Journal of Medical Microbiology

Introduction. Infectious gastroenteritis is a common reason for consulting a physician. Although most cases of gastrointestinal illness are self-limiting, the identification of the etiologic pathogen by stool specimen analysis is important in cases of more severe illness and for epidemiological reasons.Due to the broad range of causative pathogens, the conventional examination of a stool specimen is labour-intensive and usually requires different diagnostic methods. Multiplex PCR tests [e.g. BioFire Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel] allow the rapid detecting of up to 22 pathogens in one test...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most versatile bacteria with renowned pathogenicity and extensive drug resistance. The diverse habitats of this bacterium include fresh, saline and drainage waters, soil, moist surfaces, taps, showerheads, pipelines, medical implants, nematodes, insects, plants, animals, birds and humans. The arsenal of virulence factors produced by P. aeruginosa includes pyocyanin, rhamnolipids, siderophores, lytic enzymes, toxins and polysaccharides. All these virulent elements coupled with intrinsic, adaptive and acquired antibiotic resistance facilitate persistent colonization and lethal infections in different hosts...

Introduction. Red squirrel populations have declined in the UK since the introduction of the grey squirrel, due to resource competition and grey squirrels carrying a squirrelpox virus that is fatal to red squirrels. Hypothesis/Gap Statement. It is not known if the gut microbiota of the two species is similar and if this could impact the survival of red squirrels. Aim. The aim of this study was to profile the caecal microbiota of red and grey squirrels obtained opportunistically from a conservation programme in North Wales...

Introduction. Influenza is a global health issue causing substantial health and economic burdens on affected populations. Routine, annual vaccination for influenza virus is recommended for all persons older than 6 months of age. The propagation of the influenza virus for vaccine production is predominantly through embryonated chicken eggs. Hypothesis/Gap Statement. Many challenges face the propagation of the virus, including but not limited to low yields and lengthy production times. The development of a method to increase vaccine production in eggs or cell lines by suppressing cellular gene expression would be helpful to overcome some of the challenges facing influenza vaccine production...

Introduction. Salmonella Typhimurium (STM) is a food-borne Gram-negative bacterium, which can infect humans and a wide range of livestock and poultry, causing a variety of diseases such as septicaemia, enteritis and abortion. Hypothesis/Gap Statement. We will decipher the impacts of sRNA STnc1280 on STM virulence and provide a theoretical basis to reveal the regulatory role and molecular mechanism of STnc1280 . Aim. The main objective of this study was to clarify whether sRNA STnc1280 exerts regulatory roles on STM pathogenicity...

Introduction. Trichophyton rubrum is a major causative agent of superficial dermatomycoses such as onychomycosis and tinea pedis. Huangqin decoction (HQD), as a classical traditional Chinese medicine formula, was found to inhibit the growth of common clinical dermatophytes such as T. rubrum in our previous drug susceptibility experiments. Hypothesis/Gap Statement. The antifungal activity and potential mechanism of HQD against T. rubrum have not yet been investigated. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal activity and explore the potential mechanism of action of HQD against T...

Introduction. Infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb ) is still a leading cause of mortality worldwide with estimated 1.4 million deaths annually. Hypothesis/Gap statement. Despite macrophages' ability to kill bacterium, M. tb can grow inside these innate immune cells and the exploration of the infection has traditionally been characterized by a one-sided relationship, concentrating solely on the host or examining the pathogen in isolation. Aim. Because of only a handful of M. tb -host interactions have been experimentally characterized, our main goal is to predict protein-protein interactions during the early phases of the infection...

Introduction. The rise of multi-drug-resistant bacteria poses a global threat. In 2017, the World Health Organization identified 12 antibiotic-resistant 'priority pathogens', including Enterobacteriaceae, highlighting the menace of Gram-negative bacteria. Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC)-induced diarrhoea is particularly problematic for travellers and infants. In contrast to other antibiotic alternatives, passive immunotherapy is showing promise by providing immediate and precise protection. However, mammalian-sourced antibodies are costly, hindering large-scale production...

