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Meister TL, Kirchhoff L, Brüggemann Y, Todt D, Steinmann J, Steinmann E. Stability of pathogens on banknotes and coins: A narrative review. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e29312. [PMID: 38100621 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
For the prevention of infectious diseases, knowledge about potential transmission routes is essential. Pathogens can be transmitted directly (i.e. respiratory droplets, hand-to-hand contact) or indirectly via contaminated surfaces (fomites). In particular, frequently touched objects/surfaces may serve as transmission vehicles for different clinically relevant bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens. Banknotes and coins offer ample surface area and are frequently exchanged between individuals. Consequently, many concerns have been raised in the recent past, that banknotes and coins could serve as vectors for the transmission of disease-causing microorganisms. This review summarizes the latest research on the potential of paper currency and coins to serve as sources of pathogenic viral, bacterial, and fungal agents. In contrast to the current perception of banknotes and coins as important transmission vehicles, current evidence suggests, that banknotes and coins do not pose a particular risk of pathogen infection for the public.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Luise Meister
- Department for Molecular and Medical Virology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Lisa Kirchhoff
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital of Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Yannick Brüggemann
- Department for Molecular and Medical Virology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Daniel Todt
- Department for Molecular and Medical Virology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center (EVBC), Jena, Germany
| | - Joerg Steinmann
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital of Essen, Essen, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Hygiene, Medical Microbiology and Infectiology, General Hospital Nürnberg, Paracelsus Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany
| | - Eike Steinmann
- Department for Molecular and Medical Virology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Sarkar S, Kamke A, Ward K, Hartung E, Ran Q, Feehan B, Galliart M, Jumpponen A, Johnson L, Lee ST. Pseudomonas cultivated from Andropogon gerardii rhizosphere show functional potential for promoting plant host growth and drought resilience. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:784. [PMID: 36451103 PMCID: PMC9710129 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-09019-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Climate change will result in more frequent droughts that can impact soil-inhabiting microbiomes (rhizobiomes) in the agriculturally vital North American perennial grasslands. Rhizobiomes have contributed to enhancing drought resilience and stress resistance properties in plant hosts. In the predicted events of more future droughts, how the changing rhizobiome under environmental stress can impact the plant host resilience needs to be deciphered. There is also an urgent need to identify and recover candidate microorganisms along with their functions, involved in enhancing plant resilience, enabling the successful development of synthetic communities. RESULTS In this study, we used the combination of cultivation and high-resolution genomic sequencing of bacterial communities recovered from the rhizosphere of a tallgrass prairie foundation grass, Andropogon gerardii. We cultivated the plant host-associated microbes under artificial drought-induced conditions and identified the microbe(s) that might play a significant role in the rhizobiome of Andropogon gerardii under drought conditions. Phylogenetic analysis of the non-redundant metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) identified a bacterial genome of interest - MAG-Pseudomonas. Further metabolic pathway and pangenome analyses recovered genes and pathways related to stress responses including ACC deaminase; nitrogen transformation including assimilatory nitrate reductase in MAG-Pseudomonas, which might be associated with enhanced drought tolerance and growth for Andropogon gerardii. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicated that the metagenome-assembled MAG-Pseudomonas has the functional potential to contribute to the plant host's growth during stressful conditions. Our study also suggested the nitrogen transformation potential of MAG-Pseudomonas that could impact Andropogon gerardii growth in a positive way. The cultivation of MAG-Pseudomonas sets the foundation to construct a successful synthetic community for Andropogon gerardii. To conclude, stress resilience mediated through genes ACC deaminase, nitrogen transformation potential through assimilatory nitrate reductase in MAG-Pseudomonas could place this microorganism as an important candidate of the rhizobiome aiding the plant host resilience under environmental stress. This study, therefore, provided insights into the MAG-Pseudomonas and its potential to optimize plant productivity under ever-changing climatic patterns, especially in frequent drought conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soumyadev Sarkar
- grid.36567.310000 0001 0737 1259Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS USA
