Novel Bacteriophage Specific against Staphylococcus epidermidis and with Antibiofilm Activity.

Staphylococcus epidermidis has emerged as the most important pathogen in infections related to indwelling medical devices, and although these infections are not life-threatening, their frequency and the fact that they are extremely difficult to treat represent a serious burden on the public health system. Treatment is complicated by specific antibiotic resistance genes and the formation of biofilms. Hence, novel therapeutic strategies are needed to fight these infections. A novel bacteriophage CUB-EPI_14 specific to the bacterial species S. epidermidis was isolated from sewage and characterized genomically and phenotypically. Its genome contains a total of 46,098 bp and 63 predicted genes, among which some have been associated with packaging and lysis-associated proteins, structural proteins, or DNA- and metabolism-associated proteins. No lysogeny-associated proteins or known virulence proteins were identified in the phage genome. CUB-EPI_14 showed stability over a wide range of temperatures (from -20 °C to 50 °C) and pH values (pH 3-pH 12) and a narrow host range against S. epidermidis. Potent antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities were observed when the phage was tested against a highly susceptible bacterial isolate. These encouraging results open the door to new therapeutic opportunities in the fight against resilient biofilm-associated infections caused by S. epidermidis.

Frequency and coinfection between genotypes of human papillomavirus in a population of asymptomatic women in northern Peru.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the prevalence of HPV genotypes via PCR and DNA sequencing in 397 women who attended to the gynecological outpatient center in the Hospital Regional Docente de Cajamarca from March to September 2017. RESULTS: A positive PCR result for HPV was observed in 121 cervical samples. A high-risk genotype was found in 63.6% (77/121) of patients, a probably oncogenic type in 23.1% (28/121) and a low-risk type in 7.4%. Among the high-risk genotypes, HPV-31 was the most common one present in 20% (21/77), followed by HPV-16 in 11.4% (12/77). Coinfections between two or more genotypes were observed in 12 cases.