Multiplexed bacterial recognition based on "All-in-One" semiconducting polymer dots sensor and machine learning.

The accurate discrimination of bacterial infection is imperative for precise clinical diagnosis and treatment. Here, this work presents a simplified sensor array utilizing "All-in-One" Pdots for efficient discrimination of diverse bacterial samples. The "All-in-One" Pdots sensor (AOPS) were synthesized using three components that exhibit fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect, facilitating the efficient integration of multiple discrimination channels to generate specific fluorescence response patterns through a single detection under single-wavelength excitation. Additionally, machine learning techniques were employed to visually represent the fluorescence response patterns of AOPS upon exposure to bacterial metabolites derived from diverse bacterial species. The as-prepared sensor platform demonstrated excellent performance in analyzing eight common bacteria, drug-resistant strains, mixed bacterial samples, bacterial biofilms and real samples, presenting significant potential in the identification of complex samples for bacterial analysis.

Expansion of MALDI-TOF MS database as a strategy for identification of Haemophilus species other than H. influenzae.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate an expanded matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) database for the identification of Haemophilus species other than H. influenzae (Hi). METHODS: A total of 144 Haemophilus species, cultured from respiratory samples from people (living) with cystic fibrosis, were identified with MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rRNA sequencing. Of these, 99 Haemophilus strains showed >99% similarity with the best matching strain in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database and were assigned to a single Haemophilus subspecies using both MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rRNA sequencing. The MS profiles of a subset of strains (n = 58/99) were added to the Bruker MALDI-TOF MS database. Subsequently, 270 different strains that were analyzed previously in a routine setting were re-analyzed. RESULTS: 16S rRNA sequencing reliably identified 99/144 Haemophilus strains (>99% similarity). H. haemolyticus 16S rRNA identification was suboptimal since only 3/21 H. haemolyticus strains attained a similarity of >99% with H. haemolyticus 16S rRNA sequence in the NCBI database. Expansion of the MALDI-TOF MS database improved the number of reliable identifications only moderately for H. haemolyticus, H. influenzae and H. paraphrohaemolyticus (<10%). By contrast, improved identification was more outspoken for H. parahaemolyticus, H. parainfluenzae, H. sputorum and H. pittmaniae (>85%). CONCLUSION: 16S rRNA sequencing is a valuable method for the identification of Haemophilus sp. other than Hi. Expansion of the MALDI-TOF MS database, based on 16S rRNA sequencing results, increased the proportion of reliable identifications and in this study resulted in an increase of 10% of Haemophilus sp. other than Hi strain identifications.

ICU care through NGS - Based identification of infectious agents: A comparative study.

Background: Sepsis claims 1 in 5 lives annually as per global statistics. Sepsis incidence in recent studies represents at least 35 % of all ICU admissions and has a high mortality rate, especially in the presence of co-existing morbidities. The challenge has been to accurately diagnose the causative organism, considering factors such as possible polymicrobial infections, commensals and environmental contaminants. Legacy techniques such as culture, automated culture systems or even newer species-specific PCR or film array these challenges difficult to overcome. The Bactfast® and Fungifast® assays along with the integrated workflow is based on next generation sequencing and have the ability to demarcate infecting pathogen from contamination and commensal. The unique ability to pinpoint the exact pathogen, considering the commensal and contamination in a variety of samples, with an extremely high sensitivity could lead it to be a tool of diagnostic choice for non-resolving ICU sepsis due to its comprehensive coverage and speed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of Bactfast® and Fungifast® as a last mile diagnostic tool in a ICU setting. Method: This study was carried out considering access to four intensive care units (ICU). Legacy testing, mostly done on culture, was conducted at the various integrated microbiology facilities of the hospitals where the ICUs were located, in Chennai, India. NABL accredited laboratory Micro Genomics (India) Pvt Ltd, was established as the central processing facility for next generation sequencing to run the Bactfast® and Fungifast® assay. Co-relation of results for 490 samples was done retrospectively by a multi-disciplinary team of consultants which comprised of microbiologists, and infectious disease physicians. Result: The diagnostic workflow established with the Bactfast® assay provided a sensitivity of 94.1 % and specificity of 86.6 %. Identification of pathogens in Bactfast® was better when compared to the data published in 2017, as reflected by positive co-relation with clinical confirmation. Although the Fungifast® specificity was high, at 99.4 %, only 12 samples were positive on fungal culture out of 490 samples. Therefore, it was concluded a further study for fungi based on multiple technologies with more true positive samples is required to evaluate the test. Conclusion: Bactfast® can identify pathogens in a sample without any bias. Its introduction as diagnostic modality in life threatening ICU sepsis could reduce mortality and morbidity. Although the initial results of Fungifast® are encouraging a further research is required for more information on test sensitivity.

