Plastispheres as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance: Insights from metagenomic analyses across aquatic environments.

Evidence suggests that plastic particles from various environments can accumulate harmful microorganisms and carry bacteria with antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). The so-called "plastisphere" might facilitate the spread of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance across environments, posing risks to human and animal health. This study aimed to analyze the diversity and abundance of ARGs found in plastispheres from various aquatic environments, identify clinically relevant pathogenic species, and ascertain bacterial hosts carrying ARGs.

More Timely Response to Outbreaks of Zoonotic Compared to Non-Zoonotic Diseases in Animals in Tanzania.

Timeliness metrics analysis is a useful approach for tracking speed in actions and identifying gaps during disease outbreaks. There is limited information on the time taken for preventing, controlling and containing disease outbreaks in human and animal populations in Tanzania. We conducted timeliness metrics analysis on zoonotic and non-zoonotic disease outbreaks which occurred between May 2019 and April 2023 in 10 selected districts within four regions located in the Northern (Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions) and Southern Highlands zones (Mbeya and Songwe regions) of Tanzania.

DNA extraction protocols for animal fecal material on blood spot cards.

Background: Collecting fecal samples using dry preservatives is an attractive option in large epidemiological studies as they are easy to use, cheap and independent of cold chain logistics. Here, we test four DNA extraction methods with the aim of identifying an efficient procedure to extract high-quality DNA from fecal material of canine, sheep, equine, bovine, and pig collected on dry blood spot cards, with the goal of generating good quality shotgun metagenomics datasets. Further, the suitability of Illumina shotgun metagenomic sequencing at 20 million paired-end (PE) read depth per sample was assessed on its ability to successfully characterize the taxonomic and functional aspects of the resulting fecal microbiome.

Helical ultrastructure of the L-ENA spore aggregation factor of a Bacillus paranthracis foodborne outbreak strain.

In pathogenic Bacillota, spores can form an infectious particle and can take up a central role in the environmental persistence and dissemination of disease. A poorly understood aspect of spore-mediated infection is the fibrous structures or 'endospore appendages' (ENAs) that have been seen to decorate the spores of pathogenic Bacilli and Clostridia. Current methodological approaches are opening a window on these long enigmatic structures.

Defining a metagenomic threshold for detecting low abundances of in canine faecal samples.

Introduction: Acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea syndrome (AHDS) in dogs is a condition of unknown aetiology. is suspected to play a role in the disease as it was commonly found in dogs suffering from AHDS during a Norwegian outbreak in 2019. The role of this bacterium as a constituent of the canine gut microbiota is unknown, hence this study set out to investigate its occurrence in healthy dogs using metagenomics.

Freshwater plastispheres as a vector for foodborne bacteria and viruses.

There is growing evidence that plastic particles can accumulate microorganisms that are pathogenic to humans or animals. In the current study, the composition of the plastispheres that accumulated on polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pieces submerged in a river in the southeast Norway was characterized by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Seasonal and geographical effects on the bacterial composition of the plastisphere were identified, in addition to the detection of potential foodborne pathogenic bacteria and viruses as part of the plastisphere.

A retrospective study on epidemiology and management of canine cystine uroliths in one part of Norway from 2015 to 2020.

Background: Urinary tract problems are a common complaint in small animal medicine and urolithiasis is considered to be an important cause of urinary tract disease in dogs. In this study the main aim was to investigate whether the occurrence of cystine urolithiasis increased during a five-year period. A second aim was to evaluate possible risk-factors as breed, age and gender.

Effects of Canine-Obtained Lactic-Acid Bacteria on the Fecal Microbiota and Inflammatory Markers in Dogs Receiving Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Treatment.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may cause enteropathy in dogs and probiotics may be one option to prevent this. The objective of this study was to determine whether the administration of canine-obtained lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has an effect on the frequency of diarrhea, the composition of the fecal microbiota, and/or markers of gastrointestinal inflammation in dogs receiving NSAIDs when compared to dogs given NSAIDs and a placebo. A total of 22 dogs treated with NSAIDs for various clinical indications were enrolled in a seven-day randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled interventional study.

Evidence of Community-Wide Spread of Multi-Drug Resistant in Young Children in Lusaka and Ndola Districts, Zambia.

Increased antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been reported for pathogenic and commensal , hampering the treatment, and increasing the burden of infectious diarrhoeal diseases in children in developing countries. This study focused on exploring the occurrence, patterns, and possible drivers of AMR isolated from children under-five years in Zambia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Lusaka and Ndola districts.

Rapid detection of Campylobacter spp. in chickens before slaughter.

Campylobacter continues to be the number one cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in Europe. Poultry, and especially broiler chickens, is considered an important reservoir for Campylobacter spp. Poultry producers prioritize to identify and reduce the number of Campylobacter contaminated chicken flocks by tightening biosecurity and mitigation actions at slaughter.

Enigmatic Pilus-Like Endospore Appendages of Group Species.

The endospores (spores) of many sensu lato species are decorated with multiple hair/pilus-like appendages. Although they have been observed for more than 50 years, all efforts to characterize these fibers in detail have failed until now, largely due to their extraordinary resilience to proteolytic digestion and chemical solubilization. A recent structural analysis of endospore appendages (Enas) using cryo-electron microscopy has revealed the structure of two distinct fiber morphologies: the longer and more abundant "Staggered-type" (S-Ena) and the shorter "Ladder-like" type (L-Ena), which further enabled the identification of the genes encoding the S-Ena.

