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Drug efflux transporters in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius: in silico prediction and characterization of resistance
No full textObjectives To perform an in silico prediction of drug efflux pumps (EPs) in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and investigate their role in conferring resistance to antibiotic and biocidal agents and biofilm formation. Methods A S. pseudintermedius efflux mutant was obtained by stimulating an isogenic line (ATCC 49444) with increasing concentrations of an efflux system substrate. Changes in antimicrobial susceptibility and biofilm-forming capability were evaluated in the presence/absence of the EP inhibitors (EPIs) thioridazine and reserpine and the efflux activity was assayed by fluorometry. Homologues of EPs of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis were searched by exploratory GenBank investigations. Gene expression analyses and sequencing were then conducted on selected genes. Results Susceptibility to chlorhexidine, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin, but not enrofloxacin, was affected by the increased efflux and it was variably restored by the EPIs. The efflux mutant showed much greater biofilm formation that the original strain, which was significantly inhibited by thioridazine and reserpine at MIC/2. A high expression of norA, which was mgrA-independent, was found in the S. pseudintermedius efflux mutant, apparently regulated by an 11 bp deletion in its promoter region, whilst lmrB was transitorily overexpressed. icaA, which encodes the polysaccharide intercellular adhesin forming the extracellular matrix of staphylococcal biofilm, was also up-regulated. Conclusions EPs, particularly NorA, are supposed to have complex involvement in multiple stages of resistance development. Overexpression of EPs appears to be correlated with a remarkable increase of S. pseudintermedius biofilm production; however, the regulatory mechanisms remain to be explored
Comparative performances of Vitek-2, Disk Diffusion, and Broth Microdilution for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of canine Staphylococcus pseudintermedius
No full textStaphylococcus pseudintermedius is the primary cause of canine cutaneous infections and sporadically isolated as pathogen from humans. Rapidly emerging antibiotic-resistant strains are creating serious health concern so that accurate and timely antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is crucial for patient care. Here, the performances of AST methods Vitek-2, Disk Diffusion (DD) and Broth Microdilution (BMD) were compared for the determination of susceptibility of 79 S. pseudintermedius isolates from canine cutaneous infections and one from human pyoderma to oxacillin (OXA), amoxicillin/clavulanate (AMC), cephalothin (CEF), gentamicin (GEN), enrofloxacin (ENR), doxycycline (DOX), clindamycin (CLI), inducible clindamycin resistance (ICR), mupirocin (MUP) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT). Overall, the agreement of DD and Vitek-2 using veterinary AST-GP80 card with reference BMD was ≥ 90%, suggesting reliable AST performances. While DD generated mainly minor errors and one major error for OXA, Vitek-2 produced one very major error for GEN and it failed in identifying one ICR-positive isolate. Moreover, five bacteria were diagnosed as ICR-positive by Vitek-2 but they showed a non-induction resistance phenotype by manual methods. All S. pseudintermedius were interpreted as susceptible or intermediately susceptible to DOX using CLSI breakpoints for human staphylococci that match the DOX concentration range included in AST-GP80. However, this could lead to inappropriate antimicrobial prescription for S. pseudintermedius infections in companion animals. Considering the clinical and epidemiological importance of S. pseudintermedius, we encourage updating action by the system manufacturer to address AST for this bacterium
Editorial: Diagnostic procedures in veterinary microbiology and infectious diseases, volume II
No full textSerological and biomolecular survey on canine herpesvirus-1 infection in a dog breeding kennel
No full textCanine herpesvirus-1 (CaHV-1) is a globally distributed pathogen causing reproductive, respiratory, ocular and neurological disorders in adult dogs and neonatal death in puppies. This pathogen is considered poorly immunogenic, and neutralizing antibodies are found for only a short time following exposure. Further, seroprevalence can be affected by several epidemiological factors. A virological survey was conducted in a high-density population breeding kennel in Central Italy. There were several factors predisposing animals to CaHV-1 infection, such as age, number of pregnancies, experience with mating and dog shows, cases of abortion, management and environmental hygiene. Serum neutralization (SN) and nested PCR assays were used to estimate prevalence of CaHV-1. None of the submitted samples tested positive for nested PCR, and none of the sera tested CaHV-1 positive. No association was observed between antibody titers and risk factors, and no sign of viral reactivation was detected in either males or females. These results suggest that CaHV-1 is not circulating within this kennel and that further studies are needed in order to better understand the distribution of the virus within Italy
In vitro cytotoxicity and efficacy against Rhodococcus equi of azithromycin plus rifampicin microparticle combinations
No full textDetection of Mycoplasma DNA in 122 cases of abortion, stillbirth and neonatal mortality in dogs and cats
No full textOBJECTIVE Abortion and neonatal mortality are relatively common in dogs and cats and they are linked to several causative factors [1]. Mycoplasma spp. have been involved in canine and feline infertility, although existing studies are limited and somewhat contradictory [2, 3, 4]. Intrauterine inoculation of Mycoplasma spp. had previously been associated to endometritis, abortion, and neonatal mortality in cat [3]. Conversely, several Mycoplasma spp. have been isolated in vaginal swabs of healthy bitch [2]. The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively detect Mycoplasma DNA in a caseload of canine and feline abortion, stillbirth and neonatal mortality.
MATERIALS AND METHODS Specimens from 122 cases (114 dogs and 8 cats) of abortion, stillbirth and neonatal mortality were investigated to detect Mycoplasma DNA by PCR.
