354 results on '"Lothar H Wieler"'
Search Results
2. Establishing Infodemic Management in Germany: A Framework for Social Listening and Integrated Analysis to Report Infodemic Insights at the National Public Health Institute
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T Sonia Boender, Paula Helene Schneider, Claudia Houareau, Silvan Wehrli, Tina D Purnat, Atsuyoshi Ishizumi, Elisabeth Wilhelm, Christopher Voegeli, Lothar H Wieler, and Christina Leuker
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Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics ,R858-859.7 - Abstract
BackgroundTo respond to the need to establish infodemic management functions at the national public health institute in Germany (Robert Koch Institute, RKI), we explored and assessed available data sources, developed a social listening and integrated analysis framework, and defined when infodemic management functions should be activated during emergencies. ObjectiveWe aimed to establish a framework for social listening and integrated analysis for public health in the German context using international examples and technical guidance documents for infodemic management. MethodsThis study completed the following objectives: identified (potentially) available data sources for social listening and integrated analysis; assessed these data sources for their suitability and usefulness for integrated analysis in addition to an assessment of their risk using the RKI’s standardized data protection requirements; developed a framework and workflow to combine social listening and integrated analysis to report back actionable infodemic insights for public health communications by the RKI and stakeholders; and defined criteria for activating integrated analysis structures in the context of a specific health event or health emergency. ResultsWe included and classified 38% (16/42) of the identified and assessed data sources for social listening and integrated analysis at the RKI into 3 categories: social media and web-based listening data, RKI-specific data, and infodemic insights. Most data sources can be analyzed weekly to detect current trends and narratives and to inform a timely response by reporting insights that include a risk assessment and scalar judgments of different narratives and themes. ConclusionsThis study identified, assessed, and prioritized a wide range of data sources for social listening and integrated analysis to report actionable infodemic insights, ensuring a valuable first step in establishing and operationalizing infodemic management at the RKI. This case study also serves as a roadmap for others. Ultimately, once operational, these activities will inform better and targeted public health communication at the RKI and beyond. more...
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- 2023
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Catalog
3. Differences in risk perception, knowledge and protective behaviour regarding COVID-19 by education level among women and men in Germany. Results from the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring (COSMO) study.
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Petra Rattay, Niels Michalski, Olga Maria Domanska, Anna Kaltwasser, Freia De Bock, Lothar H Wieler, and Susanne Jordan
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
The main strategy for combatting SARS-CoV-2 infections in 2020 consisted of behavioural regulations including contact reduction, maintaining distance, hand hygiene, and mask wearing. COVID-19-related risk perception and knowledge may influence protective behaviour, and education could be an important determinant. The current study investigated differences by education level in risk perception, knowledge and protective behaviour regarding COVID-19 in Germany, exploring the development of the pandemic over time. The COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring study is a repeated cross-sectional online survey conducted during the pandemic in Germany from 3 March 2020 (waves 1-28: 27,957 participants aged 18-74). Differences in risk perception, knowledge and protective behaviour according to education level (high versus low) were analysed using linear and logistic regression. Time trends were accounted for by interaction terms for education level and calendar week. Regarding protective behaviour, interaction terms were tested for all risk perception and knowledge variables with education level. The strongest associations with education level were evident for perceived and factual knowledge regarding COVID-19. Moreover, associations were found between low education level and higher perceived severity, and between low education level and lower perceived probability. Highly educated men were more worried about COVID-19 than those with low levels of education. No educational differences were observed for perceived susceptibility or fear. Higher compliance with hand washing was found in highly educated women, and higher compliance with maintaining distance was found in highly educated men. Regarding maintaining distance, the impact of perceived severity differed between education groups. In men, significant moderation effects of education level on the association between factual knowledge and all three protective behaviours were found. During the pandemic, risk perception and protective behaviour varied greatly over time. Overall, differences by education level were relatively small. For risk communication, reaching all population groups irrespective of education level is critical. more...
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- 2021
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4. Sociodemographic characteristics determine download and use of a Corona contact tracing app in Germany-Results of the COSMO surveys.
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Eva Grill, Sarah Eitze, Freia De Bock, Nico Dragano, Lena Huebl, Patrick Schmich, Lothar H Wieler, and Cornelia Betsch
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic mobile health applications indicating risks emerging from close contacts to infected persons have a large potential to interrupt transmission chains by automating contact tracing. Since its dispatch in Germany in June 2020 the Corona Warn App has been downloaded on 25.7 Mio smartphones by February 2021. To understand barriers to download and user fidelity in different sociodemographic groups we analysed data from five consecutive cross-sectional waves of the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring survey from June to August 2020. Questions on the Corona Warn App included information on download, use, functionality, usability, and consequences of the app. Of the 4,960 participants (mean age 45.9 years, standard deviation 16.0, 50.4% female), 36.5% had downloaded the Corona Warn App. Adjusted analysis found that those who had downloaded the app were less likely to be female (Adjusted Odds Ratio for men 1.16 95% Confidence Interval [1.02;1.33]), less likely to be younger (Adjusted Odds Ratio for age 18 to 39 0.47 [0.32;0.59] Adjusted Odds Ratio for age 40 to 64 0.57 [0.46;0.69]), less likely to have a lower household income (AOR 0.55 [0.43;0.69]), and more likely to live in one of the Western federal states including Berlin (AOR 2.31 [1.90;2.82]). Willingness to disclose a positive test result and trust in data protection compliance of the Corona Warn App was significantly higher in older adults. Willingness to disclose also increased with higher educational degrees and income. This study supports the hypothesis of a digital divide that separates users and non-users of the Corona Warn App along a well-known health gap of education, income, and region. more...
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- 2021
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5. Comprehensive integrated NGS-based surveillance and contact-network modeling unravels transmission dynamics of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in a high-risk population within a tertiary care hospital.
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Bernd Neumann, Jennifer K Bender, Benjamin F Maier, Alice Wittig, Stephan Fuchs, Dirk Brockmann, Torsten Semmler, Hermann Einsele, Sabrina Kraus, Lothar H Wieler, Ulrich Vogel, and Guido Werner
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VRE) are an important cause of nosocomial infections, which are rapidly transmitted in hospitals. To identify possible transmission routes, we applied combined genomics and contact-network modeling to retrospectively evaluate routine VRE screening data generated by the infection control program of a hemato-oncology unit. Over 1 year, a total of 111 VRE isolates from 111 patients were collected by anal swabs in a tertiary care hospital in Southern Germany. All isolated VRE were whole-genome sequenced, followed by different in-depth bioinformatics analyses including genotyping and determination of phylogenetic relations, aiming to evaluate a standardized workflow. Patient movement data were used to overlay sequencing data to infer transmission events and strain dynamics over time. A predominant clone harboring vanB and exhibiting genotype ST117/CT469 (n = 67) was identified. Our comprehensive combined analyses suggested intra-hospital spread, especially of clone ST117/CT469, despite of extensive screening, single room placement, and contact isolation. A new interactive tool to visualize these complex data was designed. Furthermore, a patient-contact network-modeling approach was developed, which indicates both the periodic import of the clone into the hospital and its spread within the hospital due to patient movements. The analyzed spread of VRE was most likely due to placement of patients in the same room prior to positivity of screening. We successfully demonstrated the added value for this combined strategy to extract well-founded knowledge from interdisciplinary data sources. The combination of patient-contact modeling and high-resolution typing unraveled the transmission dynamics within the hospital department and, additionally, a constant VRE influx over time. more...
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- 2020
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6. The zoonotic potential of Clostridium difficile from small companion animals and their owners.
