antimicrobial resistance
Environmental MicrobiologyEffect of Macrolide and Rifampin Resistance on the Fitness of Rhodococcus equiThis work advances our understanding of the opportunistic environmental pathogen Rhodococcus equi, a disease agent affecting horses and immunocompromised people. R. equi is one of the most common causes of severe pneumonia in young horses. For decades, the standard treatment for...
Evolutionary and Genomic MicrobiologyGenomic Diversity, Virulence, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains from Cows and HumansWe demonstrate here the genetic diversity of K. pneumoniae isolates from dairy cows and the mixed phylogenetic lineages between bovine and human isolates. The ferric uptake operon kfuABC genes were more prevalent in strains from clinical mastitis cows. Furthermore, we report the emergence of an IncN-type plasmid carrying the blaCTX-M-1 and...
Public and Environmental Health MicrobiologyPopulation Genetics and Characterization of Campylobacter jejuni Isolates from Western Jackdaws and Game Birds in FinlandThe roles of environmental reservoirs, including wild birds, in the molecular epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni have not been assessed in depth. Our results showed that game birds may pose a risk for acquiring campylobacteriosis, because they had C. jejuni genomotypes highly similar to human...
Public and Environmental Health Microbiology | SpotlightDroplet- Rather than Aerosol-Mediated Dispersion Is the Primary Mechanism of Bacterial Transmission from Contaminated Hand-Washing Sink TrapsAmong the possible environmental reservoirs in a patient care environment, sink drains are increasingly recognized as a potential reservoir to hospitalized patients of multidrug-resistant health care-associated pathogens. With increasing antimicrobial resistance limiting therapeutic options for patients, a better understanding of how pathogens disseminate from sink drains is urgently needed. Once this knowledge gap has decreased,...
Food Microbiology | SpotlightGenus-Wide Assessment of Antibiotic Resistance in Lactobacillus spp.Lactobacillus species are generally considered to be nonpathogenic and are used in a wide variety of foods and products for humans and animals. However, many of the species examined in this study have antibiotic resistance levels which exceed those recommended by the EFSA, suggesting that these cutoff values should be reexamined in light of the genetic basis for...
Environmental MicrobiologyChronic Airway Colonization by Achromobacter xylosoxidans in Cystic Fibrosis Patients Is Not Sustained by Their Domestic EnvironmentAchromobacter spp. are worldwide emerging opportunistic pathogens in CF patients, able to chronically colonize the respiratory tract. Apart from regular consultations at the hospital CF center, patients spend most of their time at home. Colonization from nonhuman sources has been suggested, but the presence of...
- Public and Environmental Health MicrobiologyYersinia pseudotuberculosis Prevalence and Diversity in Wild Boars in Northeast Germany
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is a foodborne pathogen whose occurrence is poorly understood. One reason for this situation is the difficulty in isolating the species. The methods developed for the isolation of Yersinia enterocolitica are not well suited for...
- Food MicrobiologyProximity to Other Commercial Turkey Farms Affects Colonization Onset, Genotypes, and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Campylobacter spp. in Turkeys: Suggestive Evidence from a Paired-Farm Model
Colonization of poultry with Campylobacter at the farm level is complex, poorly understood, and critically linked to contamination of poultry products, which is known to constitute a leading risk factor for human campylobacteriosis. Here, we investigated the use of a paired-farm design under standard production conditions and in the absence of experimental...
- Environmental MicrobiologyIsolation of Toxigenic Clostridium difficile from Animal Manure and Composts Being Used as Biological Soil Amendments
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in health care facilities in developed countries. Extended hospital stays and recurrences severely increase the cost of treatments and the high mortality rate that is observed among the elderly. Community-associated CDI cases that occur without any recent contact with the...
- Food MicrobiologyAntimicrobial Resistance, Virulence Factors, and Genetic Profiles of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from Seafood
The presence of V. parahaemolyticus in seafood may pose a risk for consumers, especially in countries where shellfish are eaten raw. In recent years, a significant increase of food poisoning caused by these bacteria has been also observed in Europe. Our results highlight the high level of V....