Molecular detection and MST genotyping of Coxiella burnetii in ruminants and stray dogs and cats in Northern Algeria.

Aiming at identifying the reservoir and contamination sources of Coxiella burnetii in Northern Algeria, we investigated the molecular presence of the bacterium in 599 samples (blood, placenta, liver, spleen, and uterus) collected from cattle, sheep, dogs and cats. Our qPCR results showed that 15/344 (4.36%) blood samples and six/255 (2.35%) organ specimens were positive for C. burnetii. In cattle, three (4%) blood and liver samples were positive. In sheep, one blood (1.19%) and 3 (8.57%) placenta samples were positive. At the Algiers dog pound, 8 (10%) and 3 (5%) blood samples were qPCR positivein dogs and cats, respectively. In addition, MST genotyping showed that MST 33 was present in cattle and sheep, MST 20 in cattle,andMST 21 in dogs and cats.

Draft genome of Metabacillus niabensis strain 4T19T isolated from cotton-waste composts for mushroom cultivation.

In this article, we present the draft genome sequence of Metabacillus niabensis strain 4T19T (= CSUR Q2603 T = DSM 17723 = JCM 16399 = KACC 11279), that is a new Metabacillus species isolated from cotton-waste composts. The genome sequence from Metabacillus niabensis strain 4T19T was assembled into 462 contigs for a total size of 4,987,608 bp with a G + C content of 35.5%.

Description of Gracilibacillus phocaeensis sp. nov., a new halophilic bacterium isolated from Senegalian human stool.

Using the taxonogenomics method, we describe Gracilibacillus phocaeensis strain Marseille-P3801, a new species previously isolated from a salty stool of a 20-year-old man from N'Diop, Senegal. It is a Gram-positive, aerobic and motile bacillus. The major fatty acids are C15:0-anteiso (59%), C16:0 (16%) and C17:0-anteiso (11%). Strain Marseille-P3801 exhibits a 98.45% sequence similarity with Gracilibacillus thailandensis strain TP2-8, the phylogenetically closest species. Its genome is 4.66 Mb with 39.6 mol% G + C content.

Clinical efficacy of chloroquine derivatives in COVID-19 infection: comparative meta-analysis between the big data and the real world.

In the context of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we conducted a meta-analysis on the effects of chloroquine derivatives in patients, based on unpublished and published reports available publicly on the internet as of 27 May 2020. The keywords 'hydroxychloroquine', 'chloroquine', 'coronavirus', 'COVID-19' and 'SARS-Cov-2' were used in the PubMed, Google Scholar and Google search engines without any restrictions as to date or language. Twenty studies were identified involving 105 040 patients (19 270 treated patients) from nine countries (Brazil, China, France, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain and the USA). Big data observational studies were associated with conflict of interest, lack of treatment dosage and duration, and absence of favourable outcome. Clinical studies were associated with favourable outcomes and details on therapy. Among clinical studies, three of four randomized controlled trials reported a significant favourable effect. Among clinical studies, a significant favourable summary effect was observed for duration of cough (OR 0.19, p 0.00003), duration of fever (OR 0.11, p 0.039), clinical cure (OR 0.21, p 0.0495), death (OR 0.32, p 4.1 × 10-6) and viral shedding (OR 0.43, p 0.031). A trend for a favourable effect was noted for the outcome 'death and/or intensive care unit transfer' (OR 0.29, p 0.069) with a point estimate remarkably similar to that observed for death (∼0.3). In conclusion, a meta-analysis of publicly available clinical reports demonstrates that chloroquine derivatives are effective to improve clinical and virological outcomes, but, more importantly, they reduce mortality by a factor of 3 in patients with COVID-19. Big data are lacking basic treatment definitions and are linked to conflict of interest. The retraction of the only big data study associated with a significantly deleterious effect the day after (June 5, 2020) the acceptance of the present work (June 4, 2020) confirms the relevance of this work.

Description of Clostridium cagae sp. nov., Clostridium rectalis sp. nov. and Hathewaya massiliensis sp. nov., new anaerobic bacteria isolated from human stool samples.

Using culturomics methods, three strains were isolated, identified and characterized following the taxonogenomics concept. Clostridium cagae strain Marseille-P4344T (=CSURP4344), Clostridium rectalis strain Marseille-P4200T (=CSURP4200) and Hathewaya massiliensis strain Marseille-P3545T (=CSURP3545) were isolated from human stool samples. The phylogenetic reconstruction, phenotypic criteria and genomic analyses were carried out and demonstrated that these three bacteria are different from previously known bacterial species with standing in nomenclature and were classified as new members of the Clostridiaceae family.

Genome sequence and description of Urinicoccus timonensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a new bacterium isolated from a human stool sample.

Urinicoccus timonensis gen. nov., sp. nov. strain Marseille-P3926T is a new species from the phylum Firmicutes and the family Peptoniphilaceae that was isolated from a human faeces sample. Genome was 1 978 908 bp long with a 41.1 G + C content. The closest species based on 16S ribosomal RNA was Peptoniphilus ivorii DSM 10022 with 90.8% sequence similarity. Considering phenotypic features, 16S rRNA sequence and comparative genome studies, we proposed Marseille- P3926T as the strain type of Urinicoccus timonensis gen. nov., sp. nov.