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Denise Rabold, Werner Espelage, Muna Abu Sin, Tim Eckmanns, Alexander Schneeberg, Heinrich Neubauer, Nadine Möbius, Katja Hille, Lothar H Wieler, Christian Seyboldt, and Antina Lübke-Becker
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in humans range from asymptomatic carriage to life-threatening intestinal disease. Findings on C. difficile in various animal species and an overlap in ribotypes (RTs) suggest potential zoonotic transmission. However, the impact of animals for human CDI remains unclear.In a large-scale survey we collected 1,447 fecal samples to determine the occurrence of C. difficile in small companion animals (dogs and cats) and their owners and to assess potential epidemiological links within the community. The Germany-wide survey was conducted from July 2012-August 2013. PCR ribotyping, Multilocus VNTR Analysis (MLVA) and PCR detection of toxin genes were used to characterize isolated C. difficile strains. A database was defined and logistic regression used to identify putative factors associated with fecal shedding of C. difficile.In total, 1,418 samples met the inclusion criteria. The isolation rates for small companion animals and their owners within the community were similarly low with 3.0% (25/840) and 2.9% (17/578), respectively. PCR ribotyping revealed eight and twelve different RTs in animals and humans, respectively, whereas three RTs were isolated in both, humans and animals. RT 014/0, a well-known human hospital-associated lineage, was predominantly detected in animal samples. Moreover, the potentially highly pathogenic RTs 027 and 078 were isolated from dogs. Even though, C. difficile did not occur simultaneously in animals and humans sharing the same household. The results of the epidemiological analysis of factors associated with fecal shedding of C. difficile support the hypothesis of a zoonotic potential.Molecular characterization and epidemiological analysis revealed that the zoonotic risk for C. difficile associated with dogs and cats within the community is low but cannot be excluded. more...
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- 2018
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7. High dietary zinc feeding promotes persistence of multi-resistant E. coli in the swine gut.
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Lisa Ciesinski, Sebastian Guenther, Robert Pieper, Martin Kalisch, Carmen Bednorz, and Lothar H Wieler
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
High levels of zinc oxide are used frequently as feed additive in pigs to improve gut health and growth performance and are still suggested as an alternative to antimicrobial growth promoters. However, we have recently described an increase of multi-resistant E. coli in association to zinc feeding in piglets. This previous study focused on clonal diversity of E. coli, observing the effect on multi-resistant strains by chance. To shed further light into this highly important topic and falsify our previous findings, we performed a zinc pig feeding trial where we specifically focused on in-depth analysis of antimicrobial resistant E. coli. Under controlled experimental conditions, piglets were randomly allocated to a high dietary zinc (zinc group) and a background zinc feeding group (control group). At different ages samples were taken from feces, digesta, and mucosa and absolute E. coli numbers were determined. A total of 2665 E. coli isolates were than phenotypically tested for antimicrobial resistance and results were confirmed by minimum inhibitory concentration testing for random samples. In piglets fed with high dietary zinc, we detected a substantial increase of multi-resistant E. coli in all gut habitats tested, ranging from 28.9-30.2% multi-resistant E. coli compared to 5.8-14.0% in the control group. This increase was independent of the total number of E. coli. Interestingly, the total amount of the E. coli population decreased over time. Thus, the increase of the multi-resistant E. coli populations seems to be linked with persistence of the resistant population, caused by the influence of high dietary zinc feeding. In conclusion, these findings corroborate our previous report linking high dietary zinc feeding of piglets with the occurrence of antimicrobial resistant E. coli and therefore question the feeding of high dietary zinc oxide as alternative to antimicrobial growth promoters. more...
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- 2018
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8. Highly diverse and antimicrobial susceptible Escherichia coli display a naïve bacterial population in fruit bats from the Republic of Congo.
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Kathrin Nowak, Jakob Fahr, Natalie Weber, Antina Lübke-Becker, Torsten Semmler, Sabrina Weiss, Jean-Vivien Mombouli, Lothar H Wieler, Sebastian Guenther, Fabian H Leendertz, and Christa Ewers
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Bats are suspected to be a reservoir of several bacterial and viral pathogens relevant to animal and human health, but studies on Escherichia coli in these animals are sparse. We investigated the presence of E. coli in tissue samples (liver, lung and intestines) collected from 50 fruit bats of five different species (Eidolon helvum, Epomops franqueti, Hypsignathus monstrosus, Myonycteris torquata, Rousettus aegyptiacus) of two different areas in the Republic of Congo between 2009 and 2010. To assess E. coli pathotypes and phylogenetic relationships, we determined the presence of 59 virulence associated genes and multilocus sequence types (STs). Isolates were further tested for their susceptibility to several antimicrobial substances by agar disk diffusion test and for the presence of an Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase phenotype. E. coli was detected in 60% of the bats analysed. The diversity of E. coli strains was very high, with 37 different STs within 40 isolates. Occasionally, we detected sequence types (e.g. ST69, ST127, and ST131) and pathotypes (e.g. ExPEC, EPEC and atypical EPEC), which are known pathogens in human and/or animal infections. Although the majority of strains were assigned to phylogenetic group B2 (46.2%), which is linked with the ExPEC pathovar, occurrence of virulence-associated genes in these strains were unexpectedly low. Due to this, and as only few of the E. coli isolates showed intermediate resistance to certain antimicrobial substances, we assume a rather naïve E. coli population, lacking contact to humans or domestic animals. Future studies featuring in depth comparative whole genome sequence analyses will provide insights into the microevolution of this interesting strain collection. more...
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- 2017
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9. Cyclic‐di‐GMP signalling and biofilm‐related properties of the Shiga toxin‐producing 2011 German outbreak Escherichia coli O104:H4
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Anja M Richter, Tatyana L Povolotsky, Lothar H Wieler, and Regine Hengge
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amyloid ,curli ,EAEC ,EHEC ,haemolytic uraemic syndrome ,Medicine (General) ,R5-920 ,Genetics ,QH426-470 - Abstract
Abstract In 2011, nearly 4,000 people in Germany were infected by Shiga toxin (Stx)‐producing Escherichia coli O104:H4 with > 22% of patients developing haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). Genome sequencing showed the outbreak strain to be related to enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), suggesting its high virulence results from EAEC‐typical strong adherence and biofilm formation combined to Stx production. Here, we report that the outbreak strain contains a novel diguanylate cyclase (DgcX)—producing the biofilm‐promoting second messenger c‐di‐GMP—that shows higher expression than any other known E. coli diguanylate cyclase. Unlike closely related E. coli, the outbreak strain expresses the c‐di‐GMP‐controlled biofilm regulator CsgD and amyloid curli fibres at 37°C, but is cellulose‐negative. Moreover, it constantly generates derivatives with further increased and deregulated production of CsgD and curli. Since curli fibres are strongly proinflammatory, with cellulose counteracting this effect, high c‐di‐GMP and curli production by the outbreak O104:H4 strain may enhance not only adherence but may also contribute to inflammation, thereby facilitating entry of Stx into the bloodstream and to the kidneys where Stx causes HUS. more...
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- 2014
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10. Combined Analysis of Variation in Core, Accessory and Regulatory Genome Regions Provides a Super-Resolution View into the Evolution of Bacterial Populations.
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Alan McNally, Yaara Oren, Darren Kelly, Ben Pascoe, Steven Dunn, Tristan Sreecharan, Minna Vehkala, Niko Välimäki, Michael B Prentice, Amgad Ashour, Oren Avram, Tal Pupko, Ulrich Dobrindt, Ivan Literak, Sebastian Guenther, Katharina Schaufler, Lothar H Wieler, Zong Zhiyong, Samuel K Sheppard, James O McInerney, and Jukka Corander more...