Broad-range amplification and sequencing of the rpoB gene: a novel assay for bacterial identification in clinical microbiology.

The rpoB gene has been proposed as a promising phylogenetic marker for bacterial identification, providing theoretically improved species-level resolution compared to the 16S rRNA gene for a range of clinically important taxa. However, its utility in diagnostic microbiology has been limited by the lack of broad-range primers allowing for its amplification from most species with a single PCR assay. Here, we present an assay for broad-range partial amplification and Sanger sequencing of the rpoB gene. To reduce cross-reactivity and allow for rpoB amplification directly from patient samples, primers were based on the dual priming oligonucleotide principle. The resulting amplicon is ~550 base pairs in length and appropriate for species-level identification. Systematic in silico evaluation of a wide selection of taxa demonstrated improved resolution within multiple important genera, including Enterococcus, Fusobacterium, Mycobacterium, Streptococcus, and Staphylococcus species and several genera within the Enterobacteriaceae family. Broad-range rpoB amplification and Sanger sequencing of 115 bacterial isolates provided unambiguous species-level identification for 97 (84%) isolates, as compared to 57 (50%) using a clinical 16S rRNA gene assay. Several unresolved taxonomic matters disguised by the low resolution of the 16S rRNA gene were revealed using the rpoB gene. Using a collection of 33 clinical specimens harboring bacteria and assumed to contain high concentrations of human DNA, the rpoB assay identified the pathogen in 29 specimens (88%). Broad-range rpoB amplification and sequencing provides a promising tool for bacterial identification, improving discrimination between closely related species and making it amenable for use in culture-based and culture-independent diagnostic approaches.

Performance of ePlex® blood culture identification panels in clinical isolates and characterization of antimicrobial stewardship opportunities.

We assessed the performance of GenMark's ePlex® Blood Culture Identification (BCID) Panels for overall agreement of organism identification and resistance mechanism detection with standard microbiologic methods. This study included patients with a positive blood culture from May 2020 to January 2021. The primary outcomes were to assess concordance of ePlex® organism identification with standard identification methods and concordance of ePlex® genotypic resistance mechanism detection with standard phenotypic susceptibility testing. Secondary outcomes included panel specific performance and characterization of antimicrobial stewardship opportunities. The overall identification concordance rate in 1276 positive blood cultures was 98.1%. The overall concordance for the presence of resistance markers was 98.2% and concordance for the absence of resistance markers was 100%. A majority of ePlex® results (69.5%) represented opportunities for potential antimicrobial stewardship intervention. High concordance rates between the ePlex® BCID panels and standard identification and susceptibility methods enable utilization of results to guide rapid antimicrobial optimization.

Specific discrimination of pathogenic bacteria causing septic arthritis using Raman spectroscopy: In-vitro study.

In this study we performed preliminary experiments using Raman spectroscopy as an evolving technology in biofluid and microbial characterization, to explore its potential for rapid diagnosis of pathogenic bacteria in an in-vitro synovial fluid infection model. Normal human synovial fluids samples were collected from patients undergoing knee surgery and the three most common pathogenic bacteria introduced in-vitro into the samples. The bacterial growth was systematically monitored using a Raman spectroscopy. Multivariate regression analysis of acquired spectra showed bacterial characteristic Raman bands related to bacterial cell membranes and DNA structures to increase continuously as the incubation period was increased. Spectra signature recorded from cultured synovial fluid samples showed a significant loss in synovial quality and protein morphology over time compared to control samples. In this study, Raman spectroscopy shows promise for rapid pathogenic bacteria identification in synovial fluid. Marker peaks distinguished inoculated bacteria, while chemical changes reveal infection dynamics.

Molecular and phenotypic identification of bacterial species isolated from cows with mastitis from three regions of Poland.

BACKGROUND: Bovine mastitis is a widespread disease affecting dairy cattle worldwide and it generates substantial losses for dairy farmers. Mastitis may be caused by bacteria, fungi or algae. The most common species isolated from infected milk are, among others, Streptococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and non-aureus staphylococci and mammaliicocci. The aim of this paper is to determine the frequency of occurrence of bacterial species in milk samples from cows with mastitis from three regions of Poland: the north-east, the south-west and the south. To this end 203 milk samples taken from cows with a clinical form (CM) of mastitis (n = 100) and healthy animals (n = 103) were examined, which included culture on an appropriate medium followed by molecular detection of E. coli, S. aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus uberis, as one of the most common species isolated from mastitis milk. RESULTS: The results obtained indicated that S. uberis was the most commonly cultivated CM species (38%, n = 38), followed by S. aureus (22%, n = 22), E. coli (21%, n = 21) and S. agalactiae (18%, n = 18). Similar frequencies in molecular methods were obtained for S. uberis (35.1%) and S. aureus (28.0%). The variation of sensitivity of both methods may be responsible for the differences in the E. coli (41.0%, p = 0.002) and S. agalactiae (5.0%, p = 0.004) detection rates. Significant differences in composition of species between three regions of Poland were noted for E. coli incidence (p < 0.001), in both the culture and molecular methods, but data obtained by the PCR method indicated that this species was the least common in north-eastern Poland, while the culture method showed that in north-eastern Poland E. coli was the most common species. Significant differences for the molecular method were also observed for S. uberis (p < 0.001) and S. aureus (p < 0.001). Both species were most common in southern and south-western Poland. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained confirm the need to introduce rapid molecular tests for veterinary diagnostics, as well as providing important epidemiological data, to the best of our knowledge data on Polish cows in selected areas of Poland is lacking.

Trends in infectious spondylitis from 2000 to 2020.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the trends in infectious spondylitis over the past two decades. METHODS: We included 157 cases, from 2000 to 2020, of infectious spondylitis. The cases were divided into two groups: 00 (cases during 2000-2009; 82 cases:) and 10 (cases during 2010-2020; 75 cases) groups. Patients' age, sex, causative organism, and localization were examined and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The proportions of women in the 00 and 10 groups were 30.5% and 38.7%, respectively, with no significant difference (P = 0.28). The average age was significantly higher in the 10 group (72.6 years) than in the 00 group (68.8 years; P < 0.01). A compromised host was the cause of infection in 52.4% and 36.0% of the patients in the 00 and 10 groups, respectively, showing a significant difference. The bacterial identification rates were 70.1% and 77.3% in the 00 and 10 groups, respectively (P < 0.01), and the genus Staphylococcus was the most common bacteria. The proportions of resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the 00 and 10 groups were 27.3% and 6.7%, respectively (P < 0.01). Conversely, infectious diseases caused by indigenous bacteria in the oral cavity and intestines were more common in the 10group (37.8%) than in the 00 group (13.0%), showing a significant difference (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Recently, infections caused by indigenous bacteria in the oral cavity and intestines have increased more than those caused by resistant bacteria over the past two decade.

Molecular epidemiological and clinical infection characteristics analysis of Ralstonia.

PURPOSE: This study was to clarify the molecular epidemiology and clinical infection characteristics of Ralstonia pickettii and establish sequence typing system. METHODS: 48 nonrepetitive Ralstonia pickettii strains were collected from January 2008 to December 2013 at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital (PLAGH) and were identified through a specific PCR experiment, 16 S rDNA experiment and VITEK 2 system to compare the identification accuracy. The sequence types of the strains were analyzed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) method. The antibiotic sensitivity of these strains was determined with disc diffusion tests and broth microdilution method. The clinical data of Ralstonia pickettii infected patients were collected. RESULTS: All of the 48 strains were identified as Ralstonia pickettii by VITEK 2 system. 30 and 34 strains were identified as Ralstonia pickettii by PCR and 16 S rDNA experiment respectively. ST9 was the most sequence types (STs) in these 18 STs of 42 strains. 42 strains were divided into 2 groups (A and B) and 18 genotypes. Ralstonia pickettii was sensitive to some cephalosporins, ß-lactam/ß-lactamase inhibitor, levofloxacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Cough, sputum, shortness of breath and pulmonary rales were the common clinical symptoms of most Ralstonia pickettii infected patients. CONCLUSION: We established a sequence typing system with a relatively fine resolution and the PCR assay is a faster and more sensitive method for clinical identification of Ralstonia pickettii. ST9 is the most common sequence types of Ralstonia pickettii. The most common clinical characteristics of Ralstonia pickettii infected patients were cough, sputum, shortness of breath and pulmonary rales.

