causing unpredictable clinical...
Over the past 20 years, scattered reports have emerged about a low virulence, gram negative bacillus, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, causing unpredictable clinical presentations of endophthalmitis. Previous reports have characterised the organism as being resistant to aggressive treatment and prone to recurrence up to several months later, with few warning signs of any residual infection. We report a case of a 75 year-old male who returned 10 days after a left eye cataract surgery with an atypical, indolent endophthalmitis. He was treated with broad-spectrum intravitreal antibiotics and vitrectomy, and despite initial improvement, the patient suffered a recurrence after 2 weeks, necessitating successive rounds of intravitreal antibiotics. While our patient was able to achieve an excellent final visual acuity of 6/9, there are several cases in the literature reporting similar cases with much worse visual outcomes. Further research is required to elucidate early warning signs that may indicate a recurrence of S. paucimobilis infection, and the underlying mechanism by which it is resistant to standard endophthalmitis therapy. Alongside this case, we review and summarise the literature on postoperative endophthalmitis involving this organism.
PubMed: 36872422
DOI: 10.1186/s12348-023-00325-6 -
American Journal of Infection Control Oct 2020Sphingomonas paucimobilis is an emerging aerobic, nonfermenting gram-negative, opportunistic bacterium involved in many healthcare-associated infections. We herein... (Review)
Review
Sphingomonas paucimobilis is an emerging aerobic, nonfermenting gram-negative, opportunistic bacterium involved in many healthcare-associated infections. We herein report the first outbreak of S paucimobilis catheter related bacteriemia occurred on the same day in 3 patients sharing a dialysis room. This report suggests that S paucimobilis could represent a further emerging cause of rapidly spreading healthcare-associated infections, and highlights the importance of a high level of surveillance and control measures.
Topics: Cross Infection; Disease Outbreaks; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Humans; Renal Dialysis; Sphingomonas
PubMed: 32147279
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2020.01.018 -
Cureus May 2022is a nonfermenting gram-negative bacillus that is widely distributed in both community environments and hospitals. Various infections have been identified in humans,...
is a nonfermenting gram-negative bacillus that is widely distributed in both community environments and hospitals. Various infections have been identified in humans, but most have been limited to case reports. When reported, it is most commonly nosocomial infections associated with contaminated hospital equipment such as indwelling catheters, ventilators, hemodialysis devices, and very rarely upper respiratory tract infections. We report an unusual presentation of infection. This case report describes a 59-year-old immunocompetent man who presented with a retropharyngeal abscess. Blood culture was positive for . The patient was treated for a total of 21 days of intravenous (IV) cefepime and oral (PO) metronidazole. He showed significant improvement and was discharged home with no medical sequelae.
PubMed: 35774695
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.25407 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2023Ticks are important ectoparasites that transmit various pathogens causing morbidity and mortality in humans and animals. Saudi Arabia faces several challenges that can...
