Virulence Genes Profile and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Community-Acquired Bacterial Urinary Tract Infections in a Brazilian Hospital

Dissemination of Urinary Escherichia coli Phylogroup B2 in Provincial and Community Hospitals in Uthai Thani, Central Thailand

Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes a variety of clinical infections in humans, including diarrhea, sepsis, and urinary tract infection. This bacterium is a common multidrug-resistant threat in community and hospital settings worldwide. This study examined the antimicrobial susceptibility and genetic relationship based on Clermont phylotyping and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR of 84 E. coli urinary isolates from provincial and community hospitals in Thailand. All isolates were susceptible to nitrofurantoin, and almost all isolates were susceptible to carbapenem, fosfomycin, and amikacin. High resistance rates to fluoroquinolone, ampicillin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole were observed. Clermont phylogroup B2 was predominant (n = 58). Subtyping of the B2 phylogroup revealed diverse subgroups, of which subgroup V (n = 11), VII (n = 9), III (n = 6), and II (n = 6) were most prevalent. ERIC-PCR showed that the strains of the B2 subgroups III and V were spread between provincial and community hospitals and between hospital wards. This evidence suggests the need for comprehensive infection control monitoring, with strong active surveillance at all hospital levels.

Association between bacterial pathogenicity, endometrial histological changes and clinical prognosis in canine pyometra

Despite the high frequency and clinical relevance of canine pyometra, its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. In this study, the clinical data, histopathological alterations, and microbiological findings of 39 dogs with pyometra were analyzed to assess possible associations. The mean age of the affected animals was 9.6 ± 3.8 years; 76.3 % (29/38) had open cervix pyometra, 88 % (22/25) had tachypnea, 71 % (27/38) had anorexia, and 60.5 % (23/38) had leukocytosis. Histopathological analysis revealed that 66.5 % (26/39) of the uteri had a high degree of inflammation (score 4). Third-degree hyperplasia of the endometrial epithelium (72 %, 28/39) and intralesional or intrauterine bacteria (66.5 %, 26/39) were identified in most animals. Bacterial isolates were obtained from 82 % (32/39) of the uterine contents and five bacterial species were identified. Escherichia coli, classified in phylogroup B2, is associated with virulent adhesion genes (fimH, focG, and papC), and serum resistance (traT) was the most common isolate. There was an association between the detection of papC in E. coli isolates and higher necrosis scores. Additionally, the necrosis score was positively associated with the length of hospitalization, with each point increase in the necrosis score leading to two more days of hospitalization. These results suggest that papC-positive E. coli play an important role in the severity of pyometra in dogs. The present study revealed the possibility of using this virulence gene to better understand the prognosis of the disease in an affected animal.

Characterization of ESBL/AmpC-producing extraintestinal Escherichia coli (ExPEC) in dogs treated at a veterinary hospital in Brazil

The clinical aspects and lineages involved in Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) infections in dogs remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial resistance and molecular structures of ExPECs isolated from infected dogs in Brazil. Samples were obtained from dogs (n = 42) with suspected extraintestinal bacterial infections. Phylogroup B2 was predominant (65.1%). No association was observed between the site of infection, phylogroups, or virulence factors. Almost half of the isolates (44.2%) were MDR, and 20.9% were extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-positive. E. coli isolates that were resistant to fluoroquinolones (27.9%) were more likely to be MDR. The CTX-M-15 enzyme was predominant among the ESBL-producing strains, and seven sequence types were identified, including the high-risk clones ST44 and ST131. Single SNPs analysis confirmed the presence of two clonal transmissions. The present study showed a high frequency of ExPECs from phylogroup B2 infecting various sites and a high frequency of ESBL-producing strains that included STs frequently associated with human infection. This study also confirmed the nosocomial transmission of ESBL-producing E. coli, highlighting the need for further studies on the prevention and diagnosis of nosocomial infections in veterinary settings.

High prevalence of extensively drug resistant and extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBLs) producing uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from Faisalabad, Pakistan

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are predominantly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli). There is rapid increase in antimicrobial resistance in UTIs, also declared as a serious health threat by World Health Organization (WHO). Present study was designed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance status with specific focus on ESBLs and carbapenemases in local uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) isolates. E. coli isolates were characterized from patients of all ages visiting diagnostic laboratories for urine examination. Demographic data was also recorded for each patient. Antibiograms were developed to observe antibiotic resistance in UPEC using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion technique. Double Disc Synergy test (DDST) was used for phenotypic ESBL test. ESBLs and carbapenemases genes were detected in UPEC using PCR. The PCR results were confirmed by sequencing. The UPEC isolates under study exhibited 78%, 77%, 74%, 72% and 55% resistance against cefotaxime, amoxicillin, erythromycin, ceftriaxone and cefixime, respectively. Resistance against colistin and meropenem was observed in 64% and 34% isolates, respectively. Phenotypic DDST identified 48% isolates as ESBLs producers. Genotypic characterization identified 70%, 74.4% and 49% prevalence of CTXM-1, TEM-1 and CTXM-15 genes respectively. One isolate was observed exhibiting co-existence of all ESBL genes. TEM-1 + CTXM-1 and TEM-1 + CTXM-1 + CTXM-15 + OXA-1 gene patterns were dominant among ESBLs. For carbapenem-resistance, 14% isolates indicated the presence of KPC whereas GES and VIM was detected in 7% and 3.4% isolates, respectively. In conclusion, our results present a high prevalence of extensively drug resistant UPEC isolates with a considerable percentage of ESBL producers. These findings propose the need of continuous surveillance for antimicrobial resistance and targeted antimicrobial therapy.

Nanoplexes of ZnS quantum dot-poly-l-lysine/iron oxide nanoparticle-carboxymethylcellulose for photocatalytic degradation of dyes and antibacterial activity in wastewater treatment

The contamination and pollution of wastewater with a wide diversity of chemical, microbiological, and hazardous substances is a field of raising environmental concern. In this study, we developed, for the first time, new hybrid multifunctional nanoplexes composed of ZnS semiconductor quantum dots (ZnS QDs) chemically biofunctionalized with epsilon-poly-l-lysine (ɛPL) and coupled with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MION, Fe₃O₄) stabilized by carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) for the photodegradation (ZnS) of organic molecules and antibacterial activity (ɛPL) with a potential of recovery by an external magnetic field (Fe₃O₄). These nanosystems, which were synthesized entirely through a green aqueous process, were comprehensively characterized regarding their physicochemical properties combined with spectroscopic and morphological features. The results demonstrated that supramolecular colloidal nanoplexes were formed owing to the strong cationic/anionic electrostatic interactions between the biomacromolecule capping ligands of the two nanoconjugates (i.e., polypeptide in ZnS@ɛPL and polysaccharide in Fe₃O₄@CMC). Moreover, these nanosystems showed photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) used as a model dye pollutant in water. Besides MB, methyl orange, congo red, and rhodamine dyes were also tested for selectivity investigation of the photodegradation by the nanoplexes. The antibacterial activity ascribed to the ɛPL biomolecule was confirmed against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including drug-resistance field strains. Hence, it is envisioned that these novel green nanoplexes offer a new avenue of alternatives to be employed for reducing organic pollutants and inactivating pathogenic bacteria in water and wastewater treatment, benefiting from easy magnetic recovery.