| | - Abigail Kamke
- grid.36567.310000 0001 0737 1259Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS USA
| | - Kaitlyn Ward
- grid.36567.310000 0001 0737 1259Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS USA
| | - Eli Hartung
- grid.36567.310000 0001 0737 1259Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS USA
| | - Qinghong Ran
- grid.36567.310000 0001 0737 1259Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS USA
| | - Brandi Feehan
- grid.36567.310000 0001 0737 1259Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS USA
| | - Matthew Galliart
- grid.256032.00000 0001 2285 6924Department of Biological Sciences, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS USA
| | - Ari Jumpponen
- grid.36567.310000 0001 0737 1259Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS USA
| | - Loretta Johnson
- grid.36567.310000 0001 0737 1259Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS USA
| | - Sonny T.M. Lee
- grid.36567.310000 0001 0737 1259Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS USA
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Bischofberger AM, Hall AR. Community Composition of Bacteria Isolated from Swiss Banknotes Varies Depending on Collection Environment. Mol Ecol 2022; 32:2619-2632. [PMID: 35377495 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Humans interact constantly with surfaces and associated microbial communities in the environment. The factors shaping the composition of these communities are poorly understood: some proposed explanations emphasize the influence of local habitat conditions (niche-based explanations), while others point to geographic structure and the distance among sampled locations (dispersal-based explanations). However, the relative roles of these different drivers for microbial community assembly on human-associated surfaces are not clear. Here, we used a combination of sampling, sequencing (16S rRNA) and culturing to show that the composition of banknote-associated bacterial communities varies depending on the local collection environment. Using banknotes collected from various locations and types of shops across Switzerland, we found taxonomic diversity dominated by families such as Pseudomonadaceae and Staphylococcaceae, but with banknote samples from particular types of shops (especially butcher shops) having distinct community structure. By contrast, we found no evidence of geographic structure: similarity of community composition did not decrease with increasing distance among sampled locations. These results show that microbial communities associated with banknotes, one of the most commonly encountered and exchanged human-associated surfaces, can reflect the local environmental conditions (in this case, the type of shop), and the signal for this type of variation was stronger than that for geographic structure among the locations sampled here.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alex R Hall
- Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
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Akter S, Roy PC, Ferdaus A, Ibnat H, Alam ASMRU, Nigar S, Jahid IK, Hossain MA. Prevalence and stability of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on Bangladeshi banknotes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 779:146133. [PMID: 33740558 PMCID: PMC9752560 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Originating in December 2019 in China, SARS-CoV-2 has emerged as the deadliest pandemic in humankind's history. Along with direct contact and droplet contaminations, the possibility of infections through contaminated surfaces and fomites is investigating. This study aims to assess SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA's prevalence by real-time one-step reverse transcriptase PCR on banknotes circulating in Bangladesh. We also evaluated the persistence of the virus on banknotes spiked with SARS-CoV-2 positive diluted human nasopharyngeal samples. Among the 425 banknote samples collected from different entities, 7.29% (n = 31) were tested positive for targeted genes. Twenty-four positive representative samples were assessed for n gene fragments by conventional PCR and sequenced. All the samples that carry viral RNA belonged to the GR clade, the predominantly circulating clade in Bangladesh. In the stability test, the n gene was detected for up to 72 h on banknotes spiked with nasopharyngeal samples, and CT values increase significantly with time (p < 0.05). orf1b gene was observed to be less stable, especially on old banknotes, and usually went beyond detectable limit within 8 to 10 h. The stability of virus RNA well fitted by the Weibull model and concave curve for new banknotes and convex curve for old banknotes revealed. Handling banknotes is unavoidable; hence, these findings imply that proper hygiene practice is needed to limit SARS-CoV-2 transmission through banknotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selina Akter
- Department of Microbiology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh.
| | - Pravas Chandra Roy
- Department of Microbiology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh.
| | - Amina Ferdaus
- Department of Microbiology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
| | - Habiba Ibnat
- Department of Microbiology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh
| | - A S M Rubayet Ul Alam
- Department of Microbiology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh.
