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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 -
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 -
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 -
New Microbes and New Infections Sep 2020Multiple studies have established the contamination of hospital sinks and transmission to hospital personnel. Few studies have assessed the contamination and...
Multiple studies have established the contamination of hospital sinks and transmission to hospital personnel. Few studies have assessed the contamination and transmission of microorganisms from the faucets of operating bay scrub sinks to operating room (OR) personnel, a potential route of infection for patients. This study aimed to investigate if there was pathogenic contamination of scrub sinks and possible transmission of those pathogens to the hands of OR personnel after preoperative hand disinfection. Swabs were taken from the hands of 50 OR personnel and from the faucets of 24 scrubs sinks at two different hospital sites, and were cultured. Hands were swabbed after completing a surgical hand scrub. Results were reported in colony-forming units per millilitre. There was significant scrub sink contamination with primarily Gram-negative organisms, such as and . There was no overlap in bacterial species between the cultures from hands and scrub sinks. Cultures from the sinks and the hands of the OR personnel from one site had significantly higher bacterial growth compared with the other site (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0118, respectively). The data showed significant contamination on the faucets of operating bay scrub sinks. However, there was no observed transmission of pathogens from the scrub sinks to OR personnel, shown by the lack of overlap in bacterial species. Routine hygienic maintenance of scrub sinks is recommended.
PubMed: 32995014
DOI: 10.1016/j.nmni.2020.100754 -
Protein Science : a Publication of the... Dec 2022Sphingomonas paucimobilis' P450 (CYP152B1) is a good candidate as industrial biocatalyst. This enzyme is able to use hydrogen peroxide as unique cofactor to catalyze the...
Sphingomonas paucimobilis' P450 (CYP152B1) is a good candidate as industrial biocatalyst. This enzyme is able to use hydrogen peroxide as unique cofactor to catalyze the fatty acids conversion to α-hydroxy fatty acids, thus avoiding the use of expensive electron-donor(s) and redox partner(s). Nevertheless, the toxicity of exogenous H O toward proteins and cells often results in the failure of the reaction scale-up when it is directly added as co-substrate. In order to bypass this problem, we designed a H O self-producing enzyme by fusing the P450 to the monomeric sarcosine oxidase (MSOX), as H O donor system, in a unique polypeptide chain, obtaining the P450 -polyG-MSOX fusion protein. The purified P450 -polyG-MSOX protein displayed high purity (A /A = 0.6) and H O -tolerance (k = 0.0021 ± 0.000055 min ; ΔA = 0.018 ± 0.001) as well as good thermal stability (T : 59.3 ± 0.3°C and 63.2 ± 0.02°C for P450 and MSOX domains, respectively). The data show how the catalytic interplay between the two domains can be finely regulated by using 500 mM sarcosine as sacrificial substrate to generate H O . Indeed, the fusion protein resulted in a high conversion yield toward fat waste biomass-representative fatty acids, that is, lauric acid (TON = 6,800 compared to the isolated P450 TON = 2,307); myristic acid (TON = 6,750); and palmitic acid (TON = 1,962).
Topics: Fatty Acids; Mixed Function Oxygenases; Sarcosine Oxidase; Oxidation-Reduction; Hydrogen Peroxide
PubMed: 36334042
DOI: 10.1002/pro.4501 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2022In this study, an efficient mutagenesis and rapid screening method of high-yield gellan gum mutant by atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) treatment combined...
In this study, an efficient mutagenesis and rapid screening method of high-yield gellan gum mutant by atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) treatment combined with Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) was proposed. A NIRS model for the on-line detection of gellan gum yield was constructed by joint interval partial least squares (siPLS) regression on the basis of chemical determination and NIRS acquisition of gellan gum yield. Five genetically stable mutant strains were screened using the on-line NIRS detection of gellan gum yield in the fermentation from approximately 600 mutant strains induced by ARTP. Remarkably, compared with the original strain, the gellan gum yield of mutant strain 519 was 9.427 g/L (increased by 133.5%) under the optimal fermentation conditions, which was determined by single-factor and response surface optimization. Therefore, the method of ARTP mutation combined with the NIRS model can be used to screen high-yield mutant strains of gellan gum and other high-yield polysaccharide strains.
