Conspiracy theories cost societies dear

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Corrective Action ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pilot Programme ◽  
Global Action

Significance The aim of the pilot programme will be to accelerate the identification of misinformation. Deliberate disinformation campaigns have already affected elections and politics, but falsehoods online are also affecting public health -- measles cases this year globally are the highest in over a decade -- and climate change, where misinformation has successfully sown doubt about the facts, delaying global action. Impacts Getting more doctors online could combat misinformation from unqualified individuals. Antibiotic resistance may become another area where misinformation may obstruct corrective action. Climate change activists may be targeted in misinformation campaigns.

scholarly journals Expanding U.S. Laboratory Capacity for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Whole-Genome Sequencing through the CDC's Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen N. Kersh ◽  
Cau D. Pham ◽  
John R. Papp ◽  
Robert Myers ◽  
Richard Steece ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Neisseria Gonorrhoeae ◽  
Whole Genome Sequencing ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Antimicrobial Susceptibility ◽  
Susceptibility Testing ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Laboratory Capacity

ABSTRACT U.S. gonorrhea rates are rising, and antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae (AR-Ng) is an urgent public health threat. Since implementation of nucleic acid amplification tests for N. gonorrhoeae identification, the capacity for culturing N. gonorrhoeae in the United States has declined, along with the ability to perform culture-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Yet AST is critical for detecting and monitoring AR-Ng. In 2016, the CDC established the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (AR Lab Network) to shore up the national capacity for detecting several resistance threats including N. gonorrhoeae. AR-Ng testing, a subactivity of the CDC’s AR Lab Network, is performed in a tiered network of approximately 35 local laboratories, four regional laboratories (state public health laboratories in Maryland, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington), and the CDC’s national reference laboratory. Local laboratories receive specimens from approximately 60 clinics associated with the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP), enhanced GISP (eGISP), and the program Strengthening the U.S. Response to Resistant Gonorrhea (SURRG). They isolate and ship up to 20,000 isolates to regional laboratories for culture-based agar dilution AST with seven antibiotics and for whole-genome sequencing of up to 5,000 isolates. The CDC further examines concerning isolates and monitors genetic AR markers. During 2017 and 2018, the network tested 8,214 and 8,628 N. gonorrhoeae isolates, respectively, and the CDC received 531 and 646 concerning isolates and 605 and 3,159 sequences, respectively. In summary, the AR Lab Network supported the laboratory capacity for N. gonorrhoeae AST and associated genetic marker detection, expanding preexisting notification and analysis systems for resistance detection. Continued, robust AST and genomic capacity can help inform national public health monitoring and intervention.

scholarly journals Complete Genome Sequence of Escherichia coli Antibiotic Resistance Isolate Bank Number 0346

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (23) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keira L. Stuart ◽  
Darrell O. Bayles ◽  
Sarah M. Shore ◽  
Tracy L. Nicholson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Genome Sequence ◽  
Complete Genome Sequence ◽  
Horizontal Transfer ◽  
Complete Genome ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Concerns

Plasmid-mediated polymyxin resistance encoded by mcr-1 has increased public health concerns due to the potential for rapid horizontal transfer. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of colistin-resistant Escherichia coli Antibiotic Resistance Isolate Bank number 0346, harboring a plasmid-borne mcr-1 gene.

Understanding national barriers to climate change adaptation for public health: a mixed-methods survey of national public health representatives

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-306
Author(s):  
Hannah Marcus ◽  
Liz Hanna
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
National Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Resources ◽  
National Public Health

PurposeTo uncover the major government constraints to enactment and implementation of public health-targeted climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies in order to equip public health stakeholders and health advocates with the knowledge resources necessary to more effectively mobilize and support CCA for public health responses at the national level.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods online survey was distributed to the representatives of national public health associations and societies of 82 countries. The survey comprised 15 questions assessing national progress on CCA for public health and the effects of various institutional, economic/financial, technical and sociopolitical barriers on national adaptive capacity.FindingsSurvey responses from 11 countries indicated that national commitments to CCA for public health have increased markedly since prior assessments but significant shortcomings remain. The largest apparent barriers to progress in this domain were poor government coordination, lack of political will and inadequate adaptation finances.Originality/valueThis study is unique in relation to the prior literature on the topic in that it effectively captures an array of country-specific yet cross-cutting adaptation constraints across diverse national contexts. With a deepened understanding of the major determinants of national adaptive capacity, international actors can devise more effective, evidence-informed strategies to support national governments in responding to the health impacts of climate change.

