Prevalence, species, and antimicrobial resistance of Acinetobacter in surgical practice and laboratory dog husbandry room environments

Acinetobacter is a bacteria found in the environment and clinical specimens, causing nosocomial infection and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threats. This study examined the prevalence, species, and AMR characteristics of Acinetobacter isolated from surgical practice and the laboratory dog husbandry room environments (n = 235) at Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok veterinary hospital during 2018-2019. The prevalence of Acinetobacter in the laboratory dog husbandry room and veterinary belongings were 2.55% and 0.43%, respectively. Species determination was Acinetobacter hemolyticus (2.1%) and Acinetobacter baumannii (0.4%) from environments in the laboratory dog husbandry room, and Acinetobacter junii (0.4%) from the shoes used in the surgical practice room. AMR was observed in both study environments and the specimens sent to the Veterinary Diagnostic Center. These isolates had a high resistant percentage to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (84.62%), sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (61.54%), and cephalexin (53.85%) but were susceptible to imipenem. Compared to the isolates recovered from the clinical specimens, most isolates derived from environments exhibited multidrug resistance and shared correlated resistance patterns. These results highlight the need for sanitization in the dog husbandry room. Furthermore, the AMR results can be used as a preliminary baseline for studying AMR Acinetobacter contamination in animals and their environments.

Isolation and selection of nitrite metabolising bacteria from the bottom mud of lobster culture area in Xuan Dai bay, Phu Yen province

The study had isolated and selected groups of bacteria that metabolise nitrite from the bottom mud of lobster cages in Xuan Dai bay, Phu Yen province. Analysis results from 21 sludge samples taken from 11 cages of lobster farming area isolated 16 strains of bacteria capable of nitrite metabolism. After investigating biological characteristics and nitrite metabolism of bacteria strains, 10 strains of bacteria were collected with the ability to metabolise nitrite over 95% in 72 hours. In addition, 10 strains of bacteria with the highest NO2- treatment efficiency, identified by genetic analysis and looked up on BLAST, defined as Stenotrophomonas pavanii, Chryseobacterium gleum, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Delftia lacustris, Acinetobacter junii

Unraveling the bacterial diversity of Cangar Hot Spring, Indonesia by Next Generation Sequencing of 16S rRNA gene

Geraldi A, Tay CC, Ni’matuzahroh, Fatimah, Hanafi WNW. 2021. Unraveling the bacterial diversity of Cangar Hot Spring, Indonesia by Next Generation Sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. Biodiversitas 22: 4060-4066. This study is the first attempt at using the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) method with 16S rRNA to understand the bacterial community structure in an Indonesian hot spring. This study aims to unravel the bacterial diversity of the Cangar Hot Spring as one of the most explored natural hot springs in East Java, Indonesia. We found Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes as the two most abundant phyla. We discovered the first occurrence of genera Cloacibacterium and Methylobacillus in the hot spring ecosystem, which was the most dominant genera at Cangar Hot Spring. We also found several potential bacteria for bioindustry and bioremediation, such as Acinetobacter junii and Pseudomonas alcaligenes. Besides that, we also observed opportunistic pathogens from genera Comamonas and Vogesella. This study result will provide valuable information for further bioprospecting of bacteria with commercial potential and the development of health and safety measures in the Cangar Hot Spring, among others. Hopefully, this report would encourage the use of NGS technology for studying other hot springs in Indonesia.

Complete Genome Sequence of Acinetobacter junii Strain INC8271, Isolated from a Patient with Metastatic Cancer and Bacteremia

Acinetobacter junii INC8271 was isolated from a cancer patient with polymicrobial bacteremia after biliary stent placement. The complete genome sequence consisted of a chromosome of 3,530,883 bp (GC content, 38.56%) with 3,377 genes, including those encoding 74 tRNAs and 18 rRNAs, and two intact prophage sequences. No antibiotic resistance genes were detected.

