Microbiology spectrum最新文献

{"title":"Gut microbiota dysbiosis and neurological function recovery after intracerebral hemorrhage: an analysis of clinical samples.","authors":"Yan Wang, Hailong Bing, Conghui Jiang, Jie Wang, Xuan Wang, Zhengyuan Xia, Qinjun Chu","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01178-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.01178-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We aimed to investigate the microbial community composition in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and its effect on prognosis. We designed two clinical cohort studies to explore the gut dysbiosis after ICH and their relationship with neurological function prognosis. First, fecal samples from patients with ICH at three time points: T1 (within 24 h of admission), T2 (3 days after surgery), and T3 (7 days after surgery), and healthy volunteers were subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology. When differential gut microbiota was identified, the correlation between clinical indicators and microbiotas was analyzed. Subsequently, the patients with ICH were categorized into GOOD and POOR groups based on their Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOS-E) score, and the disparities in gut microbiota between the two groups were assessed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors. The composition and diversity of the gut microbiota in patients with ICH were different from those in the control group and changed dynamically with the extension of the course of cerebral hemorrhage. The abundances of <i>Enterococcaceae</i>, <i>Clostridiales incertae sedis XI</i>, and <i>Peptoniphilaceae</i> were significantly increased in patients with ICH, whereas <i>Bacteroidaceae</i>, <i>Ruminococcaceae</i>, <i>Lachnospiraceae</i>, and <i>Veillonellaceae</i> were significantly reduced. The relative abundance of <i>Enterococcus</i> gradually increased with the extension of the duration of ICH after surgery, and the abundance of <i>Bacteroides</i> gradually decreased. The abundance of <i>Enterococcus</i> before surgery was found to be negatively associated with patient neurological function prognosis. The original ICH score and <i>Lachnospiraceae</i> status were independent risk factors for predicting the prognosis of neurological function in patients with ICH (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Changes in the gut microbiota diversity in patients with ICH were related to prognosis. <i>Lachnospiraceae</i> may have a protective effect on prognosis.IMPORTANCEAcute central nervous system injuries like hemorrhagic stroke are major global health issues. While surgical hematoma removal can alleviate brain damage, severe cases still have a high 1-month mortality rate of up to 40%. Gut microbiota significantly impacts health, and treatments like fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and probiotics can improve brain damage by correcting gut microbiota imbalances caused by ischemic stroke. However, few clinical studies have explored this relationship in hemorrhagic stroke. This study investigated the impact of cerebral hemorrhage on the composition of gut microbiota, and we found that <i>Lachnospiraceae</i> were the independent risk factors for poor prognosis in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The findings offer potential insights for the application of FMT in patients with ICH, and it m","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11537008/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142308145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Veillonella parvula</i> acts as a pathobiont promoting the biofilm virulence and cariogenicity of <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> in adult severe caries.","authors":"Yuan Wei, Yu Zhang, Yuan Zhuang, Yifei Tang, Hua Nie, Yequan Haung, Ting Liu, Weidong Yang, Fuhua Yan, Yanan Zhu","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.04318-23","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.04318-23","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Adult severe caries (ASC) brings severe oral dysfunction and treatment difficulties to patients, and yet no clear pathogenic mechanism for it has been found. This study is focused on the composition of dental plaque microbiome profiles in order to identify disease-relevant species and to investigate into their interactions with the <i>S. mutans</i>. Samples of dental plaque were collected for metagenomic analysis. The acidification, aciduricity, oxidative stress tolerance, and <i>gtf</i> (glucosyltransferase) gene expression of <i>S. mutans</i> cocultured with <i>V. parvula</i> which was identified as ASC-related dominant bacterium. The biofilm formation and extracellular exopolysaccharide (EPS) synthesis of dual-strain were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), crystal violet (CV) staining, live/dead bacterial staining, and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Furthermore, rodent model experiments were performed to validate the <i>in vivo</i> cariogenicity of the dual-species biofilm. The most significantly abundant taxon found associated with ASC was <i>V. parvula</i>. <i>In vitro</i> experiments found that <i>V. parvula</i> can effectively promote <i>S. mutans</i> mature biofilm formation with enhanced acid resistance, hydrogen peroxide detoxicity, and biofilm virulence. Rodent model experiments revealed that <i>V. parvula</i> was incapable of causing disease on its own, but it significantly heightened the