One-year prevalence of antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus recovered from raw meat

Food with animal origins and especially meat may play an important role in transmission of methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus to humans. The present investigation was carried out to determine the prevalence of MRSA in various types of Iranian meat samples as well as study their antimicrobial resistance properties. Nine-hundred raw meat samples were collected during various months of the year. Samples were cultured and those that were MRSA-positive were subjected to the disk diffusion method to study the antibiotic resistance pattern. One-hundred and sixty out of 900 raw meat samples (17.7%) were positive for MRSA. Raw sheep meat samples had the highest (24.0%), while raw camel meat samples had the lowest (10%) prevalence of MRSA. Samples which were collected in June, July, August, September and June months had the highest prevalence of MRSA. Bacterial strains were also resistant to ampicillin (100%), penicillin G (100%), gatifloxacin (96.8%), ceftriaxone (80%) and oxacillin (76.2%) antibiotics. We found that only one isolate was resistant to all tested antimicrobial agents. Contaminated meat samples are potential risk factor for transmission of MRSA. Thoughtful antibiotics prescription, control the hygienic quality of meat inspections and increase the hygienic status of butchers and slaughterhouses can decrease the prevalence of MRSA in meat.

THAP5 is a human cardiac-specific inhibitor of cell cycle that is cleaved by the proapoptotic Omi/HtrA2 protease during cell death

Omi/HtrA2 is a mitochondrial serine protease that has a dual function: while confined in the mitochondria, it promotes cell survival, but when released into the cytoplasm, it participates in caspase-dependent as well as caspase-independent cell death. To investigate the mechanism of Omi/HtrA2's function, we set out to isolate and characterize novel substrates for this protease. We have identified Thanatos-associated protein 5 (THAP5) as a specific interactor and substrate of Omi/HtrA2 in cells undergoing apoptosis. This protein is an uncharacterized member of the THAP family of proteins. THAP5 has a unique pattern of expression and is found predominantly in the human heart, although a very low expression is also seen in the human brain and muscle. THAP5 protein is localized in the nucleus and, when ectopically expressed, induces cell cycle arrest. During apoptosis, THAP5 protein is degraded, and this process can be blocked using a specific Omi/HtrA2 inhibitor, leading to reduced cell death. In patients with coronary artery disease, THAP5 protein levels substantially decrease in the myocardial infarction area, suggesting a potential role of this protein in human heart disease. This work identifies human THAP5 as a cardiac-specific nuclear protein that controls cell cycle progression. Furthermore, during apoptosis, THAP5 is cleaved and removed by the proapoptotic Omi/HtrA2 protease. Taken together, we provide evidence to support that THAP5 and its regulation by Omi/HtrA2 provide a new link between cell cycle control and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes.