Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Branched Peptides Derived from Natural Host Defense Sequences.

Antibiotic resistance is a major global health threat, necessitating the development of new treatments and diverse molecules to combat severe infections and preserve the efficacy of existing drugs. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer a versatile arsenal against bacteria, and peptide structure branching can enhance their resistance to proteases and improve their overall efficacy. A small library of peptides derived from natural host defense peptides and synthesized in a tetrabranched form was selected against E. coli. Six selected branched peptides were further studied for antibacterial activity against a panel of strains, biofilm inhibition, protease resistance, and cytotoxicity. Their structure was predicted computationally and their mechanism of action was investigated by electron microscopy and by using fluorescent dyes. The peptide BAMP2 showed promise in a mouse skin infection model, indicating the potential for local infection treatment.

Evaluation of the Vitek® Reveal™ system for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Gram-negative pathogens, including ESBL, CRE and CRAB, from positive blood cultures.

Blood culture (BC) remains the reference diagnostic tool for bloodstream infections but is hampered by long turn-around time (TAT). This study evaluated the Vitek® Reveal™ (VR) system for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) with 72 cases of monomicrobial BCs (55 Enterobacterales, 12 Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 5 Acinetobacter baumannii), including isolates producing carbapenemases and/or extended-spectrum ß-lactamases. VR returned AST results with a mean TAT of 5.4 h. Compared to a conventional workflow based on broth microdilution, VR exhibited essential agreement (EA) and category agreement (CA) >90 % in most cases, except with meropenem for Enterobacterales (CA, 85.5 %), piperacillin/tazobactam for P. aeruginosa (EA, 83.3 %), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for A. baumannii (CA and EA, 80 %). Bias exhibited an underestimation trend with ceftazidime/avibactam (-78.9 %) and ceftazidime (-50 %) for Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa, respectively. Overall, VR appears an interesting tool to decrease TAT of the BC workflow, although further evaluation with some antibiotic-pathogen combinations would be warranted.

Evaluation of STANDARD™ M10 SARS-CoV-2 from bronchoalveolar lavage samples.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is considered as a promising alternative method to detect COVID-19 infection. STANDARD™ M10 SARS-CoV-2 assay on 150 negative and 50 positives BAL samples for SARS-CoV-2 showed 96 % sensitivity, 100 % specificity compared to Allplex™ SARS-CoV-2 assay and a 31.25 genomic copies/mL limit of detection.

Verifying the feasibility of wastewater-based epidemiological monitoring for the small catchment and sewage networks with significant pretreatment.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a valuable tool for COVID-19 monitoring, especially as the frequency of clinical testing diminishes. Beyond COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19), the tool's versatility extends to addressing various public health concerns, including antibiotic resistance and drug consumption. However, the complexity of sewage systems introduces noise when measuring chemical tracer concentrations, potentially compromising their applicability for modeling. In our study, we detail the approach adopted to determine the concentration of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) ribonucleiec acid (RNA) in wastewater from the Ponte a Niccheri wastewater treatment plant in Tuscany (Italy), with a sample size of N = 13,935 inhabitants. The unique characteristics of this wastewater system, including mandatory pretreatment in septic tanks with extended retention times, the presence of a hospital for COVID-19 patients, and mixed sewage networks, posed additional challenges. Nevertheless, our results highlight a robust and significant correlation between our measurements and the number of infections within the wastewater treatment plant's catchment area at the time of sampling. A simple linear model also shows promising results in estimating the number of infected people within the area.

Amelioration of Serum Aß Levels and Cognitive Impairment in APPPS1 Transgenic Mice Following Symbiotic Administration.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative process responsible for almost 70% of all cases of dementia. The clinical signs consist in progressive and irreversible loss of memory, cognitive, and behavioral functions. The main histopathological hallmark is the accumulation of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptide fibrils in the brain. To date, the origin of Aß has not been determined. Recent studies have shown that the gut microbiota produces Aß, and dysbiotic states have been identified in AD patients and animal models of AD. Starting from the hypothesis that maintaining or restoring the microbiota's eubiosis is essential to control Aß's production and deposition in the brain, we used a mixture of probiotics and prebiotics (symbiotic) to treat APPPS1 male and female mice, an animal model of AD, from 2 to 8 months of age and evaluated their cognitive performances, mucus secretion, Aß serum concentration, and microbiota composition. The results showed that the treatment was able to prevent the memory deficits, the reduced mucus secretion, the increased Aß blood levels, and the imbalance in the gut microbiota found in APPPS1 mice. The present study demonstrates that the gut-brain axis plays a critical role in the genesis of cognitive impairment, and that modulation of the gut microbiota can ameliorate AD's symptomatology.

Evaluation of Quantamatrix dRASTTM system for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacterial isolates from positive blood cultures, in comparison with commercial Micronaut broth microdilution system.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) from blood culture (BC) may take several days, limiting the eventual impact on antimicrobial stewardship. Hence, rapid AST systems represent a valuable support in shorting the time-to-response. In this work, the Quantamatrix dRASTTM system (dRAST) was evaluated for rapid AST on 100 monomicrobial BCs (50 Gram-negatives and 50 Gram-positives), including several isolates with clinically relevant resistance mechanisms. AST results were provided in 6-hours, on average. Compared to Micronaut (Merlin) system based on broth microdilution, dRAST exhibited an overall categorical agreement of 92.5 %, essential agreement of 89.0 %, and mean bias of 15.9 %. Category overestimation (potentially leading to unnecessary high-dosage treatment or to exclude active agents) and category underestimation (potentially leading to underdosing or using ineffective agents) were observed in 4.3 % and 3.1 % of cases, respectively. Even though several issues were reported, results confirmed the potential contribution of dRAST to shorten the BCs clinical microbiology workflow and management.

Management of intra-abdominal infections: recommendations by the Italian council for the optimization of antimicrobial use.

Intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are common surgical emergencies and are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in hospital settings, particularly if poorly managed. The cornerstones of effective IAIs management include early diagnosis, adequate source control, appropriate antimicrobial therapy, and early physiologic stabilization using intravenous fluids and vasopressor agents in critically ill patients. Adequate empiric antimicrobial therapy in patients with IAIs is of paramount importance because inappropriate antimicrobial therapy is associated with poor outcomes. Optimizing antimicrobial prescriptions improves treatment effectiveness, increases patients' safety, and minimizes the risk of opportunistic infections (such as Clostridioides difficile) and antimicrobial resistance selection. The growing emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms has caused an impending crisis with alarming implications, especially regarding Gram-negative bacteria. The Multidisciplinary and Intersociety Italian Council for the Optimization of Antimicrobial Use promoted a consensus conference on the antimicrobial management of IAIs, including emergency medicine specialists, radiologists, surgeons, intensivists, infectious disease specialists, clinical pharmacologists, hospital pharmacists, microbiologists and public health specialists. Relevant clinical questions were constructed by the Organizational Committee in order to investigate the topic. The expert panel produced recommendation statements based on the best scientific evidence from PubMed and EMBASE Library and experts' opinions. The statements were planned and graded according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) hierarchy of evidence. On November 10, 2023, the experts met in Mestre (Italy) to debate the statements. After the approval of the statements, the expert panel met via email and virtual meetings to prepare and revise the definitive document. This document represents the executive summary of the consensus conference and comprises three sections. The first section focuses on the general principles of diagnosis and treatment of IAIs. The second section provides twenty-three evidence-based recommendations for the antimicrobial therapy of IAIs. The third section presents eight clinical diagnostic-therapeutic pathways for the most common IAIs. The document has been endorsed by the Italian Society of Surgery.

Antiviral combination regimens as rescue therapy in immunocompromised hosts with persistent COVID-19.

The management of severe/prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infections in immunocompromised hosts is still challenging. We describe nine patients with hematologic malignancies with a history of unsuccessful SARS-CoV-2 treatment receiving antiviral combination treatment for persistent infection at a tertiary hospital in central Italy (University Hospital of Careggi, Florence). Combination treatments consisted of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir plus molnupiravir (n = 4), nirmatrelvir/ritonavir plus remdesivir (n = 4) or remdesivir plus molnupiravir (n = 1) for 10 days, in some cases associated with sotrovimab. Combinations were generally well tolerated. One patient obtained viral clearance but died due to the underlying disease. In eight cases, clinical and virological success was confirmed by radiological follow-up. Antivirals combination is likely to become a mainstay in the future management of COVID-19 among immunocompromised patients, but knowledge in this field is still very limited and prospective studies on larger cohorts are urgently warranted.

Effect of antimetabolite regimen on cellular and humoral immune response to SARS-COV-2 vaccination in solid organ transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVE: Novel mRNA-based vaccines have been proven to be powerful tools in combating the global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 protecting individuals, especially the immunocompromised, from COVID-19. Still, it remains largely unknown how solid organ transplant and different immunosuppressive medications affect development of vaccine-induced immunity. METHODS: In this work, we monitored humoral and cellular memory responses after mRNA SARS-CoV-2 two-doses and booster doses vaccination in cystic fibrosis lung transplanted patients (CFT) and compared them with both cystic fibrosis patients without lung transplant (CF) and with kidney transplant recipients (KT). In particular, we investigated the effects of immunosuppressive regimens on immune memory to SARS-CoV-2 after mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in transplanted patients. RESULTS: Our results showed that immunocompromised transplanted patients displayed a weak cellular and humoral memory to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. In addition, obtained data clearly demonstrate that immunosuppressive therapy regimen including antimetabolites, further reduces patients' ability to respond to vaccination at both humoral and cell-mediated level. Notably, patient treated with antimetabolites showed a lower humoral and cellular response also after a booster dose vaccination. CONCLUSION: These results, even if obtained on a small patient's cohort, question whether immunocompromised patients need interventions to improve vaccine SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine response such as additional jab or modulation of immunosuppressive therapy.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa producing FIM-1-metallo-ß-lactamase: emergence and cross-transmission in a long-term acute care rehabilitation hospital.

