Cholesteryl Hemiazelate Present in Cardiovascular Disease Patients Causes Lysosome Dysfunction in Murine Fibroblasts.

There is growing evidence supporting the role of fibroblasts in all stages of atherosclerosis, from the initial phase to fibrous cap and plaque formation. In the arterial wall, as with macrophages and vascular smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts are exposed to a myriad of LDL lipids, including the lipid species formed during the oxidation of their polyunsaturated fatty acids of cholesteryl esters (PUFA-CEs). Recently, our group identified the final oxidation products of the PUFA-CEs, cholesteryl hemiesters (ChE), in tissues from cardiovascular disease patients. Cholesteryl hemiazelate (ChA), the most prevalent lipid of this family, is sufficient to impact lysosome function in macrophages and vascular smooth muscle cells, with consequences for their homeostasis. Here, we show that the lysosomal compartment of ChA-treated fibroblasts also becomes dysfunctional. Indeed, fibroblasts exposed to ChA exhibited a perinuclear accumulation of enlarged lysosomes full of neutral lipids. However, this outcome did not trigger de novo lysosome biogenesis, and only the lysosomal transcription factor E3 (TFE3) was slightly transcriptionally upregulated. As a consequence, autophagy was inhibited, probably via mTORC1 activation, culminating in fibroblasts' apoptosis. Our findings suggest that the impairment of lysosome function and autophagy and the induction of apoptosis in fibroblasts may represent an additional mechanism by which ChA can contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis.

High Colonization Rate and Heterogeneity of ESBL- and Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae Isolated from Gull Feces in Lisbon, Portugal.

In order to evaluate whether seagulls living on the Lisbon coastline, Portugal, might be colonized and consequently represent potential spreaders of multidrug-resistant bacteria, a total of 88 gull fecal samples were screened for detection of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)- or carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and for vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). A large proportion of samples yielded carbapenemase- or ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (16% and 55%, respectively), while only two MRSA and two VRE were detected. Mating-out assays followed by PCR and whole-plasmid sequencing allowed to identify carbapenemase and ESBL encoding genes. Among 24 carbapenemase-producing isolates, there were mainly Klebsiella pneumoniae (50%) and Escherichia coli (33%). OXA-181 was the most common carbapenemase identified (54%), followed by OXA-48 (25%) and KPC-2 (17%). Ten different ESBLs were found among 62 ESBL-producing isolates, mainly being CTX-M-type enzymes (87%). Co-occurrence in single samples of multiple ESBL- and carbapenemase producers belonging to different bacterial species was observed in some cases. Seagulls constitute an important source for spreading multidrug-resistant bacteria in the environment and their gut microbiota a formidable microenvironment for transfer of resistance genes within bacterial species.

Epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in northern Portugal: Predominance of KPC-2 and OXA-48.

OBJECTIVES: To provide, for the first time, data on the molecular epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates from the northern region of Portugal (Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro). METHODS: A total of 106 carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae isolates recovered from clinical samples and rectal swabs between January 2018 and March 2019 were included in this study. All isolates were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility, identification of resistance determinants, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and plasmid analysis. RESULTS: The most common carbapenemase identified was KPC-2 (91%), followed by OXA-48 (9%). The blaKPC-2 gene was carried onto IncN (60%) and IncF (40%) plasmid types, whereas the blaOXA-48 gene was mainly located on the IncL (90%) incompatibility group. Molecular characterization distributed the 106 isolates into 29 PFGE types and 21 sequence types (STs), but three clones included 50% of the isolates: PFGE A-ST147-KPC-2 (29%), B-ST15-KPC-2 (15%), and C-ST11-OXA-48 (6%). Antimicrobial resistance rates were the following: ciprofloxacin (76%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (75%), tobramycin (62%), gentamicin (34%), amikacin (25%), tigecycline (21%), fosfomycin (10%), and colistin (7%). None of the colistin-resistant isolates harboured mcr genes. All isolates remained susceptible to ceftazidime/avibactam, but 10% presented elevated MICs (3 and 4mg/L). CONCLUSIONS: KPC-2 was the predominant carbapenemase among K. pneumoniae isolates currently circulating at this hospital from northern Portugal, followed by OXA-48. These data contrast with those obtained from the rest of the country, where KPC-3 predominates. This study showed a polyclonal structure of KPC-2-producing K. pneumoniae isolates with a predominance of the ST147 and ST15 clones.

Intestinal carriage of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae at admission in a Portuguese hospital.

To evaluate the prevalence of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae fecal carriers at admission in a Portuguese hospital and to determine the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance patterns of ESBL-producing isolates. During a 2-month period, rectal swabs were collected at hospital admission from 151 at-risk patients. In addition, 48 rectal swabs were obtained from weekly screenings of 37 patients hospitalized for > 48 h. All ESBL/carbapenemase-producing isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility and characterized by PFGE and MLST. The prevalence of ESBL producers at hospital admission was 17% and 24% among at-risk patients hospitalized for > 48 h, while the prevalence of carbapenemase producers was 3% in both cases. Most of the isolates were Escherichia coli (54%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (41%). The most common ESBL identified was CTX-M-15 (n = 17/34; 50%), followed by CTX-M-27 (n = 10; 29%), CTX-M-33 (n = 4; 12%), SHV-12 (n = 2), and CTX-M-55 (n = 1). The 20 E. coli isolates were distributed into 16 PFGE types and nine sequence types (ST), with 60% of the isolates belonging to ST131. The 15 K. pneumoniae were grouped into 12 PFGE types and nine STs, with three STs (ST17, ST449, ST147) corresponding to 60% of the isolates. A high proportion of isolates showed resistance to ciprofloxacin (86%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (68%), tobramycin (57%), and gentamicin (43%). All isolates remained susceptible to fosfomycin. A high prevalence of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae was found at hospital admission among at-risk patients and > 50% of the isolates showed resistance to first-line antibiotics for the treatment of lower urinary tract infections, leaving fosfomycin as an alternative.

Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates colonizing pigs with different exposure to antibiotics.

BACKGROUND: In 2016, very high rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-ST398 (99%) were found in Portuguese pig farms that used colistin, amoxicillin, and zinc oxide as feed additives. Since then, farms A and B banned the use of colistin, and farm C banned the use of both antibiotics. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the ban of colistin and amoxicillin on pig MRSA carriage rates, clonal types and antimicrobial resistance, compared to the results obtained in 2016. METHODS: In 2018, 103 pigs (52 from farm B using amoxicillin only as a feed additive and 51 from farm C where no antibiotics were included in the feed regimen) were nasally swabbed for MRSA colonization. Isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility, and characterised by spa typing, SCCmec typing and MLST. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed for representative isolates. RESULTS: Overall, 96% of the pigs swabbed in 2018 carried MRSA, mostly ST398-SCCmec V-spa types t011/t108. MRSA from pigs not receiving antibiotics in the feed regimen showed susceptibility to a higher number of antibiotics, namely erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and chloramphenicol. Notably, most of these isolates (n = 52) presented an unusual erythromycin-susceptibility/clindamycin-resistance phenotype. WGS showed that these isolates lacked the erm and the lnu genes encoding resistance to macrolides and lincosamides, respectively, but carried the vgaALC gene encoding resistance to lincosamides, which is here firstly identified in S. aureus ST398. CONCLUSION: After two years the ban of colistin and amoxicillin as feed additives had no significant impact on the MRSA nasal carriage rates. Nevertheless, the MRSA strains circulating in those farms showed resistance to a lower number of antibiotic classes.

Novel coating containing molybdenum oxide nanoparticles to reduce Staphylococcus aureus contamination on inanimate surfaces.

We previously synthetized molybdenum oxide (MoO3) nanoparticles (NP) and showed their antibacterial activity against a representative collection of the most relevant bacterial species responsible for hospital-acquired infections, including Staphylococcus aureus. The aim of the present study was to prepare and characterize a novel coating with these MoO3 NP, confirm its mechanical stability, and investigate its biocidal effect to reduce S. aureus contamination on inanimate surfaces. In addition, the novel MoO3 NP coating was compared to a silver (Ag) NP coating synthetized by the same procedure. The MoO3 and Ag NP coatings were characterized in terms of their chemical structure by FT-IR, surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy, and mechanical properties by tensile and adhesion tests. The antimicrobial activity of the coatings was tested by following the loss of viability of S. aureus after 6h, 24h, 48h, and 72h exposure. MoO3 and Ag coatings exhibited surfaces of comparable morphologies and both presented elastomeric properties (tensile strength of ~420 kPa, Young's modulus of ~48 kPa, and maximum elongation of ~12%), and excellent (classification of 5B) adhesion to glass, steel and polystyrene surfaces. The two coatings exhibited a good antibacterial activity (R) against S. aureus over time (RMoO3 = 0.2-0.81; RAg = 0.61-2.37), although the effect of the Ag NP coating was more pronounced, especially at 72h (RMoO3 = 0.81 vs RAg = 2.37). Noteworthy, contrary to the Ag NP coating, the MoO3 NP coating was colourless and transparent, avoiding undesired unaesthetic effects. The synthetized coating with NP of MoO3, which has low toxicity to humans, capability of biodegradation, and rapid excretion, can be applied onto most standard materials and therefore is a promising tool to reduce S. aureus contamination on usual inanimate surfaces found in healthcare and community environments.

An Experimental Model for the Rapid Screening of Compounds with Potential Use Against Mycobacteria.

Infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacteria are major challenges for global public health. Particularly worrisome are infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, which are increasingly difficult to treat because of the loss of efficacy of the current antibacterial agents, a problem that continues to escalate worldwide. There has been a limited interest and investment on the development of new antibacterial agents in the past decades. This has led to the current situation, in which there is an urgent demand for innovative therapeutic alternatives to fight infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens, such as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The identification of compounds that can act as adjuvants in antimycobacterial therapeutic regimens is an appealing strategy to restore the efficacy lost by some of the antibiotics currently used and shorten the duration of the therapeutic regimen. In this work, by setting Mycobacterium smegmatis as a model organism, we have developed a methodological strategy to identify, in a fast and simple approach, compounds with antimycobacterial activity or with potential adjuvant properties, by either inhibition of efflux or other unrelated mechanisms. Such an approach may increase the rate of identification of promising molecules, to be further explored in pathogenic models for their potential use either as antimicrobials or as adjuvants, in combination with available therapeutic regimens for the treatment of mycobacterial infections. This method allowed us to identify a new molecule that shows promising activity as an efflux inhibitor in M. smegmatis.