| 1. |
- Wannigama, D. L., et al.
(author)
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COVID-19 monitoring with sparse sampling of sewered and non-sewered wastewater in urban and rural communities
- 2023
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In: Iscience. ; 26:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Equitable SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in low-resource communities lacking centralized sewers is critical as wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) progresses. However, large-scale studies on SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater from low-and middle-income countries is limited because of economic and technical reasons. In this study, wastewater samples were collected twice a month from 186 urban and rural subdistricts in nine provinces of Thailand mostly having decentralized and non-sewered sanitation infrastructure and analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA variants using allele-specific RT-qPCR. Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration was used to estimate the real-time incidence and time-varying effective reproduction number (Re). Results showed an increase in SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater from urban and rural areas 14-20 days earlier than infected individuals were officially reported. It also showed that community/food markets were ''hot spots'' for infected people. This approach offers an opportunity for early detection of transmission surges, allowing preparedness and potentially mitigating significant outbreaks at both spatial and temporal scales.
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| 2. |
- Leshan, D., et al.
(author)
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Ca-EDTA restores the activity of ceftazidime- avibactam or aztreonam against carbapenemase- producing Klebsiella pneumoniae infections
- 2023
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In: iScience. - 2589-0042. ; 26:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Developing an effective therapy to overcome carbapenemase-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPKp) is an important therapeutic challenge that must be ad-dressed urgently. Here, we explored a Ca-EDTA combination with aztreonam or ceftazidime-avibactam in vitro and in vivo against diverse CPKp clinical iso-lates. The synergy testing of this study demonstrated that novel aztreonam-Ca-EDTA or ceftazidime-avibactam-Ca-EDTA combination was significantly effective in eliminating planktonic and mature biofilms in vitro, as well as eradicating CPKp infections in vivo. Both combinations revealed significant therapeutic efficacies in reducing bacterial load in internal organs and protecting treated mice from mor-tality. Conclusively, this is the first in vitro and in vivo study to demonstrate that novel aztreonam-Ca-EDTA or ceftazidime-avibactam-Ca-EDTA combinations pro-vide favorable efficacy and safety for successful eradication of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae planktonic and biofilm infections.
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| 3. |
- Shein, A. M. S., et al.
(author)
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High prevalence of mgrB-mediated colistin resistance among carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is associated with biofilm formation, and can be overcome by colistin-EDTA combination therapy
- 2022
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 12:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The global prevalence of colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (ColRkp) facilitated by chromosomal and plasmid-mediated Ara4N or PEtN-remodeled LPS alterations has steadily increased with increased colistin usage for treating carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRkp). Our study demonstrated the rising trend of ColRkp showing extensively and pandrug-resistant characteristics among CRkp, with a prevalence of 28.5%, which was mediated by chromosomal mgrB, pmrB, or phoQ mutations (91.5%), and plasmid-mediated mcr-1.1, mcr-8.1, mcr-8.2 alone or in conjunction with R256G PmrB (8.5%). Several genetic alterations in mgrB (85.1%) with increased expressions of Ara4N-related phoPQ and pmrK were critical for establishing colistin resistance in our isolates. In this study, we discovered the significant associations between extensively drug-resistant bacteria (XDR) and pandrug-resistant bacteria (PDR) ColRkp in terms of moderate, weak or no biofilm-producing abilities, and altered expressions of virulence factors. These ColRkp would therefore be very challenging to treat, emphasizing for innovative therapy to combat these infections. Regardless of the underlying colistin-resistant mechanisms, colistin-EDTA combination therapy in this study produced potent synergistic effects in both in vitro and in vivo murine bacteremia, with no ColRkp regrowth and improved animal survival, implying the significance of colistin-EDTA combination therapy as systemic therapy for unlocking colistin resistance in ColRkp-associated bacteremia.
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| 4. |
- Shein, A. M. S., et al.
(author)
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Novel intranasal phage-CaEDTA-ceftazidime/avibactam triple combination therapy demonstrates remarkable efficacy in treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection
- 2023
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In: Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. - 0753-3322. ; 168
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Given the rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, alternative treatments are needed. Anti-pseudomonal phage therapy shows promise, but its clinical application is limited due to the development of resistance and a lack of biofilm penetration. Recently, adjuvants like CaEDTA have shown the ability to enhance the effectiveness of combined antimicrobial agents. Here, we tested a phage-adjuvant com-bination and demonstrated the effectiveness of intranasally inhaled phage (KKP10) + CaEDTA in addition to ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA) for chronic P. aeruginosa lung infections. The results emphasize that intranasal inhalation of phage along with CaEDTA can successfully re-sensitize MDR P. aeruginosa to CZA in a triple combination treatment. This promising approach shows potential as a therapy for chronic respiratory tract infections.
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| 5. |
- Wannigama, D. L., et al.
(author)
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Multiple traces of monkeypox detected in non-sewered wastewater with sparse sampling from a densely populated metropolitan area in Asia
- 2023
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In: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697. ; 858
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The monkeypox virus is excreted in the feces of infected individuals. Therefore, there is an interest in using viral load detection in wastewater for sentinel early surveillance at a community level and as a complementary approach to syndromic surveillance. We collected wastewater from 63 sewered and non-sewered locations in Bangkok city center between May and August 2022. Monkeypox viral DNA copy numbers were quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and confirmed positive by Sanger sequencing. Monkeypox viral DNA was first detected in waste-water from the second week of June 2022, with a mean copy number of 16.4 copies/ml (n = 3). From the first week of July, the number of viral DNA copies increased to a mean copy number of 45.92 copies/ml. Positive samples were Sanger sequenced and confirmed the presence of the monkeypox virus. Our study is the first to detect monkeypox viral DNA in wastewater from various locations within Thailand. Results suggest that this could be a complementary source for detecting viral DNA and predicting upcoming outbreaks.
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