BMC Microbiology最新文献

{"title":"Genomic characterization of novel lytic bacteriophages targeting carbapenemase producing multidrug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae from Ethiopia: a molecular study.","authors":"Assefa Asnakew Abebe, Alemayehu Godana Birhanu, Molalegne Bitew, Dawit Hailu Alemayehu, Abaysew Ayele, Yimer Demssie, Keyru Tuki, Lanchisl Tsegaye Mulualem, Tesfaye Sisay Tessema","doi":"10.1186/s12866-026-05410-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-026-05410-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is a critical pathogen responsible for a wide range of severe infections. Its escalating resistance to frontline antimicrobials, particularly carbapenems, severely compromises existing therapeutic options and undermines current treatment strategies. This clinical challenge is further exacerbated by the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains and hypervirulent lineages, which substantially complicate infection management and worsen patient outcomes. Ultimately, this alarming convergence of resistance and virulence presents a severe public health threat that necessitates the urgent development of novel therapeutic approaches; in this regard, phage therapy is emerging as a promising strategy. Bacteriophages and their derivatives have garnered increasing recognition as targeted antibacterial agents, demonstrating potent activity against carbapenemase producing and MDR K. pneumoniae in vitro models. They effectively lyse MDR strains, disrupt biofilm formation, and have shown promising therapeutic efficacy across various in vivo models. To ensure safety in clinical applications, genome sequencing is essential to identify and exclude undesirable genes, thereby determining therapeutic suitability. Here, we have sequenced and analyzed the genomic characteristics of seven lytic bacteriophages targeting carbapenemase-producing MDR K. pneumoniae. Genomic evaluation confirmed that these phages are strictly lytic and revealed the presence of distinct lysis modules across the genomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these phages cluster within four genera of Caudoviricetes: Taipeivirus, Drulisvirus, Przondovirus, and Webervirus. The phage genomes ranged from 15,773 to 166,437 base pairs (bp) in length and encoded core structural and replication modules. Furthermore, distinct lytic modules predicted to have function in bacterial capsule degradation were identified across the genomes. Importantly, the absence of known virulence or toxin genes guarantees therapeutic safety and satisfies rigorous genomic criteria for clinical translation. These findings underscore the potential of these phages as a promising alternative for combating MDR and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae infections. Future in vivo investigations and clinical trials are essential to validate their therapeutic efficacy, safety profile, and optimal treatment protocols.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13670530/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148444605","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":"Comparison of the expression of small regulatory RNAs AS1974, AS2779, IGR2780 and the Hfq gene in carbapenem-resistant and susceptible clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.","authors":"Fatemeh Keivanpour, Mohammad Hashemzadeh, Mohammad Savari","doi":"10.1186/s12866-026-05380-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-026-05380-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Small regulatory RNAs regulate many physiological processes, such as quorum sensing, iron homeostasis, and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study aimed to investigate the expressions of sRNAs AS1974, AS2779, IGR2780, and Hfq in carbapenem-resistant and susceptible clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa were inoculated onto cetrimide agar and incubated for 24 h, and were identified using standard microbiology tests. Final confirmation of the bacteria was performed using PCR amplification of gyrB. The antibiotic resistance pattern was evaluated using disk diffusion method. The expressions of sRNAs AS1974, AS2779, IGR2780, and Hfq were assessed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 80 isolates of P. aeruginosa were confirmed by phenotypic tests and PCR of gyrB. The results showed that 25% (N = 20) and 75% (N = 60) isolates of P. aeruginosa were carbapenem-susceptible and carbapenem-resistant, respectively. The presence of sRNAs AS1974, AS2779, IGR2780, and Hfq genes were confirmed in 80 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa using PCR. The expressions of sRNAs AS1974, AS2779, and IGR2780 were decreased in carbapenem-resistant isolates compared to susceptible isolates of P. aeruginosa. hfq had significant increase in expression in carbapenem-resistant isolates compared to susceptible isolates of P. aeruginosa.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results of our study confirmed the regulatory role of sRNAs in antibiotic resistance among clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa. Further studies are needed to verify and determine the details of this regulatory role.