scholarly journals Effect of metal concentration on growth and luminescence of luminous bacteria strains isolated from golfo de Nicoya, Costa Rica

2021 ◽  
pp. 27-38
Author(s):  
Luis Vega-Corrales ◽  
Carolina Marín-Vindas

Luminescence in bacteria is catalyzed by luciferase. When these microorganisms are exposed to toxic substances, the bioluminescent enzyme system can be inhibited. The objective of this study was to analyze the potential that these microorganisms offer as native bioindicators of coastal marine pollution. The dynamics of luminescence intensity by visual classification and the effect of metal concentration on the growth and luminescence of 25 strains of luminescent bacteria, isolated during 2016 from seawater samples from the gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica, was evaluated by the disk diffusion method. The sensitivity of each strain to different concentrations (0.1, 0.5 and 1 mg mL-1) of Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn was determined by its bioluminescent phenotype. In susceptible strains, a range of metal concentrations less than the growth inhibitory concentration affected the expression of luminescence. Strains with intense luminescence and defined zones of luminescence inhibition were considered to have greater potential as native bioindicators for monitoring environmental toxicity. More studies are required to determine the minimum concentrations that inhibit growth and luminescence with respect to the tested metals and other potentially toxic substances for the coastal marine ecosystems of Costa Rica.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Batool Basatian-Tashkan ◽  
Mohammad Niakan ◽  
Mansoor Khaledi ◽  
Hamed Afkhami ◽  
Fatemeh Sameni ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) has caused many problems in nosocomial infections. Efflux pumps are considered as one of the most important mechanisms of resistance in this bacterium and have the ability to excrete toxic substances such as antibiotics out of the cell. Results In this study, 60 isolates of A. baumannii were collected from patients in several hospitals in Tehran, Iran. After diagnosis using standard biochemical methods, the pattern of antibiotic susceptibility was determined using the disk diffusion method according to CLSI guidelines. The adeA and adeS genes were identified by PCR method. The highest resistance to Piperacillin and the lowest resistance to Gentamicin were observed (100% compared to 48.4%). 6.6% of the isolates had only adeA gene and adeS gene was observed in 8.4% of isolates and both genes were detected in 73.4% of the samples. Despite the high resistance of t A. baumannii o antibiotics and due to the high frequency of genes of adeA and adeS efflux pumps in A. baumannii isolates, it can be concluded that these efflux pumps may play an important role in resistance of this bacterium. By determining the pattern of antibiotic the resistance before treatment, the resistance of this pathogen can be prevented in societies.


Author(s):  
Fatima Moeen Abbas

This study was carried out to screen the prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from patients with lower respiratory tract infections in Babylon province.From December,2015 to the end of March,2016,a total of 100 sputum samples were collected from patients visited or hospitalized Merjan Teaching Hospital and Al- Hashimya General Hospital. Fifteenth (65%) isolates were identified as Klebsiellapneumoniae. All bacterial isolates were evaluated for extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production phenotypically using disk combination method. Eleven (73.3%) isolates were detected as ESBL-producers. Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was employed to determine resistance profile of ESBLs-positive isolates. Higher rates of resistance were observed for ampicillin and piperacillin antibiotics with (81.8%) and (72.7%) resistance rate, respectively, while the lowest rate was noticed for imipenem antibiotic (14.28%). Carbapenem-resistant isolates were investigated for blaSHV gene by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method, 2 (100%) isolates gave positive results.


Author(s):  
Hamidreza Sherkatolabbasieh ◽  
Majid Firouzi ◽  
Shiva Shafizadeh ◽  
Iman Amiri

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of group A beta-hemolytic pharyngitis by assessing the outcome of the culture and the resistance and sensitivity of group A beta hemolytic streptococcus to antibiotics. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 170 patients, aged 3-15 years, referred to the clinic with complaints of sore throat. Patients’ history was collected and physical examination was performed and were score based on clinical findings. Patients with other underlying pathologies and those taking antibiotics prior to the study were excluded from our study. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed by disk diffusion method against cephalexin, cefazolin, erythromycin and amoxicillin. Results: A total of 170 patients were reported with sore throat. Patients with positive culture results were 60% male and 40% female. Amoxicillin resistance was the greatest (5%) in the culture. All isolated bacteria were sensitive to amoxicillin, cephalexin, cefazolin and erythromycin. Patients with McIssac score ≥ 6 showed clinical sensitivity 75% specificity 61% negative predictive value 94.8% and positive predictive value 20.3% for Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis. Conclusion: The results showed the higher the clinical score, the greater the chance of positive throat culture.