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Genetics ,QH426-470 - Abstract
The use of whole-genome phylogenetic analysis has revolutionized our understanding of the evolution and spread of many important bacterial pathogens due to the high resolution view it provides. However, the majority of such analyses do not consider the potential role of accessory genes when inferring evolutionary trajectories. Moreover, the recently discovered importance of the switching of gene regulatory elements suggests that an exhaustive analysis, combining information from core and accessory genes with regulatory elements could provide unparalleled detail of the evolution of a bacterial population. Here we demonstrate this principle by applying it to a worldwide multi-host sample of the important pathogenic E. coli lineage ST131. Our approach reveals the existence of multiple circulating subtypes of the major drug-resistant clade of ST131 and provides the first ever population level evidence of core genome substitutions in gene regulatory regions associated with the acquisition and maintenance of different accessory genome elements. more...
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- 2016
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11. Carriage of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-plasmids does not reduce fitness but enhances virulence in some strains of pandemic E. coli lineages
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Katharina eSchaufler, Torsten eSemmler, Derek J Pickard, Maria ede Toro, Fernando ede la Cruz, Lothar H Wieler, Christa eEwers, and Sebastian eGuenther
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Fitness costs ,Biofilm formation ,ESBL-producing E. coli ,ESBL-plasmids ,enhanced virulence ,Plasmid and host interaction ,Microbiology ,QR1-502 - Abstract
Pathogenic ESBL-producing E. coli lineages occur frequently worldwide, not only in a human health context but in animals and the environment, also in settings with low antimicrobial pressures. This study investigated the fitness costs of ESBL-plasmids and their influence on chromosomally encoded features associated with virulence, such as those involved in the planktonic and sessile behaviors of ST131 and ST648 E. coli. ESBL-plasmid-carrying wild-type E. coli strains, their corresponding ESBL-plasmid-cured variants (PCV), and complementary ESBL-carrying transformants were comparatively analyzed using growth curves, Omnilog® phenotype microarray (PM) assays, macrocolony and biofilm formation, swimming motility, and RNA sequence analysis. Growth curves and PM results pointed towards similar growth and metabolic behaviors among the strains. Phenotypic differences in some strains were detected, including enhanced curli fimbriae and/or cellulose production as well as a reduced swimming capacity of some ESBL-carrying strains, as compared to their respective PCVs. RNA sequencing mostly confirmed the phenotypic results, suggesting that the chromosomally encoded csgD pathway is a key factor involved. These results contradict the hypothesis that ESBL-plasmid-carriage leads to a fitness loss in ESBL-carrying strains. Instead, the results indicate an influence of some ESBL-plasmids on chromosomally encoded features associated with virulence in some E. coli strains. In conclusion, apart from antibiotic resistance selective advantages, ESBL-plasmid-carriage may also lead to enhanced virulence or adaption to specific habitats in some strains of pandemic ESBL-producing E. coli lineages. more...
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- 2016
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12. A Look into the Melting Pot: The mecC-Harboring Region Is a Recombination Hot Spot in Staphylococcus stepanovicii.
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Torsten Semmler, Ewan M Harrison, Antina Lübke-Becker, Rainer G Ulrich, Lothar H Wieler, Sebastian Guenther, Ivonne Stamm, Anne-Merethe Hanssen, Mark A Holmes, Szilvia Vincze, and Birgit Walther
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
INTRODUCTION:Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is an important driver for resistance- and virulence factor accumulation in pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. METHODS:Here, we have investigated the downstream region of the bacterial chromosomal attachment site (attB) for the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) element of a commensal mecC-positive Staphylococcus stepanovicii strain (IMT28705; ODD4) with respect to genetic composition and indications of HGT. S. stepanovicii IMT28705 was isolated from a fecal sample of a trapped wild bank vole (Myodes glareolus) during a screening study (National Network on "Rodent-Borne Pathogens") in Germany. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of IMT28705 together with the mecC-negative type strain CM7717 was conducted in order to comparatively investigate the genomic region downstream of attB (GenBank accession no. KR732654 and KR732653). RESULTS:The bank vole isolate (IMT28705) harbors a mecC gene which shares 99.2% nucleotide (and 98.5% amino acid) sequence identity with mecC of MRSA_LGA251. In addition, the mecC-encoding region harbors the typical blaZ-mecC-mecR1-mecI structure, corresponding with the class E mec complex. While the sequences downstream of attB in both S. stepanovicii isolates (IMT28705 and CM7717) are partitioned by 15 bp direct repeats, further comparison revealed a remarkable low concordance of gene content, indicating a chromosomal "hot spot" for foreign DNA integration and exchange. CONCLUSION:Our data highlight the necessity for further research on transmission routes of resistance encoding factors from the environmental and wildlife resistome. more...
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- 2016
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13. Species-wide whole genome sequencing reveals historical global spread and recent local persistence in Shigella flexneri
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Thomas R Connor, Clare R Barker, Kate S Baker, François-Xavier Weill, Kaisar Ali Talukder, Anthony M Smith, Stephen Baker, Malika Gouali, Duy Pham Thanh, Ishrat Jahan Azmi, Wanderley Dias da Silveira, Torsten Semmler, Lothar H Wieler, Claire Jenkins, Alejandro Cravioto, Shah M Faruque, Julian Parkhill, Dong Wook Kim, Karen H Keddy, and Nicholas R Thomson more...
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Shigella ,dysentery ,genomic ,pathogen evolution ,Medicine ,Science ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 - Abstract
Shigella flexneri is the most common cause of bacterial dysentery in low-income countries. Despite this, S. flexneri remains largely unexplored from a genomic standpoint and is still described using a vocabulary based on serotyping reactions developed over half-a-century ago. Here we combine whole genome sequencing with geographical and temporal data to examine the natural history of the species. Our analysis subdivides S. flexneri into seven phylogenetic groups (PGs); each containing two-or-more serotypes and characterised by distinct virulence gene complement and geographic range. Within the S. flexneri PGs we identify geographically restricted sub-lineages that appear to have persistently colonised regions for many decades to over 100 years. Although we found abundant evidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinant acquisition, our dataset shows no evidence of subsequent intercontinental spread of antimicrobial resistant strains. The pattern of colonisation and AMR gene acquisition suggest that S. flexneri has a distinct life-cycle involving local persistence. more...
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- 2015
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14. Alarming proportions of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in wound samples from companion animals, Germany 2010-2012.
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Szilvia Vincze, Ivonne Stamm, Peter A Kopp, Julia Hermes, Cornelia Adlhoch, Torsten Semmler, Lothar H Wieler, Antina Lübke-Becker, and Birgit Walther
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Staphylococcus (S.) aureus is an important cause of wound infections in companion animals, and infections with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) are of particular concern due to limited treatment options and their zoonotic potential. However, comparable epidemiological data on MRSA infections in dogs, cats and horses is scarce, also limiting the knowledge about possible links to MRSA isolates from human populations. To gain more knowledge about the occurrence and genotypic variation of MRSA among wound swabs of companion animal origin in Germany we performed a survey (2010-2012) including 5,229 samples from 1,170 veterinary practices. S. aureus was identified in 201 (5.8%) canine, 140 (12.2%) feline and 138 (22.8%) equine swabs from a total of 3,479 canine, 1,146 feline and 604 equine wounds, respectively. High MRSA rates were identified with 62.7%, 46.4% and 41.3% in S. aureus of canine, feline and equine origin, respectively. Further genotyping including spa typing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) revealed a comparable distribution of spa types among canine and feline MRSA with CC22 (47.6%; 49.2%) and CC5 (30.2%; 29.2%) as predominant lineages followed by CC398 (13.5%; 7.7%) and CC8 (4.0%; 9.2%). In contrast, the majority of equine MRSA belonged to CC398 (87.7%). Our data highlight the importance of S. aureus and MRSA as a cause of wound infections, particularly in cats and horses in Germany. While "human-associated" MRSA lineages were most common in dogs and cats, a remarkable number of CC398-MRSA was detected in horses, indicating a replacement of CC8-MRSA as the predominant lineage within horses in Germany. These data enforce further longitudinal epidemiological approaches to examine the diversity and temporal relatedness of MRSA populations in humans and animals to assess probable sources of MRSA infections. This would enable a sound risk assessment and establishment of intervention strategies to limit the additional spread of MRSA. more...
