Zinc Supplementation: Immune Balance of Pregnancy During the Chronic Phase of the Chagas Disease.

BACKGROUND: Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi and is endemic of the Americas. The control of the disease is restricted to toxic and potentially teratogenic drugs, which limit the use during pregnancy. The use of food supplementation offers a safe and low-cost form to alleviate Chagas disease symptoms, mostly in areas with alimentary risk. For example, zinc demonstrates positive effects in immune response, including in Chagas disease during pregnancy. PURPOSE: This study describes the innate response in pregnant rats chronically infected with T. cruzi and supplemented with zinc. METHODS: Pregnant female Wistar rats, infected with T. cruzi, were treated with 20 mg/kg/day zinc sulfate and euthanized on the 18th day. Samples (plasma, splenocytes, and peritoneal exudate) were collected and several immune parameters (nitric oxide, RT1B, CD80/CD86, MCP-1, CD11b/c, NK/NKT, IL-2, IL-10, INF-cc, and apoptosis) evaluated. RESULTS: Under Zinc supplementation and/or T. cruzi infection, the gestation developed normally. Several innate immune parameters such as RT1B, CD80/CD86, MCP-1 expressing lymphocytes, IL-2, and IL-17 were positively altered, whereas nitric oxide, CD11b/c, NK/NKT, apoptosis, INF-γ, and corticosterone demonstrated a pro-pregnancy pattern. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that zinc has diverse effects on immune response during pregnancy. An anti-T. cruzi immunity, as well as a pro-gestation response, were observed after zinc supplementation. The complete comprehension of zinc supplementation in pregnancy will base an adequate strategy to alleviate Chagas disease symptoms and propagation, especially for populations from endemic areas.

Genomic Characterization of a Multidrug-Resistant and Hypermucoviscous/Hypervirulent Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae ST4417 Isolated from a Sewage Treatment Plant.

Aim: Clinical strains of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae have been reported worldwide. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) hypermucoviscous (hm)/hypervirulent (hv) lineages have become a global problem for public health worldwide. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize by whole-genome sequencing a MDR-hm/hv K. quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae SWT10 strain belonging to the new sequence type ST4417 isolated from a sewage treatment plant. Results: The SWT10 strain was recovered from a sewage treatment plant in Brazil and presented the hm and MDR phenotypes. Resistome analysis showed antimicrobial resistance genes associated with resistance to fluoroquinolones, ß-lactams, tetracyclines, trimethoprim, aminoglycosides, sulfonamides, macrolides, and fosfomycin as well as several heavy metal resistance genes. Virulome analysis showed virulence factors related to hv lineages. Multilocus sequence typing analysis revealed the new ST4417, which was grouped in CC1584 by the minimum-spanning tree. Besides, five plasmid incompatibility groups, two prophage-related sequences, and 66 genomic islands were detected. Conclusion: This study reports for the first time the genome sequence of a MDR-hm/hv K. quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae recovered from the environment, which contributes to a better understanding about these lineages as well as for surveillance studies worldwide.