Ticks are important ectoparasites that transmit various pathogens causing morbidity and mortality in humans and animals. Saudi Arabia faces several challenges that can contribute to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) bacteria. These challenges require collaborative efforts to successfully achieve significant control of AMR in the country. The present study aims to isolate bacteria from camels' tick in Al-Jouf province to identify and determine these isolates' antimicrobial susceptibilities. Forty-nine ticks were collected from dromedary camels and morphologically classified as . Ticks were then homogenized and plated individually, which resulted in the isolation of 55 bacteria. The results showed that the bacterial isolates belong to 20 different species. About 71% ( = 39) of the total isolates were identified as Gram-positive bacteria comprised of 11 different species, while 29% ( = 16) of the total isolates were Gram-negative bacteria comprised of 9 different species. The most prevalent isolate within the total samples was (22.45%, 11/49), followed by (18.37%, 9/49) and (16.33% 8/49). The antimicrobial susceptibility profile of Gram-positive bacteria showed that 100% ( = 31) were resistant to benzylpenicillin; 90.3% ( = 28) were resistant to oxacillin; 58.1% ( = 18) were resistant to clindamycin; 48.4% ( = 15) were resistant to vancomycin. In addition, 32.3% ( = 10) were resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and rifampicin; 25.8% ( = 8) were resistant to erythromycin; 16.1% ( = 5) were resistant to teicoplanin; 6.5% ( = 2) were resistant to tetracycline. All Gram-positive bacteria were 100% susceptible to linezolid, gentamicin, tobramycin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, tigecycline, and nitrofurantoin. In antimicrobial susceptibility tests for the Gram-negative bacteria, 57.14% ( = 8) of the identified bacteria were resistant to ampicillin, whereas 50% ( = 7) were resistant to cefoxitin and ceftazidime. About 28.57% ( = 4) of the Gram-negative bacteria were resistant to ceftriaxone, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. In addition, 21.43% ( = 3) were resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and cephalothin; 14.29% ( = 2) were resistant to cefepime and nitrofurantoin; 7.14% ( = 1) were resistant to piperacillin/tazobactam and tigecycline. However, all Gram-negative bacteria were susceptible to other examined antimicrobials. This is the first study that investigates the role of the hard tick as a potential reservoir for AMR pathogens within our region.
PubMed: 38155762
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1227908 -
Archives of Virology Feb 2020A novel jumbo bacteriophage (myovirus) is described. The lytic phage of Tenacibaculum maritimum, which is the etiological agent of tenacibaculosis in a variety of farmed...
A novel jumbo bacteriophage (myovirus) is described. The lytic phage of Tenacibaculum maritimum, which is the etiological agent of tenacibaculosis in a variety of farmed marine fish worldwide, was plaque-isolated from seawater around a fish aquaculture field in Japan. The phage had an isometric head 110-120 nm in diameter, from which several 50- to 100-nm-long flexible fiber-like appendages emanate, and a 150-nm-long rigid contractile tail. The full genomes of the two representative phages (PTm1 and PTm5) were 224,680 and 226,876 bp long, respectively, both with 29.7% GC content, and the number of predicted open reading frames (ORFs) was 308 and 306, respectively. The average nucleotide sequence identity between PTm1 and PTm5 was 99.95%, indicating they are quite similar to each other. A genetic relationship was found in 15.0-16.6% of the predicted ORFs among the T. maritimum phages PTm1 and PTm5, the Tenacibaculum spp. phage pT24, and the Sphingomonas paucimobilis phage PAU. Phylogenetic analysis based on the terminase large subunit genes revealed that these four phages (PTm1, PTm5, pT24 and PAU) are more closely related than the other 10 jumbo myoviruses that have similar genome sizes. Transmission electron microscopy observations suggest that the head fibers of the T. maritimum phage function as tentacles to search and recognize the host cell surface to facilitate infection.
Topics: Animals; Aquaculture; Bacteriophages; Base Composition; Base Sequence; Fishes; Genome, Viral; Japan; Open Reading Frames; Phylogeny; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Tenacibaculum; Viral Proteins
PubMed: 31786689
DOI: 10.1007/s00705-019-04485-6 -
Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics Oct 20233,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetate (DHPA) 2,3-dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.15) from Acinetobacter baumannii (AbDHPAO) is an enzyme that catalyzes the 2,3-extradiol ring-cleavage of...