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- 2014
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15. Phylogenetic analysis of Staphylococcus aureus CC398 reveals a sub-lineage epidemiologically associated with infections in horses.
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Mohamed M H Abdelbary, Anne Wittenberg, Christiane Cuny, Franziska Layer, Kevin Kurt, Lothar H Wieler, Birgit Walther, Robert Skov, Jesper Larsen, Henrik Hasman, J Ross Fitzgerald, Tara C Smith, J A Wagenaar, Annalisa Pantosti, Marie Hallin, Marc J Struelens, Giles Edwards, R Böse, Ulrich Nübel, and Wolfgang Witte more...
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
In the early 2000s, a particular MRSA clonal complex (CC398) was found mainly in pigs and pig farmers in Europe. Since then, CC398 has been detected among a wide variety of animal species worldwide. We investigated the population structure of CC398 through mutation discovery at 97 genetic housekeeping loci, which are distributed along the CC398 chromosome within 195 CC398 isolates, collected from various countries and host species, including humans. Most of the isolates in this collection were received from collaborating microbiologists, who had preserved them over years. We discovered 96 bi-allelic polymorphisms, and phylogenetic analyses revealed that an epidemic sub-clone within CC398 (dubbed 'clade (C)') has spread within and between equine hospitals, where it causes nosocomial infections in horses and colonises the personnel. While clade (C) was strongly associated with S. aureus from horses in veterinary-care settings (p = 2 × 10(-7)), it remained extremely rare among S. aureus isolates from human infections. more...
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- 2014
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16. Porcine E. coli: virulence-associated genes, resistance genes and adhesion and probiotic activity tested by a new screening method.
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Peter Schierack, Stefan Rödiger, Christoph Kuhl, Rico Hiemann, Dirk Roggenbuck, Ganwu Li, Jörg Weinreich, Enrico Berger, Lisa K Nolan, Bryon Nicholson, Antje Römer, Ulrike Frömmel, Lothar H Wieler, and Christian Schröder more...
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
We established an automated screening method to characterize adhesion of Escherichia coli to intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) and their probiotic activity against infection by enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). 104 intestinal E. coli isolates from domestic pigs were tested by PCR for the occurrence of virulence-associated genes, genes coding for resistances to antimicrobial agents and metals, and for phylogenetic origin by PCR. Adhesion rates and probiotic activity were examined for correlation with the presence of these genes. Finally, data were compared with those from 93 E. coli isolates from wild boars. Isolates from domestic pigs carried a broad variety of all tested genes and showed great diversity in gene patterns. Adhesions varied with a maximum of 18.3 or 24.2 mean bacteria adherence per epithelial cell after 2 or 6 hours respectively. Most isolates from domestic pigs and wild boars showed low adherence, with no correlation between adhesion/probiotic activity and E. coli genes or gene clusters. The gene sfa/foc, encoding for a subunit of F1C fimbriae did show a positive correlative association with adherence and probiotic activity; however E. coli isolates from wild boars with the sfa/foc gene showed less adhesion and probiotic activity than E. coli with the sfa/foc gene isolated from domestic pigs after 6 hour incubation. In conclusion, screening porcine E. coli for virulence associated genes genes, adhesion to intestinal epithelial cells, and probiotic activity revealed a single important adhesion factor, several probiotic candidates, and showed important differences between E. coli of domestic pigs and wild boars. more...
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- 2013
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17. Sharing more than friendship--nasal colonization with coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) and co-habitation aspects of dogs and their owners.
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Birgit Walther, Julia Hermes, Christiane Cuny, Lothar H Wieler, Szilvia Vincze, Yassmin Abou Elnaga, Ivonne Stamm, Peter A Kopp, Barbara Kohn, Wolfgang Witte, Andreas Jansen, Franz J Conraths, Torsten Semmler, Tim Eckmanns, and Antina Lübke-Becker more...
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
BackgroundSince the relationship between dogs and their owners has changed, and dogs moved from being working dogs to family members in post-industrial countries, we hypothesized that zoonotic transmission of opportunistic pathogens like coagulase positive staphylococci (CPS) is likely between dogs and their owners.Methodology/principal findingsCPS- nasal carriage, different aspects of human-to-dog relationship as well as potential interspecies transmission risk factors were investigated by offering nasal swabs and a questionnaire to dog owners (108) and their dogs (108) at a dog show in 2009. S. aureus was found in swabs of 20 (18.5%) humans and two dogs (1.8%), and spa types which correspond to well known human S. aureus lineages dominated (e.g. CC45, CC30 and CC22). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of the two canine strains revealed ST72 and ST2065 (single locus variant of ST34). Fifteen dogs (13.9%) and six owners (5.6%) harboured S. pseudintermedius, including one mecA-positive human isolate (MRSP). Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed that one dog/owner pair harboured indistinguishable S. pseudintermedius- isolates of ST33. Ten (48%) of the 21 S. pseudintermedius-isolates showed resistance towards more than one antimicrobial class. 88.9% of the dog owners reported to allow at least one dog into the house, 68.5% allow the dog(s) to rest on the sofa, 39.8% allow their dogs to come onto the bed, 93.5% let them lick their hands and 52.8% let them lick their face. Bivariate analysis of putative risk factors revealed that dog owners who keep more than two dogs have a significantly higher chance of being colonized with S. pseudintermedius than those who keep 1-2 dogs (pConclusions/recommendationsIn conclusion, CPS transmission between dog owners and their dogs is possible. Further investigation regarding interspecies transmission and the diverse adaptive pathways influencing the epidemiology of CPS (including MRSA and MRSP) in different hosts is needed. more...
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- 2012
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18. Comparable high rates of extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in birds of prey from Germany and Mongolia.
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Sebastian Guenther, Katja Aschenbrenner, Ivonne Stamm, Astrid Bethe, Torsten Semmler, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, Nyamsuren Batsajkhan, Youri Glupczynski, Lothar H Wieler, and Christa Ewers
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Frequent contact with human waste and liquid manure from intensive livestock breeding, and the increased loads of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that result, are believed to be responsible for the high carriage rates of ESBL-producing E. coli found in birds of prey (raptors) in Central Europe. To test this hypothesis against the influence of avian migration, we initiated a comparative analysis of faecal samples from wild birds found in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany and the Gobi-Desert in Mongolia, regions of dissimilar human and livestock population characteristics and agricultural practices. We sampled a total of 281 wild birds, mostly raptors with primarily north-to-south migration routes. We determined antimicrobial resistance, focusing on ESBL production, and unravelled the phylogenetic and clonal relatedness of identified ESBL-producing E. coli isolates using multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and macrorestriction analyses. Surprisingly, the overall carriage rates (approximately 5%) and the proportion of ESBL-producers among E. coli (Germany: 13.8%, Mongolia: 10.8%) were similar in both regions. Whereas bla(CTX-M-1) predominated among German isolates (100%), bla(CTX-M-9) was the most prevalent in Mongolian isolates (75%). We identified sequence types (STs) that are well known in human and veterinary clinical ESBL-producing E. coli (ST12, ST117, ST167, ST648) and observed clonal relatedness between a Mongolian avian ESBL-E. coli (ST167) and a clinical isolate of the same ST that originated in a hospitalised patient in Europe. Our data suggest the influence of avian migratory species in the transmission of ESBL-producing E. coli and challenge the prevailing assumption that reducing human influence alone invariably leads to lower rates of antimicrobial resistance. more...