biofilm virulence of <i>S. mutans</i> when being co-infected and augmented the progression, quantity, and severity of dental caries. Our findings demonstrated that <i>V. parvula</i> may act as a synergistic pathobiont to modulate the metabolic activity, spatial structure, and pathogenicity of biofilms of <i>S. mutans</i> in the context of ASC.IMPORTANCEAdult severe caries (ASC), as a special type of acute caries, is rarely reported and its worthiness of further study is still in dispute. Yet studies on the etiology of severe caries in adults have not found a clear pathogenic mechanism for it. Knowledge of the oral microbiota is important for the treatment of dental caries. We discovered that the interaction between <i>V. parvula</i> and <i>S. mutans</i> augments the severity of dental caries <i>in vivo</i>, suggesting <i>V. parvula</i> may act as a synergistic pathobiont exacerbating biofilm virulence of <i>S. mutans</i> in ASC. Our findings may improve the understanding of ASC pathogenesis and are likely to provide a basis for planning appropriate therapeutic strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11537095/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142350113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epidemiology of respiratory pathogens in patients with acute respiratory infections during the COVID-19 pandemic and after easing of COVID-19 restrictions.","authors":"Pei Zhao, Yu Zhang, Jie Wang, Yonghui Li, Yuxin Wang, Yuan Gao, Mengchuan Zhao, Ming Zhao, He Tan, Yanqing Tie, ZhiShan Feng","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01161-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.01161-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of non-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) respiratory pathogens among patients with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in Shijiazhuang, China, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (January 2021--December 2022) and after the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictive measures (January 2022--December 2023). This retrospective study enrolled 6,633 ARIs patients who visited the Hebei General Hospital between 2021- and 2023. Nasopharyngeal swabs samples were collected for multiplex PCR detection of 13 common respiratory pathogens. Respiratory pathogens were detected in 31.58% of individuals diagnosed with ARIs, whileereas a co-infection with multiple pathogens was observed in 8.5% of the ARI patients. In the years 2021 and 2022, 326 (27.63%) and 283 (24.38%) respiratory pathogens were found to be positive, respectively, during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in 2023, subsequent to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, the positivity rate significantly rose to 34.62%, with 4,292 cases identified. The majority of positive cases over the last three3 years were concentrated in patients under 14 years old. The predominant pathogens identified were human rhinovirus (HRVs) (15.08%) in 2021, mycoplasma pneumonia (MP) (6.46%) in 2022, and influenza A virus (FluA) (11.35%) in 2023. Seasonal prevalence patterns of most pathogens were affected, except for parainfluenza virus (PIV). There was a simultaneous increase in the positive cases and positivity rates of FluA and adenovirus (ADV) Iin 2023, compared to 2021 and 2022. Additionally, the infection rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), MP, and coronavirus (CoV) in 2023 either exceeded or were comparable to those in 2021 and 2022. Conversely, the positivity rates of PIV, RVs, metapneumovirus (MPV), and influenza B virus (FluB) were lower in 2023 compared to 2021 or 2022.</p><p><strong>Importance: </strong>The implementation of strict non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may lead to changes in the epidemiological features of respiratory pathogens, as well as the occurrence of immune debt, potentially causing a resurgence in respiratory pathogen activity following the easing of strict NPIs measures. There are limited reports on the epidemiological characteristics of respiratory pathogens among patients of all ages with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Our study investigated the epidemiology of 13 respiratory pathogens in Shijiazhuang, China, from January 2021 to December 2023. Thisese data isare crucial for the ongoing surveillance of epidemiological shifts in respiratory pathogens during and post the -COVID-19 pandemic, and serves as a scientific foundation for the prevention and management of ARIs.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11537120/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142350129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating short- and full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing to elucidate microbiome profiles in Pacific white shrimp (<i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i>) ponds.","authors":"Dora M Rajonhson, Pacharaporn Angthong, Timpika Thepsuwan, Sawannee Sutheeworapong, Penpicha Satanwat, Paveena Tapaneeyaworawong, Sorawit Powtongsook, Worarat Kruasuwan, Piroon Jenjaroenpun, Thidathip Wongsurawat, Sage Chaiyapechara, Wanilada Rungrassamee","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.00965-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.00965-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite their immense economic value as a key aquaculture species, the production of Pacific white shrimp (<i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i>) faces significant challenges from