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13647858/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148444561","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 current discordance on Serratia spp. taxonomical diagnosis using proteomics or genomic tools.","authors":"Blanca Pérez-Viso, Marta Hernández-García, Miguel D Fernández-de-Bobadilla, Fernando Baquero, Sonia Aracil-Gisbert, Teresa M Coque, Rosa Del Campo, Rafael Cantón","doi":"10.1186/s12866-026-05406-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-026-05406-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Serratia marcescens complex comprises several closely related species with potentially distinct epidemiological characteristics. Recent descriptions of new species further complicate accurate identification using routine clinical microbiology methods. We aimed to compare the current species-level identification by MALDI-TOF MS with Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)-based approaches and to assess concordance among different diagnostic genomic tools.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Overall, 107 Serratia bloodstream isolates were analysed. Initial identification was performed by MALDI-TOF MS. WGS data were analysed using: Kraken, PATO (MASH distance-based), ribosomal MLST (rMLST), and GTDB-Tk (ani-rep and classify_wf functions).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>MALDI-TOF MS identified S. marcescens as the predominant species (71%). Kraken assigned all isolates to S. marcescens. Phylogeny-based approaches revealed a markedly different distribution. rMLST and GTDB-Tk consistently identified Serratia sarumanii as the most frequent species (36.4% vs. 34.6%), followed by Serratia ureilytica (26.2% vs. 29%) and Serratia nevei (22.4% vs. 21.5%), while S. marcescens represented a minority (5.6% vs. 3.7%). GTDB-Tk showed near-complete concordance with rMLST (95.3%). Also, 38/107 isolates assigned to S. nevei by PATO were reclassified as S. sarumanii by both rMLST and GTDB-Tk. Complete concordance across all methods was observed in only 3.7% of isolates.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>At the moment, species-level classification of Serratia bloodstream isolates is highly method-dependent. Routine diagnostic tools tend to underestimate diversity of the S. marcescens complex, whereas phylogeny-based genomic approaches reveal a more diverse population structure dominated by S. sarumanii, S. ureilytica and S. nevei. These findings highlight the need for cautious interpretation and standardized genomic frameworks with updated databases.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13643979/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148435032","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":"Blood mNGS: an effective non-invasive diagnostic tool for Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia.","authors":"Yuhui Chen, Sifen Lu, Ailin Zhao, Meng Li, Xinai Gan, Yutong Wang, Yang Yang, Min Huang, Qitong Wang, Ting Niu, Yongzhao Zhou","doi":"10.1186/s12866-026-05408-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-026-05408-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is a life-threatening opportunistic infection. Colonization is prevalent but cannot be reliably distinguished from active infection by conventional methods. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a promising diagnostic tool, but the value of blood mNGS for diagnosis, microbial community comparison, and outcome-related associations in PJP remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed 73 suspected PJP patients with paired BALF and blood mNGS. Using strict diagnostic criteria, patients were classified as: PJP (n = 50) and P. jirovecii colonization (PJC, n = 23). Bioinformatic analyses compared compartment-specific microbiota. BALF-blood concordance and associations between P. jirovecii load and outcomes were evaluated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>BALF showed higher α-diversity than blood (both Shannon and Simpson, P < 0.001), whereas β-diversity showed no compartmental segregation. BALF identified 216 species versus 43 in blood; however, the top-10 species were concordantly ranked (90% concordance). Blood mNGS distinguished PJP from PJC with an AUC of 0.80 (specificity 95.7%, sensitivity 62.0% at RPM > 4.8), outperforming BALF mNGS (AUC 0.76), blood PCR (AUC 0.64) and BALF PCR (AUC 0.73). Gram-negative bacteria accounted for a large proportion of blood taxa (75% of top 20 taxa), while BALF showed additional fungal taxa including Aspergillus fumigatus. LEfSe identified matrix-specific taxa: oral commensals in PJC-BALF. Blood P. jirovecii load correlated positively with LDH (r = 0.34, P = 0.0035), CRP (r = 0.34, P = 0.0031), and BDG (r = 0.26, P = 0.025), and was higher in non-survivors (P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Blood mNGS may serve as a non-invasive, highly specific complementary tool for PJP diagnosis and broader microbiological assessment.