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- 2012
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19. Frequent combination of antimicrobial multiresistance and extraintestinal pathogenicity in Escherichia coli isolates from urban rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Berlin, Germany.
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Sebastian Guenther, Astrid Bethe, Angelika Fruth, Torsten Semmler, Rainer G Ulrich, Lothar H Wieler, and Christa Ewers
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Urban rats present a global public health concern as they are considered a reservoir and vector of zoonotic pathogens, including Escherichia coli. In view of the increasing emergence of antimicrobial resistant E. coli strains and the on-going discussion about environmental reservoirs, we intended to analyse whether urban rats might be a potential source of putatively zoonotic E. coli combining resistance and virulence. For that, we took fecal samples from 87 brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) and tested at least three E. coli colonies from each animal. Thirty two of these E. coli strains were pre-selected from a total of 211 non-duplicate isolates based on their phenotypic resistance to at least three antimicrobial classes, thus fulfilling the definition of multiresistance. As determined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), these 32 strains belonged to 24 different sequence types (STs), indicating a high phylogenetic diversity. We identified STs, which frequently occur among extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), such as STs 95, 131, 70, 428, and 127. Also, the detection of a number of typical virulence genes confirmed that the rats tested carried ExPEC-like strains. In particular, the finding of an Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strain which belongs to a highly virulent, so far mainly human- and avian-restricted ExPEC lineage (ST95), which expresses a serogroup linked with invasive strains (O18:NM:K1), and finally, which produces an ESBL-type frequently identified among human strains (CTX-M-9), pointed towards the important role, urban rats might play in the transmission of multiresistant and virulent E. coli strains. Indeed, using a chicken infection model, this strain showed a high in vivo pathogenicity. Imagining the high numbers of urban rats living worldwide, the way to the transmission of putatively zoonotic, multiresistant, and virulent strains might not be far ahead. The unforeseeable consequences of such an emerging public health threat need careful consideration in the future. more...
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- 2012
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20. Infections with avian pathogenic and fecal Escherichia coli strains display similar lung histopathology and macrophage apoptosis.
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Fabiana Horn, André Mendes Ribeiro Corrêa, Nicolle Lima Barbieri, Susanne Glodde, Karl Dietrich Weyrauch, Bernd Kaspers, David Driemeier, Christa Ewers, and Lothar H Wieler
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare histopathological changes in the lungs of chickens infected with avian pathogenic (APEC) and avian fecal (A(fecal)) Escherichia coli strains, and to analyze how the interaction of the bacteria with avian macrophages relates to the outcome of the infection. Chickens were infected intratracheally with three APEC strains, MT78, IMT5155, and UEL17, and one non-pathogenic A(fecal) strain, IMT5104. The pathogenicity of the strains was assessed by isolating bacteria from lungs, kidneys, and spleens at 24 h post-infection (p.i.). Lungs were examined for histopathological changes at 12, 18, and 24 h p.i. Serial lung sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE), terminal deoxynucleotidyl dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) for detection of apoptotic cells, and an anti-O2 antibody for detection of MT78 and IMT5155. UEL17 and IMT5104 did not cause systemic infections and the extents of lung colonization were two orders of magnitude lower than for the septicemic strains MT78 and IMT5155, yet all four strains caused the same extent of inflammation in the lungs. The inflammation was localized; there were some congested areas next to unaffected areas. Only the inflamed regions became labeled with anti-O2 antibody. TUNEL labeling revealed the presence of apoptotic cells at 12 h p.i in the inflamed regions only, and before any necrotic foci could be seen. The TUNEL-positive cells were very likely dying heterophils, as evidenced by the purulent inflammation. Some of the dying cells observed in avian lungs in situ may also be macrophages, since all four avian E. coli induced caspase 3/7 activation in monolayers of HD11 avian macrophages. In summary, both pathogenic and non-pathogenic fecal strains of avian E. coli produce focal infections in the avian lung, and these are accompanied by inflammation and cell death in the infected areas. more...
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- 2012
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21. Virulence characteristics and genetic affinities of multiple drug resistant uropathogenic Escherichia coli from a semi urban locality in India.
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Savita Jadhav, Arif Hussain, Savita Devi, Ashutosh Kumar, Sana Parveen, Nageshwari Gandham, Lothar H Wieler, Christa Ewers, and Niyaz Ahmed
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) are of significant health concern. The emergence of drug resistant E. coli with high virulence potential is alarming. Lack of sufficient data on transmission dynamics, virulence spectrum and antimicrobial resistance of certain pathogens such as the uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) from countries with high infection burden, such as India, hinders the infection control and management efforts. In this study, we extensively genotyped and phenotyped a collection of 150 UPEC obtained from patients belonging to a semi-urban, industrialized setting near Pune, India. The isolates representing different clinical categories were analyzed in comparison with 50 commensal E. coli isolates from India as well as 50 ExPEC strains from Germany. Virulent strains were identified based on hemolysis, haemagglutination, cell surface hydrophobicity, serum bactericidal activity as well as with the help of O serotyping. We generated antimicrobial resistance profiles for all the clinical isolates and carried out phylogenetic analysis based on repetitive extragenic palindromic (rep)-PCR. E. coli from urinary tract infection cases expressed higher percentages of type I (45%) and P fimbriae (40%) when compared to fecal isolates (25% and 8% respectively). Hemolytic group comprised of 60% of UPEC and only 2% of E. coli from feces. Additionally, we found that serum resistance and cell surface hydrophobicity were not significantly (p = 0.16/p = 0.51) associated with UPEC from clinical cases. Moreover, clinical isolates exhibited highest resistance against amoxicillin (67.3%) and least against nitrofurantoin (57.3%). We also observed that 31.3% of UPEC were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers belonging to serotype O25, of which four were also positive for O25b subgroup that is linked to B2-O25b-ST131-CTX-M-15 virulent/multiresistant type. Furthermore, isolates from India and Germany (as well as global sources) were found to be genetically distinct with no evidence to espouse expansion of E. coli from India to the west or vice-versa. more...
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- 2011
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22. E. coli Nissle 1917 Affects Salmonella adhesion to porcine intestinal epithelial cells.
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Peter Schierack, Sylvia Kleta, Karsten Tedin, Julius Tachu Babila, Sibylle Oswald, Tobias A Oelschlaeger, Rico Hiemann, Susanne Paetzold, and Lothar H Wieler
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
BACKGROUND: The probiotic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 (EcN) has been shown to interfere in a human in vitro model with the invasion of several bacterial pathogens into epithelial cells, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not known. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of EcN on Salmonella Typhimurium invasion of porcine intestinal epithelial cells, focusing on EcN effects on the various stages of Salmonella infection including intracellular and extracellular Salmonella growth rates, virulence gene regulation, and adhesion. We show that EcN affects the initial Salmonella invasion steps by modulating Salmonella virulence gene regulation and Salmonella SiiE-mediated adhesion, but not extra- and intracellular Salmonella growth. However, the inhibitory activity of EcN against Salmonella invasion always correlated with EcN adhesion capacities. EcN mutants defective in the expression of F1C fimbriae and flagellae were less adherent and less inhibitory toward Salmonella invasion. Another E. coli strain expressing F1C fimbriae was also adherent to IPEC-J2 cells, and was similarly inhibitory against Salmonella invasion like EcN. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that EcN affects Salmonella adhesion through secretory components. This mechanism appears to be common to many E. coli strains, with strong adherence being a prerequisite for an effective reduction of SiiE-mediated Salmonella adhesion. more...
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- 2011
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23. The GimA locus of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli: does reductive evolution correlate with habitat and pathotype?