| | - Shireen Nigar
- Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh.
| | - Iqbal Kabir Jahid
- Department of Microbiology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh.
| | - M Anwar Hossain
- Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, Bangladesh; Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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Gelashvili DB, Solovyova IV, Belova IV, Tochilina AG, Yakimov BN, Zaznobina NI, Molkova ED, Filashikhin NA. Ecological Structure of the Public Transportation Microbiocoenosis. BIOL BULL+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359020100052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Demirci M, Celepler Y, Dincer S, Yildirim I, Çiğrikci HU, Kalyenci N, Namal N, Tokman HB, Mamal E, Aksaray S, Aktepe OC, Mamal Torun M. Should we leave the paper currency? A microbiological examination. REVISTA ESPANOLA DE QUIMIOTERAPIA 2020; 33:94-102. [PMID: 32066229 PMCID: PMC7111241 DOI: 10.37201/req/085.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Objetives Pathogens can be transmitted to banknotes due to the personal unhygienic habits. The aim of study was to find the possible pathogens on the banknotes circulating in the market and also to present their antibacterial resistance and their various virulence factors using genotypic and phenotypic methods. Material and methods A total of 150 samples of banknotes were randomly collected between August 2017 and March 2018. VITEK systems were used for identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing respectively. Antimicrobial resistance genes (mecA, van, extended-spectrum β-lactamase [ESBL] and carbapenemases) and staphyloccoccal virulence genes (staphyloccoccal enterotoxins [SEs], pvl, and tsst-1) were determined using with real-time PCR. Results Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), Enterococcus spp., Gram-negative enteric bacteria, non-fermentative Gram-negative bacteria and Candida spp. were detected 48%, 54.7%, 56%, 21.3%, 18.7%, and 4%, respectively. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci and ESBL producing Gram-negative were found 46.8%, 1.3%, and 28.7%, respectively. Pvl, tsst-1, and SEs genes were found in a 2.8/4.9%, 1.4/1.2%, and 100/ 87.8% of the S. aureus/CoNS strains, respectively. The sea gene was found the most common enterotoxigenic gene. blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX-M-2, blaCTX-M-1, blaKPC, and blaOXA-48 were found 55.8%, 46.5%, 41.2%, 18.6%, 18.6%, and 18.6%, respectively in Gram-negative strains. Conclusion These results is very important to highlight hygienic status of paper currencies. This can be considered as an indication that banknotes may contribute to the spread of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, we may need to start using alternative products instead of banknotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Demirci
- Mehmet Demirci, Beykent University School of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, 34520, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Bukhtiyarova PA, Antsiferov DV, Brasseur G, Avakyan MR, Frank YA, Ikkert OP, Pimenov NV, Tuovinen OH, Karnachuk OV. Isolation, characterization, and genome insights into an anaerobic sulfidogenic Tissierella bacterium from Cu-bearing coins. Anaerobe 2019; 56:66-77. [PMID: 30776428 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2019.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Recent reports on antimicrobial effects of metallic Cu prompted this study of anaerobic microbial communities on copper surfaces. Widely circulating copper-containing coinage was used as a potential source for microorganisms that had had human contact and were tolerant to copper. This study reports on the isolation, characterization, and genome of an anaerobic sulfidogenic Tissierella sp. P1from copper-containing brass coinage. Dissimilatory (bi)sulfite reductase dsrAB present in strain P1 genome and the visible absorbance around 630 nm in the cells suggested the presence of a desulfoviridin-type protein. However, the sulfate reduction rate measurements with 35SO42- did not confirm the dissimilatory sulfate reduction by the strain. The P1 genome lacks APS reductase, sulfate adenylyltransferase, DsrC, and DsrMK necessary for dissimilatory sulfate reduction. The isolate produced up to 0.79 mM H2S during growth, possibly due to cysteine synthase (CysK) and/or cysteine desulfhydrase (CdsH) activities, encoded in the genome. The strain can tolerate up to 2.4 mM Cu2+(150 mg/l) in liquid medium, shows affinity to metallic copper, and can survive on copper-containing coins up to three days under ambient air and dry conditions. The genome sequence of strain P1 contained cutC, encoding a copper resistance protein, which distinguishes it from all other Tissierella strains with published genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polina A Bukhtiyarova
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Dmitry V Antsiferov
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Gael Brasseur
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, CNRS, Mediterranean Institute of Microbiology, Marseille, France
| | - Marat R Avakyan
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Yulia A Frank
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Olga P Ikkert
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Nikolay V Pimenov
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Olli H Tuovinen
- Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Olga V Karnachuk
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia.
