Linda M. Maya-Rodríguez, G. Gómez-Verduzco, F. Trigo-Tavera, Leticia Moreno-Fierros, Rosa E. Miranda-Morales
{"title":"Variability of pMGA/vlhA sequences among Mycoplasma gallisepticum field strains isolated from laying hens and their deformed eggs","authors":"Linda M. Maya-Rodríguez, G. Gómez-Verduzco, F. Trigo-Tavera, Leticia Moreno-Fierros, Rosa E. Miranda-Morales","doi":"10.1099/acmi.0.000681.v5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000681.v5","url":null,"abstract":"Mycoplasmosis, attributed to Mycoplasma gallisepticum, poses a significant challenge to poultry farming, leading to substantial economic losses and persistent infections within flocks. This bacterium harbours various surface proteins that are crucial for adhesion, transporter activity and evasion of the host immune response, facilitating its pathogenicity. One such key surface lipoprotein, referred to as pMGA or vlhA haemagglutinin, plays a pivotal role in adhesion processes. In this study, the clonal regions pMGA1.2 and pMGA1.3, as reported by Markham (M83178.1), were investigated to elucidate differences or similarities in the whole DNA sequences of M. gallisepticum field strains. The aim was to analyse sequence diversity within this region. Six internal primers were designed to amplify the target sequence, and isolates were obtained from both eggs and chickens sourced from laying hen flocks. Identification revealed 17 strains of M. gallisepticum and four strains of Mycoplasma synoviae, which were confirmed through the mgc2 and 16S rRNA genes, respectively. Positive and negative controls were established using the MGS6 and MSWUV1853 strains. Amplification results indicated a higher frequency of amplification proximal to the C-terminal region, with segments 4 (33.3 %) and 6 (27.8 %) being the most prevalent. Notably, none of the field strains exhibited the same amplification pattern as MGS6, and none of the strains characterized as M. synoviae amplified any primer set. Upon translation, the amino acid sequences from segments 4 and 6 were found to be compatible with conserved sequences within the Myco_haema protein domains of the genus Mycoplasma, specifically corresponding to Q7NAP3_MYCGA VlhA.3.04. The observed homology suggests a potential genetic transfer, while the variability identified in the pMGA or vlhA gene region of the field strains may have significant implications for protection against M. gallisepticum infection in chickens.","PeriodicalId":6956,"journal":{"name":"Access Microbiology","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141399580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Madumali Weerasekara, G. Vidanapathirana, Carmen Li, Asanka Tennegedara, Rasadani Dissanayake, A. Ekanayake, Muditha Abeykoon, M. Kothalawala, V. Liyanapathirana, Margaret Ip
{"title":"Characterization of group A streptococci causing invasive diseases in Sri Lanka","authors":"Madumali Weerasekara, G. Vidanapathirana, Carmen Li, Asanka Tennegedara, Rasadani Dissanayake, A. Ekanayake, Muditha Abeykoon, M. Kothalawala, V. Liyanapathirana, Margaret Ip","doi":"10.1099/acmi.0.000697.v4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000697.v4","url":null,"abstract":"Group A β haemolytic streptococcus (GAS) or Streptococcus pyogenes is a human pathogen that causes an array of infections, including pharyngitis, cellulitis, impetigo, scarlet fever, toxic shock syndrome, and necrotizing fasciitis. The present study characterizes 51 GAS isolates from invasive infections in Sri Lanka, focusing on resistance profiles, genetic determinants of resistance, and virulence markers. Isolates were tested for sensitivity to penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, and tetracycline. The presence of erm(A), erm(B), and mef(A) was detected in erythromycin-resistant isolates, while tet(M) was detected in the tetracycline-resistant isolates. PCR was used to identify SpeA, SpeB, SpeC, SpeF, SpeG, smez, and ssa as virulence markers. Selected GAS isolates were emm-typed using the updated CDC protocol. All 51 isolates were susceptible to penicillin. The number of isolates non-susceptible to erythromycin was 16. The commonest resistance determinant identified was erm(B) (11/16). Tetracycline non-susceptibility was found in 36 (70.6 %) isolates and 26 of them contained the tet(M) gene. Thirteen (25.5 %) isolates were resistant to both tetracycline and erythromycin, while 12 (23.5 %) isolates were sensitive to both antibiotics. The commonest virulence markers detected among the isolates were SpeB (44, 86.3 %), SpeG (36, 70.6 %), and SpeF (35, 68.6 %), while SpeJ (15, 29.4 %), SpeA (10, 19.6 %), and ssa (5,9.8 %) were less common. The emm types were diverse. In conclusion, the GAS isolates studied showed resistance to erythromycin and tetracycline, while retaining universal susceptibility to penicillin. Additionally, these isolates exhibited diverse genetic backgrounds, displaying varying patterns of virulence genes and emm types.","PeriodicalId":6956,"journal":{"name":"Access Microbiology","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141406423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Publishing negative results is good for science","authors":"Elisabeth M. Bik","doi":"10.1099/acmi.0.000792","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000792","url":null,"abstract":"Scientists face challenges in publishing negative results, because most scientific journals are biassed in accepting positive and novel findings. Despite their importance, negative results often go unpublished, leading to duplication of efforts, biassed meta-analyses, and ethical concerns regarding animal and human studies. In this light, the initiative by Access Microbiology to collect and publish negative results in the field of microbiology is a very important and valuable contribution towards unbiassed science.","PeriodicalId":6956,"journal":{"name":"Access Microbiology","volume":"188 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140751192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Basit Yousuf, Annika Flint, K. Weedmark, Franco Pagotto, S. Ramirez‐Arcos