FIM-1 metallo-ß-lactamase was previously detected in sporadic Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates. Here, we report on FIM-1-positive P. aeruginosa from two patients who had shared the same ward in a long-term acute care rehabilitation hospital. Whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed close relatedness of these isolates, which belonged to an ST235 sublineage (clade 8/14) different from those previously reported. Results highlighted the occurrence of clonal diversity among FIM-positive strains and the possibility of their cross-transmission in some healthcare settings.

Evaluation of different molecular systems for detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from wastewater samples.

Wastewater-based epidemiology has proved to be a suitable approach for tracking the spread of epidemic agents including SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Different protocols have been developed for quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from wastewater samples, but little is known on their performance. In this study we compared three protocols based on Reverse Transcription Real Time-PCR (RT-PCR) and one based on Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection from 35 wastewater samples. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by at least one method in 85.7 % of samples, while 51.4 %, 22.8 % and 8.6 % resulted positive with two, three or all four methods, respectively. Protocols based on commercial RT-PCR assays and on Droplet Digital PCR showed an overall higher sensitivity vs. an in-house assay. The use of more than one system, targeting different genes, could be helpful to increase detection sensitivity.

Genomic characterization of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST307 revealed multiple introductions in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

OBJECTIVES: To describe at genomic level nine carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST307 (Kp-ST307) clinical isolates recovered in Buenos Aires during 2017 to 2021, investigating their resistome, virulome, and phylogeny. METHODS: Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Intitute (CLSI). Genomic DNA was sequenced by Illumina MiSeq and analysed using SPAdes, PROKKA, and Kleborate. Phylogeny of 355 randomly selected Kp-ST307 genomes and those from nine local isolates was inferred by a maximum-likelihood approach. The tree was visualized using Microreact. RESULTS: Besides resistance to ß-lactams and fluoroquinolones, six out of nine Kp-ST307 were also resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA). This difficult-to-treat resvistance phenotype was mediated by blaSHV-28 and GyrA-83I/ParC-80I mutations in addition to carbapenemase coding genes. Among CZA susceptible isolates, two of them harboured blaKPC-3 while the other harboured blaKPC-2+blaCTX-M-15. Regarding CZA-resistant isolates, three harboured blaKPC-3+blaNDM-1+blaCMY-6, two carried blaKPC-2+blaNDM-5+blaCTX-M-15, and blaNDM-5+blaCTX-M-15 were detected in the remaining isolate. Furthermore, five colistin-resistant isolates presented a nonsense mutation in mgrB. Global Kp-ST307 isolates were distributed in two deep-branching lineages while local isolates were set in the main clade of the phylogenetic tree. The five isolates from the same hospital, harbouring blaKPC-3 or blaKPC-3+blaNDM-1+blaCMY-6, clustered in a monophyletic subclade with Italian isolates. Also, an isolate harbouring blaKPC-2+blaNDM-5+blaCTX-M-15 recovered in another hospital was closed to this group. The remaining local Kp-ST307 were grouped in other subclades containing isolates of diverse geographical origin. CONCLUSION: The inferred resistome was consistent with the resistant phenotype. Phylogeny suggested multiple introduction events in our region and a single major introduction in one hospital followed by local spread.

Oral microbiota signatures associated with viremia and CD4 recovery in treatment-naïve HIV-1-infected patients.

PURPOSE: Few reports focused on the role of oral microbiome diversity in HIV infection. We characterized the microbiota-immunity axis in a cohort of treatment-naïve HIV-1-infected patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) focusing on the oral microbiome (OM) and immunological responsivity. METHODS: The sequencing of 16S rRNA V3-V4 hypervariable region was performed on salivary samples of 15 healthy control (HC) and 12 HIV + patients before starting ART and after reaching virological suppression. Then, we correlated the OM composition with serum cytokines and the Short Chain Fatty acids (SCFAs). RESULTS: The comparison between HIV patients and HC oral microbiota showed differences in the bacterial α-diversity and richness. We documented a negative correlation between oral Prevotella and intestinal valeric acid at before starting ART and a positive correlation between oral Veillonella and gut acetic acid after reaching virological suppression. Finally, an increase in the phylum Proteobacteria was observed comparing saliva samples of immunological responders (IRs) patients against immunological non-responders (INRs). CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, we described an increase in the oral pro-inflammatory Proteobacteria phylum in INRs compared to IRs. We provided more evidence that saliva could be a non-invasive and less expensive approach for research involving the oral cavity microbiome in HIV patients.