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Alves LDF, Westmann CA, Lovate GL, de Siqueira GMV, Borelli TC, Guazzaroni ME. Metagenomic Approaches for Understanding New Concepts in Microbial Science. Int J Genomics 2018; 2018:2312987. [PMID: 30211213 PMCID: PMC6126073 DOI: 10.1155/2018/2312987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past thirty years, since the dawn of metagenomic studies, a completely new (micro) universe was revealed, with the potential to have profound impacts on many aspects of the society. Remarkably, the study of human microbiome provided a new perspective on a myriad of human traits previously regarded as solely (epi-) genetically encoded, such as disease susceptibility, immunological response, and social and nutritional behaviors. In this context, metagenomics has established a powerful framework for understanding the intricate connections between human societies and microbial communities, ultimately allowing for the optimization of both human health and productivity. Thus, we have shifted from the old concept of microbes as harmful organisms to a broader panorama, in which the signal of the relationship between humans and microbes is flexible and directly dependent on our own decisions and practices. In parallel, metagenomics has also been playing a major role in the prospection of "hidden" genetic features and the development of biotechnological applications, through the discovery of novel genes, enzymes, pathways, and bioactive molecules with completely new or improved biochemical functions. Therefore, this review highlights the major milestones over the last three decades of metagenomics, providing insights into both its potentialities and current challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luana de Fátima Alves
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Cauã Antunes Westmann
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Lencioni Lovate
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Tiago Cabral Borelli
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - María-Eugenia Guazzaroni
- Department of Biology, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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Kõljalg S, Mändar R, Sõber T, Rööp T, Mändar R. High level bacterial contamination of secondary school students' mobile phones. Germs 2017. [PMID: 28626737 DOI: 10.18683/germs.2017.1111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION While contamination of mobile phones in the hospital has been found to be common in several studies, little information about bacterial abundance on phones used in the community is available. Our aim was to quantitatively determine the bacterial contamination of secondary school students' mobile phones. METHODS Altogether 27 mobile phones were studied. The contact plate method and microbial identification using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer were used for culture studies. Quantitative PCR reaction for detection of universal 16S rRNA, Enterococcus faecalis 16S rRNA and Escherichia coli allantoin permease were performed, and the presence of tetracycline (tetA, tetB, tetM), erythromycin (ermB) and sulphonamide (sul1) resistance genes was assessed. RESULTS We found a high median bacterial count on secondary school students' mobile phones (10.5 CFU/cm2) and a median of 17,032 bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies per phone. Potentially pathogenic microbes (Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus cereus and Neisseria flavescens) were found among dominant microbes more often on phones with higher percentage of E. faecalis in total bacterial 16S rRNA. No differences in contamination level or dominating bacterial species between phone owner's gender and between phone types (touch screen/keypad) were found. No antibiotic resistance genes were detected on mobile phone surfaces. CONCLUSION Quantitative study methods revealed high level bacterial contamination of secondary school students' mobile phones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siiri Kõljalg
- MD, PhD, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | - Rando Mändar
- School of Law, University of Tartu, Näituse 20, Tartu 50409, Estonia
| | - Tiina Sõber
- MSc, Tartu Kristjan Jaak Peterson Gymnasium, Kaunase puiestee 70, Tartu 50704, Estonia
| | - Tiiu Rööp
- MSc, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | - Reet Mändar
- MD, PhD, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu. Ravila 19, Tartu 50411, Estonia
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