{"title":"Comparative virulome analysis of four Staphylococcus epidermidis strains from human skin and platelet concentrates using whole genome sequencing","authors":"Basit Yousuf, Annika Flint, K. Weedmark, Franco Pagotto, S. Ramirez‐Arcos","doi":"10.1099/acmi.0.000780.v3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000780.v3","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 \u0000 Virulome profile of four Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from platelet concentrates and human skin.\u0000 \u0000","PeriodicalId":6956,"journal":{"name":"Access Microbiology","volume":"343 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140775808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Genome sequence of the bialaphos producer Streptomyces sp. DSM 41527 and two putative phosphonate antibiotic producers Streptomyces sp. DSM 41014 and DSM 41981 from the DSMZ strain collection","authors":"Alina Zimmermann, I. Nouioui, Yvonne Mast","doi":"10.1099/acmi.0.000770.v3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000770.v3","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Streptomyces sp. DSM 41014, DSM 41527, and DSM 41981 are three strains from the DSMZ strain collection. Here, we present the draft genome sequences of DSM 41014, DSM 41527, and DSM 41981 with a size of 9.09 Mb, 8.45 Mb, and 9.23 Mb, respectively.","PeriodicalId":6956,"journal":{"name":"Access Microbiology","volume":"49 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140772361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Cartwright, J. Dooley, Christopher McGonigle, J. Arnscheidt
{"title":"How suitable is freshwater sponge Ephydatia fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1759) for time-integrated biomonitoring of microbial water quality?","authors":"A. Cartwright, J. Dooley, Christopher McGonigle, J. Arnscheidt","doi":"10.1099/acmi.0.000691.v4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000691.v4","url":null,"abstract":"Faecal pollution of water by bacteria has a negative effect on water quality and can pose a potential health hazard. Conventional surveillance of microbial water quality relies on the analysis of low-frequency spot samples and is thus likely to miss episodic or periodic pollution. This study aimed to investigate the potential of filter-feeding sponges for time-integrated biomonitoring of microbial water quality. Laboratory trials tested the effects of different ratios of bacterial abundance and the sequence of exposure on bacterial retention by the freshwater sponge Ephydatia fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1759) to establish its potential to indicate bacterial exposure. Gemmule grown sponges were simultaneously exposed to Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis but at different ratios (Trial 1) or individually exposed to each bacterial species but in different sequential order (Trial 2). The E. coli and E. faecalis retained in each sponge was quantified by culture on selective agars. Data analysis was conducted using the Kruskal–Wallis test and/or the Mann–Whitney U test to compare between the numbers of bacteria retained in each treatment. Additionally, the Wilcoxon matched-paired signed-rank test was used for comparison of the different bacterial abundances retained within each individual sponge. Sponges from all trials retained E. coli and E. faecalis in small numbers relative to the exposure (<0.05 % Trial 1 and <0.07 % Trial 2) but exhibited higher retention of E. coli. Higher abundance of either bacterial species resulted in significantly lower (P<0.005) retention of the same species within sponges (Trial 1). An initial exposure to E. coli resulted in significantly higher (P=0.040) retention of both bacterial species than when sponges were exposed to E. faecalis first (Trial 2).Bacterial retention by sponges was neither quantitatively representative of bacterial abundance in the ambient water nor the sequence of exposure. This implies either selective filtration or an attempt by sponges to prevent infection. However, freshwater sponges may still be useful in biomonitoring as qualitative time-integrated samplers of faecal indicator bacteria as they detect different bacteria present in the water even if their quantities cannot be estimated.","PeriodicalId":6956,"journal":{"name":"Access Microbiology","volume":"8 23","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140764460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Victoria Jordan, A. Akram, Robert Pickles, Alyssa Arnold, Syeda Naqvi
{"title":"Fannyhessea vaginae causing bacteraemia and vertebral osteomyelitis: first report of invasive disease in a male","authors":"Victoria Jordan, A. Akram, Robert Pickles, Alyssa Arnold, Syeda Naqvi","doi":"10.1099/acmi.0.000785.v3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000785.v3","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Introduction.\u0000 Fannyhessea vaginae (formerly Atopobium vaginae) is an anaerobic organism commonly associated with female genital flora, with rare cases of invasive disease reported in females.\u0000 \u0000 Case report. We discuss the case of an 81-year-old male who presented with an acute history of back pain and signs of urinary tract infection in the context of intermittent self-urinary catheterisation. Multiple blood cultures grew Fannyhessea vaginae with a later finding of lumbar vertebral osteomyelitis as the cause of back pain. Treatment was commenced with ampicillin, later switched to ceftriaxone, with improvement of acute signs of infection.\u0000 \u0000 Conclusion. Gram-positive anaerobic organisms including Fannyhessea vaginae are possibly under-recognised causes of urinary tract particularly in older males. These bacteria may prove challenging to grow in standard protocols for urine culture; anaerobic or extended incubation could be considered particularly in complicated cases of urinary tract infection without an identifiable pathogen.","PeriodicalId":6956,"journal":{"name":"Access Microbiology","volume":"386 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140781110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laís Pontes, Franqueline Reichert-Lima, Ana Luisa Perini Leme Giordano, Maria Luiza Moretti, Angélica Zaninelli Schreiber