Replication Region Analysis Reveals Non-lambdoid Shiga Toxin Converting Bacteriophages.

Shiga toxin is the major virulence factor of enterohemorrhagic (EHEC), and the gene encoding it is carried within the genome of Shiga toxin-converting phages (Stx phages). Numerous Stx phages have been sequenced to gain a better understanding of their contribution to the virulence potential of EHEC. The Stx phages are classified into the lambdoid phage family based on similarities in lifestyle, gene arrangement, and nucleotide sequence to the lambda phages.

Investigating Major Recurring Lineages in Luxembourg Using Four Core or Whole Genome Sequencing Typing Schemes.

is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, which has motivated the monitoring of genetic profiles circulating in Luxembourg since 13 years. From our integrated surveillance using a genotyping strategy based on an extended MLST scheme including and markers, an unexpected endemic pattern was discovered in the temporal distribution of genotypes. We aimed to test the hypothesis of stable lineages occurrence by implementing whole genome sequencing (WGS) associated with comprehensive and internationally validated schemes.

Human Campylobacteriosis Cases Traceable to Chicken Meat-Evidence for Disseminated Outbreaks in Finland.

() is the most common cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis in the world. Food-borne campylobacteriosis is thought to be commonly caused by the handling and consumption of undercooked chicken meat, but the epidemiology of this disease is complex and remains poorly characterized, especially in the Nordic countries. Here, we used state-of-the-art methods in genetic epidemiology combined with patient background and temporal association data to trace domestically acquired human infections ( = 50) to chicken meat, in a midsize Nordic town in Finland during a seasonal peak.

Monomorphic genotypes within a generalist lineage of show signs of global dispersion.

The decreased costs of genome sequencing have increased the capability to apply whole-genome sequencing to epidemiological surveillance of zoonotic However, knowledge of the genetic diversity of this bacteria is vital for inferring relatedness between epidemiologically linked isolates and a necessary prerequisite for correct application of this methodology. To address this issue in we investigated the spatial and temporal signals in the genomes of a major clonal complex and generalist lineage, ST-45 CC, by analysing the population structure and genealogy as well as applying genome-wide association analysis of 340 isolates from across Europe collected over a wide time range. The occurrence and strength of the geographical signal varied between sublineages and followed the clonal frame when present, while no evidence of a temporal signal was found.

Whole-Genome Sequencing in Epidemiology of Campylobacter jejuni Infections.

This review describes the current state of knowledge regarding the application of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in the epidemiology of , the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. We describe how WGS has increased our understanding of the evolutionary and epidemiological dynamics of this pathogen and how WGS has the potential to improve surveillance and outbreak detection. We have identified hurdles to the full implementation of WGS in public health settings.

Tracing isolates from domestic human Campylobacter jejuni infections to chicken slaughter batches and swimming water using whole-genome multilocus sequence typing.

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis and chicken is considered a major reservoir and source of human campylobacteriosis. In this study, we investigated temporally related Finnish human (n=95), chicken (n=83) and swimming water (n=20) C. jejuni isolates collected during the seasonal peak in 2012 using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and whole-genome MLST (wgMLST).

Predominant Campylobacter jejuni sequence types persist in Finnish chicken production.

Consumption and handling of chicken meat are well-known risk factors for acquiring campylobacteriosis. This study aimed to describe the Campylobacter jejuni population in Finnish chickens and to investigate the distribution of C. jejuni genotypes on Finnish chicken farms over a period of several years.

Genome analysis of Campylobacter jejuni strains isolated from a waterborne outbreak.

Background: Waterborne Campylobacter jejuni outbreaks are common in the Nordic countries, and PFGE (pulsed field gel electrophoresis) remains the genotyping method of choice in outbreak investigations. However, PFGE cannot assess the clonal relationship between isolates, leading to difficulties in molecular epidemiological investigations. Here, we explored the applicability of whole genome sequencing to outbreak investigation by re-analysing three C.

Cryptic ecology among host generalist Campylobacter jejuni in domestic animals.

Homologous recombination between bacterial strains is theoretically capable of preventing the separation of daughter clusters, and producing cohesive clouds of genotypes in sequence space. However, numerous barriers to recombination are known. Barriers may be essential such as adaptive incompatibility, or ecological, which is associated with the opportunities for recombination in the natural habitat.

Genetic heterogeneity of Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168 upon human infection.

Campylobacter jejuni NCTC 11168 variants before and after accidental human infection were sequenced with Illumina technology and mapped against the isogenic reference genome applying the Breseq pipeline. Only the frequencies of length variations of homopolymeric tracts in the contingency genes Cj0045c, Cj0456c, Cj1139c, Cj1145c, and Cj1306c and a deletion in Cj0184c were significantly different after human passage (p<0.01).

Association of Campylobacter jejuni metabolic traits with multilocus sequence types.

In this study, we describe the association of three Campylobacter jejuni metabolism-related traits, γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT), fucose permease (fucP), and secreted L-asparaginase [ansB(s)], with multilocus sequence types (STs). A total of 710 C. jejuni isolates with known STs were selected and originated from humans, poultry, bovines, and the environment.