A case of leptospirosis contracted through occupational exposure in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by direct or indirect contact with rodent reservoirs. Although it is widely known to be endemic in tropical countries, several cases have been reported even in metropolitan areas of non-tropical countries. Herein, we report a case of leptospirosis caused by occupational exposure in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Purpura fulminans caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 23A in a young post-splenectomy man: A case report.

Purpura fulminans is a rare but severe complication of septic shock, often associated with Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in asplenic individuals, with high mortality and limb amputation risk. Although pneumococcal vaccines are available, infections caused by non-vaccine serotypes remain a major concern. A 39-year-old man with a history of splenectomy 18 years prior presented with dyspnea, malaise, and gastrointestinal symptoms for two days.

Emergence of a piliated and multidrug-resistant serotype 35B-ST156 clone in Japan.

serotype 35B, a nonvaccine serotype, is common among clinical pneumococcal isolates in Japan after vaccination. We report the emergence of serotype 35B sequence type 156 (35B-ST156), a rare type previously reported in Japan, in isolates from patients at a hospital. Multilocus sequence typing of serotype 35B isolates from 2014 to 2023 revealed that 35B-ST156 appeared in 2019 and was the most common sequence type of 35B in 2023.

Evaluation of the GeneSoC rapid quantitative PCR system for Treponema pallidum detection.

The incidence of syphilis, caused by Treponema pallidum (TP), is increasing worldwide. Nucleic acid amplification tests, including quantitative PCR (qPCR), are valuable for diagnosing primary syphilis, particularly using ulcer/lesion swabs. Recent studies have also shown the promising diagnostic performance of nucleic acid amplification tests using saliva.

Comparative analysis of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome caused by three β-hemolytic streptococcal species in Japan.

Objectives: We aimed to compare the clinical features in patients with streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) caused by the three β-hemolytic streptococci (BHS): Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE).

Methods: Overall, 301 adult patients with STSS with S.

A pluralistic approach to interpreting surveillance data: The likely decline in the occurrence of invasive pneumococcal disease in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: To systematically investigate whether the decline in invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD; caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae) notifications during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on Japan's national infectious disease surveillance system, was due to a reduction in incidence.

Methods: Considering potential surveillance biases from changes in healthcare-seeking, testing/diagnosis, or reporting, we compared the following for the 12-month period before vs. after the state of emergency declaration (week 15, 2020): notification rates of IPD, invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease (IHD), and legionellosis (clinically similar bacterial diseases, but unlike IPD/IHD, legionellosis is not transmitted person-to-person and serves as a negative control); surveillance timeliness indicators; notifications restricted to severe cases; and S.

Structural basis of effector recognition by the T3SS chaperone VecA from Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Many pathogenic gram-negative bacteria utilise the type III secretion system (T3SS), a specific protein injection apparatus, to translocate virulence effectors into host cells, modulating host cell functions and establishing infection. To facilitate the precise cytosolic transport of effectors to T3SS, a class of proteins called chaperones plays a crucial role. However, a limited number of available structural data on chaperone-effector complexes hampers understanding of the mechanisms underlying this process.

A case of infectious endocarditis and vertebral discitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 23A.

Streptococcus pneumoniae, is a Gram-positive diplococcus, causes various community-acquired infections. Although pneumococcal vaccination has reduced the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease, relative incidence of non-vaccine serotype-associated infections has increased. Herein, we report a case of pneumococcal infectious endocarditis and vertebral discitis diagnosed concurrently.

Syphilis in pregnant women and congenital syphilis in Japan, 2022-2023: a warning for other countries.

Following a brief decline, syphilis case counts among pregnant women reported through Japan's national surveillance doubled from 2021 to 2023; congenital syphilis case counts/100,000 live births also doubled to >5. The unprecedented trends in Japan highlight the current heterosexual syphilis epidemic's relentlessness, with important implications for other countries.

A case of primary meningococcal conjunctivitis in an older patient.

Primary meningococcal conjunctivitis (PMC) is rare, and it is particularly rare in older patients. Patients with PMC may develop invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), which has an overall mortality rate of 8 %-14 %. An 81-year-old man presented to us with complaints of decreased vision and persistent pain in his right eye after ocular trauma.

Assessment of periodontitis vaccine using three different bacterial outer membrane vesicles in canine model.

Unlabelled: Canines frequently develop periodontitis, which is similar and relevant to immunopathology and microbiology of human periodontitis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether bacterial outer membrane vesicle (OMV)-based periodontal vaccines induced humoral immune response in canines from a human vaccine development perspective. (Pg) and (Td), two major periodontal pathobionts, were chosen as vaccine targets.

Emergence of high-level penicillin-resistant Neisseria meningitidis harboring ROB-1-type β-lactamase gene in Japan.

While antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria meningitidis, the causative agent for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), is rare, some meningococcal isolates in Japan were resistant to ciprofloxacin and penicillin (PCG). Among 290 meningococci isolated from 2003 to 2020 in Japan, four PCG resistant (PCG) meningococci were found but showed the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) with 0.5 μg/mL at a maximum due to mutation in penA gene that encodes penicillin-binding protein 2.

Genomic features and pathogenicity of atypical diarrheagenic Escherichia coli from a large foodborne outbreak.

An outbreak of diarrheal illness related to milk cartons served in school lunches, occurred in June 2021, involving more than 1800 cases from 25 schools. A strain of Escherichia coli OUT (OgGp9):H18 was implicated in the outbreak. This strain does not possess virulence factors typical of other E.

Genomic and pathogenicity analyses to identify the causative agent from multiple serogroups of non-O1, non-O139 in foodborne outbreaks.

In 2013, foodborne outbreaks in Japan were linked to non-O1, non-O139 . However, laboratory tests have detected several serogroups, making it difficult to determine the causative agent. Therefore, whole-genome analyses revealed that only serogroup O144 possesses a genomic island with a type III secretion system (T3SS).

Peptide nucleic acid-immobilised paper combined with multiplex recombinase polymerase amplification for the ultrasensitive and rapid detection of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis.

Rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) is a critical issue with significant implications for patient care, public health, and TB control efforts that necessitate comprehensive strategies for detection. This study presents a novel point-of-care diagnostic tool for RR-TB detection employing a peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-paper-based sensor combined with isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA). The sensor targets mutations in codons 516, 526, and 531 of the rpoB gene, the top three common mutations associated with rifampicin-resistant strains.

Emergence of Ceftriaxone-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae Through Horizontal Gene Transfer Among Neisseria Species.

Background: It has been suggested that the emergence of ceftriaxone-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae involves the incorporation of the penA gene from commensal Neisseria spp that are resistant to ceftriaxone. However, the mechanism of this mosaic penA generation is unknown.

Methods: We obtained 10 strains of commensal Neisseria spp showing ceftriaxone minimum inhibitory concentration ≥0.

Genomic perspective on the bacillus causing paratyphoid B fever.

Paratyphoid B fever (PTB) is caused by an invasive lineage (phylogroup 1, PG1) of Salmonella enterica serotype Paratyphi B (SPB). However, little was known about the global population structure, geographic distribution, and evolution of this pathogen. Here, we report a whole-genome analysis of 568 historical and contemporary SPB PG1 isolates, obtained globally, between 1898 and 2021.

Prospective evaluation of non-invasive saliva specimens for the diagnosis of syphilis and molecular surveillance of .

The promising diagnostic performance of molecular testing for syphilis using saliva and urine samples has been reported; however, further evaluation of its possible application for diagnosis and molecular surveillance is required. In addition, the development of a rapid and easy-to-perform molecular test for syphilis is important for its use in the clinical setting. We comprehensively evaluated the diagnostic and surveillance performance of two novel loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays using saliva and urine samples.

A simple and cost-effective transformation system for via natural competence.

is a major oral bacterial pathogen responsible for severe periodontal diseases. Numerous studies have used genetic approaches to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenicity. Typically, electroporation and conjugation are utilized for mutagenesis of ; however, these techniques require specialized equipment such as high-voltage electroporators, conjugative plasmids and donor strains.

High prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli phylogroup B2 clinical isolates in northeastern Thailand.

Background: Production of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) is a common resistance mechanism in Enterobacteriaceae, leading to serious hospital-acquired infections. This study aimed to assess phenotypic, phylogenetic, and antibiotic resistance patterns among ESBL-producing Escherichia coli isolates recovered from two rural tertiary hospitals in Thailand.

Results: Among 467 Enterobacteriaceae isolates, E.

Genomic characterization of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales from Dhaka food markets unveils the spread of high-risk antimicrobial-resistant clones and plasmids co-carrying and .

Background: The transmission of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) in the external environment, especially through food, presents a significant public health risk.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and genetic characteristics of CPE in food markets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, using WGS.

Methods: CPE isolates were obtained from different food and water samples collected from food markets in the southern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Colistin Resistance Mediated by -Related Phosphoethanolamine Transferase Genes in Species Isolated from Aquatic Environments in Avaga and Pakro Communities in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

Purpose: Colistin is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a critically important and last-resort antibiotic for the treatment of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant bacteria. However, colistin resistance mediated by chromosomal mutations or plasmid-linked mobilized colistin resistance () genes has emerged.

Methods: Thirteen -positive species isolated from water samples collected in Eastern Ghana were analyzed using whole-genome sequencing (WGS).