PubMed: 36553820
DOI: 10.3390/foods11244078 -
Microorganisms Sep 2023The pressing need to safeguard the health of astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) necessitates constant and rigorous microbial monitoring. Recognizing...
The pressing need to safeguard the health of astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) necessitates constant and rigorous microbial monitoring. Recognizing the shortcomings of traditional culture-based methods, NASA is deliberating the incorporation of molecular-based techniques. The challenge, however, lies in developing and validating effective methods for concentrating samples to facilitate this transition. This study is dedicated to investigating the potential of an ISS Smart Sample Concentrator (iSSC) as an innovative concentration method. First, the iSSC system and its components were tested and optimized for microgravity, including various testing environments: a drop tower, parabolic flight, and the ISS itself. Upon confirming the system's compatibility with microgravity, we further evaluated its proficiency and reliability in concentrating large volumes (i.e., 1 L) of water samples inoculated with different microbes. The samples carried 10 to 10 colony-forming units (CFUs) of , , or per liter, aligning with NASA's acceptable limit of 5 × 10 CFU/L. The average retrieved volume post-concentration was ≈450 µL, yielding samples that were ≈2200 times more concentrated for subsequent quantitative PCR (qPCR) and CFU analysis. The average microbial percent recovery, as assessed with CFU counts, demonstrated consistency for and at around 50% and 45%, respectively. For , the efficiency oscillated between 40% and 80%. Interestingly, when we examined microbial recovery using qPCR, the results showed more variability across all tested species. The significance of these findings lies not merely in the successful validation of the iSSC but also in the system's proven consistency, as evidenced by its alignment with previous validation-phase results. In conclusion, conducted research underscored the potential of the iSSC in monitoring microbial contamination in potable water aboard the ISS, heralding a paradigm shift from culture-based to molecular-based monitoring methods.
PubMed: 37764154
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11092310 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2021Pediatric patients are more susceptible and vulnerable to nosocomial infections, in part because of their nascent and developing immune system and in part due to certain...
Pediatric patients are more susceptible and vulnerable to nosocomial infections, in part because of their nascent and developing immune system and in part due to certain congenital conditions. Consequently, we found limited literature that investigated and reported children's toys in hospital playrooms as potential reservoirs of pathogenic microbes. Hence, in the present study, we aimed to investigate toys as potential vectors for nosocomial infections in children's hospitals. Microbiological samples from 120 toys were collected between April 2018 and November 2018. The specimens were cultivated on suitable cultivation agars for 24-72 h at 37 °C and CFU/cm (colony forming units) was determined. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using disc diffusion and E-tests. Our results indicate that 84% of samples were contaminated with different microbes. Four distinct genera and thirty-seven species of bacteria were identified. The most frequently isolated pathogen was (>603 CFU/cm). Most of the identified microorganisms were members of normal human microbiota. Although and were identified, CFU/cm was relatively low and they were found to be sensitive to antibiotics. Additionally, plastic toys showed the highest average CFU/cm of 91.9. Our results bolster the need for adoption and strict enforcement of proper disinfection techniques for toys in the hospital playrooms.
PubMed: 34682179
DOI: 10.3390/children8100914 -
Case Reports in Infectious Diseases 2020A 47-year-old male with no significant medical history was hospitalized for bacteremia and diagnosed with endocarditis. The organism isolated was a Gram-negative...
A 47-year-old male with no significant medical history was hospitalized for bacteremia and diagnosed with endocarditis. The organism isolated was a Gram-negative bacillus-. There are only a few reported cases of endocarditis caused by , and to our knowledge, this is the first in the United States.
PubMed: 33101743
DOI: 10.1155/2020/7185834