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Microbiology Spectrum Jun 2022The modulators of severe COVID-19 have emerged as the most intriguing features of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. This is especially true as we are encountering variants of...
Increased Abundance of Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Bacillus cereus in Upper Airway Transcriptionally Active Microbiome of COVID-19 Mortality Patients Indicates Role of Co-Infections in Disease Severity and Outcome.
The modulators of severe COVID-19 have emerged as the most intriguing features of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. This is especially true as we are encountering variants of concern (VOC) with increased transmissibility and vaccination breakthroughs. Microbial co-infections are being investigated as one of the crucial factors for exacerbation of disease severity and complications of COVID-19. A key question remains whether early transcriptionally active microbial signature/s in COVID-19 patients can provide a window for future disease severity susceptibility and outcome? Using complementary metagenomics sequencing approaches, respiratory virus oligo panel (RVOP) and Holo-seq, our study highlights the possible functional role of nasopharyngeal early resident transcriptionally active microbes in modulating disease severity, within recovered patients with sub-phenotypes (mild, moderate, severe) and mortality. The integrative analysis combines patients' clinical parameters, SARS-CoV-2 phylogenetic analysis, microbial differential composition, and their functional role. The clinical sub-phenotypes analysis led to the identification of transcriptionally active bacterial species associated with disease severity. We found significant transcript abundance of Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Bacillus cereus in the mortality, Leptotrichia buccalis in the severe, Veillonella parvula in the moderate, and Actinomyces meyeri and sp. in the mild COVID-19 patients. Additionally, the metabolic pathways, distinguishing the microbial functional signatures between the clinical sub-phenotypes, were also identified. We report a plausible mechanism wherein the increased transcriptionally active bacterial isolates might contribute to enhanced inflammatory response and co-infections that could modulate the disease severity in these groups. Current study provides an opportunity for potentially using these bacterial species for screening and identifying COVID-19 patient sub-groups with severe disease outcome and priority medical care. COVID-19 is invariably a disease of diverse clinical manifestation, with multiple facets involved in modulating the progression and outcome. In this regard, we investigated the role of transcriptionally active microbial co-infections as possible modulators of disease pathology in hospital admitted SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Specifically, can there be early nasopharyngeal microbial signatures indicative of prospective disease severity? Based on disease severity symptoms, the patients were segregated into clinical sub-phenotypes: mild, moderate, severe (recovered), and mortality. We identified significant presence of transcriptionally active isolates, Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Bacillus cereus in the mortality patients. Importantly, the bacterial species might contribute toward enhancing the inflammatory responses as well as reported to be resistant to common antibiotic therapy, which together hold potential to alter the disease severity and outcome.
Topics: Achromobacter denitrificans; Bacillus cereus; COVID-19; Coinfection; Humans; Microbiota; Phylogeny; Prospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2; Severity of Illness Index
PubMed: 35579429
DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02311-21 -
BMC Pulmonary Medicine May 2022Primary pulmonary invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma is a rare and distinct subtype of lung adenocarcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Primary pulmonary invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma is a rare and distinct subtype of lung adenocarcinoma.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 72-year-old woman presented with productive cough for two months and fever for six days. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed a mass in the left lower lobe. Sputum culture tested negative for bacteria, but the sequence of Actinomyces meyeri was detected by metagenomic next generation sequencing from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. It was considered a pathogenic bacterium as the normalized number of DNA sequencing reads was 10 times higher than the normal level. The patient's symptoms alleviated quickly, and the chest CT lesion shrank to a third of the original size following treatment with penicillin for two months. However, a repeat chest CT performed after four months of treatment revealed that the lesion had expanded. Positron emission tomography/CT revealed that fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism was increased in the mass with surrounding ground glass density of the left lower lobe. Furthermore, CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy was performed, and hematoxylin-eosin staining showed columnar tumor cells with abundant mucin in the cytoplasm with a basal nucleus. Finally, the patient was diagnosed with pulmonary invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma and agreed to undergo a thoracoscopic surgery.
CONCLUSIONS
Pulmonary invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma is a subset of lung adenocarcinoma with low incidence rate. The clinical features and CT findings are non-specific. A histopathological diagnosis is of fundamental importance in preventing misdiagnosis.
Topics: Actinomycosis; Adenocarcinoma of Lung; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous; Aged; Female; Humans; Lung; Lung Diseases; Lung Neoplasms
PubMed: 35524297
DOI: 10.1186/s12890-022-01971-7 -
A "Boil" Being the Clue to Think beyond Typical Bacterial Pathogens in Community-Acquired Pneumonia.Case Reports in Pediatrics 2022Empyema necessitans is an exceptionally rare complication of bacterial pneumonia in the pediatric population. It occurs when the infection extends from the lung...
