(1) Background: Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is an urgent global threat to public health. Migratory birds can acquire antibiotic-resistant and pathogenic bacteria from the environment or through contact with each other and spread them over long distances. The objectives of this study were to explore the relationship between migratory birds and the transmission of drug-resistant pathogenic Escherichia coli. (2) Methods: Faeces and swab samples from migratory birds were collected for isolating E. coli on the Inner Mongolia Plateau of northern China from 2018 to 2023. The resistant phenotypes and spectra of isolates were determined using a BD Phoenix 100 System. Conjugation assays were performed on extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains, and the genomes of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and ESBL-producing isolates were sequenced and analysed. (3) Results: Overall, 179 isolates were antibiotic-resistant, with 49.7% MDR and 14.0% ESBL. Plasmids were successfully transferred from 32% of ESBL-producing strains. Genome sequencing analysis of 91 MDR E. coli strains identified 57 acquired resistance genes of 13 classes, and extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli and avian pathogenic E. coli accounted for 26.4% and 9.9%, respectively. There were 52 serotypes and 54 sequence types (STs), including ST48 (4.4%), ST69 (4.4%), ST131 (2.2%) and ST10 (2.2%). The international high-risk clonal strains ST131 and ST10 primarily carried blaCTX-M-27 and blaTEM-176. (4) Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant virulent E. coli in migratory birds on the Inner Mongolian Plateau. This indicates a risk of intercontinental transmission from migratory birds to livestock and humans.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of immunocyte associated with bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kpn).
METHODS: Patients with BSI-Kpn were included from 2015 to 2022 in our hospital. Immunocyte subpopulations of enrolled BSI-Kpn patients were tested on the same day of blood culture using multicolor flow cytometry analysis. Antibiotic susceptibility test was determined by agar dilution or broth dilution method. All included isolates were subjected to whole genome sequencing and comparative genomics analysis. Clinical and genetic data were integrated to investigate the risk factors associated with clinical outcome.
RESULTS: There were 173 patients with non-duplicate BSI-Kpn, including 81 carbapenem-resistant Kpn (CRKP), 30 extended-spectrum β-lactamases producing Kpn (ESBL-Kpn), 62 none CRKP or ESBL-Kpn (S-Kpn). Among 68 ST11-CRKP isolates, ST11-O2v1:KL64 was the most common serotypes cluster (77.9%, 53/68), followed by ST11-OL101: KL47 (13.2%, 9/68). Compared with CSKP group, subpopulations of immunocyte in patients with CRKP were significantly lower (P < 0.01). In patients with ST11-O2v1:KL64 BSI-Kpn, the level of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD3 + CD8 +) is the highest, while the B lymphocytes (CD3-CD19 +) was the least. In addition, the level of immunocyte in patients with Kpn co-harbored clpV-ybtQ-qacE were lower than that in patients with Kpn harbored one of clpV, ybtQ or qacE and without these three genes. Furthermore, co-existence of clpV-ybtQ-qacE was independently associated with a higher risk for 30-day mortality.
CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that patients with BSI-CRKP, especially for ST11-O2v1:KL64, exhibit lower leukomonocyte counts. In addition, BSI-Kpn co-harbored clpV-ybtQ-qacE is correlated to higher 30-day mortality.

UNASSIGNED: Candida albicans (C. albicans) can form biofilms; a critical virulence factor that provides effective protection from commercial antifungals and contributes to public health issues. The development of new antifungal therapies, particularly those targeting biofilms, is imperative. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the antifungal and antibiofilm effects of Lactobacillus salivarius (L. salivarius), zinc nanoparticles (ZnNPs) and nanocomposites (ZnNCs) on C. albicans isolates from Nile tilapia, fish wash water and human fish sellers in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt.
UNASSIGNED: A cross-sectional study collected 300 samples from tilapia, fish wash water, and fish sellers (100 each). Probiotic L. salivarius was immobilized with ZnNPs to synthesize ZnNCs. The study assessed the antifungal and antibiofilm activities of ZnNPs, L. salivarius, and ZnNCs compared to amphotericin (AMB).
UNASSIGNED: Candida spp. were detected in 38 samples, which included C. albicans (42.1%), C. glabrata (26.3%), C. krusei (21.1%), and C. parapsilosis (10.5%). A total of 62.5% of the isolates were resistant to at least one antifungal agent, with the highest resistance to nystatin (62.5%). However, 75% of the isolates were highly susceptible to AMB. All C. albicans isolates exhibited biofilm-forming capabilities, with 4 (25%) isolates showing strong biofilm formation. At least one virulence-associated gene (RAS1, HWP1, ALS3, or SAP4) was identified among the C. albicans isolates. Probiotics L. salivarius, ZnNPs, and ZnNCs displayed antibiofilm and antifungal effects against C. albicans, with ZnNCs showing significantly higher inhibitory activity. ZnNCs, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 10 µg/mL, completely reduced C. albicans biofilm gene expression. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy images of C. albicans biofilms treated with ZnNCs revealed asymmetric, wrinkled surfaces, cell deformations, and reduced cell numbers.
UNASSIGNED: This study identified virulent, resistant C. albicans isolates with strong biofilm-forming abilities in tilapia, water, and humans, that pose significant risks to public health and food safety.