Evaluation of two commercial broth microdilution systems for dalbavancin susceptibility testing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and other resistant Gram-positive cocci.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate two commercial broth microdilution (BMD) systems, E1-185-100 (Merlin) and FDANDPF (ThermoFisher), for dalbavancin susceptibility testing in comparison with reference BMD assay. METHODS: Study collection was composed of 200 non-replicate multidrug-resistant Gram-positive cocci of clinical origin, including 180 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 10 vancomycin-resistant enterococci, seven linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis, and three methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci. S. aureus ATCC 29213 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 reference strains were also included as controls. Testing was performed according to the ISO 20776-1 standard, starting from the same bacterial inoculum, and results were compared according to the ISO 20776-2 standard. RESULTS: Reference BMD showed that 92.6% (187/202) of the strains were susceptible to dalbavancin, whereas few staphylococci and all VanA-producing enterococci showed a resistant phenotype. In comparison with the reference method, Category Agreement and Essential Agreement were 98% (198/202; 95% CI, 95.4-99.3%) and 98% (198/202; 95% CI, 95.4-99.3%) for both Merlin and ThermoFisher panels. A few false susceptibilities were observed, for both commercial systems, with dalbavancin-resistant staphylococci. BIAS values of 11% and 3% were calculated for the Merlin and ThermoFisher systems, respectively. DISCUSSION: This study, reporting the first evaluation of the two commercially available BMD assays for dalbavancin susceptibility testing, revealed an overall good correlation with reference BMD, although with some underestimation tendency of MIC values by both commercial systems. Further studies involving a higher number of resistant isolates will be necessary to better evaluate this issue.

Utility of bronchoalveolar lavage for COVID-19: a perspective from the Dragon consortium.

Diagnosing COVID-19 and treating its complications remains a challenge. This review reflects the perspective of some of the Dragon (IMI 2-call 21, #101005122) research consortium collaborators on the utility of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in COVID-19. BAL has been proposed as a potentially useful diagnostic tool to increase COVID-19 diagnosis sensitivity. In both critically ill and non-critically ill COVID-19 patients, BAL has a relevant role in detecting other infections or supporting alternative diagnoses and can change management decisions in up to two-thirds of patients. BAL is used to guide steroid and immunosuppressive treatment and to narrow or discontinue antibiotic treatment, reducing the use of unnecessary broad antibiotics. Moreover, cellular analysis and novel multi-omics techniques on BAL are of critical importance for understanding the microenvironment and interaction between epithelial cells and immunity, revealing novel potential prognostic and therapeutic targets. The BAL technique has been described as safe for both patients and healthcare workers in more than a thousand procedures reported to date in the literature. Based on these preliminary studies, we recognize that BAL is a feasible procedure in COVID-19 known or suspected cases, useful to properly guide patient management, and has great potential for research.

Novel resistance ICEs carrying the blaFIM-1 metallo-ß-lactamase gene from an ST235 Pseudomonas aeruginosa sublineage.

FIM-1 is an acquired metallo-ß-lactamase identified in a multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (index strain FI-14/157) of clinical origin isolated in 2007 in Florence, Italy. Here we report on a second case of infection by FIM-1-positive P. aeruginosa (FI-17645), which occurred in 2020 in the same hospital. Both FIM-1-positive strains exhibited resistance to all anti-Pseudomonas antibiotics except colistin and cefiderocol. Comparative genomic characterization revealed that the two FIM-positive strains were closely related [core genome difference, 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)], suggesting a local circulation of similar strains. In the FI-14/157 index strain, the blaFIM-1 gene was associated with an ISCR19-like element that likely contributed to its capture downstream an integron platform inserted aboard a Tn21-like transposon, named Tn7703.1, which was associated with a large integrative and conjugative element (ICE) named ICE7705.1, integrated into an att site located within the 3'-end of tRNAGly CCC gene of the P. aeruginosa chromosome. In strain FI-17645, blaFIM-1 was associated with a closely related ICE, named ICE7705.2, integrated in the same chromosomal site. Similar ICE platforms, lacking the blaFIM-1-containing region, were detected in other ST235 P. aeruginosa strains from different geographic areas, suggesting a common ancestry and underscoring the role of these elements in the dissemination of resistance genes in P. aeruginosa. Sequence database mining revealed two draft P. aeruginosa genomes, one from Italy and one from the USA (both isolated in 2012), including a contig with blaFIM-1, suggesting that this resistance gene could have a broader distribution than originally anticipated.