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic accelerated developments in biotechnology that underpin infection science. These advances present an opportunity to refresh the microbial forensic toolkit. Integration of novel analytical techniques with established forensic methods will speed up acquisition of evidence and better support lines of enquiry. A critical part of any such investigation is demonstration of a robust causal relationship and attribution of responsibility for an incident. In the wider context of a formal investigation into agency, motivation and intent, the quick and efficient assembly of microbiological evidence sets the tone and tempo of the entire investigation...

Introduction. Disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is an emergent problem. Because NTM pulmonary disease and tuberculosis (TB) have similar clinical presentations, many cases of NTM may be misdiagnosed as TB before laboratory identification of the NTM species. Hypothesis/Gap Statement. Clinical laboratories should always perform differentiation between Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and NTM to guide patients' correct treatment. Aim. To describe the characteristics and to identify mycobacterial isolates presumptively classified as MTBC by macroscopic characteristics in culture media that tested negative in GenoType MTBDR plus ...

Introduction. Multiple reports have attempted to describe the tumour microbiota in head and neck cancer (HNSC). Gap statement. However, these have failed to produce a consistent microbiota signature, which may undermine understanding the importance of bacterial-mediated effects in HNSC. Aim. The aim of this study is to consolidate these datasets and identify a consensus microbiota signature in HNSC. Methodology. We analysed 12 published HNSC 16S rRNA microbial datasets collected from cancer, cancer-adjacent and non-cancer tissues to generate a consensus microbiota signature...

Introduction. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) belong to a diverse group of gastrointestinal pathogens. The pathogenic potential of STEC is enhanced by the presence of the pathogenicity island called the Locus of Enterocyte Effacement (LEE), including the intimin encoding gene eae . Gap statement. STEC serotypes O128:H2 (Clonal Complex [CC]25), O91:H14 (CC33), and O146:H21 (CC442) are consistently in the top five STEC serotypes isolated from patients reporting gastrointestinal symptoms in England...

Introduction. BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) quantitative testing is an important screening tool post-transplantation, although interpretation can be challenging due to lack of standardization, assay heterogeneity and variability of BKPyV DNA over time (in urine). Methods. Remnant clinical EDTA plasma and urine samples were tested by the cobas BKV test and a validated laboratory-developed test (LDT). Accuracy [positive and negative percent agreement (PPA and NPA), Pearson's correlation, Bland-Altman analysis] and reproducibility were evaluated...

Introduction. Helicobacter pylori infection is a major global health concern, linked to the development of various gastrointestinal diseases, including gastric cancer. To study the pathogenesis of H. pylori and develop effective intervention strategies, appropriate animal pathogen models that closely mimic human infection are essential. Gap statement. This study focuses on the understudied hpEastAsia genotype in Southeast Asia, a region marked by a high H. pylori infection rate. No mouse-adapted model strains has been reported previously...

Introduction. The northern region of Thailand serves as a crucial area for swine production, contributing to the Thai community food supply. Previous studies have highlighted the presence of foodborne bacterial pathogens originating from swine farms in this region, posing a threat to both human and animal health. Gap statement. Multiple swine bacterial pathogens have been studied at a species level, but the distribution and co-occurrence of bacterial pathogens in agricultural swine has not been well established...

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a bacterial pathogen that causes gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted infection. Increasing antimicrobial resistance in N. gonorrhoeae is providing motivation to develop new treatment options. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of the antibiotic ramoplanin as a treatment for N. gonorrhoeae infection. We tested the effectiveness of ramoplanin in vitro against 14 World Health Organization (WHO) reference strains of N. gonorrhoeae and found that it was active against all 14 strains tested...

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Background. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major causative bacteria of pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD); however, the mechanisms underlying its severity and invasion remain to be defined. Pneumococcal colonies exhibit opaque and transparent opacity phase variations, which have been associated with invasive infections and nasal colonization, respectively, in animal studies. This study evaluated the relationship between the opacity of pneumococcal colonies and the clinical presentation of pneumococcal pneumonia...

A domestic short hair cat ( Felis catus ) suffering from a purulent wound infection resulting from a dog bite was sampled for bacterial culture and isolation as the wound had been unresponsive to prolonged antimicrobial treatment. A mycoplasma was isolated from the wound. Whole genome sequencing of the isolate was performed using short-read Illumina and long-read Oxford Nanopore chemistry, and the organism was identified as Mycoplasma edwardii . Comparison of the genome sequence of the isolate to a reference M...