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Helicobacter pylori strains poses a significant threat to children\'s health. This study investigated antibiotic resistance rates in Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from children in Shanghai and analyzed the presence of virulence genes in these strains.
METHODS: We obtained 201 Helicobacter pylori strains from pediatric patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms who underwent gastrointestinal endoscopy between 2019 and 2022. Subsequently, we performed antibiotic susceptibility tests and virulence gene PCR assays on these strains.
RESULTS: Helicobacter pylori resistance rates of 45.8%, 15.4%, 1.0%, and 2.5% were detected for metronidazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin, and levofloxacin, respectively. Among all isolates, 64.7% exhibited resistance to at least one antibiotic. Resistance to metronidazole and clarithromycin increased from 2019 to 2022. The predominant vacA gene subtype was vacA s1a/m2. The prevalence of vacA m2 and dupA exhibited an upward trend, while oipA presented a decreasing trend from 2019 to 2022. The prevalence of dupA was significantly higher in gastritis than peptic ulcer disease, and in non-treatment compared to treatment groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Helicobacter pylori antibiotic resistance remains high in children and has risen in recent years. Therefore, the increasing use of metronidazole and clarithromycin requires increased monitoring in children. No association was observed between antibiotic resistance and virulence gene phenotypes.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common pathogen that can cause many serious infections. Thus, efficient and practical techniques to fight S. aureus are required. In this study, transcriptomics was used to evaluate changes in S. aureus following treatment with benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) to determine its antibacterial action. The results revealed that the BITC at subinhibitory concentrations (1/8th MIC) treated group had 94 differentially expressed genes compared to the control group, with 52 downregulated genes. Moreover, STRING analyses were used to reveal the protein interactions encoded by 36 genes. Then, we verified three significant virulence genes by qRT-PCR, including capsular polysaccharide synthesis enzyme (cp8F), capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis protein (cp5D), and thermonuclease (nuc). Furthermore, molecular docking analysis was performed to investigate the action site of BITC with the encoded proteins of cp8F, cp5D, and nuc. The results showed that the docking fraction of BITC with selected proteins ranged from - 6.00 to - 6.60 kcal/mol, predicting the stability of these complexes. BITC forms hydrophobic, hydrogen-bonded, π-π conjugated interactions with amino acids TRP (130), GLY (10), ILE (406), LYS (368), TYR (192), and ARG (114) of these proteins. These findings will aid future research into the antibacterial effects of BITC against S. aureus.

Existing studies revealed high clonal diversity among Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia isolates, especially for methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains. A 66-year-old male patient presenting with a widespread methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) infection, accompanied by concurrent carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) bloodstream infection.To evaluate the evolution of the present isolate, whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were performed for all available MSSA isolates. This patient recovered eventually through drainage and antibiotics combination. Therefore, the virulence factors of MSSA, as the primary pathogenicity, led to widely disseminated infection. The appropriate initial treatment is a major concern after culture identification.

UNASSIGNED: To investigate the clinical characteristics and molecular epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) isolated from patients with bloodstream infections in a large tertiary-care general hospital in Southwest China.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 131 strains of non-repeating CRKP were collected from the blood cultures of patients who had bloodstream infections in 2015-2019. The strains were identified by VITEK-2, a fully automated microbial analyzer, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by microbroth dilution method. The common carbapenemase resistant genes and virulence factors were identified by PCR. Homology analysis was performed by multilocus sequencing typing. Whole genome sequencing was performed to analyze the genomic characteristics of CRKP without carbapenemase.
UNASSIGNED: The 131 strains of CRKP showed resistance to common antibiotics, except for polymyxin B (1.6% resistance rate) and tigacycline (8.0% resistance rate). A total of 105 (80.2%) CRKP strains carried the Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) resistance gene, 15 (11.4%) strains carried the New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) gene, and 4 (3.1%) isolates carried both KPC and NDM genes. Sequence typing (ST) 11 (74.0%) was the dominant sequence type. High detection rates for mrkD (96.2%), fimH (98.5%), entB (100%), and other virulence genes were reported. One hypervirulent CRKP strain was detected. The seven strains of CRKP that did not produce carbapenemase were shown to carry ESBL or AmpC genes and had anomalies in membrane porins OMPK35 and OMPK36, according to whole genome sequencing.
UNASSIGNED: In a large-scale tertiary-care general hospital, CRKP mainly carries the KPC gene, has a high drug resistance rate to a variety of antibiotics, and possesses multiple virulence genes. Attention should be paid to CRKP strains with high virulence.