Hyperspectral upgrade solution for biomicroscope combined with Transformer network to classify infectious bacteria.

Infectious diseases caused by bacterial pathogens pose a significant public health threat, emphasizing the need for swift and accurate bacterial species detection methods. Hyperspectral microscopic imaging (HMI) offers nondestructive, rapid, and data-rich advantages, making it a promising tool for microbial detection. In this research, we present a highly compatible and cost-effective approach to extend a standard biomicroscope system into a hyperspectral biomicroscope using a prism-grating-prism configuration. Using this prototype, we generate 600 hyperspectral data cubes for Listeria, Bacillus typhi, Bacillus pestis, and Bacillus anthracis. Additionally, we propose a Transformer-based classification network that achieves a 99.44% accuracy in classifying these infectious pathogens, outperforming traditional methods. Our results suggest that the successful combination of HMI and the optimized Transformer-based classification network highlights the potential for rapid and precise detection of infectious disease pathogens .

Vagococcus fluvialis isolation from the urine of a bladder cancer patient: a case report.

Vagococcus fluvialis infection is rare in humans, and there is limited research on the clinical manifestations and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Vagococcus fluvialis infection. Here, We isolated Vagococcus fluvialis from the urine samples of bladder cancer patients at Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, and it is the first reported case of Vagococcus fluvialis isolated from the urine. The fully automated microbial identification system and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) identified the bacterium as Vagococcus fluvialis with a confidence level of 99.9%. The VITEK-2Compact fully automated microbial susceptibility analysis system indicated that it was most sensitive to tigecycline, vancomycin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, linezolid, and showed moderate sensitivity to erythromycin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin/sulbactam, and tetracycline. Additionally, it exhibited synergy when combined with high-level gentamicin and vancomycin, showing sensitivity. However, it displayed poor activity against penicillin and furanth. According to our knowledge, this is the first study to isolate and identify Vagococcus fluvialis from the urine of bladder cancer patients and the systematically reviewed other reported Vagococcus infections on human, which provide an experimental basis for guiding the rational use of drugs in the clinical treatment and diagnose of Vagococcus fluvialis infection and related pathogenic mechanism research. Meanwhile, we have systematically reviewed other reported.

Rapid and robust bacterial species identification using hyperspectral microscopy and gram staining techniques.

Gram staining can classify bacterial species into two large groups based on cell wall differences. Our study revealed that within the same gram group (gram-positive or gram-negative), subtle cell wall variations can alter staining outcomes, with the peptidoglycan layer and lipid content significantly influencing this effect. Thus, bacteria within the same group can also be differentiated by their spectra. Using hyperspectral microscopy, we identified six species of intestinal bacteria with 98.1% accuracy. Our study also demonstrated that selecting the right spectral band and background calibration can enhance the model's robustness and facilitate precise identification of varying sample batches. This method is suitable for analyzing bacterial community pathologies.

Rapid, Ultrasensitive, and Visual Detection of Pathogens Based on Cation Dye-Triggered Gold Nanoparticle Electrokinetic Agglutination Analysis.

Rapid prescribing of the right antibiotic is the key to treat infectious diseases and decelerate the challenge of bacterial antibiotic resistance. Herein, by targeting the 16S rRNA of bacteria, we developed a cation dye-triggered electrokinetic gold nanoparticle (AuNP) agglutination (CD-TEAA) method, which is rapid, visual, ultrasensitive, culture-independent, and low in cost. The limit of detection (LOD) is as low as 1 CFU mL-1 Escherichia coli. The infection identifications of aseptic fluid samples (n = 11) and urine samples with a clinically suspected urinary tract infection (UTI, n = 78) were accomplished within 50 and 30 min for each sample, respectively. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of UTI urine samples was achieved within 2.5 h. In ROC analysis of urine, the sensitivity and specificity were 100 and 96% for infection identification, and 100 and 98% for AST, respectively. Moreover, the overall cost of materials for each test is about US$0.69. Therefore, the CD-TEAA method is a superior approach to existing, time-consuming, and expensive methods, especially in less developed areas.

Integrating rapid pathogen identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing through multiplex TaqMan qPCR assay.