intensive farming practices and disease outbreaks. Routine microbial profiling for disease surveillance could be a promising approach to anticipate and control disease outbreaks. To achieve this, accuracy in microbial profiling in shrimp ponds is crucial for enabling targeted action and prevention. Extensive documentation emphasizes that, beyond biological factors (related to the host, diet, or health status during the rearing period), technical elements, including sequencing techniques significantly influence bacterial community profiling. This study investigated the influence of short- and long-read sequencing of 16S rRNA genes on the microbial profiles in shrimp intestines, water, and sediments. The origin of the samples (intestine or environmental) in shrimp culture ponds primarily drove the observed differences in core microbial species. The ecological niches accounted for 56% of bacterial community variations in culture ponds. Both sequencing approaches showed consistent results in identifying higher-rank taxa and assessing alpha and beta diversity. However, at the species level, full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences provided better resolution than V3-V4 sequences. For routine microbial profiling in shrimp culture ponds, our study suggests that short-read sequences were sufficient for determining overall bacterial community.IMPORTANCEThis interdisciplinary study investigated the influence of sequencing techniques on bacterial communities profiling within Pacific white shrimp (<i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i>) ponds. By integrating aquaculture, microbiology, and environmental science, we revealed the role of ecological niches and factors like salinity and pH on microbiota diversity and composition in shrimp intestines, pond water, and sediment. Additionally, we compared the taxonomic resolution using partial versus full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences, highlighting the value of longer amplicons for precise identification of key taxa. These findings provide novel insights into microbial dynamics underlying environmental effects in shrimp aquaculture. Comprehensive characterization of the pond microbiome could lead to management strategies that promote shrimp health and productivity. Furthermore, the potential of a multi-omics approach for integrating complementary data streams to elucidate environment-microbiome-host interactions was highlighted.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11537064/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142350134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary amino acids, macronutrients, vaginal birth, and breastfeeding are associated with the vaginal microbiome in early pregnancy.","authors":"Gillian A Corbett, Rebecca Moore, Conor Feehily, Sarah Louise Killeen, Eileen O'Brien, Douwe Van Sinderen, Elizabeth Matthews, Roisin O'Flaherty, Pauline M Rudd, Radka Saldova, Calum J Walsh, Elaine M Lawton, David A MacIntyre, Siobhan Corcoran, Paul D Cotter, Fionnuala M McAuliffe","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01130-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.01130-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The vaginal microbiome is a key player in the etiology of spontaneous preterm birth. This study aimed to illustrate maternal environmental factors associated with vaginal microbiota composition and function in pregnancy. Women in healthy pregnancy had vaginal microbial sampling from the posterior vaginal fornix performed at 16 weeks gestation. After shotgun metagenomic sequencing, heatmaps of relative abundance data were generated. Community state type (CST) was assigned, and alpha diversity was calculated. Demography, obstetric history, well-being, exercise, and diet using food frequency questionnaires were collected and compared against microbial parameters. A total of 119 pregnant participants had vaginal metagenomic sequencing performed. Factors with strongest association with beta diversity were dietary lysine (adj-<i>R</i>² 0.113, <i>P</i> = 0.002), valine (adj-<i>R</i>² 0.096, <i>P</i> = 0.004), leucine (adj-<i>R</i>² 0.086, <i>P</i> = 0.003), and phenylalanine (adj-<i>R</i>² 0.085, <i>P</i> = 0.005, Fig. 2D). Previous vaginal delivery and breastfeeding were associated with vaginal beta diversity (adj-<i>R</i>² 0.048, <i>P</i> = 0.003; adj-<i>R</i>² 0.045, <i>P</i> = 0.004), accounting for 8.5% of taxonomy variation on redundancy analysis. Dietary fat, starch, and maltose were positively correlated with alpha diversity (fat +0.002 SD/g, <i>P</i> = 0.025; starch +0.002 SD/g, <i>P</i> = 0.043; maltose +0.440 SD/g, <i>P</i> = 0.013), particularly in secretor-positive women. Functional signature was associated with CST, maternal smoking, and dietary phenylalanine, accounting for 8.9%-11% of the variation in vaginal microbiome functional signature. Dietary amino acids, previous vaginal delivery, and breastfeeding history were associated with vaginal beta diversity. Functional signature of the vaginal microbiome differed with community state type, smoking, dietary phenylalanine, and vitamin K. Increased alpha diversity correlated with dietary fat and starch. These data provide a novel snapshot into the associations between maternal environment, nutrition, and the vaginal microbiome.