scholarly journals Draft Genome Sequences of Interpatient and Intrapatient Epidemiologically Linked Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolates

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (16) ◽  
pp. e00319-18
Author(s):  
Sonja Hirk ◽  
Sarah Lepuschitz ◽  
Adriana Cabal Rosel ◽  
Steliana Huhulescu ◽  
Marion Blaschitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Neisseria Gonorrhoeae ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
World Health ◽  
Genome Sequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
Public Health Threat ◽  
Health Organization

ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of gonorrhea and was identified by the World Health Organization as an urgent public health threat due to emerging antibiotic resistance. Here, we report 13 draft genome sequences of N. gonorrhoeae isolates derived from two epidemiologically linked cases from Austria.

scholarly journals Metagenomics as a Public Health Risk Assessment Tool in a Study of Natural Creek Sediments Influenced by Agricultural and Livestock Runoff: Potential and Limitations

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany Suttner ◽  
Eric R. Johnston ◽  
Luis H. Orellana ◽  
Luis M. Rodriguez-R ◽  
Janet K. Hatt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Resistance Genes ◽  
Shiga Toxin ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Agricultural Runoff ◽  
Public Health Risk ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACT Little is known about the public health risks associated with natural creek sediments that are affected by runoff and fecal pollution from agricultural and livestock practices. For instance, the persistence of foodborne pathogens such as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) originating from these practices remains poorly quantified. Towards closing these knowledge gaps, the water-sediment interface of two creeks in the Salinas River Valley of California was sampled over a 9-month period using metagenomics and traditional culture-based tests for STEC. Our results revealed that these sediment communities are extremely diverse and have functional and taxonomic diversity comparable to that observed in soils. With our sequencing effort (∼4 Gbp per library), we were unable to detect any pathogenic E. coli in the metagenomes of 11 samples that had tested positive using culture-based methods, apparently due to relatively low abundance. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in the abundance of human- or cow-specific gut microbiome sequences in the downstream impacted sites compared to that in upstream more pristine (control) sites, indicating natural dilution of anthropogenic inputs. Notably, the high number of metagenomic reads carrying antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) found in all samples was significantly higher than ARG reads in other available freshwater and soil metagenomes, suggesting that these communities may be natural reservoirs of ARGs. The work presented here should serve as a guide for sampling volumes, amount of sequencing to apply, and what bioinformatics analyses to perform when using metagenomics for public health risk studies of environmental samples such as sediments. IMPORTANCE Current agricultural and livestock practices contribute to fecal contamination in the environment and the spread of food- and waterborne disease and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Traditionally, the level of pollution and risk to public health are assessed by culture-based tests for the intestinal bacterium Escherichia coli. However, the accuracy of these traditional methods (e.g., low accuracy in quantification, and false-positive signal when PCR based) and their suitability for sediments remain unclear. We collected sediments for a time series metagenomics study from one of the most highly productive agricultural regions in the United States in order to assess how agricultural runoff affects the native microbial communities and if the presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in sediment samples can be detected directly by sequencing. Our study provided important information on the potential for using metagenomics as a tool for assessment of public health risk in natural environments.

scholarly journals Emergence of Azithromycin Resistance Mediated by Phosphotransferase-Encoding mph(A) in Diarrheagenic Vibrio fluvialis

mSphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Goutam Chowdhury ◽  
Thandavarayan Ramamurthy ◽  
Amit Ghosh ◽  
Shanta Dutta ◽  
Eizo Takahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Gene ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Class 1 Integron ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Genetic Lineages ◽  
Vibrio Fluvialis ◽  
Azithromycin Resistance

ABSTRACT The azithromycin resistance conferred by phosphotransferase is encoded in the gene mph(A). This gene has been discovered in and reported for many bacterial species. We examined the prevalence of azithromycin resistance in Vibrio fluvialis (AR-VF) isolated during 2014 to 2015 from the hospitalized acute diarrheal patients in Kolkata, India. Most of the V. fluvialis isolates are identified as the sole pathogen (54%). The prevalence of AR-VF was higher in 2015 (19 [68%]) than in 2014 (9 [32%]). Among AR-VF isolates, the azithromycin MICs ranged from 4 to >256 mg/liter. Twenty-eight of the 48 (58%) V. fluvialis isolates harbored the gene mph(A) and phenotypically resistant to azithromycin. All the AR-VF isolates remained susceptible to doxycycline. In addition to azithromycin, other antimicrobial resistance-encoding genes of AR-VF were also characterized. All the AR-VF isolates were positive for class 1 integron, and most of them (17/28) carried the dfrA1 gene cassettes. Only one isolate was positive for the ereA gene, which encodes resistance to erythomycin. The majority of the isolates were resistant to β-lactam antibiotics (blaOXA-1 [96%], blaOXA-7 [93%], and blaTEM-9 [68%]) and aminoglycoside actetyltransferase, conferring resistance to ciprofloxacin-modifying enzyme [aac(6′)Ib-cr] (96%). Analyses by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) showed that the AR-VF isolates belonged to different genetic lineages. This is the first study to report azithromycin resistance and the presence of the mph(A) gene in V. fluvialis isolates. Circulation of AR-VF isolates with high azithromycin MICs is worrisome, since it may limit the treatment options for diarrheal infections. IMPORTANCE The progressive rise in antibiotic resistance among enteric pathogens in developing countries is becoming a big concern. India is one of the largest consumers of antibiotics, and their use is not well regulated. V. fluvialis is increasingly recognized as an emerging diarrheal pathogen of public health importance. Here we report the emergence of azithromycin resistance in V. fluvialis isolates from diarrheal patients in Kolkata, India. Azithromycin has been widely used in the treatment of various infections, both in children and in adults. Resistance to azithromycin is encoded in the gene mph(A). Emerging azithromycin resistance in V. fluvialis is a major public health challenge, and future studies should be focused on identifying ways to prevent the dissemination of this antibiotic resistance gene.

scholarly journals First Detection of a Fosfomycin Resistance Gene, fosA7, in Salmonella enterica Serovar Heidelberg Isolated from Broiler Chickens

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad A. Rehman ◽  
Xianhua Yin ◽  
Marissa G. Persaud-Lachhman ◽  
Moussa S. Diarra
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Resistance Gene ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Broiler Chickens ◽  
Chromosomal Gene ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Gene ◽  
Fosfomycin Resistance

ABSTRACT We previously described Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg isolates harboring a chromosomal gene cluster similar to the glutathione S-transferase gene, a putative fosA gene conferring resistance to fosfomycin. Here, we show that this new gene, named fosA7, confers resistance to fosfomycin. The introduction of fosA7 into the fosfomycin-susceptible Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis resulted in a substantial increase in the fosfomycin MIC. This finding increases the awareness of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella Heidelberg from broilers as related to the food safety and public health.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Potentially Pathogenic Antibiotic-Resistant Aeromonas spp. in Treated Urban Wastewater Effluents versus Recipient Riverine Populations: a 3-Year Comparative Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Troy Skwor ◽  
Sarah Stringer ◽  
Jason Haggerty ◽  
Jenilee Johnson ◽  
Sarah Duhr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Nalidixic Acid ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Bacterial Populations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wastewater Effluents