Author(s):  
Joel Manyahi ◽  
Sabrina J. Moyo ◽  
Said Aboud ◽  
Nina Langeland ◽  
Bjørn Blomberg

AbstractDifficult-to-treat infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are of concern in people living with HIV infection as they are more vulnerable to infection. We aimed to identify molecular characteristics of MRSA colonizing newly diagnosed HIV-infected adults in Tanzania. Individuals newly diagnosed with HIV infection were recruited in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from April 2017 to May 2018, as part of the randomized clinical trial CoTrimResist (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03087890). Nasal/nasopharyngeal isolates of Staphylococcus aureus were susceptibility tested by disk diffusion method, and cefoxitin-resistant isolates were characterized by short-reads whole genome sequencing. Four percent (22/537) of patients carried MRSA in the nose/nasopharynx. MRSA isolates were frequently resistant towards gentamicin (95%), ciprofloxacin (91%), and erythromycin (82%) but less often towards trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (9%). Seventy-three percent had inducible clindamycin resistance. Erythromycin-resistant isolates harbored ermC (15/18) and LmrS (3/18) resistance genes. Ciprofloxacin resistance was mediated by mutations of the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) sequence in the gyrA (S84L) and parC (S80Y) genes. All isolates belonged to the CC8 and ST8-SCCmecIV MRSA clone. Ninety-five percent of the MRSA isolates were spa-type t1476, and one exhibited spa-type t064. All isolates were negative for Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) and arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME) type 1. All ST8-SCCmecIV-spa-t1476 MRSA clones from Tanzania were unrelated to the globally successful USA300 clone. Carriage of ST8 MRSA (non-USA300) was common among newly diagnosed HIV-infected adults in Tanzania. Frequent co-resistance to non-beta lactam antibiotics limits therapeutic options when infection occurs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo Fratini ◽  
Margherita Giusti ◽  
Simone Mancini ◽  
Francesca Pisseri ◽  
Basma Najar ◽  
...  

AbstractStaphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci are among the major causes of mastitis in sheep. The main goal of this research was to determine the in vitro antibacterial activity of several essential oils (EOs, n 30), then five of them were chosen and tested alone and in blends against staphylococci isolates. Five bacteria were isolated from episodes of ovine mastitis (two S. aureus and three S. xylosus). Biochemical and molecular methods were employed to identify the isolates and disk diffusion method was performed to determine their antimicrobial-resistance profile. The relative percentage of the main constituents in the tested essential oils and their blends was detected by GC-EIMS analysis. Antibacterial and bactericidal effectiveness of essential oils and blends were evaluated through minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC). All of them showed sensitivity to the used antimicrobials. The EOs with the highest antibacterial activity were those belonging to the Lamiaceae family characterized by high concentrations of thymol, carvacrol and its precursor p-cymene, together with cinnamon EO, rich in cinnamaldehyde. In terms of both MIC and MBC values, the blend composed by Thymus capitatus EO 40%, Cinnamomum zeylanicum EO 20%, Thymus serpyllum EO 20% and Satureja montana EO 20% was found to be the most effective against all the isolates. Some essential oils appear to represent, at least in vitro, a valid tool against ovine mastitis pathogens. Some blends showed a remarkable effectiveness than the single oils, highlighting a synergistic effect in relation to the phytocomplex.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. e28-e34
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Edem ◽  
Enobong E. Ikpeme ◽  
Mkpouto U. Akpan

AbstractSurveillance of the carrier state for β-hemolytic streptococcal (BHS) throat infections remains essential for disease control. Recent published works from Sub-Saharan Africa have suggested a changing epidemiology in the burden of BHS throat infections. The objective of the present study was therefore to determine the prevalence and pattern of BHS throat carriage in school-aged children in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. This was a prospective cross-sectional study of 276 primary school children in Uyo. Subjects were recruited by multistage random sampling. Obtained throat swabs were cultured on 5% sheep blood agar. Lancefield grouping on positive cultures was done by using the Oxoid Streptococcal Grouping Latex Agglutination Kit, United Kingdom. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done with the disk diffusion method. Associations were tested with Fischer's exact test. The prevalence of BHS carriage was 3.3%. Group C Streptococcus was identified in 89% of isolates and Group G Streptococcus in 11%. Younger age and larger household size were associated with asymptomatic streptococcal throat infections. Antimicrobial susceptibility was highest with cefuroxime and clindamycin (89% of isolates each), while 78% of isolates were susceptible to penicillin. None of the tested isolates was susceptible to co-trimoxazole. The prevalence of streptococcal throat carriage in the study area was low. There were no Group A Streptococcus isolates suggesting an evolving epidemiology of BHS disease in the study area.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S386-S386
Author(s):  
Susan M Novak-Weekley ◽  
Aye Aye Khine ◽  
Tino Alavie ◽  
Namidha Fernandez ◽  
Laxman Pandey ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Conventional antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of microorganisms from positive blood cultures (PBC) can take ≥ 2 days. In order to improve the turnaround time for AST on a PBC, CLSI and EUCAST have made efforts to standardize procedures for disk diffusion (DD) direct from a PBC. Qvella Corporation (Richmond Hill, ON, Canada) has recently developed FAST-Prep, an automated centrifugal sample preparation system that rapidly delivers a Liquid Colony consisting of a purified, concentrated, viable cell suspension directly from a PBC. This study was performed to investigate the feasibility of DD AST off of a PBC using a FAST-Prep Liquid Colony. Methods Contrived PBC samples were prepared by spiking 6 species of Gram-positive and 4 species of Gram-negative bacteria (3-5 strains per species) into FA® Plus bottles and incubating in the BACT/ALERT® VIRTUO® System (bioMerieux, Durham, NC). After positivity, 3 mL of PBC was added to the FAST-Prep cartridge. After 20 minutes of processing in the FAST-Prep instrument, the Liquid Colony was removed from the cartridge and a 0.5 McFarland sample was prepared for DD AST. In parallel, the DD AST from a PBC was performed using 4 drops of PBC (CLSI direct method). Both methods were compared to conventional colony-based DD AST. After 16-18 hours of incubation zone diameters and S/I/R interpretations were determined. Categorical agreement (CA) and errors for both DD AST methods were calculated. In addition, colony plate counting was performed on 0.5 McFarland suspensions of Liquid Colony and the plate colony to determine biomass recovery and sample purity. Results CA for a FAST-Prep DD AST for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was 95.6% and 98.6%, respectively, compared to CA for CLSI DD AST of 77.2% and 81.9%, respectively. Biomass in the Liquid Colony was 7.2x108 and 1.2x109 CFU for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, respectively. Cell concentration in the 0.5 McFarland suspension of the Liquid Colony was 3.7x107 and 5.9x107 CFU/mL for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, respectively, which was similar to the concentration for the reference colony suspension. Conclusion The results support the potential role of FAST-Prep in providing a Liquid Colony for use in rapid AST. Disclosures Susan M. Novak-Weekley, PhD, D(ABMM), Qvella (Employee, Shareholder) Aye Aye Khine, PhD, Qvella (Employee, Shareholder) Tino Alavie, PhD, Qvella (Employee) Namidha Fernandez, MS, Qvella (Employee) Laxman Pandey, MS, Qvella (Employee) Abdossamad Talebpour, PhD, Qvella (Employee, Shareholder)