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13644192/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148429734","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":"Inoculation of Bacillus cabrialesii modulates plant growth and wilt disease of chickpea cultivars pre-challenged with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris.","authors":"S K Prajwal, Sushil K Sharma, Narayan Sahu, Lalit Laxman Kharbikar, Sanjay K Jain, Lata Jain, Aditi Kundu, Anil Dixit","doi":"10.1186/s12866-026-05357-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-026-05357-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Bacillus cabrialesii, a plant growth-promoting (PGP) and biocontrol bacterium, was first reported in Mexico in 2018. This study evaluates the PGP and antagonistic potential of two B. cabrialesii strains, IS-10 and BATS-13, isolated from the chickpea rhizospheric soils of Chhattisgarh, India. It also assesses the impact of strain IS-10 on the growth, yield, and disease resistance of chickpea cultivars under Fusarium wilt stress.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>PGP traits and antifungal activity of the isolates were characterized in vitro, including biosurfactant production. The biosurfactant nature was analyzed using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Strain IS-10 was used for seed bacterization in sterile soil amended with 0.2% vermicompost and 0.02% gum acacia, in the presence or absence of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (FOC), to evaluate its effects on plant growth and disease suppression in two chickpea cultivars, Vaibhav and JG-62.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both strains demonstrated multiple PGP attributes and inhibited FOC growth in vitro. TLC revealed the presence of lipids and peptides in the crude biosurfactant, and further UPLC-MS/MS analyses confirmed the presence of surfactin and fengycin. In the pot trials, strain IS-10 treatment significantly improved plant performance. In pathogen-free conditions, strain IS-10 increased straw yield by 39.17% (Vaibhav) and 39.47% (JG-62), and grain yield by 46.8% (Vaibhav) and 50.32% (JG-62), respectively, over untreated controls. Under FOC challenge conditions, strain IS-10 reduced disease incidence by 20.80% (Vaibhav) and 26.85% (JG-62), while enhancing straw yield by 53.92% and 36.6%, and grain yield by 57.14% and 50.81%, respectively, compared to pathogen controls.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>B. cabrialesii IS-10 possesses significant PGP and biocontrol traits, including production of antifungal lipopeptides. Its application enhances chickpea growth and yield and mitigates the effects of Fusarium wilt, highlighting its potential as a bioinoculant for sustainable chickpea cultivation under both healthy and pathogen-infested conditions in the state of Chhattisgarh, India.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13637128/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148435022","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":"Modular integration of nanopore sequencing, alphafold modeling, and statistical design boosts 1-hydroxyphenazine yield in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain KAEH25.","authors":"Mahmoud Abd El-Mongy, Khaled Abuelhaded, Adel AbdelKhalek, Ahmed Hassan Ibrahim Faraag","doi":"10.1186/s12866-026-05221-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-026-05221-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study establishes an integrated genome-to-structure-to-process framework that significantly enhances 1-hydroxyphenazine (1-OH-PHZ) biosynthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa KAEH25. Nanopore long-read sequencing completely resolved the 10,358 bp phenazine biosynthetic locus, confirming intact organization of core (phzB-phzG) and tailoring (phzH, phzS) genes. AlphaFold modeling and InterProScan analysis validated conserved catalytic domains across all pathway enzymes, confirming functional coherence. Plackett-Burman screening identified temperature, pH, glucose, peptone, inoculum size, and incubation time as significant production determinants, while response surface methodology optimized these factors to achieve a maximum 1-OH-PHZ titre of 24.85 µg mL⁻¹ under refined conditions (37 °C, pH 6.5-7, 1% glucose, 2 g L⁻¹ peptone, 10 mL inoculum, 48 h). The statistical model demonstrated exceptional explanatory power (R² = 0.9605; Adeq Precision = 19.11). Preliminary antimicrobial assays demonstrated selective activity of 1-hydroxyphenazine (1-OH-PHZ), with inhibition zones of 20 ± 1 mm against Escherichia coli, 13 ± 0.5 mm against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, 13 ± 0.7 mm against Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 8 ± 0.3 mm against Staphylococcus aureus, while no inhibition was observed against Enterococcus faecalis or Listeria monocytogenes. Collectively, this systems-guided approach provides a transferable platform for optimizing microbial secondary metabolites and validates 1-OH-PHZ as a promising lead for antimicrobial development.