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Timo Homeier, Torsten Semmler, Lothar H Wieler, and Christa Ewers
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
IbeA (invasion of brain endothelium), which is located on a genomic island termed GimA, is involved in the pathogenesis of several extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) pathotypes, including newborn meningitic E. coli (NMEC) and avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC). To unravel the phylogeny of GimA and to investigate its island character, the putative insertion locus of GimA was determined via Long Range PCR and DNA-DNA hybridization in 410 E. coli isolates, including APEC, NMEC, uropathogenic (UPEC), septicemia-associated E. coli (SEPEC), and human and animal fecal isolates as well as in 72 strains of the E. coli reference (ECOR) collection. In addition to a complete GimA (approximately 20.3 kb) and a locus lacking GimA we found a third pattern containing a 342 bp remnant of GimA in this strain collection. The presence of GimA was almost exclusively detected in strains belonging to phylogenetic group B2. In addition, the complete GimA was significantly more frequent in APEC and NMEC strains while the GimA remnant showed a higher association with UPEC strains. A detailed analysis of the ibeA sequences revealed the phylogeny of this gene to be consistent with that obtained by Multi Locus Sequence Typing of the strains. Although common criteria for genomic islands are partially fulfilled, GimA rather seems to be an ancestral part of phylogenetic group B2, and it would therefore be more appropriate to term this genomic region GimA locus instead of genomic island. The existence of two other patterns reflects a genomic rearrangement in a reductive evolution-like manner. more...
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- 2010
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24. Signature-tagged mutagenesis in a chicken infection model leads to the identification of a novel avian pathogenic Escherichia coli fimbrial adhesin.
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Esther-Maria Antão, Christa Ewers, Doreen Gürlebeck, Rudolf Preisinger, Timo Homeier, Ganwu Li, and Lothar H Wieler
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
The extraintestinal pathogen, avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC), known to cause systemic infections in chickens, is responsible for large economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. In order to identify genes involved in the early essential stages of pathogenesis, namely adhesion and colonization, Signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) was applied to a previously established lung colonization model of infection by generating and screening a total of 1,800 mutants of an APEC strain IMT5155 (O2:K1:H5; Sequence type complex 95). The study led to the identification of new genes of interest, including two adhesins, one of which coded for a novel APEC fimbrial adhesin (Yqi) not described for its role in APEC pathogenesis to date. Its gene product has been temporarily designated ExPEC Adhesin I (EA/I) until the adhesin-specific receptor is identified. Deletion of the ExPEC adhesin I gene resulted in reduced colonization ability by APEC strain IMT5155 both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, complementation of the adhesin gene restored its ability to colonize epithelial cells in vitro. The ExPEC adhesin I protein was successfully expressed in vitro. Electron microscopy of an afimbriate strain E. coli AAEC189 over-expressed with the putative EA/I gene cluster revealed short fimbrial-like appendages protruding out of the bacterial outer membrane. We observed that this adhesin coding gene yqi is prevalent among extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) isolates, including APEC (54.4%), uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) (65.9%) and newborn meningitic E. coli (NMEC) (60.0%), and absent in all of the 153 intestinal pathogenic E. coli strains tested, thereby validating the designation of the adhesin as ExPEC Adhesin I. In addition, prevalence of EA/I was most frequently associated with the B2 group of the EcoR classification and ST95 complex of the multi locus sequence typing (MLST) scheme, with evidence of a positive selection within this highly pathogenic complex. This is the first report of the newly identified and functionally characterized ExPEC adhesin I and its significant role during APEC infection in chickens. more...
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- 2009
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25. SARS-CoV-2 infections in migrant populations in Germany: results from the COVID-19 snapshot monitoring survey
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Carmen Koschollek, Katja Kajikhina, Charbel El Bcheraoui, Lothar H. Wieler, Niels Michalski, and Claudia Hövener
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Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,General Medicine - Published
- 2023
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26. Etablierung der Genomischen Erreger-Surveillance zur Stärkung des Pandemie- und Infektionsschutzes in Deutschland
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Simone Scheithauer, Alexander Dilthey, Anna Bludau, Sandra Ciesek, Victor Corman, Tjibbe Donker, Tim Eckmanns, Richard Egelkamp, Hajo Grundmann, Georg Häcker, Martin Kaase, Berit Lange, Alexander Mellmann, Martin Mielke, Mathias Pletz, Bernd Salzberger, Andrea Thürmer, Andreas Widmer, Lothar H. Wieler, Thorsten Wolff, Sören Gatermann, and Torsten Semmler more...
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Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health - Abstract
ZusammenfassungDie SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie hat ein Defizit an essentieller infektionsepidemiologischer Infrastruktur, insbesondere in Bezug auf die Genomische Erreger-Surveillance (GES) in Deutschland, gezeigt. Zur Vorbereitung auf zukünftige pandemische Notlagen sehen es die Autor*innen als dringend erforderlich an, dieses bestehende Defizit durch den Aufbau einer leistungsfähigen Infrastruktur für GES zu beheben. Ein derartiges Netzwerk kann auf bereits regional initiierten Strukturen, Prozessen und Interaktionen aufbauen und diese weiter optimieren. Es kann zukünftig mit einer hohen Anpassungsfähigkeit auf aktuelle und kommende Herausforderungen reagieren.Ziele der vorliegenden Arbeit sind die Verdeutlichung der Dringlichkeit und Skizzierung von Vorschlägen zur Etablierung eines effizienten, anpassungsfähigen und reaktionsbereiten GES-Netzwerkes unter Berücksichtigung von externen Rahmenbedingungen und internen Standards. Die erarbeiteten Vorschläge basieren auf der Grundlage globaler und länderspezifischer Best Practices und Strategiepapiere. Zu den konkreten nächsten Schritten zur Realisierung einer integrierten GES zählen die Ermöglichung der Verknüpfung epidemiologischer Daten mit Genomdaten der Erreger, die gemeinsame und koordinierte Nutzung von vorhandenen Ressourcen, die Nutzbarmachung der so gewonnenen Surveillance-Daten für relevante Entscheidungstragende, den Öffentlichen Gesundheitsdienst und die wissenschaftliche Gemeinschaft sowie die Einbindung aller Stakeholder. Der Aufbau eines GES-Netzwerkes ist essentiell für die kontinuierliche, stabile, aktive Überwachung des Infektionsgeschehens in Deutschland sowohl während pandemischer Phasen als auch außerhalb dieser. more...
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- 2023
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27. A Real-Time Thermal Sensor System for Quantifying the Inhibitory Effect of Antimicrobial Peptides on Bacterial Adhesion and Biofilm Formation.
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Tobias Wieland, Julia Assmann, Astrid Bethe, Christian Fidelak, Helena Gmoser, Traute Janßen, Krishan Kotthaus, Antina Lübke-Becker, Lothar H. Wieler, and Gerald A. Urban
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- 2021
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28. Antibiotic prophylaxis and hospitalization of horses subjected to median laparotomy: gut microbiota trajectories and abundance increase ofEscherichia
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Anne Kauter, Julian Brombach, Antina Lübke-Becker, Dania Kannapin, Corinna Bang, Sören Franzenburg, Sabita D. Stoeckle, Alexander Mellmann, Natalie Effelsberg, Robin Köck, Sebastian Guenther, Lothar H. Wieler, Heidrun Gehlen, Torsten Semmler, Silver A. Wolf, and Birgit Walther more...