RESULTS Eight out of 122 cases (6.6%, all dogs) tested positive for Mycoplasma DNA. From five of them (62.5%), other microorganisms were identified, particularly Canine herpesvirus-1 (2/8, 25%) and Escherichia coli and/or Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (3/8, 37.5%), notoriously responsible for infertility in the bitch. In two different litters, only one puppy of each was positive to Mycoplasma DNA. Moreover, Mycoplasma DNA was identified from vaginal swab and foetal membranes collected during caesarean section of a bitch whelping Mycoplasma-negative puppies, further supporting that Mycoplasma spp. is part of the normal microflora of the female genital tract. No positive case was observed in feline samples, even if a very limited number of cases were collected.
CONCLUSION Mycoplasma DNA was seldom detected from cases of abortion, stillbirth and neonatal mortality in dogs. The detection of Mycoplasma DNA in association with other main pathogens and its detection from the female genital tract in the absence of transmission to puppies support the hypothesis that Mycoplasma is an autochthonous genital microflora or can play a secondary role in the canine infertility
Comparison between clinical evaluations and laboratory findings and the impact of biofilm on antimicrobial susceptibility in vitro in canine otitis externa
No full textBackground: In canine otitis externa (OE), biofilm-producing bacteria are frequently present but biofilm may be underdiagnosed clinically. Hypothesis/objectives: The study aimed to investigate an association between clinical and cytological findings with bacteriological data from dogs with OE, to establish, through Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) examination, whether the presence of biofilm in vivo can be predicted and to evaluate the impact of biofilm on antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Materials and methods: Fifty-six dogs showing clinical signs of OE were enrolled. One cotton swab each was collected for ESEM, bacterial culture and susceptibility testing and for cytology. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (n = 42, 48.8%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 26, 30.2%) were tested for their ability to form biofilm. Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC), Minimal Biofilm Inhibitory Concentrations (MBIC) and Minimal Biofilm Eradication Concentrations (MBEC) towards enrofloxacin, gentamicin, polymyxin B and rifampicin were determined. Results: Pseudomonas aeruginosa was positively associated with the biofilm clinical evaluation (p < 0.01) and neutrophils (p < 0.05), nuclear streaks (p < 0.01) and rods bacteria (p < 0.01) on cytology. S. pseudintermedius was associated with a low presence of neutrophils. There was a statistical correlation between clinical and cytological biofilm presence (p ≤ 0.01), but none with the biofilm production assay nor ESEM biofilm detection. No differences were found comparing the results of MIC and MBIC. MBEC results showed higher values than MIC and MBIC for all antimicrobials tested (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions and clinical relevance: Biofilm presence in OE was often underdiagnosed. Even if there is no specific clinical or cytological pattern related to biofilm, its presence should always be suspected
In vitro performances of novel co-spray-dried azithromycin/rifampicin microparticles for Rhodococcus equi disease treatment
No full textThis work was aimed at providing clues on the in vitro performances of novel azithromycin/rifampicin combinations, in the form of co-spray-dried microparticles (AZM/RIF MP), against Rhodococcus equi, an animal and emerging human pathogen found responsible for worrying zoonosis. Various AZM/RIF combinations were spray-dried and characterized for their morphology and size. Susceptibility studies included determination of MIC, MBC, Fractional Inhibitory/Bactericidal Concentration Indexes and intracellular activity in R. equi-infected THP-1 cells. Cytotoxicity was tested on BEAS-2B cells through MTT assay and combination index assessment for drug interaction. Spray-dried MP were collapsed and 3–10 times smaller than commercial powders. Drug combinations showed an enhancement of in vitro antibacterial activity with a remarkable synergistic bactericidal effect. Azithromycin MP and AZM/RIF MP 2:1 led to a CFU reduction of >90% up to 4 days after treatment at all tested concentrations (p = 0.001) but AZM/RIF MP 2:1 were at least four-fold more potent than AZM MP alone. IC50 values of >100 mg/L supported low cytotoxicity of drug combinations and the combination index suggested an antagonistic toxic effect. Co-spray-drying enhanced powder dispersibility and solubility, which may improve bioavailability as well as provide administration alternatives. The novel AZM/RIF MP combinations could result a valid platform to develop new treatment strategies against R. equi infections in animals and humans
Inhibition of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius Efflux Pumps by Using Staphylococcus aureus NorA Efflux Pump Inhibitors
Full text linkOne promising approach in treating antibiotic-resistant bacteria is to “break” resistances connected with antibacterial efflux by co-administering efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) with antibiotics. Here, ten compounds, previously optimized to restore the susceptibility to ciprofloxacin (CIP) of norA-overexpressing Staphylococcus aureus, were evaluated for their ability to inhibit norA-mediated efflux in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and synergize with CIP, ethidium bromide (EtBr), gentamycin (GEN), and chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX). We focused efforts on S. pseudintermedius as a pathogenic bacterium of concern within veterinary and human medicine. By combining data from checkerboard assays and EtBr efflux inhibition experiments, the hits 2-arylquinoline 1, dihydropyridine 6, and 2-phenyl-4-carboxy-quinoline 8 were considered the best EPIs for S. pseudintermedius. Overall, most of the compounds, except for 2-arylquinoline compound 2, were able to fully restore the susceptibility of S. pseudintermedius to CIP and synergize with GEN as well, while the synergistic effect with CHX was less significant and often did not show a dose-dependent effect. These are valuable data for medicinal chemistry optimization of EPIs for S. pseudintermedius and lay the foundation for further studies on successful EPIs to treat staphylococcal infections
Ethidium bromide exposure unmasks an antibiotic efflux system in Rhodococcus equi
No full textThis study introduces a newly created strain (Rhodococcus equiEtBr25) by exposing R. equi ATCC 33701 to ethidium bromide (EtBr), a substrate for MDR transporters. Such an approach allowed us to investigate the resulting phenotype and genetic mechanisms underlying the efflux-mediated resistance in R. equi
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