First Isolation of the Heteropathotype Shiga Toxin-Producing and Extra-Intestinal Pathogenic (STEC-ExPEC) E. coli O80:H2 in French Healthy Cattle: Genomic Characterization and Phylogenetic Position.

The emerging heteropathotype shigatoxigenic (STEC) and extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) O80:H2 has been the second leading cause of pediatric HUS in France since the mid-2010s. In contrast with other highly pathogenic STEC serotypes, for which ruminants have clearly been identified as the main human infection source, this heteropathotype's reservoir remains unknown. In this context, we describe for the first time the isolation of seven STEC O80:H2 strains from healthy cattle on a single cattle farm in France. This study aimed at (i) characterizing the genome and (ii) investigating the phylogenetic positions of these O80:H2 STEC strains. The virulomes, resistomes, and phylogenetic positions of the seven bovine isolates were investigated using in silico typing tools, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and cgMLST analysis after short-read whole genome sequencing (WGS). One representative isolate (A13P112V1) was also subjected to long-read sequencing. The seven isolates possessed ExPEC-related virulence genes on a pR444_A-like mosaic plasmid, previously described in strain RDEx444 and known to confer multi-drug resistance. All isolates were clonally related and clustered with human clinical strains from France and Switzerland with a range of locus differences of only one to five. In conclusion, our findings suggest that healthy cattle in France could potentially act as a reservoir of the STEC-ExPEC O80:H2 pathotype.

First Isolation of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the Fungal Causative Agent of White-Nose Syndrome, in Korean Bats (Myotis petax)

White-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), is a lethal fungal disease that affects hibernating bats in North America. Recently, the presence of Pd was reported in countries neighboring Korea. However, Pd has not been investigated in Korea. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the presence of Pd in Korean bats. Altogether, wings from 241 bats were collected from 13 cities and cultured. A total of 79 fungal colonies were isolated, and two isolates were identified as Pd using polymerase chain reaction. Of the nine bat species captured in 13 cities, Pd was isolated only from Myotis petax in Goryeong. Atypical, curved conidia were observed in two isolated fungal colonies. Although histological lesions were not observed by hematoxylin and eosin or periodic acid−Schiff staining, fungal invasion was observed in the tissue sections. Taken together, these results confirmed the presence of Pd in Korean bats and suggest the possibility of WNS outbreaks in Korean bats. This is the first report of the isolation and molecular analysis of Pd from Korean bats.

First isolation of Trichophyton bullosum from a horse with dermatophytosis in Japan.

Trichophyton bullosum is a zoophilic dermatophyte that has been rarely isolated from horses and humans in Africa and Europe. This is the first reported isolation of T. bullosum from a horse with dermatophytosis in Japan. The isolate from a skin lesion formed a cream-colored and waxy colony that was slightly elevated in the center. Sequencing of the internal transcribe spacer region of the isolate revealed that it was 100% identical to that of T. bullosum.

Chemical Constituents from Stellera chamaejasme Linn / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents from the roots of Stellera chamaejasme Linn. METHODS: The 95% ethanol extract of the roots of Stellera chamaejasme Linn. was fractionalized by using petroleum ether, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate, respectively. The extraction parts were isolated by various chromatographic methods including silica gel, ODS column and preparative HPLC methods. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data such as HR-ESI-MS and NMR. RESULTS: Seventeen compounds were isolated and identified as follows: naringenin (1), (-)-epiafzelechin (2), (+)-epiafzelechin (3), 2,6,2',6'-tetramethoxy-4,4'-bis (2,3-epoxy-1-hydroxypropyl) biphenyl (4), 8-hydroxypluviatolide (5), (-)-syringaresinol (6), prestegane B (7), 7-hydroxycoumarin (8), daphnoretin (9), 3-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl) propanoic acid methyl ester (10), 3,4-dihydroxystyryl alcohol (11), 3-[(1E)-3-hydroxy-1-propen-1-yl]-2, 5-dimethoxyphenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside(12), Z-octadecyl caffeate (13), 1-glyceryl linolenate (14), glycerol monolinoleate (15), 2, 3-dihydroxypropyl-9-octadecenoate (16) and β-sitosterol (17). CONCLUSION: Compounds 1, 2, 4, 5, 9-15 are reported from the genus Stellera Linn. for the first time.

Isolation of Candida auris from cystic fibrosis patient, Greece, April 2019.

We report the first isolation of Candida auris in Greece from a sputum culture of a cystic fibrosis patient in their 20s under posaconazole treatment. The pathogen was identified as C. duobushaemulonii by VITEK2YST, but as C. auris by MALDI-TOF MS. This case underscores the need for species-level identification of all non-albicans Candida (NAC) isolates from cystic fibrosis patients and patients with predisposing factors to fungal infection.