Empyema necessitans is an exceptionally rare complication of bacterial pneumonia in the pediatric population. It occurs when the infection extends from the lung parenchyma to the chest wall by forming a fistula, which leads to infection of the surrounding soft tissue. In this case, a 13-year-old boy is found to have empyema necessitans caused by , with a preceding clue to the diagnosis being that he was treated for a superficial chest wall abscess several weeks prior to developing significant respiratory symptoms. Providers should be aware of this entity as it requires obtaining cultures to identify the appropriate pathogen and avoid treatment failure as it has implications for antibiotic choice and length of therapy.
PubMed: 35391757
DOI: 10.1155/2022/8984170 -
BMJ Case Reports Feb 2022We describe the presentation of a 72-year-old woman with concurrent diagnoses of lung adenocarcinoma in conjunction with disseminated A infection; a rare pathogen which...
We describe the presentation of a 72-year-old woman with concurrent diagnoses of lung adenocarcinoma in conjunction with disseminated A infection; a rare pathogen which can mimic lung cancer both symptomatically and radiologically. The patient was found to have a pelvic mass initially presumed to be cervical metastases-later confirmed to be of xanthogranulomatous inflammatory origin following transvaginal ultrasound-guided biopsy. The pathogenic cause, identified following pleural aspirate, being a fully sensitive infection; treated with prolonged course amoxicillin.
Topics: Actinomyces; Actinomycetaceae; Actinomycosis; Aged; Carcinoma, Bronchogenic; Female; Humans; Lung Neoplasms
PubMed: 35135804
DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2021-247577 -
Case Reports in Infectious Diseases 2022Brain abscess is a very rare condition but has a significant mortality rate. The three main routes of inoculation are trauma, contiguous focus, and the hematogenous...
Brain abscess is a very rare condition but has a significant mortality rate. The three main routes of inoculation are trauma, contiguous focus, and the hematogenous route. The odontogenic focus is infrequent and is usually a diagnosis of exclusion. This paper presents a brain abscess case proven to be of dental origin, caused by and . This case highlights the risk underlying untreated dental disease and why oral infectious foci removal and good oral health are essential in primary care.
PubMed: 35028163
DOI: 10.1155/2022/5140259 -
Archive of Clinical Cases 2021Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare vascular malignancy that originates from vascular endothelial or pre-endothelial cells and is composed of epithelioid or...
Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare vascular malignancy that originates from vascular endothelial or pre-endothelial cells and is composed of epithelioid or histiocytoid cells. This malignancy has an incidence of approximately one per one million individuals and can occur in various regions of the body including the lungs, liver, bones, and soft tissues. The behavior of this cancer can range from indolent to aggressive and diagnosis and treatment are often delayed due to variable presentations and lack of established treatment guidelines. Here we present the case of a 27-year-old Hispanic male that presented with right groin pain, abdominal pain, and a fifty-pound weight loss over one year. The patient had a complex hospital course during which he was found to have an angiomyomatous hamartoma of his right groin area, postsurgical right inguinal wound infection with , and epithelioid hemangioendothelioma distal to the right iliac bifurcation. The patient is currently pending further imaging studies to evaluate candidacy for surgical resection and following with oncology for chemotherapeutic options.
PubMed: 34984227
DOI: 10.22551/2021.32.0803.10187 -
EBioMedicine Dec 2021Little is known about chronic cannabis smoking-associated oral microbiome and its effects on central nervous system (CNS) functions.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about chronic cannabis smoking-associated oral microbiome and its effects on central nervous system (CNS) functions.
METHODS
In the current study, we have analyzed the saliva microbiome in individuals who chronically smoked cannabis with cannabis use disorder (n = 16) and in non-smoking controls (n = 27). The saliva microbiome was analyzed using microbial 16S rRNA sequencing. To investigate the function of cannabis use-associated oral microbiome, mice were orally inoculated with live Actinomyces meyeri, Actinomyces odontolyticus, or Neisseria elongata twice per week for six months, which mimicked human conditions.
FINDINGS
We found that cannabis smoking in humans was associated with oral microbial dysbiosis. The most increased oral bacteria were Streptococcus and Actinomyces genus and the most decreased bacteria were Neisseria genus in chronic cannabis smokers compared to those in non-smokers. Among the distinct species bacteria in cannabis smokers, the enrichment of Actinomyces meyeri was inversely associated with the age of first cannabis smoking. Strikingly, oral exposure of Actinomyces meyeri, an oral pathobiont, but not the other two control bacteria, decreased global activity, increased macrophage infiltration, and increased β-amyloid 42 protein production in the mouse brains.