Rapid Detection of New Delhi Metallo-β-Lactamase Gene Using Recombinase-Aided Amplification Directly on Clinical Samples From Children

New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase, a metallo-β-lactamase carbapenemase type, mediates resistance to most β-lactam antibiotics including penicillins, cephalosporins, and carbapenems. Therefore, it is important to detect blaNDM genes in children’s clinical samples as quickly as possible and analyze their characteristics. Here, a recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) assay, which operates in a single one-step reaction tube at 39°C in 5−15 min, was established to target blaNDM genes in children’s clinical samples. The analytical sensitivity of the RAA assay was 20 copies, and the various bacterial types without blaNDM genes did not amplify. This method was used to detect blaNDM genes in 112 children’s stool samples, 10 of which were tested positive by both RAA and standard PCR. To further investigate the characteristics of carbapenem-resistant bacteria carrying blaNDM in children, 15 carbapenem-resistant bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Citrobacter freundii, Klebsiella oxytoca, Acinetobacter junii, and Proteus mirabilis) were isolated from the 10 samples. Notably, more than one bacterial type was isolated from three samples. Most of these isolates were resistant to cephalosporins, cefoperazone-sulbactam, piperacillin-tazobactam, ticarcillin-clavulanic acid, aztreonam, co-trimoxazole, and carbapenems. blaNDM–1 and blaNDM–5 were the two main types in these samples. These data show that the RAA assay has potential to be a sensitive and rapid blaNDM gene screening test for clinical samples. The common existence of blaNDM and multi-drug resistance genes presents major challenges for pediatric treatment.

The State of Microbiological Cleanliness of Surfaces and Equipment of an Endoscopic Examination Laboratory—Data from a Reference Tertiary Clinical Endoscopy Center in Southern Poland

The increasing number of endoscopic procedures performed and their increasing invasiveness mean that endoscopy of the gastrointestinal tract is associated with the risk of transmitting pathogenic microorganisms through infected equipment or contact with other patients and medical staff. In order to ensure protection of the health of both patients and medical staff, endoscopy laboratories should meet high hygiene standards. The results of tests of the microbiological cleanliness of surfaces and equipment of an endoscopic examination laboratory performed in the period from January to December 2019 at the Provincial Clinical Hospital No. 2 in Rzeszow were assessed retrospectively. Samples for testing were collected by swabbing from places where microbiological contamination was the most likely and cleaning was the most difficult. In the analyzed period, a total of 86 samples were collected for microbiological tests, of which positive results accounted for 6.9%. Positive results were obtained mainly from swabs collected from wet surfaces (66.7%). Most of the isolated microorganisms were Gram-negative bacteria (66.7% of all positive tests) and they were: Acinetobacter junii, Ralstonia pickettii, and Achromobacter denitrificans. The condition of the microbiological cleanliness of the surfaces and equipment of the endoscopic examination laboratory was satisfactory. A very low level of microbiological contamination of the tested items indicates occasional shortcomings in the decontamination processes. Since microorganisms isolated from the collected samples may be the cause of infection in patients and medical personnel, it is necessary to verify the decontamination procedures applied and to continue periodic microbiological monitoring of their effectiveness.

Investigating degradation metabolites and underlying pathway of azo dye “Reactive Black 5” in bioaugmented floating treatment wetlands

The direct discharge of azo dyes and/or their metabolites into the environment may exert toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects on exposed fauna and flora. In this study, we analyzed the metabolites produced during the degradation of an azo dye namely Reactive Black 5 (RB5) in the bacterial augmented-floating treatment wetlands (FTWs), followed by the investigation of their underlying toxicity. To this end, a FTWs system was developed by using a common wetland plant Phragmites australis in the presence of three dye-degrading bacteria (Acinetobacter junii strain NT-15, Pseudomonas indoloxydans strain NT-38, and Rhodococcus sp. strain NT-39). We found that the FTW system effectively degraded RB5 into at least 20 different metabolites with the successful removal of color (95.5%) from the water. The fish toxicity assay revealed the non-toxic characteristics of the metabolites produced after dye degradation. Our study suggests that bacterially aided FTWs could be a suitable option for the successful degradation of azo dyes, and the results presented in this study may help improve the overall textile effluent clean-up processes.