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 447
Author(s):  
Barbara Kot ◽  
Agata Grużewska ◽  
Piotr Szweda ◽  
Jolanta Wicha ◽  
Urszula Parulska

The aim of this study was to determine antibiotic resistance patterns and the prevalence of uropathogenes causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) in patients hospitalized in January–June 2020 in central Poland. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk-diffusion method. Escherichia coli (52.2%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.7%), Enterococcus faecalis (9.3%), E. faecium (6.2%), and Proteus mirabilis (4,3%) were most commonly isolated from urine samples. E. coli was significantly more frequent in women (58.6%) (p = 0.0089) and in the age group 0–18, while K. pneumoniae was more frequent in men (24.4%) (p = 0.0119) and in individuals aged 40–60 and >60. Gram-negative species showed resistance to ampicillin. K. pneumoniae were resistant to amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid (75.0%), piperacillin plus tazobactam (76.2%), cefotaxime (76.2%), cefuroxime (81.0%), ciprofloxacin (81.0%), and trimethoprim plus sulphamethoxazole (81.0%). Carbapenems were effective against all E. coli and P. mirabilis. Some K. pneumoniae (13.6%) produced metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs). E. coli (22.6%), K. pneumoniae (81.8%), and all E. faecium were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Some E. coli (26.2%), K. pneumoniae (63.6%), and P. mirabilis (14.3%) isolates produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL). Vancomycin-resistant E. faecium was also found. This study showed that the possibilities of UTIs therapy using available antibiotics become limited due to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant uropathogens.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 930
Author(s):  
Delia Gambino ◽  
Sonia Sciortino ◽  
Sergio Migliore ◽  
Lucia Galuppo ◽  
Roberto Puleio ◽  
...  

The presence of Salmonella spp. in marine animals is a consequence of contamination from terrestrial sources (human activities and animals). Bacteria present in marine environments, including Salmonella spp., can be antibiotic resistant or harbor resistance genes. In this study, Salmonella spp. detection was performed on 176 marine animals stranded in the Sicilian coasts (south Italy). Antibiotic susceptibility, by disk diffusion method and MIC determination, and antibiotic resistance genes, by molecular methods (PCR) of the Salmonella spp. strains, were evaluated. We isolated Salmonella spp. in three animals, though no pathological signs were detected. Our results showed a low prevalence of Salmonella spp. (1.7%) and a low incidence of phenotypic resistance in three Salmonella spp. strains isolated. Indeed, of the three strains, only Salmonella subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium from S. coeruleoalba and M. mobular showed phenotypic resistance: the first to ampicillin, tetracycline, and sulphamethoxazole, while the latter only to sulphamethoxazole. However, all strains harbored resistance genes (blaTEM, blaOXA, tet(A), tet(D), tet(E), sulI, and sulII). Although the low prevalence of Salmonella spp. found in this study does not represent a relevant health issue, our data contribute to the collection of information on the spread of ARGs, elements involved in antibiotic resistance, now considered a zoonosis in a One Health approach.


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