- Abstract
Horse clinics are hotspots for the accumulation and spread of clinically relevant and zoonotic multidrug-resistant bacteria, including extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing (ESBL) Enterobacterales. Although median laparotomy in cases of acute equine colic is a frequently performed surgical intervention, knowledge about the effects of peri-operative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) based on a combination of penicillin and gentamicin on the gut microbiota is limited. Therefore, we collected fecal samples of horses from a non-hospitalized control group (CG) and from horses receiving either a pre-surgical single-shot (SSG) or a peri-operative 5-day (5DG) course of PAP. To assess differences between the two PAP regimens and the CG, all samples obtained at hospital admission (t0), on days three (t1) and ten (t2) after surgery, were screened for ESBL-producing Enterobacterales and subjected to 16S rRNA V1– V2 gene sequencing.We included 48 samples in the SSG (n=16 horses), 45 in the 5DG (n=15) and 20 in the CG (n=10). Two samples (6.5%) were positive for ESBL-producing Enterobacterales at t0while this rate increased to 67% at t1and decreased only slightly at t2(61%). Shannon diversity index (SDI) was used to evaluate alpha-diversity changes, revealing that horses suffering from acute colic seemed to have a compromised fecal microbiota composition (5DG, SDImeanof 5.90; SSG, SDImeanof 6.17) when compared to the CG (SDImeanof 6.53) at t0, although the difference lacked significance. Alpha-diversity decreased significantly in both PAP groups at t1, while at t2the onset of microbiome recovery was noticed. Although we did not identify a significant SDImeandifference with respect to PAP duration, the community structure (beta-diversity) was considerably restricted in samples of the 5DG at t1, most likely due to the ongoing administration of antibiotics. An increased abundance ofEnterobacteriaceae,especiallyEscherichia, was noted for both study groups at t1. Further studies are needed to reveal important factors promoting the increase and residency of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales among hospitalized horses. more...
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- 2023
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29. Anwendungsbereiche von künstlicher Intelligenz im Kontext von One Health mit Fokus auf antimikrobielle Resistenzen
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Christopher Irrgang, Tim Eckmanns, Max v. Kleist, Esther-Maria Antão, Katharina Ladewig, Lothar H. Wieler, and Nils Körber
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Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health - Abstract
ZusammenfassungDie Gesundheit der Menschen steht vor einer Reihe neuer Herausforderungen, die maßgeblich durch den fortschreitenden Klimawandel, den demografischen Wandel und die Globalisierung angetrieben werden. Der One-Health-Ansatz basiert auf dem Verständnis, dass die Gesundheit von Menschen, Tieren und Umwelt eng verknüpft ist. Bei der Umsetzung von One Health in die Praxis ergibt sich die Notwendigkeit, in der Forschung diverse und heterogene Datenströme und -typen aus den verschiedenen Sektoren zu kombinieren und zu analysieren. Verfahren der künstlichen Intelligenz (KI) bieten dabei neue Möglichkeiten zur sektorübergreifenden Beurteilung von heutigen und zukünftigen Gesundheitsgefahren.Dieser Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über verschiedene Anwendungsbereiche von KI-Verfahren im Zusammenhang mit One Health und zeigt Herausforderungen auf. Am Beispiel der Ausbreitung antimikrobieller Resistenzen (AMR), die eine zunehmende globale Gefahr im One-Health-Kontext darstellt, werden bestehende und zukünftige KI-basierte Lösungsansätze zur Eindämmung und Prävention beschrieben. Diese reichen von neuartiger Arzneientwicklung und personalisierter Therapie über gezieltes Monitoring der Antibiotikanutzung in Tierhaltung und Landwirtschaft bis hin zu einer umfassenden Umwelt-Surveillance für zukünftige AMR-Risikobewertungen. more...
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- 2023
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30. Two years of pandemic: the mental health and quality of life of children and adolescents—findings of the COPSY longitudinal study
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Anne Kaman, Michael Erhart, Janine Devine, Franziska Reiß, Ann-Kathrin Napp, Anja M. Simon, Klaus Hurrelmann, Robert Schlack, Heike Hölling, Lothar H. Wieler, and Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer
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General Medicine - Published
- 2023
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31. Monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Prevalence of Antibodies in a Large, Repetitive Cross-Sectional Study of Blood Donors in Germany—Results from the SeBluCo Study 2020–2022
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Ruth Offergeld, Karina Preußel, Thomas Zeiler, Konstanze Aurich, Barbara I. Baumann-Baretti, Sandra Ciesek, Victor M. Corman, Viktoria Dienst, Christian Drosten, Siegfried Görg, Andreas Greinacher, Marica Grossegesse, Sebastian Haller, Hans-Gert Heuft, Natalie Hofmann, Peter A. Horn, Claudia Houareau, Ilay Gülec, Carlos Luis Jiménez Klingberg, David Juhl, Monika Lindemann, Silke Martin, Hannelore K. Neuhauser, Andreas Nitsche, Julia Ohme, Sven Peine, Ulrich J. Sachs, Lars Schaade, Richard Schäfer, Heinrich Scheiblauer, Martin Schlaud, Michael Schmidt, Markus Umhau, Tanja Vollmer, Franz F. Wagner, Lothar H. Wieler, Hendrik Wilking, Malte Ziemann, Marlow Zimmermann, and Matthias an der Heiden more...
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Microbiology (medical) ,Infectious Diseases ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,SARS-CoV-2 ,COVID-19 ,seroprevalence ,COVID-19 serological testing ,blood donors ,surveillance ,Medizin ,Immunology and Allergy ,Molecular Biology - Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance is important to adapt infection control measures and estimate the degree of underreporting. Blood donor samples can be used as a proxy for the healthy adult population. In a repeated cross-sectional study from April 2020 to April 2021, September 2021, and April/May 2022, 13 blood establishments collected 134,510 anonymised specimens from blood donors in 28 study regions across Germany. These were tested for antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and nucleocapsid, including neutralising capacity. Seroprevalence was adjusted for test performance and sampling and weighted for demographic differences between the sample and the general population. Seroprevalence estimates were compared to notified COVID-19 cases. The overall adjusted SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence remained below 2% until December 2020 and increased to 18.1% in April 2021, 89.4% in September 2021, and to 100% in April/May 2022. Neutralising capacity was found in 74% of all positive specimens until April 2021 and in 98% in April/May 2022. Our serosurveillance allowed for repeated estimations of underreporting from the early stage of the pandemic onwards. Underreporting ranged between factors 5.1 and 1.1 in the first two waves of the pandemic and remained well below 2 afterwards, indicating an adequate test strategy and notification system in Germany. more...
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- 2023
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32. Secondary data for global health digitalisation
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Anatol-Fiete Näher, Carina N Vorisek, Sophie A I Klopfenstein, Moritz Lehne, Sylvia Thun, Shada Alsalamah, Sameer Pujari, Dominik Heider, Wolfgang Ahrens, Iris Pigeot, Georg Marckmann, Mirjam A Jenny, Bernhard Y Renard, Max von Kleist, Lothar H Wieler, Felix Balzer, and Linus Grabenhenrich more...
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Health Information Management ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,Decision Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Health Informatics - Abstract
Substantial opportunities for global health intelligence and research arise from the combined and optimised use of secondary data within data ecosystems. Secondary data are information being used for purposes other than those intended when they were collected. These data can be gathered from sources on the verge of widespread use such as the internet, wearables, mobile phone apps, electronic health records, or genome sequencing. To utilise their full potential, we offer guidance by outlining available sources and approaches for the processing of secondary data. Furthermore, in addition to indicators for the regulatory and ethical evaluation of strategies for the best use of secondary data, we also propose criteria for assessing reusability. This overview supports more precise and effective policy decision making leading to earlier detection and better prevention of emerging health threats than is currently the case. more...