BACKGROUND: Vibrio furnissii is an emerging human pathogen closely related to V. fluvialis that causes acute gastroenteritis. V. furnissii infection has been reported to be rarer than V. fluvialis, but a multi-drug resistance plasmid has recently been discovered in V. furnissii.
METHODS: During daily monitoring at a general hospital in Beijing, China, seven V. furnissii strains were collected from patients aged over 14 years who presented with acute diarrhoea between April and October 2018. Genome analysis and comparison were performed for virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes, plasmids and transposon islands, together with phylogenetic analysis. Antimicrobial resistance to 19 antibiotics was investigated using the microbroth dilution method. Virulence phenotypes were investigated based on type VI secretion system (T6SS) expression and using a bacterial killing assay and a haemolysin assay.
RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms revealed a closer relationship between V. furnissii and V. fluvialis than between other Vibrio spp. The seven V. furnissii isolates were in different monophyletic clades in the phylogenetic tree, suggesting that the seven cases of gastroenteritis were independent. High resistance to cefazolin, tetracycline and streptomycin was found in the V. furnissii isolates at respective rates of 100.0%, 57.1% and 42.9%, and intermediate resistance to ampicillin/sulbactam and imipenem was observed at respective rates of 85.7% and 85.7%. Of the tested strains, VFBJ02 was resistant to both imipenem and meropenem, while VFBJ01, VFBJ02, VFBJ05 and VFBJ07 were multi-drug resistant. Transposon islands containing antibiotic resistance genes were found on the multi-drug resistance plasmid in VFBJ05. Such transposon islands also occurred in VFBJ07 but were located on the chromosome. The virulence-related genes T6SS, vfh, hupO, vfp and ilpA were widespread in V. furnissii. The results of the virulence phenotype assays demonstrated that our isolated V. furnissii strains encoded an activated T6SS and grew in large colonies with strong beta-haemolysis on blood agar.
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that diarrhoea associated with V. furnissii occurred sporadically and was more common than expected in the summer in Beijing, China. The antibiotic resistance of V. furnissii has unique characteristics compared with that of V. fluvialis. Fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins, such as ceftazidime and doxycycline, were effective at treating V. furnissii infection. Continua laboratory-based surveillance is needed for the prevention and control of V. furnissii infection, especially the dissemination of the antibiotic resistance genes in this pathogen.

UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to provide epidemiological features of Salmonella enterica serovar Rissen, determine antimicrobial susceptibility, virulence gene profiles, and describe the potential association of S. Rissen from different sources in China.
UNASSIGNED: During 2008-2019, a total of non-repetitive 228 S. Rissen isolates were collected from human, animals and environment in China. The antimicrobial susceptibility test, screening of antimicrobial and virulence genes by PCR, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were performed.
UNASSIGNED: Among the 154 isolates from human, the majority of the cases (80.5%) occurred in summer, and S. Rissen was mainly detected in people aged 21-40 (37.7%) and 41-60 (28.6%) years old, and 74 non-human source S. Rissen strains were identified, with pork being the most common source. About 93.4% isolates were resistant to at least one of the 12 tested antimicrobial agents, and high frequencies of resistance were observed for tetracyclines (91.2%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (74.1%) and ampicillin (67.5%). A total of 171 (75%) isolates were resistant to at least three categories of antimicrobials, and the most common resistance profile was Tetracycline(s)-β-Lactams-Sulfonamides. The resistance rates to chloramphenicol, quinolones and sulfafurazole were significantly higher in strains isolated from human compared to non-human source strains. Among these isolates, the β-Lactams resistance was mainly associated with gene blaTEM (54.7%), sulfonamide resistance with sul2 (45.7%) and sul3 (54.3%), tetracycline resistance with tetA (81.3%). All the isolates harbored virulence genes hilA, sopB, sciN, stn and ssrB, and most of them harbored ssaQ (98.7%), mgtC (98.7%) and invA (98.2%). The majority (91.7%) of S. Rissen isolates showed high similarity (>80%) with each other in PFGE patterns and came from human, animals and environment.
UNASSIGNED: The high frequencies of multidrug resistance and probable clonal dissemination in this serovar call for the necessity of systematic surveillance on S. Rissen in China.

OBJECTIVE: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a challenging global health threat, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aims to determine the molecular characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility of 263 MRSA isolates in Zhejiang Province, east China.
METHODS: From 2014 to 2019, a total of 263 MRSA isolates from bloodstream infections (BSIs) were collected from 6 hospitals in 4 cities in Zhejiang province, east China. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were conducted according to the guidelines set forth by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). To characterize and analyze these isolates, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, staphylococcal protein A (spa) typing and virulence genes gene profiles were performed.
RESULTS: The most predominant clone was ST5-SCCmec II-t311, which accounted for 41.8% (110/263), followed by ST59 (44/263, 16.7%). Compared with non-ST5-II-t311 isolates, ST5-II-t311 isolates were more resistant to erythromycin, tetracycline, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and ciprofloxacin, but more susceptible to clindamycin. Moreover, the rates of multidrug resistance were higher in ST5-II-t311 isolates compared to the non-ST5-II-t311 isolates. In comparison to the non-ST5-II-t311 isolates, ST5-II-t311 isolates showed no significant difference in virulence genes detected.
CONCLUSIONS: MRSA ST5-II-t311 clone has become the most predominant clone in Zhejiang Province, east China and has higher rates of multidrug resistance than other isolates, that should be kept in mind when treating BSI. Moreover, MRSA ST59 clone shows an upward trend and has begun to spread into hospitals. Our findings highlight the importance of epidemiological studies of S. aureus carriage in the eastern region.