1.
Senneby, Erik, et al.
(författare)
Identification of two abundant Aerococcus urinae cell wall-anchored proteins
2019
Ingår i: International Journal of Medical Microbiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1618-0607 .- 1438-4221. ; 309:7
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Aerococcus urinae is an emerging pathogen that causes urinary tract infections, bacteremia and infective endocarditis. The mechanisms through which A. urinae cause infection are largely unknown. The aims of this study were to describe the surface proteome of A. urinae and to analyse A. urinae genomes in search for genes encoding surface proteins. Two proteins, denoted Aerococcal surface protein (Asp) 1 and 2, were through the use of mass spectrometry based proteomics found to quantitatively dominate the aerococcal surface. The presence of these proteins on the surface was also shown using ELISA with serum from rabbits immunized with the recombinant Asp. These proteins had a signal sequence in the amino-terminal end and a cell wall-sorting region in the carboxy-terminal end, which contained an LPATG-motif, a hydrophobic domain and a positively charged tail. Twenty-three additional A. urinae genomes were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq technology. Six different variants of asp genes were found (denoted asp1-6). All isolates had either one or two of these asp-genes located in a conserved locus, designated Locus encoding Aerococcal Surface Proteins (LASP). The 25 genomes had in median 13 genes encoding LPXTG-proteins (range 6-24). For other Gram-positive bacteria, cell wall-anchored surface proteins with an LPXTG-motif play a key role for virulence. Thus, it will be of great interest to explore the function of the Asp proteins of A. urinae to establish a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which A. urinae cause disease.
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4.
Berge, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
Risk for Endocarditis in Bacteremia with Streptococcus-Like Bacteria : A Retrospective Population-Based Cohort Study
2019
Ingår i: Open Forum Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2328-8957. ; 6:10
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Background: Many genera and species of Streptococcus-like bacteria (SLB) can cause infective endocarditis (IE), but little is known about the epidemiology of and the risk factors for IE in SLB-bacteremia. The aim of the study was to analyze this in a cohort of patients with SLB-bacteremia, focusing on Abiotrophia, Aerococcus, Gemella, and Granulicatella. We also evaluated whether published scoring systems generated for other Gram-positive bacteria known to cause IE (HANDOC for streptococci and NOVA and DENOVA for enterococci) could be used in SLB bacteremia to decide whether transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) could be omitted. Methods: Positive blood cultures with SLB were retrieved from population-based registries in Sweden (3.2 million inhabitants), from January 2012 to December 2017. Clinical data were collected from medical records. Risk factors for IE were analyzed and the performances of the scoring systems were calculated. Results: The incidence of bacteremia with the 4 SLB genera was 30 episodes/1 000 000 population per year, of which Aerococcus contributed with 18. Among 568 episodes of bacteremia, 32 cases of IE were identified (5.6%). Infective endocarditis was most common in bacteremia with Abiotrophia (4 of 19) followed by Granulicatella (9 of 124), Gemella (6 of 87), and Aerococcus (13 of 338). NOVA had 100% sensitivity to identify IE but a low specificity (15%). For HANDOC and DENOVA, the sensitivities were 97% and 91%, respectively, whereas specificities were 85% and 90%, respectively, and numbers needed to screen were 3.6 and 2.8, respectively. Conclusions: Bacteremia with these SLB is relatively rare, and the decision whether TEE should be performed or not could be based on either HANDOC or DENOVA.
5.
Berge, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
The DENOVA score efficiently identifies patients with monomicrobial Enterococcus faecalis bacteremia where echocardiography is not necessary
2019
Ingår i: Infection. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0300-8126 .- 1439-0973. ; 47:1, s. 45-50
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Objectives: Enterococcal bacteremia can be complicated by infective endocarditis (IE) and when suspected, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) should be performed. The previously published NOVA score can identify patients with enterococcal bacteremia at risk for IE and we aimed to improve the score. Methods: Factors associated with IE were studied retrospectively in a population-based cohort of patients with monomicrobial Enterococcus faecalis bacteremia (MEFsB). Factors associated with IE in multivariable analysis were included in a new score system which was compared to the NOVA score and validated in a cohort of patients with MEFsB from another region. Results: Among 397 episodes of MEFsB, 44 episodes with IE were compared to those without IE. Long Duration of symptoms (≥ 7 days) and Embolization were associated with IE in the multivariate analysis and hence were added to the NOVA variables (Number of positive cultures, Origin of infection unknown, Valve disease, and Auscultation of murmur) to generate a novel score; DENOVA. The area under the curve in ROC analyses was higher for DENOVA (0.95) compared to NOVA (0.91) (p = 0.001). With a cutoff at ≥ 3 positive variables the DENOVA score has a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 83% which is superior to the NOVA score (specificity 29%). The DENOVA score was applied to the validation cohort (26 IE episodes and 256 non-IE episodes) and the resulting sensitivity was 100% and the specificity was 85% compared to 35% for NOVA. Conclusions: The DENOVA score is a useful tool to identify patients with MEFsB where TEE is not needed.
6.
Bergmann, René, et al.