3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetate (DHPA) 2,3-dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.15) from Acinetobacter baumannii (AbDHPAO) is an enzyme that catalyzes the 2,3-extradiol ring-cleavage of DHPA in the p-hydroxyphenylacetate (HPA) degradation pathway. While the biochemical reactions of various DHPAOs have been reported, only structures of DHPAO from Brevibacterium fuscum and their homologs are available. Here, we report the X-ray structure and biochemical characterization of an Fe-specific AbDHPAO that shares 12% sequence identity to the enzyme from B. fuscum. The 1.8 Å X-ray structure of apo-AbDHPAO was determined with four subunits per asymmetric unit, consistent with a homotetrameric structure. Interestingly, the αβ-sandwiched fold of the AbDHPAO subunit is different from the dual β-barrel-like motif of the well-characterized B. fuscum DHPAO structures; instead, it is similar to the structures of non-DHPA extradiol dioxygenases from Comamonas sp. and Sphingomonas paucimobilis. Similarly, these extradiol dioxygenases share the same chemistry owing to a conserved 2-His-1-carboxylate catalytic motif. Structure analysis and molecular docking suggested that the Fe cofactor and substrate binding sites consist of the conserved residues His12, His57, and Glu238 forming a 2-His-1-carboxylate motif ligating to Fe and DHPA bound with Fe in an octahedral coordination. In addition to DHPA, AbDHPAO can also use other 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate derivatives with different aliphatic carboxylic acid substituents as substrates, albeit with low reactivity. Altogether, this report provides a better understanding of the structure and biochemical properties of AbDHPAO and its homologs, which is advancing further modification of DHPAO in future applications.
PubMed: 37769893
DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2023.109768 -
Journal of Infection in Developing... Dec 2023Sphingomonas paucimobilis can be found in air, water systems, dialysis fluid, nebulizers and laboratory instruments in hospitals. Despite its low pathogenicity, it can...
INTRODUCTION
Sphingomonas paucimobilis can be found in air, water systems, dialysis fluid, nebulizers and laboratory instruments in hospitals. Despite its low pathogenicity, it can cause severe infections.
CASE REPORT
A 54-year-old man presented with fever, cough and pain in the right hemithorax. The laboratory results showed elevated inflammatory parameters. Chest radiography showed right upper lobe pneumonia. Empiric antibiotic therapy (cephalosporin) was prescribed. On control examination chest radiography showed incomplete regression. Chest computer tomography (CT) finding was bronchopneumonia in the right upper lobe. Bacteriological examination of fiberaspirate revealed Sphingomonas paucimobils. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was prescribed based on the antibiogram. After two weeks the control laboratory analysis was normal. The patient was fully recovered.
CONCLUSIONS
Our patient had no comorbidities or malignancies, and no hospitalization in the recent past. He had a dental intervention 5 days prior to the onset of symptoms. We propose that it was an infection after the dental intervention.
Topics: Male; Humans; Middle Aged; Sphingomonas; Pneumonia; Cephalosporins; Cough
PubMed: 38252718
DOI: 10.3855/jidc.18549 -
Italian Journal of Food Safety Aug 2022The intradiaphragmatic localization of an abscess is rarely described in humans and in other animal domestic and wild species, and can be caused by penetrative traumas...
The intradiaphragmatic localization of an abscess is rarely described in humans and in other animal domestic and wild species, and can be caused by penetrative traumas (, firearm injuries). Here we describe two intradiaphragmatic abscesses in a hunted adult male wild boar () pluck, associated with adhesion phenomena with the contiguous anatomical structures (pleural, phrenic, and glissonian serosas) and observed during the inspection, in accordance with the Reg. EU 627/2019. One of these lesions also presented a phreno-abdominal fistula. We found in cytopathological evaluation of the neoformations' content the presence of spheroidal bacterial , characterized by linearly concatenated "-like" aggregation pattern. Furthermore, microbiological assays revealed a polymicrobial pattern characterized by the presence of telluric microorganisms, some of which have a marked pyogenic action ( type I, , , and ). Our results and collected evidence demonstrate the pathogenetic hypothesis of bacterial contamination secondary to penetrative trauma caused by a not-mortal projectile's wound, defining the inspective behaviour according to the cogent legislation. These lesions, in the reason of their potential relation to toxemia, bacteremia and septicemia phenomena, represent a sanitary risk that impose, from a normative point of view, the total condemnation of the carcass. These inspective implications, originating from the observation and interdisciplinary description of the anatomopathological and microbiological features of the lesions, are directly projected on the normative scenario, providing useful elements to guarantee the health of the consumer.
PubMed: 36204301
DOI: 10.4081/ijfs.2022.10346