INTERPRETATION
This is the first study to reveal that long-term oral cannabis exposure is associated oral enrichment of Actinomyces meyeri and its contributions to CNS abnormalities.
Topics: Amyloid beta-Peptides; Animals; Bacteria; Brain; Case-Control Studies; Cell Line; DNA, Bacterial; DNA, Ribosomal; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Humans; Macrophages; Marijuana Smoking; Mice; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Saliva; Sequence Analysis, DNA
PubMed: 34826801
DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103701 -
Respiratory Medicine Case Reports 2021An eighty-three-year-old man suffered from cough, right chest pain, and progressive dyspnea for sixteen days. He had hypoxemia, high white blood cells and C-reactive...
An eighty-three-year-old man suffered from cough, right chest pain, and progressive dyspnea for sixteen days. He had hypoxemia, high white blood cells and C-reactive protein, and moderate right-sided pleural effusion on radiographic imaging. A pleural fluid examination revealed exudate. He was diagnosed with pleural infection and treated with intravenous ampicillin/sulbactam. On the second day of hospitalization, the treatment was changed to levofloxacin and clindamycin due to drug eruption. He improved gradually and was prescribed only oral levofloxacin on the eighteenth day of hospitalization. However, improvements in inflammation and imaging findings were poor. resistant to fluoroquinolones was cultured from a pleural effusion sample on the twenty-sixth day of hospitalization. The treatment was changed to oral clindamycin, and his medical condition subsequently improved. We reviewed twenty-eight patients with pleural infection and thirty-eight patients with other pleural infection phenotypes from our hospital and published case reports. pleural infection is a long-term process and results in a large amount of pleural effusion compared to other pleural infection phenotypes. These results might be related to the fact that is a slow-growing organism.
PubMed: 34745867
DOI: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2021.101530 -
IDCases 2021We report the case of a man with intense cough for several months and a few days of severe dyspnea. A massive pleural empyema due to was diagnosed by radiological,...
We report the case of a man with intense cough for several months and a few days of severe dyspnea. A massive pleural empyema due to was diagnosed by radiological, microbiological and thoracoscopic means. Pleural infections caused by this anaerobic bacterium are very rare and should be considered when risk factors like male gender, chronic alcohol abuse, and poor oral hygiene are present. Penicillin-based antibiotic treatment and surgical decortication led to recovery.
PubMed: 34584845
DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01278 -
Chemosphere Nov 2021Remediation of contaminated water and wastewater using biosorption methods has attracted significant attention in recent decades due to its efficiency, convenience and...
Remediation of contaminated water and wastewater using biosorption methods has attracted significant attention in recent decades due to its efficiency, convenience and minimised environmental effects. Bacterial biosorbents are normally deployed as a non-living powder or suspension. Little is known about the mechanisms or rates of bacterial attachment to surfaces and effect of various conditions on the biofilm development, as well as efficiency of living biofilms in the removal of heavy metals. In the present study, the effect of environmental and nutritional conditions such as pH, temperature, concentrations of phosphate, glucose, amino acid, nitrate, calcium and magnesium, on planktonic and biofilm growth of single and mixed bacterial cultures, were measured. Actinomyces meyeri, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens strains were evaluated to determine the optimum biofilm growth conditions. The Cd(II) biosorption efficiencies of the mixed-species biofilm developed in the optimum growth condition, were investigated and modelled using Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubnin Radushkevich models. The biofilm quantification techniques revealed that the optimum concentration of phosphate, glucose, amino acid, nitrate, calcium and magnesium for the biofilm development were 25, 10, 1, 1.5, 5 and 0.5 g L, respectively. Further increases in the nutrient concentrations resulted in less biofilm growth. The optimum pH for the biofilm growth was 7 and alkaline or acidic conditions caused significant negative effects on the bacterial attachment and development. The optimum temperatures for the bacterial attachment to the surface were between 25 and 35 °C. The maximum Cd(II) biosorption efficiency (99%) and capacity (18.19 mg g) of the mixed-species biofilm, occurred on day 35 (C = 0.1 mg L) and 1 (C = 20 mg L) of biofilm growth, respectively. Modelling of the biosorption data revealed that Cd(II) removal by the living biofilm was a physical process by a monolayer of biofilm. The results of present study suggested that environmental and nutritional conditions had a significant effect on bacterial biofilm formation and its efficiency in Cd(II) removal.
Topics: Actinomycetaceae; Adsorption; Bacillus cereus; Biofilms; Cadmium; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Kinetics
PubMed: 34147985
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131152