Timely bacterial identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) are of significance for therapy of bacteria-infected patients. In the present study, we developed a multiplex TaqMan qPCR assay for rapid and accurate ID and AST of three common hospital acquired pneumonia species, namely Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. In this assay, DNA extraction and bacterial co-incubation with antibiotics are accomplished based on a common PCR instrument. ID of three bacteria is based on specific conserved DNA sequence fragment (gltA for A. baumannii, phoE for K. pneumoniae and nuc for S. aureus) detection through multiplex TaqMan qPCR assay within 80 min. AST of three bacteria could be acquired within 200 min based on genomic DNA fold change detection after 2 h of antibiotic exposure. Testing of 23 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples spiked by different A. baumannii isolates, 20 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples spiked by different K. pneumoniae isolates, and 14 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples spiked by different S. aureus isolates showed that the multiplex TaqMan qPCR assay had 100% (95% CI: 85.69-100), 100% (95% CI: 83.89-100) and 100% (95% CI:78.47-100) identification agreement with the initial spiked bacteria. Subsequent AST results compared with the standard broth microdilution method showed an overall agreement of 91.30% (95% CI: 73.20 to 97.58) for A. baumannii, 90% (95% CI: 69.90 to 97.21) for K. pneumoniae and 92.86% (95% CI: 68.53 to 98.73) for S. aureus based on the current multiplex TaqMan assay. Due to the high rapidity, good agreement, simplicity, and high throughput, this multiplex TaqMan assay could be helpful for ID and broad-spectrum AST in A. baumannii, K. pneumoniae and S. aureus, as well as potentially applicable for other clinical bacteria by changing the primers and probes.

Clinical impacts of the rapid diagnostic method on positive blood cultures.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of short-term incubation (STI) protocol on clinical outcomes of bloodstream infection (BSI) patients. METHODS: A total of 1363 positive blood culture records from January 2019 to December 2021 were included. The main clinical outcomes included pathogen identification turnaround time (TAT), antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) TAT, and length of total hospital stay. RESULTS: The TAT of pathogen identification and AST significantly decreased after implementing the STI protocol (2.2 vs 1.4 days and 3.4 vs 2.5 days, respectively, with P < .001 for both). Moreover, for patients with Gram-negative bacteria (GNB)-infected BSIs, the length of total hospital stay decreased from 31.9 days to 27.1 days, indicating that these patients could be discharged 5 days earlier after implementing the STI protocol (P < .01). CONCLUSION: The protocol led to a significant reduction in TAT and improved clinical outcomes, particularly for GNB organisms. The findings suggest that the STI protocol can improve patient outcomes and hospital resource utilization in the management of BSIs.

Recalls of tattoo and permanent makeup inks in the United States and a follow-up microbiological survey of inks with a previous recall history.

In this study, we collected voluntary recall records of tattoo and permanent makeup ink from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) Enforcement Report Database. The recall records contain information, such as recall date, manufacturer, ink color, reason for recall, and the microorganisms detected from the ink samples. Between 2003 and 2021, a total of 15 voluntary tattoo ink recalls occurred in the U.S. market, involving over 200 tattoo inks marketed by 13 manufacturers and one distributor. Fourteen recalls were due to microbial contamination, and one recall was due to allergic reaction. As follow-up, a microbiological survey of 28 tattoo inks of new batches from seven manufacturers having products that were previously recalled was conducted. Aerobic plate count (APC) and enrichment culture methods based on the FDA's Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) were used to detect microbial contamination. The results revealed that six out of 28 tattoo inks were contaminated with bacteria and were produced by two manufacturers. The level of microbial contamination was less than 250 CFU/g in three of the tattoo inks and between 1 × 103 and 1 × 105 CFU/g in the other three inks. Eleven bacterial isolates were identified, including spore-forming Bacillus-related species and potentially pathogenic species. Overall, this study shows that some tattoo ink products produced by manufacturers with a recall history continue to be contaminated with microorganisms. This highlights the need for ongoing monitoring and quality control of such products.

Development of a Multiplex PCR Assay for Efficient Detection of Two Potential Probiotic Strains Using Whole Genome-Based Primers.

