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ABSTRACTAkkermansia muciniphila(A. muciniphila) is a ‘star strain’ that has attracted much attention in recent years. A. muciniphilacan effectively regulate host metabolism, significantly affect host immune function, and play an important role in balancing host health and disease. As one of the organs most closely related to the gut (the two can communicate through the hepatic portal vein and bile duct system), liver is widely affected by intestinal microorganisms. A growing body of evidence suggests that A. muciniphilamay alleviate liver-related diseases by improving the intestinal barrier, energy metabolism and regulating inflammation through its protein components and metabolites. This paper systematically reviews the key roles of A. muciniphilaand its derivatives in maintaining liver health and improving liver disease.

Biofilms are highly tolerant to antimicrobial agents and adverse environmental conditions being important reservoirs for chronic and hard-to-treat infections. Nanomaterials exhibit microbiostatic/microbicidal/antipathogenic properties and can be also used for the delivery of antibiofilm agents. However, few of the many promising leads offered by nanotechnology reach clinical studies and eventually, become available to clinicians. The aim of this paper was to review the progress and challenges in the development of nanotechnology-based antibiofilm drug-delivery systems. The main identified challenges are: most papers report only in vitrostudies of the activity of different nanoformulations; lack of standardization in the methodological approaches; insufficient collaboration between material science specialists and clinicians; paucity of in vivostudies to test efficiency and safety.

Trichosporonspecies are emerging as opportunistic pathogens that mainly affect immunocompromised patients. Patients with onco-hematological diseases usually present with fungemia by Trichosporonspecies, especially by T. asahii. Reports of this infection by other species of the genus are uncommon. Thus, in this paper, we present a case of T. inkinfungemia in a 39-year-old female patient with intestinal obstruction and absence of malignant hematological diseases. The late mycological diagnosis, the ineffective control of her pre-existing conditions and consequent failure to start antifungal therapy were the contributing factors for the patient's death.

Trainees represent the medical practice of tomorrow. Interactions and collaborations at the early stage in career will strengthen the future of our specialties, clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. Trainee networks at the national level help access the best education and career opportunities. The aim of this collaborative white paper between the Trainee Association of European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) and four national trainee networks is to discuss the motivation for building such networks and offer guidance for their creation and sustainability even during a health crisis.

Mixed vaginitis is defined as the simultaneous presence of at least two different vaginal pathogens, both contributing to an abnormal vaginal milieu leading to signs and symptoms. Pathogen coinfection occurs frequently in women with vaginitis, and both coinfection and mixed vaginitis have relevant clinical and therapeutic implications. Fenticonazole, an imidazole derivative with a broad spectrum of antimycotic and antimicrobial activity, appears at least as effective as other topical antifungals in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis and can also have a major role in the treatment of mixed infections or coinfections of the lower genital tract. This paper will address the current role of topical fenticonazole as an empiric treatment of vulvovaginal infections, with a focus on the effectiveness in the treatment of mixed vaginitis and the possible implications of this.

Protection of healthcare workers (HCWs) from biological hazards in the workplace has the added benefit of contributing to the quality of patient care and patient safety. Vaccinated HCWs act as a barrier against the spread of infections and maintain essential healthcare delivery during outbreaks. In Italy, specific recommendations for vaccination of HCWs are issued by the Ministry of Health within the framework of the National Immunization Prevention Plan. These recommendations provide advice regarding HCW vaccination for hepatitis B, influenza, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and tuberculosis. This paper summarizes the current literature on vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccination among Italian HCWs.

The assessment and management of biological risk has always been a primary goal toward which occupational medicine has focused its efforts, in particular in healthcare workplaces. Healthcare professionals represent a category of workers at high risk for infections, many of which are vaccine-preventable diseases. There are various reasons for vaccinating healthcare workers, including to prevent illness among them so as to reduce absenteeism, to ensure an effective health service to users and to reduce social costs. Recently, the issue of vaccinations has been the subject of many debates. Vaccination is not always appreciated by health operators, and the reasons for low vaccination coverage are several and heterogeneous. This paper focuses on current Italian law and vaccination policies, along with the international background, evaluating the effectiveness of current policies and the consequences on public health. Overall, preventing infectious diseases means reducing costs, cases and outbreaks, shows responsibility toward third parties, and improves general welfare.