</p><p><strong>Importance: </strong>This secondary analysis of the MicrobeMom randomized controlled trial reveals that dietary amino acids, macronutrients, previous vaginal birth, and breastfeeding have the strongest associations with vaginal taxonomy in early pregnancy. Function of the vaginal niche is associated mainly by species composition, but smoking, vitamin K, and phenylalanine also play a role. These associations provide an intriguing and novel insight into the association between host factors and diet on the vaginal microbiome in pregnancy and highlight the need for further investigation into the complex interactions between the diet, human gut, and vaginal microbiome.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11537119/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142372330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antimicrobial activity of novel symmetrical antimicrobial peptides centered on a hydrophilic motif against resistant clinical isolates: <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> analyses.","authors":"Chaoqun Zhang, Le Fu, Yuan Zhu, Qigui Chen, Zetong Chen, Yung-Fu Chang, Yide Li, Mengjing Yao, Xinyi Huang, Li Jin, Xue Gao, Yiyu Zhang, Biao Jin, Shuli Chou, Liang Luo","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.00265-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.00265-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antibiotic resistance poses a significant public health threat worldwide. The rise in antibiotic resistance and the sharp decline in effective antibiotics necessitate the development of innovative antibacterial agents. Based on the central symmetric structure of glycine-serine-glycine, combined with tryptophan and arginine, we designed a range of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. Notably, AMP W<b>5</b> demonstrated a rapid and effective sterilization against methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA), displaying both a minimum inhibitory concentration and a minimum bactericidal concentration of 8 µM. Mechanistic studies revealed that AMP W<b>5</b> killed bacterial cells by disrupting the cytoplasmic membrane integrity, triggering leakage of cell contents. AMP W<b>5</b> also exhibited excellent biocompatibility in both <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> safety evaluations. AMP W<b>5</b> treatment significantly reduced skin bacterial load in our murine skin infection model. In conclusion, we designed a novel centrosymmetric AMP representing a promising medical alternative to conventional antibiotics for treating MRSA infections.</p><p><strong>Importance: </strong>Increasing antibiotic resistance and the paucity of effective antibiotics necessitate innovative antibacterial agents. Methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA) is a major pathogen causing bacterial infections with high incidence and mortality rates, showing increasing resistance to clinical drugs. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) exhibit significant potential as alternatives to traditional antibiotics. This study designed a novel series of AMPs, characterized by a glycine-serine-glycine-centered symmetrical structure, and our results indicated that AMP W5 exhibited a rapid and effective bactericidal effect against MRSA. AMP W5 also demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and a bactericidal mechanism that disrupted membrane integrity, leading to leakage of cellular contents. The notable reduction in skin bacterial load observed in mouse models reinforced the clinical applicability of AMP W5. This study provides a promising solution for addressing the increasing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and heralds new prospects for clinical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11537005/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142391823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is CMV DNAemia an early marker of CMV colitis in patients with active ulcerative colitis?","authors":"Laura Melotti, Matteo Rinaldi, Marco Salice, Nikolas K Dussias, Nicholas Vanigli, Carlo Calabrese, Eleonora Scaioli, Liliana Gabrielli, Tiziana Lazzarotto, Francesca Rosini, Pierluigi Viale, Paolo Gionchetti, Maddalena Giannella, Fernando Rizzello","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01159-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.01159-24","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cytomegalovirus (CMV) colitis is a serious concern worsening the prognosis of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). We aimed to assess risk factors and prognostic impact of CMV colitis in patients with moderate-to-severe UC flare. We conducted a retrospective, observational, single-center study. Consecutive adult patients hospitalized for moderate-to-severe UC from January 2020 to June 2023 were included. The primary endpoint was a diagnosis of CMV-colitis according to immunohistochemistry on tissue biopsies. The secondary endpoint was the need for colectomy within 30 days. Overall, 135 patients were included. CMV colitis was diagnosed in <i>n</i> = 37 (27.4%): <i>n</i> = 19 (51.4%) endoscopically, the remaining on surgical specimens. Of them, <i>n</i> = 23 (62.2%) had positive CMV-DNAemia with a median value of 1,008 cp/mL (interquartile range 318-2,980). Differences between the two groups (CMV colitis vs non-CMV) included age (60 vs 41 years, <i>P</i> = 0.004), Charlson Comorbidity Index (1 vs 0, <i>P</i> = 0.003), steroid refractoriness (86.5% vs 62.2%, <i>P</i> = 0.007), and positive CMV-DNAemia (62.2% vs 10.1%, <i>P</i> < 0.001). At multivariable analysis, steroid-refractory disease, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and CMV-DNAemia were associated with CMV colitis. Overall, <i>n</i> = 54 (39.7%) patients underwent colectomy, and this was significantly more common in patients with CMV colitis vs non-CMV group (54.1% vs 34.4%, <i>P</i> = 0.049). Kaplan-Meier showed that antiviral therapy seems to have a relevant impact on colectomy (<i>P</i> < 0.001). CMV-DNA blood detection is independently associated with CMV-positive refractory UC. Since CMV colitis may increase the risk of colectomy and antiviral treatment seems to reduce such risk, prospective studies are needed to confirm the role of CMV-DNA blood detection to early diagnose CMV colitis.