Probiotics are microorganisms that exert strain-specific health-promoting effects on the host. Τhey are employed in the production of functional dairy or non-dairy food products; still, their detection in these complex matrices is a challenging task. Several culture-dependent and culture-independent methods have been developed in this direction; however, they present low discrimination at the strain level. Here, we developed a multiplex PCR assay for the detection of two potential probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum L125 and Lp. pentosus L33, in monocultures and yogurt samples. Unique genomic regions were identified via comparative genomic analysis and were used to produce strain-specific primers. Then, primer sets were selected that produced distinct electrophoretic DNA banding patterns in multiplex PCR for each target strain. This method was further implemented for the detection of the two strains in yogurt samples, highlighting its biotechnological applicability. Moreover, it can be applied with appropriate modifications to detect any bacterial strain with available WGS.

A case of Vagococcus fluvialis isolated from the bile of a patient with calculous cholecystitis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic cholecystitis, characterized by persistent inflammation of the gallbladder, predominantly stems from the prolonged presence of gallstones. Calculous cholecystitis has demonstrated a consistent escalation in its incidence over time.Gallbladder stones have been recognized as a predisposing factor for the development of biliary tract infections.Concomitantly, there have been substantial shifts in the distribution and resistance profiles of pathogenic microorganisms responsible for biliary tract infections. The timely acquisition of bile samples for pathogen analysis is of paramount importance, given its critical role in guiding judicious clinical pharmacotherapy and enhancing patient prognosis. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case involving a 66-year-old female patient who had previously undergone subtotal gastrectomy due to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The patient was admitted to our institution with complaints of abdominal pain. Subsequent diagnostic evaluation revealed concurrent choledocholithiasis and cholecystolithiasis. The patient underwent surgical cholecystectomy as the therapeutic approach. Histopathological examination of the excised gallbladder disclosed characteristic features indicative of chronic cholecystitis. Subsequent laboratory analysis of the patient's bile specimen yielded Gram-positive cocci, subsequently identified through biochemical assays, mass spectrometry, and 16 S rRNA analysis as Vagococcus fluvialis. Further in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing using disk diffusion and microfluidic dilution showed that this strain exhibited inhibition zone diameters ranging from 12.0 to 32.0 mm in response to 26 antibiotics, including ampicillin, cefazolin, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, cefepime, ampicillin/sulbactam, piperacillin, ciprofloxacin, cefoperazone/sulbactam, imipenem, meropenem, piperacillin/tazobarb, penicillin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, vancomycin, methotrexate/sulfamethoxazole, teicoplanin, linezolid, tigecycline, cefoxitin, ceftazidime, levofloxacin, minocycline and tobramycin. However, the inhibition zone diameters were 6.0 mm for amikacin, oxacillin, clindamycin, and tetracycline. The patient received ceftazidime anti-infective therapy both preoperatively and within 24 h postoperatively and was discharged successfully one week after surgery. CONCLUSION: In this study, we present the inaugural isolation and identification of Vagococcus fluvialis from bile specimens of patients afflicted with calculous cholecystitis. This novel finding lays a substantial experimental groundwork for guiding clinically rational antimicrobial therapy and advancing the exploration of relevant pathogenic mechanisms pertaining to Vagococcus fluvialis infections.

The new Ribopeaks (RPK-II): Updated and enlarged tool for bacterial classification based on r-protein m/z data.

Ribopeaks is a rapid, sensitive, and economic web tool for bacterial identification based on m/z data from MALDI-TOF MS. To provide greater accuracy and robustness in the Ribopeaks analyzes we present an updated bacterial identification tool version, called Ribopeaks II (RPK-II). RPK-II contains a larger database, with r-protein data from fully sequenced bacterial genomes and optimized algorithms. Furthermore, this new version provides additional information about the identified bacterium, regarding antibiotic resistance.

Recent advances and perspectives of functionalized carbon dots in bacteria sensing.

Bacterial infectious diseases are severe threats to human health and increase substantial financial burdens. Nanomaterials have shown great potential in timely and accurate bacterial identification, detection, and monitoring to improve the cure rate and reduce mortality. Recently, carbon dots have been evidenced to be ideal candidates for bacterial identification and detection due to their superior physicochemical properties and biocompatibility. This review outlines the detailed recognition elements and recognition strategies with functionalized carbon dots (FCDs) for bacterial identification and detection. The advantages and limitations of different kinds of FCDs-based sensors will be critically discussed. Meanwhile, the ongoing challenges and perspectives of FCDs-based sensors for bacteria sensing are put forward.