ABSTRACT Antibiotic resistance continues to be an emerging threat both in clinical and environmental settings. Among the many causes, the impact of postchlorinated human wastewater on antibiotic resistance has not been well studied. Our study compared antibiotic susceptibility among Aeromonas spp. in postchlorinated effluents to that of the recipient riverine populations for three consecutive years against 12 antibiotics. Aeromonas veronii and Aeromonas hydrophila predominated among both aquatic environments, although greater species diversity was evident in treated wastewater. Overall, treated wastewater contained a higher prevalence of nalidixic acid-, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT)-, and tetracycline-resistant isolates, as well as multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates compared to upstream surface water. After selecting for tetracycline-resistant strains, 34.8% of wastewater isolates compared to 8.3% of surface water isolates were multidrug resistant, with nalidixic acid, streptomycin, and SXT being the most common. Among tetracycline-resistant isolates, efflux pump genes tetE and tetA were the most prevalent, though stronger resistance correlated with tetA. Over 50% of river and treated wastewater isolates exhibited cytotoxicity that was significantly correlated with serine protease activity, suggesting many MDR strains from effluent have the potential to be pathogenic. These findings highlight that conventionally treated wastewater remains a reservoir of resistant, potentially pathogenic bacterial populations being introduced into aquatic systems that could pose a threat to both the environment and public health. IMPORTANCE Aeromonads are Gram-negative, asporogenous rod-shaped bacteria that are autochthonous in fresh and brackish waters. Their pathogenic nature in poikilotherms and mammals, including humans, pose serious environmental and public health concerns especially with rising levels of antibiotic resistance. Wastewater treatment facilities serve as major reservoirs for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and resistant bacterial populations and are, thus, a potential major contributor to resistant populations in aquatic ecosystems. However, few longitudinal studies exist analyzing resistance among human wastewater effluents and their recipient aquatic environments. In this study, considering their ubiquitous nature in aquatic environments, we used Aeromonas spp. as bacterial indicators of environmental antimicrobial resistance, comparing it to that in postchlorinated wastewater effluents over 3 years. Furthermore, we assessed the potential of these resistant populations to be pathogenic, thus elaborating on their potential public health threat.

scholarly journals Genomic Analysis of Factors Associated with Low Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli Sequence Type 95 Strains

mSphere ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig M. Stephens ◽  
Sheila Adams-Sapper ◽  
Manraj Sekhon ◽  
James R. Johnson ◽  
Lee W. Riley
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Bacterial Genetic ◽  
Public Health Strategies

ABSTRACT Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens is a major public health concern. This work was motivated by the observation that only a small proportion of ST95 isolates, a major pandemic lineage of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli, have acquired antibiotic resistance, in contrast to many other pandemic lineages. Understanding bacterial genetic factors that may prevent acquisition of resistance could contribute to the development of new biological, medical, or public health strategies to reduce antibiotic-resistant infections. Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) strains belonging to multilocus sequence type 95 (ST95) are globally distributed and a common cause of infections in humans and domestic fowl. ST95 isolates generally show a lower prevalence of acquired antimicrobial resistance than other pandemic ExPEC lineages. We took a genomic approach to identify factors that may underlie reduced resistance. We fully assembled genomes for four ST95 isolates representing the four major fimH-based lineages within ST95 and also analyzed draft-level genomes from another 82 ST95 isolates, largely from the western United States. The fully assembled genomes of antibiotic-resistant isolates carried resistance genes exclusively on large (>90-kb) IncFIB/IncFII plasmids. These replicons were common in the draft genomes as well, particularly in antibiotic-resistant isolates, but we also observed multiple instances of a smaller (8.3-kb) ampicillin resistance plasmid that had been previously identified in Salmonella enterica. Among ST95 isolates, pansusceptibility to antibiotics was significantly associated with the fimH6 lineage and the presence of homologs of the previously identified 114-kb IncFIB/IncFII plasmid pUTI89, both of which were also associated with reduced carriage of other plasmids. Potential mechanistic explanations for lineage- and plasmid-specific effects on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance within the ST95 group are discussed. IMPORTANCE Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens is a major public health concern. This work was motivated by the observation that only a small proportion of ST95 isolates, a major pandemic lineage of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli, have acquired antibiotic resistance, in contrast to many other pandemic lineages. Understanding bacterial genetic factors that may prevent acquisition of resistance could contribute to the development of new biological, medical, or public health strategies to reduce antibiotic-resistant infections.

scholarly journals Identification of Small Molecule Inhibitors of the Pathogen Box against Vibrio cholerae

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haeun Kim ◽  
Brianne J. Burkinshaw ◽  
Linh G. Lam ◽  
Kevin Manera ◽  
Tao G. Dong
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Causative Agent ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Current Treatment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tropical Regions

Cholera is a serious infectious disease in tropical regions causing millions of infections annually. Vibrio cholerae , the causative agent of cholera, has gained multi-antibiotic resistance over the years, posing greater threat to public health and current treatment strategies. Here we report two compounds that effectively target the growth of V. cholerae and have the potential to control cholera infection.

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