-
The Journal of Hospital Infection Aug 2020Aging and comorbidities such as diabetes and vascular problems contribute to the increasing occurrence of chronic wounds. From the beginning of 2016, a marked increase...
INTRODUCTION
Aging and comorbidities such as diabetes and vascular problems contribute to the increasing occurrence of chronic wounds. From the beginning of 2016, a marked increase in Arcanobacterium haemolyticum (ARH) in chronic wound cultures was noted among patients visiting a wound expertise centre in The Netherlands.
AIM
To report the outbreak investigation of ARH cultured from chronic wounds and describe the implemented infection prevention measures.
METHODS
In total, 50 ARH isolates were sent to a reference laboratory for molecular typing. Samples for bacterial culture and ARH polymerase chain reaction were taken from care workers, the environment and items used for wound care. Infection prevention measures were implemented in a bundled approach, involving education, better aseptic wound care conditions and hygienic precautions. Before and after the implementation of infection prevention measures, two screening rounds of ARH testing were performed among all patients receiving home care.
RESULTS
ARH isolates from wound care patients were found to be identical by core genome multi-locus sequence typing. No definite outbreak source could be determined by culture. However, three pairs of forceps, used by two nurses on multiple patients, were found to be ARH positive by polymerase chain reaction. In the two screening rounds before and after the implementation of infection prevention measures, the proportion of ARH-positive patients decreased significantly from 20% (20/99) to 3% (3/104). Subsequently, no new cases occurred.
CONCLUSION
This first ARH outbreak was likely caused by re-using contaminated instruments. Through the implementation of improved infection prevention measures and re-education of all employees involved, the outbreak was controlled. With the current trend of care transition, infection control must be a major concern.
Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Arcanobacterium; Bacteremia; Chronic Disease; Disease Outbreaks; Health Plan Implementation; Humans; Infection Control; Leg; Multilocus Sequence Typing; Netherlands; Retrospective Studies; Wound Infection
PubMed: 32417434
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.05.012 -
Veterinary Microbiology Apr 2020The present study was designed to identify nine Arcanobacterium phocae strains isolated from cases of mink dermatitis of a single farm in Finland and characterize the...
The present study was designed to identify nine Arcanobacterium phocae strains isolated from cases of mink dermatitis of a single farm in Finland and characterize the strains for epidemiological relationships. All nine strains and previously described A. phocae used for comparative purposes were identified and further characterized phenotypically, by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and genotypically by detection of phocaelysin encoding gene phl with a previously developed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay and by sequencing 16S rRNA gene and gene phl, the elongation factor tu encoding gene tuf and the β subunit of bacterial RNA polymerase encoding gene rpoB. Genetic relatedness among isolates was determined using whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphism (wgSNP) analysis. The wgSNP results, partly the MALDI-TOF MS and FT-IR analyses and sequencing of the genes, revealed that the nine A. phocae strains recovered from a single farm showed close sequence similarities among each other and differed from previously investigated A. phocae strains isolated from other farms and animals in Finland and from the A. phocae type strain. This indicated a close epidemiological relationship of the A. phocae strains isolated from a single farm and that the nine A. phocae strains of the present study might have developed from a common ancestor.
Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Animals; Arcanobacterium; Dermatitis; Farms; Finland; Genome, Bacterial; Genotype; Mink; Phenotype; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
PubMed: 32273004
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2020.108618 -
Revista Argentina de Microbiologia 2020We report the case of a twenty-year-old immunocompetent male patient presenting to the emergency room with pharyngitis and fever. Blood cultures were drawn and...
We report the case of a twenty-year-old immunocompetent male patient presenting to the emergency room with pharyngitis and fever. Blood cultures were drawn and Arcanobacterium haemolyticum (rough biotype) was recovered. The presence of the arcanolysin gene was investigated at the molecular level and the upstream region was amplified and sequenced in order to correlate it with the smooth or rough biotype. Although the isolate was susceptible to penicillin, vancomycin and gentamicin, empirical treatments first with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (1g/12h) and then with ceftriaxone (1g/12h) failed and the infection evolved to sepsis. Finally, treatment with vancomycin (1g/12h) plus piperacillin/tazobactam (4.5g/8h) was effective. Lemierre's syndrome was ruled out. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of bacteremia by A. haemolyticum reported in Argentina.
Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Adult; Arcanobacterium; Bacteremia; Humans; Male; Sepsis; Young Adult
PubMed: 32201068
DOI: 10.1016/j.ram.2020.01.001 -
PloS One 2020Pathogenic bacteria often damage tissues by secreting toxins that form pores in cell membranes, and the most common pore-forming toxins are cholesterol-dependent...
Pathogenic bacteria often damage tissues by secreting toxins that form pores in cell membranes, and the most common pore-forming toxins are cholesterol-dependent cytolysins. During bacterial infections, glutamine becomes a conditionally essential amino acid, and glutamine is an important nutrient for immune cells. However, the role of glutamine in protecting tissue cells against pore-forming toxins is unclear. Here we tested the hypothesis that glutamine supports the protection of tissue cells against the damage caused by cholesterol-dependent cytolysins. Stromal and epithelial cells were sensitive to damage by the cholesterol-dependent cytolysins, pyolysin and streptolysin O, as determined by leakage of potassium and lactate dehydrogenase from cells, and reduced cell viability. However, glutamine deprivation increased the leakage of lactate dehydrogenase and reduced the viability of cells challenged with cholesterol-dependent cytolysins. Without glutamine, stromal cells challenged with pyolysin leaked lactate dehydrogenase (control vs. pyolysin, 2.6 ± 0.6 vs. 34.4 ± 4.5 AU, n = 12), which was more than three-fold the leakage from cells supplied with 2 mM glutamine (control vs. pyolysin, 2.2 ± 0.3 vs. 9.4 ± 1.0 AU). Glutamine cytoprotection did not depend on glutaminolysis, replenishing the Krebs cycle via succinate, changes in cellular cholesterol, or regulators of cell metabolism (AMPK and mTOR). In conclusion, although the mechanism remains elusive, we found that glutamine supports the protection of tissue cells against the damage caused by cholesterol-dependent cytolysins from pathogenic bacteria.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Proteins; Bacterial Toxins; Cattle; Cholesterol; Cytoprotection; Cytotoxins; Glutamine; HeLa Cells; Hemolysin Proteins; Humans; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Streptolysins; Stromal Cells
PubMed: 32163417
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219275 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Jan 2020The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dietary vibroactivated clinoptilolite supplementation on the intramammary microbiological findings in dairy cows,...
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dietary vibroactivated clinoptilolite supplementation on the intramammary microbiological findings in dairy cows, causative agents of potential intramammary infection, and their sensitivity to antibiotics. Cows ( = 78) were randomly divided into two groups: CPL-treated group that received clinoptilolite (CPL) in-feed ( = 38), i.e., 50 g natural powdered zeolite CPL, twice daily from the seventh month of pregnancy to 75 days after calving, and the control group (CON) of untreated cows ( = 40). Milk samples were taken from each cow on days 7, 25, 45, and 75 postpartum. The following causative pathogens were isolated in 86 udder quarters: in 5.81% of positive samples, spp. 9.32%, coagulase-negative (CNS) 22.09%, 13.95%, 1.16%, sp. 3.49%, 8.13%, spp. 6.98%, spp. 11.63%, sp. 10.47%, spp. 2.33%, and , sp., sp., and yeasts each in 1.16% of samples. Additionally, 3.87% of environmental microflora samples ( = 47) and 89.06% of udder samples ( = 1083) were bacteriologically negative. The most effective antibiotics were cefoperazone and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, while cloxacillin and tetracycline were the least effective antibiotics in both groups. In the clinoptilolite supplemented (CPL) group ( = 38) of 14 cows, nine causative agents of mastitis were isolated in 27 quarters, while in the control (CON) group ( = 40) of 24 cows, 13 causative agents of mastitis were isolated in 59 quarters. Cows from the CON group had a 1.96 times higher risk of intramammary infection than cows from the CPL group during the observation period (odds ratio = 1.96, = 0.0031; 95% CI = 1.2570-3.0770).
PubMed: 31991715
DOI: 10.3390/ani10020202 -
Future Science OA Dec 2019is known to affect cattle, but was never isolated as a cause of human urinary tract infections.
AIM
is known to affect cattle, but was never isolated as a cause of human urinary tract infections.
CLINICAL CASE
A 69-year-old male presented for recurring low urinary tract symptoms after a 20-day ciprofloxacin regimen for prostatitis. He previously underwent open right nephrolithotomy and left ureterovesical junction reimplantation for an iatrogenic distal ureteral stricture. Computed tomography showed spontaneous cortical calcifications; renoscopy was performed and deep cultures from the pelvis were taken; culture on chocolate agar revealed . Intravenous teicoplanin for 3 weeks resulted in resolution of low urinary tract symptoms with regression of bladder and ureteral thickening.
CONCLUSION
can cause encrusted pyelitis in humans especially evoked in a context of persisting or recurring urinary tract infections.
PubMed: 31915531
DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2019-0021 -
The Journal of Veterinary Medical... Feb 2020Trueperella pyogenes is an opportunistic pathogen that causes a wide variety of purulent infections. We recently isolated a T. pyogenes strain unable to be identified by...
Trueperella pyogenes is an opportunistic pathogen that causes a wide variety of purulent infections. We recently isolated a T. pyogenes strain unable to be identified by the previously reported T. pyogenes pyolysin gene (plo)-specific PCR from the lung of a sheep with astasia. Sequence comparison of plo among representative strains revealed several nucleotide substitutions in the primer-annealing regions. As such substitutions were considered to be a reason for the low PCR specificity, we designed novel primers in conserved regions of plo. Under optimized conditions, the novel primers precisely identified all T. pyogenes strains tested, and no products were generated from any other bacterial strains, suggesting the usefulness of the novel PCR assay for the diagnosis of T. pyogenes infections.
Topics: Actinomycetaceae; Actinomycetales Infections; Animals; Bacterial Proteins; Bacterial Toxins; Hemolysin Proteins; Lung; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sheep; Sheep Diseases
PubMed: 31866633
DOI: 10.1292/jvms.19-0522 -
JMA Journal Sep 2019A 57-year-old man with untreated diabetes mellitus was admitted to our hospital due to an intrathoracic mass lesion infiltrating the vertebral body and mediastinum. The...
A 57-year-old man with untreated diabetes mellitus was admitted to our hospital due to an intrathoracic mass lesion infiltrating the vertebral body and mediastinum. The mass was suspected to be invasive lung cancer; however, percutaneous needle biopsy revealed that the mass was inflammatory granulation tissue caused by an infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an intrathoracic mass lesion caused by an infection. When an intrathoracic mass lesion is suspected, clinicians should consider possible infections that cause granulation tissue, such as . This is particularly important in immunocompromized hosts such as patients with diabetes.
PubMed: 33615031
DOI: 10.31662/jmaj.2018-0036 -
New Microbes and New Infections Sep 2019Culturomics studies the microbial variety of the human microbiome by combining diversified culture conditions, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight...
Culturomics studies the microbial variety of the human microbiome by combining diversified culture conditions, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and 16S rRNA gene identification. This study identifies three putative new bacterial species: sp. nov. strain Marseille-P5647, sp. nov. strain Marseille-P5644 and sp. nov. strain Marseille-P5995, which we describe according to the concept of taxonogenomics.
PubMed: 31367386
DOI: 10.1016/j.nmni.2019.100585 -
International Journal of Systematic and... Sep 2019Two hitherto unknown bacteria (strains 313 and 352) were recovered from the faeces of Tibetan antelopes on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, PR China. Cells were rod-shaped and...
Two hitherto unknown bacteria (strains 313 and 352) were recovered from the faeces of Tibetan antelopes on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, PR China. Cells were rod-shaped and Gram-stain-positive. The optimal growth conditions were at 37 °C and pH 7. The isolates were closely related to (92.6 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), (92.5 %), (92.4 %), (92.2 %) and (91.6 %). Phylogenetic analyses showed that strains 313 and 352 clustered independently in the vicinity of the genera , and , but could not be classified clearly as a member of any of these genera. Phylogenomic analysis also indicated that strains 313 and 352 formed an independent branch in the family . The major cellular fatty acids of the strains were C and Cω9. The polar lipids comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol and five unidentified components. The peptidoglycan contained lysine, alanine and glutamic acid. The respiratory quinone was absent. The whole-cell sugars included glucose and rhamnose. The DNA G+C content of strain 313 was 60.6 mol%. Based on the low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, its taxonomic position in the phylogenetic and phylogenomic trees and its unique lipid pattern, we propose that strains 313 and 352 represent members of a novel species in a new genus, for which the name gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 313 (=CGMCC 4.7453=DSM 106216).
Topics: Actinomycetaceae; Animals; Antelopes; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Base Composition; DNA, Bacterial; Fatty Acids; Feces; Peptidoglycan; Phospholipids; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Tibet
PubMed: 31334694
DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.003586