</p><p><strong>Importance: </strong>Cytomegalovirus (CMV) colonic reactivation worsens the prognosis of patients with active ulcerative colitis. Blood CMV-DNA reactivation is strongly associated with CMV colitis. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of CMV colitis can avoid surgery in most cases.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11537068/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142470089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reply to Amarin et al., \"Selection bias may compromise our understanding of the clinical significance of the co-detection of respiratory viruses\".","authors":"Kim Stobbelaar, Benedicte Y De Winter, Annemieke Smet, Stijn Verhulst, Peter L Delputte","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01896-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.01896-24","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11537076/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142291393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The development of single-domain VHH nanobodies that target the <i>Candida albicans</i> cell surface.","authors":"Giuseppe Buda De Cesare, Frank M Sauer, Anna Kolecka, Aimilia A Stavrou, Theo C Verrips, Teun Boekhout, Edward Dolk, Carol A Munro","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.04269-23","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.04269-23","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Candida albicans</i> causes life-threatening invasive infections that are hard to diagnose and treat, with drug resistance leading to treatment failure. The goal of this study was to develop VHH (single variable domain on a heavy chain) nanobodies to detect drug-resistant infections. Llamas were immunized with a mixture of heat killed and fixed <i>C. albicans</i> cells of different morphologies. Llama lymphocyte RNA was used to generate phage display libraries that were tested for binding to <i>C. albicans</i> cells or cell wall fractions, and single antibody domains were isolated. The libraries were panned against echinocandin-resistant <i>C. albicans</i> isolates and counter-selected against echinocandin-susceptible isolates with the aim of isolating binding domains specific for antigens on drug-resistant cells. Thirty diverse VHH nanobodies were selected, and binding characteristics were assessed via dose-response ELISA. Binding was tested against a variety of <i>C. albicans</i> isolates and other <i>Candida</i> species, indicating that the VHHs were specific for <i>C. albicans</i>. The VHH nanobodies were sorted into four distinct groups based on their binding patterns. Two of the groups bound preferentially to the yeast cell poles and hyphae, respectively. Nanobody binding to <i>C. albicans</i> deletion mutants was tested by fluorescence microscopy and ELISA to identify the antigen targets. VHH19 nanobody, belonging to the largest group, recognized the Als4 adhesin. VHH14 antibody in the hyphae-specific group recognized Als3. None of the isolated VHH nanobodies was selective for drug-resistant clinical isolates. Our data indicate that this approach can generate valuable single-domain antibodies specific to <i>C. albicans</i> proteins.IMPORTANCEThe human fungal pathogen <i>Candida albicans</i> causes a range of diseases from superficial mucosal infections such as oral and vaginal thrush to life-threatening, systemic infections. Accurate and rapid diagnosis of these infections remains challenging, and currently, there are no rapid ways to diagnose drug-resistant infections without performing drug susceptibility testing from blood culture, which can take several days. In this proof-of-concept study, we have generated a diverse set of single domain VHH antibodies (nanobodies) from llamas that recognize and bind specifically to <i>C. albicans</i> cell surface. The nanobodies were classified into four groups based on their binding patterns, for example, cell poles or hyphae. Specific nanobodies were verified as recognizing the important adhesin Als4 or the hyphae associated invasin Als3, respectively. The data validate the approach that small VHH antibody domains hold future promise for diagnostic applications and as probes to study the fungal cell surface.</p>","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142381174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detection of varicella-zoster virus in saliva and plasma of patients with typical and atypical herpes zoster.","authors":"Yinling Li, Xiuli Zhao, Jiewei Chen, Zhen Pu, Chiyu Zhang, Aizhen Zhou, Zhenzhou Wan","doi":"10.1128/spectrum.01549-24","DOIUrl":"10.1128/spectrum.01549-24","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":18670,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology spectrum","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11537099/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142391741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}