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13366989/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148435061","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":"Incidence of toxigenic Bacillus cereus in ready-to-eat fermented foods in Osogbo, Nigeria: a potential health risk.","authors":"Oluwafemi Bamidele Daramola, Richard Kolade Omole, Tomiwa Olumide Adesoji, Alabi Peter Dare, Ifeoluwa Victoria Daramola, Nana Aishat Yusuf-Omoloye, Aduragbemi Chukwuwem Emmanuel, Oluwawemimo Precious Owoeye, Adedotun Emmanuel Adekola, Nkem Torimiro","doi":"10.1186/s12866-026-05416-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-026-05416-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) is one of several foodborne pathogens that continue to threaten the safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, including fermented foods. A few studies have identified the presence of enterotoxigenic gene-encoding B. cereus in several southwestern states of Nigeria. However, Osun State remains the only southwestern state without data on the potential presence of enterotoxigenic gene-encoding B. cereus. In this study, a preliminary investigation was carried out using a convenience sampling method at three highly patronized locations (Shasha, Orisumbare, and Oja-Oba) of RTE fermented foods in Osogbo, Nigeria. Thirty-two samples comprising six varieties of RTE fermented foods (pap, iru, gari, fufu, kunu, and soy wara) were collected and analyzed for Bacillus species. Recovered Bacillus species were subjected to hemolysis test. Hemolytic Bacillus species were screened for enterotoxin gene operons (nheABC and hblACD) and antibiotic susceptibility. A total of 33 Bacillus species were recovered from the RTE fermented foods, among which four showed hemolytic properties. Furthermore, PCR screening showed three Bacillus isolates encoding nhe genes, and two encoding both nhe and hbl genes. 16 S rRNA nucleotide sequencing identified the three isolates as B. cereus. The three B. cereus isolates were resistant to β-lactam antibiotics (penicillin, cefadroxil, cefoxitin, and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid), trimethoprim, and fusidic acid; however, they were susceptible to gentamicin, linezolid, and chloramphenicol, and had a multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of 0.64. This study identified the presence of enterotoxigenic genes in B. cereus recovered from RTE fermented foods sold in Osogbo, Nigeria, a potential food safety risk that requires in-depth surveillance.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13644172/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148429752","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":"Microbiome changes associated with FMT-mediated clearance of antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a murine carriage model.","authors":"Shaqed Carasso, Tal Gefen, Rozan Bakria, Haggai Bar-Yoseph, Naama Geva-Zatorsky","doi":"10.1186/s12866-026-05354-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-026-05354-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), including Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP), pose a significant public health threat due to their resistance to last-line antibiotics. Eliminating CRE colonization in asymptomatic carriers is crucial to prevent the spread of resistance, as carriage often serves as a reservoir that enables the transmission of resistant strains to vulnerable populations. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as a potential strategy to restore gut microbiome balance and eliminate CRE colonization. However, the mechanisms driving successful decolonization warrant further research. This study investigates the impact of FMT on gut microbiome composition, CRE-KP clearance and host response, in a mouse model of CRE-KP carriage. Mice colonized with CRE-KP, were treated with FMT or left untreated. Shotgun metagenomics of fecal samples were used to monitor changes in microbiome composition and function. FMT resulted in substantial changes in the gut microbiome, with successful clearance correlating with an expansion of commensal bacteria including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species. Notably, a reduction in K. pneumoniae was also observed in some untreated control mice as the microbiome recovered naturally, also associated with Bifidobacterium expansion. Phage profiling revealed distinct viral populations that were associated with successful decolonization. Flow cytometry was employed to quantify bacterial populations bound by immunoglobulins, providing insight into host immune modulation. These findings suggest potential mechanisms for CRE carriage eradication using microbiome targeted therapies. The results emphasize the importance of microbiome resilience in combating antibiotic-resistant infections and suggest that phage-microbiome interactions could play a role in restoring microbial balance.