This interview was conducted by Atiya Henry, Commissioning Editor ofFuture Microbiology.Peter J Hotez, MD, PhD is Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine. He is an internationally recognized physician–scientist in neglected tropical diseases and vaccine development. As head of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development, he leads a team and product development partnership for developing new vaccines for hookworm infection, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and SARS/MERS/SARS-2 coronavirus. Dr Hotez has authored more than 500 original papers and is the author of four single-author books. Most recently as both a vaccine scientist and autism parent, he has led national efforts to defend vaccines and to serve as an ardent champion of vaccines going up against a growing national ‘antivax’ threat.

Dye application for parasite highlighting in the Ova and Parasite exam is a common practice in parasitology diagnosis. Methods:A scoping review investigated how staining solutions interact with parasite structures. After screening 1334 papers, 35 met eligibility criteria. Results:Differentiating background from foreground in the fecal smear under light microscopy is the core of the research on this topic. Refractivity, unevenness of staining, size and temperature were explored to enhance staining protocols. Cryptosporidiumspp. and Microsporidia were the main studied species. Conclusion:Studies on diagnostic efficacy outperform those that elucidate the physical–chemical interaction between dyes and parasites. An alternative approach involves technicians using computational tools to reduce subjectivity in fecal smear interpretation, deviating from conventional methods.

Anaerobes represent the dominating population in the human gut microbiota and play a key role in gut homeostasis. In addition, several anaerobes are now considered as probiotics and they remain essential to several processes in the field of biotechnology. With the implementation of MALDI-TOF MS in routine laboratories, anaerobes are no longer neglected in clinical microbiology, as their identification is made easy. However, the isolation and identification of anaerobic bacteria, remains time consuming, fastidious and costly. Various strategies have been developed, from sampling to culturing human specimens, which will be discussed in this paper. Also, particular attention is paid to isolating species with special medical importance, as for contribution to the field of culturomics.

In this exclusive interview, Simon Gaisford discusses his current research into gut dysbiosis and its possible relevance to disease states, as well as the efficacy of probiotic supplementation and its possible use as treatment. This interview was conducted by Ellen Colvin, Commissioning Editor of Future Microbiology.Professor Simon Gaisford is the Head of Department at UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London. He uses isothermal microcalorimetry to monitor the growth and interactions of bacteria, with his research-interest focus on the use of probiotic supplements to improve general health and well-being, ameliorate symptoms of disease and eradicate gut pathogens. He has published 120 papers, four books and eight book chapters.

Hilary Browne speaks to Alice Greenway, Commissioning Editor of Future Microbiology, at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2018.Hilary Browne is a Staff Scientist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge (UK). His research focuses on culturing, curating and whole genome sequencing of the human gut microbiota and using these resources to study the human intestinal microbiota. At the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2018, we asked him a few questions regarding his past and current research focuses, including the offered paper he presented at the conference entitled: ‘Host adaptation of commensal bacteria through loss of sporulation and genome reduction’.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most considerably common malignancies of the alimentary system, with high mortality and incidence rates.  The present study suggested that the occurrence of CRC is closely related to bacteria, as the large intestine is a gathering place for human micro-organisms. However, the nosogenesis of bacteria leading to tumorigenesis is still obscure. Recently, many studies have reported that toll-like receptors and their related molecular pathways are involved in the process of gut micro-organisms generating CRC. Gut micro-organisms can promote or inhibit the development of CRC via binding to special toll-like receptors. In this paper, the authors review the relationship among toll-like receptors, gut micro-organisms and CRC in order to provide a reference for future tumor immunotherapy and targeted therapy.