(författare)
Prominent Binding of Human and Equine Fibrinogen to Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus Is Mediated by Specific SzM Types and Is a Distinct Phenotype of Zoonotic Isolates
2020
Ingår i: Infection and Immunity. - 1098-5522. ; 88:1
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus is an important pathogen in horses that causes severe diseases such as pneumonia and abortion. Furthermore, it is a zoonotic agent, and contact with horses is a known risk factor. In this study, we investigated the working hypothesis that the zoonotic potential varies among S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus strains in association with differences in M-like protein-mediated binding of host plasma proteins. We demonstrate via in-frame deletion mutagenesis of two different S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus strains that the M-like protein SzM is crucial for the binding of fibrinogen to the bacterial surface and for survival in equine and human blood. S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus isolates of equine and human origins were compared with regard to SzM sequences and binding of equine and human fibrinogens. The N-terminal 216 amino acids of the mature SzM were found to exhibit a high degree of diversity, but the majority of human isolates grouped in three distinct SzM clusters. Plasma protein absorption assays and flow cytometry analysis revealed that pronounced binding of human fibrinogen is a common phenotype of human S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus isolates but much less so in equine S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus isolates. Furthermore, binding of human fibrinogen is associated with specific SzM types. These results suggest that SzM-mediated binding of human fibrinogen is an important virulence mechanism of zoonotic S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus isolates.
7.
Bläckberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
Infective endocarditis due to Streptococcus dysgalactiae: clinical presentation and microbiological features
2018
Ingår i: European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0934-9723 .- 1435-4373. ; 37:12, s. 2261-2272
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Knowledge of infective endocarditis (IE) caused by Streptococcus dysgalactiae (SD) is limited. This study aimed to identify the clinical and microbiological features of SD-caused IE and to investigate any possible synergy between penicillin and gentamicin on SD isolates. Cases of IE 2008-2016 due to SD reported to the Swedish Registry of Infective Endocarditis (SRIE) were identified. Isolates were emm typed and synergy between antibiotics was determined in time-kill experiments. Medical records were reviewed and SD-cases were compared to cases of IE due to other pathogens reported to the SRIE. Fifty cases of SD-caused IE were confirmed. emm types stC74a, stG62647, and stG643 were most commonly encountered. The patients had a median age of 74years (range 38-93) and were significantly older compared to patients with Staphylococcus aureus-caused IE, (65years (p=0.003)). The median time to diagnosis from symptom onset was 1day for patients with SD-caused IE which was less compared to patients with IE due to the other pathogens (2-15days). Embolization was seen in 46% and the in-hospital mortality was 8%. Etest-based methods did not indicate any synergy between penicillin and gentamicin whereas synergy was noted for four out of nine isolates applying time-kill assays. This is the largest study of SD-caused IE, a condition with an acute onset predominantly affecting elderly people. Synergy between penicillin and gentamicin against some SD isolates was distinguished but the potential benefit of this must be weighed against the risk of aminoglycoside side effects.
8.
Boman, Jolin, et al.
(författare)
True infection or contamination in patients with positive Cutibacterium blood cultures-a retrospective cohort study
2022
Ingår i: European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0934-9723 .- 1435-4373. ; 41:7, s. 1029-1037
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Cutibacterium is a genus often considered a contaminant when present in blood cultures, but it can also cause severe infections, especially related to implanted foreign materials. We investigated the incidence and features of patients with true Cutibacterium infection. Patients with positive Cutibacterium blood cultures between the years 2015-2020 in southern Sweden were identified through microbiology records and medical records were studied retrospectively. Cutibacterium isolates were species determined using MALDI-TOF MS. Patients were classified as having true infection or contamination according to a definition considering both clinical and microbiological features and these groups were compared. A total of 313 episodes of positive Cutibacterium blood cultures were identified in 312 patients. Of these, 49 (16%, corresponding to an incidence of 6 cases per million inhabitants per year) were classified as true infections. The most common species was Cutibacterium acnes (87%), and the majority were elderly men with comorbidities. Patients with true Cutibacterium infection often had an unknown focus of infection (n = 21) or a focus in the respiratory tract (n = 18). We identified one episode of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt infection, three episodes of aortic stent-graft infection, and one episode of infective endocarditis. Two patients, where Cutibacterium was isolated at the site of infection, had only one positive blood culture. The finding of positive Cutibacterium blood cultures should not always be considered contamination. Definitions of true Cutibacterium bacteremia with a demand that more than one blood culture must be positive may miss true infections.
9.
Chao, Yashuan, et al.
(författare)
Distinct phenotypes of platelet, monocyte, and neutrophil activation occur during the acute and convalescent phase of COVID-19
2021
Ingår i: Platelets. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0953-7104 .- 1369-1635. ; 32:8, s. 1092-1102
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
SARS-CoV-2 has spread rapidly worldwide, causing the COVID-19 pandemic. Platelet activation and platelet-leukocyte complex formation are proposed to contribute to disease progression. Here, we report platelet and leukocyte activation during acute and convalescent COVID-19 in patients recruited between May-July 2020. Blood samples were analyzed by flow cytometry and ELISA using paired comparison between inclusion (day 0) and 28 days later. The majority of patients were mildly or moderately ill with significantly higher cytokine levels (IL-6 and IL-10) on day 0 as compared with day 28. Platelet activation and granule release were significantly higher on day 0 compared with day 28, as determined by ADP- or thrombin-induced surface CD62P expression, baseline released CD62P, and thrombin-induced platelet-monocyte complex formation. Monocyte activation and procoagulant status at baseline and post activation were heterogeneous but generally lower on day 0 compared with day 28. Baseline and thrombin- or fMLF-induced neutrophil activation and procoagulant status were significantly lower on day 0 compared with day 28. We demonstrate that during the acute phase of COVID-19 compared with the convalescent phase, platelets are more responsive while neutrophils are less responsive. COVID-19 is associated with thromboembolic events where platelet activation and interaction with leukocytes may play an important role.
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