{"title":"Challenging fungal infections in cystic fibrosis: a case of mixed Aspergillus species infection and antifungal combination testing","authors":"Laís Pontes, Franqueline Reichert-Lima, Ana Luisa Perini Leme Giordano, Maria Luiza Moretti, Angélica Zaninelli Schreiber","doi":"10.1099/acmi.0.000758.v3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000758.v3","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Aspergillus stands as the predominant fungal genus in the airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, significantly contributing to their morbidity and mortality. Aspergillus fumigatus represents the primary causative species for infections, though the emergence of rare species within the Aspergillus section Fumigati has become noteworthy. Among these, Aspergillus lentulus is particularly significant due to its frequent misidentification and intrinsic resistance to azole antifungal agents. In the management of invasive aspergillosis and resistant infections, combination antifungal therapy has proven to be an effective approach. This report documents a case involving the death of a CF patient due to a pulmonary exacerbation linked to the colonization of multiple Aspergillus species, including A. lentulus, A. fumigatus, and A. terreus, and treated with Itraconazole (ITC) monotherapy. We delineated the procedures used to characterize the Aspergillus isolates in clinical settings and simulated in vitro the impact of the combination antifungal therapy on the isolates obtained from the patient. We evaluated three different combinations: Amphotericin B (AMB)+Voriconazole (VRC), AMB+Anidulafungin (AND), and VRC+AND. Notably, all strains isolated from the patient exhibited a significant decrease in their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) or minimum effective concentration (MEC) values when treated with all antifungal combinations. The VRC+AMB combination demonstrated the most synergistic effects. This case report emphasizes the critical importance of susceptibility testing and precise identification of Aspergillus species to enhance patient prognosis. It also underscores the potential benefits of combined antifungal treatment, which, in this case, could have led to a more favourable patient outcome.","PeriodicalId":6956,"journal":{"name":"Access Microbiology","volume":"6 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140765154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. T. Pattiyakumbura, S. H. Pathirathne, M. A. R. V. Muthugala
{"title":"Hantavirus infection in central Sri Lanka – an unusual clinical presentation: a case report","authors":"T. T. Pattiyakumbura, S. H. Pathirathne, M. A. R. V. Muthugala","doi":"10.1099/acmi.0.000554.v3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000554.v3","url":null,"abstract":"Hantavirus infections are emerging zoonoses. In Asia, the hantavirus commonly manifests as haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), apparent with fever, thrombocytopenia and acute kidney injury. There are a few cases with the atypical clinical course with cardiopulmonary symptoms in Asia including Sri Lanka. Here, we report a case of hantavirus infection with an atypical cardiopulmonary syndrome-like illness with serological evidence of the Puumala/Puumala-like virus.","PeriodicalId":6956,"journal":{"name":"Access Microbiology","volume":"178 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140756317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microfungal flora of Apis mellifera anatoliaca (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) from the Eastern Black Sea Region and fungal vector capacity in honey bee colonies","authors":"M. Usta","doi":"10.1099/acmi.0.000626.v4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000626.v4","url":null,"abstract":"Honey bees have a great economic importance both in Turkey and in the world due to the products they produce and their contribution to pollination. For this reason, many microflora and microbiota studies have been conducted on bees. While these research were primarily focused on pathogen isolation, the ecological roles of non-pathogenic flora members and how they may be used are now being studied more extensively. Considering the importance of pathogens, the number of studies is expected to continue to increase. This study was carried out to determine the microfungal flora of the body surfaces and digestive tracts of dead honey bee (Apis mellifera anatoliaca) and Varroa destructor samples taken from different apiaries in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey (Gümüşhane, Trabzon, Artvin and Ordu) in 2022. As a result of the study, a total of 11 different fungal species belonging to the genera Penicillium, Alternaria, Mucor, Trichoderma, Fusarium, Aspergillus and Verticillium were identified and the relationships of these fungi with bees were discussed based on the literature.","PeriodicalId":6956,"journal":{"name":"Access Microbiology","volume":"3 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139966392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}