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13679127/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148435055","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":"Tracing and characterization of a family outbreak of subtype B2 botulism linked to homemade pickled eggs in Jinan, China.","authors":"Wen Cui, Chuanmin Ma, Xichen Wang, Jishan Zhang, Lin Zhou, Jian Li, Xia Luo, Hui Sun, Xuefang Xu, Hui Liu","doi":"10.1186/s12866-026-05390-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-026-05390-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Foodborne botulism (FB) results from the ingestion of food contaminated with botulinum neurotoxin. Here, we report a family outbreak of foodborne botulism caused by Clostridium botulinum subtype B2 linked to homemade pickled eggs. On August 13, 2024, the Jinan Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Shanghe County Center for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated to investigate an outbreak of botulism poisoning related to a family gathering in Shanghe County, Jinan City. A total of 4 people attended the family gathering, three of whom developed clinical symptoms of botulism after consuming pickled eggs. The diagnosis of botulism was suspected through collaborative efforts by the Qilu Medical Prevention and Control Innovation Integration Mechanism and multidisciplinary consultations across multiple hospitals. We detected the bont gene using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) in Jinan CDC, determined the toxin serotype by mouse bioassay (MBA) in China CDC and performed whole-genome sequencing of bacterial strains isolated from patient feces, the homemade pickled eggs and soil in both laboratories. It was shown that the toxin type and bont gene were subtype B2, belonging to the ha gene cluster. The Clostridium botulinum strains isolated from two patients were closely related to the strains from the homemade pickled eggs through whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphism analysis. We also found that Clostridium botulinum strains from soil clustered into one branch with those from patients and food, suggesting that the source of Clostridium botulinum contamination may be from soil, although the contamination pathway was not clear. Importantly, our findings provided a basis for clinical antitoxin treatment, in which one patient successfully gave birth after recovery. These results underscore the importance of strengthening public education about the health risks associated with consuming homemade fermented or preserved foods and enhancing the laboratory detection capabilities.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13520148/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148435100","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":"Microbiological and physicochemical quality of locally processed agro-food products in Burkina Faso: assessing post-production supply chain vulnerabilities.","authors":"Adama Pamba Séré, Hiliassa Coulibaly, Sandaogo Sawadogo, Edwige Noëlle Roamba, Abdoudramane Sanou, Kabakdé Kaboré, Roger Dakuyo, Nabèrè Ouattara, Kiessoun Konaté, Mamoudou Hama Dicko","doi":"10.1186/s12866-026-05376-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12866-026-05376-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Locally processed agro-food products are central to West African diets, infant and complementary feeding, local entrepreneurship and access to culturally appropriate foods. Post-production handling, packaging, transport, storage and retail exposure may compromise microbial and physicochemical quality. This study assessed ten locally processed agro-food products marketed in Burkina Faso and evaluated product-specific post-production supply-chain vulnerabilities at the retail level.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirty samples were collected, comprising three independent batches of each of the following products: infant pearl millet-soy-peanut flour (P1), fortified infant flour (P2), instant multi-cereal porridge (P3), dehydrated attiéké (P4), dried mango (P5), natural honey (P6), cottonseed cooking oil (P7), hibiscus juice (P8), Moringa oleifera leaf powder (P9) and roasted cashew nuts (P10). All continuous variables were z-score standardized prior to multivariate analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) retained two components explaining 76.9% of total variance (PC1: 53.3%; PC2: 23.6%). The highest post-production vulnerability composite index (PPVCI) scores were observed for Moringa oleifera leaf powder (P9, rank 1) and hibiscus juice (P8, rank 2); intermediate profiles were identified for infant flours (P1, rank 3) and multi-cereal porridge (P3, rank 4); and the lowest profiles were recorded for honey (P6), cottonseed oil (P7) and roasted cashew nuts (P10).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study provides baseline evidence for targeted quality-assurance interventions. Priority actions include: strengthened hygiene control during drying, milling and packaging; improved moisture-proof packaging for powders and dried products; cold-chain and water-quality control for hibiscus juice; oxidative stability monitoring for oil and lipid-rich products; and enhanced surveillance of infant foods and nutritional supplements. Future studies should incorporate mycotoxin screening and molecular confirmation methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":9233,"journal":{"name":"BMC Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13560229/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148435073","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}