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- 2023
33. Estimating the share of SARS-CoV-2-immunologically naïve individuals in Germany up to June 2022
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Benjamin F. Maier, Annika H. Rose, Angelique Burdinski, Pascal Klamser, Hannelore Neuhauser, Ole Wichmann, Lars Schaade, Lothar H. Wieler, and Dirk Brockmann
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Infectious Diseases ,SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being ,Epidemiology ,Immunity ,COVID-19 ,Modelling - Abstract
After the winter of 2021/2022, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had reached a phase where a considerable number of people in Germany have been either infected with a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant, vaccinated or both, the full extent of which was difficult to estimate, however, because infection counts suffer from under-reporting, and the overlap between the vaccinated and recovered subpopulations is unknown. Yet, reliable estimates regarding population-wide susceptibility were of considerable interest: Since both previous infection and vaccination reduce the risk of severe disease, a low share of immunologically naïve individuals lowers the probability of further severe outbreaks, given that emerging variants do not escape the acquired susceptibility reduction. Here, we estimate the share of immunologically naïve individuals by age group for each of the sixteen German federal states by integrating an infectious-disease model based on weekly incidences of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the national surveillance system and vaccine uptake, as well as assumptions regarding under-ascertainment. We estimate a median share of 5.6% of individuals in the German population have neither been in contact with vaccine nor any variant up to 31 May 2022 (quartile range [2.5%–8.5%]). For the adult population at higher risk of severe disease, this figure is reduced to 3.8% [1.6%–5.9%] for ages 18–59 and 2.1% [1.0%–3.4%] for ages 60 and above. However, estimates vary between German states mostly due to heterogeneous vaccine uptake. Excluding Omicron infections from the analysis, 16.3% [14.1%–17.9%] of the population in Germany, across all ages, are estimated to be immunologically naïve, highlighting the large impact the first two Omicron waves had until the beginning of summer in 2022. The method developed here might be useful for similar estimations in other countries or future outbreaks of other infectious diseases. more...
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- 2023
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34. Three Years into the Pandemic: Results of the Longitudinal German COPSY Study on Youth Mental Health and Health-Related Quality of Life
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Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer, Janine Devine, Ann-Kathrin Napp, Anne Kaman, Lynn Saftig, Martha Gilbert, Franziska Reiss, Constanze Löffler, Anja Simon, Klaus Hurrelmann, Sabine Walper, Robert Schlack, Heike Hölling, Lothar H. Wieler, and Michael Erhart more...
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History ,Polymers and Plastics ,Business and International Management ,Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering - Published
- 2023
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35. Genome-wide association reveals host-specific genomic traits in Escherichia coli
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Sumeet K. Tiwari, Boas C.L. van der Putten, Thilo M. Fuchs, Trung N. Vinh, Martin Bootsma, Rik Oldenkamp, Roberto La Ragione, Sebastien Matamoros, Ngo T. Hoa, Christian Berens, Joy Leng, Julio Álvarez, Marta Ferrandis-Vila, Jenny M. Ritchie, Angelika Fruth, Stefan Schwarz, Lucas Domínguez, María Ugarte-Ruiz, Astrid Bethe, Charlotte Huber, Vanessa Johanns, Ivonne Stamm, Lothar H. Wieler, Christa Ewers, Amanda Fivian-Hughes, Herbert Schmidt, Christian Menge, Torsten Semmler, Constance Schultsz, Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, 09 Laboratory specialisms, AII - Infectious diseases, Global Health, APH - Global Health, and ARD - Amsterdam Reproduction and Development more...
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Physiology ,Cell Biology ,Plant Science ,500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::570 Biowissenschaften ,Biologie::570 Biowissenschaften ,Biologie ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Sialic acid ,Structural Biology ,Escherichia coli ,GWAS ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Developmental Biology ,Biotechnology ,Host-specificity - Abstract
Background Escherichia coli is an opportunistic pathogen which colonizes various host species. However, to what extent genetic lineages of E. coli are adapted or restricted to specific hosts and the genomic determinants of such adaptation or restriction is poorly understood. Results We randomly sampled E. coli isolates from four countries (Germany, UK, Spain, and Vietnam), obtained from five host species (human, pig, cattle, chicken, and wild boar) over 16 years, from both healthy and diseased hosts, to construct a collection of 1198 whole-genome sequenced E. coli isolates. We identified associations between specific E. coli lineages and the host from which they were isolated. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified several E. coli genes that were associated with human, cattle, or chicken hosts, whereas no genes associated with the pig host could be found. In silico characterization of nine contiguous genes (collectively designated as nan-9) associated with the human host indicated that these genes are involved in the metabolism of sialic acids (Sia). In contrast, the previously described sialic acid regulon known as sialoregulon (i.e. nanRATEK-yhcH, nanXY, and nanCMS) was not associated with any host species. In vitro growth experiments with a Δnan-9 E. coli mutant strain, using the sialic acids 5-N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) as sole carbon source, showed impaired growth behaviour compared to the wild-type. Conclusions This study provides an extensive analysis of genetic determinants which may contribute to host specificity in E. coli. Our findings should inform risk analysis and epidemiological monitoring of (antimicrobial resistant) E. coli. more...
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- 2023
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36. Einstellung zur Grippeimpfung im Herbst/Winter 2021: Ergebnisse der COSMO-Studie
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André Hajek, Freia De Bock, Christina Merkel, Sarah Eitze, Cornelia Betsch, Michael Bosnjak, Lothar H. Wieler, and Hans-Helmut König
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Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health - Abstract
Zusammenfassung Ziel der Studie Bisher fehlt es hierzulande an Erkenntnissen zur Einstellung zur Grippeimpfung in der Grippesaison 2021/2022. Basierend auf der COSMO-Befragung („COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring“) ist es daher das Ziel dieser Studie, die Einstellung zur Grippeimpfung näher zu beleuchten. Methodik Welle 49 (10. und 11. August 2021) der COSMO-Studie (n=967; deutschlandweite nicht-probabilistische Quotenstichprobe; 18 bis 74 Jahre). Ergebnisse Dieses Jahr plant ca. ein Drittel der Befragten (und der Beschäftigten im Gesundheitswesen) eine Grippeimpfung und bei der Risikogruppe der über 60-Jährigen (bis 74 Jahre in unserer Stichprobe) mehr als die Hälfte. Entsprechende Korrelate (wie das Geschlecht: Frauen mit einer geringeren Wahrscheinlichkeit einer beabsichtigten Grippeimpfung) wurden identifiziert. Schlussfolgerung Ärztinnen und Ärzte sollten insbesondere auch Frauen über die Vorteile der Grippeschutzimpfung, gerade auch in der Pandemie, informieren und Daten zur nachgewiesenen Schutzwirkung der Grippeimpfung möglichst überzeugend (z. B. unter Nutzung bestehender Broschüren) kommunizieren. more...
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- 2022
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37. Corona Monitoring Nationwide (RKI-SOEP-2): Seroepidemiological Study on the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Across Germany
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Susanne Bartig, Herbert Brücker, Hans Butschalowsky, Christian Danne, Antje Gößwald, Laura Goßner, Markus M. Grabka, Sebastian Haller, Doris Hess, Isabell Hey, Jens Hoebel, Susanne Jordan, Ulrike Kubisch, Wenke Niehues, Christina Poethko-Mueller, Maximilian Priem, Nina Rother, Lars Schaade, Angelika Schaffrath Rosario, Martin Schlaud, Manuel Siegert, Silke Stahlberg, Hans W. Steinhauer, Kerstin Tanis, Sabrina Torregroza, Parvati Trübswetter, Jörg Wernitz, Lothar H. Wieler, Hendrik Wilking, and Sabine Zinn more...
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Economics and Econometrics ,General Business, Management and Accounting ,Social Sciences (miscellaneous) - Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus, spread across Germany within just a short period of time. Seroepidemiological studies are able to estimate the proportion of the population with antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 infection (seroprevalence) as well as the level of undetected infections, which are not captured in official figures. In the seroepidemiological study Corona Monitoring Nationwide (RKI-SOEP-2), biospecimens and interview data were collected in a nationwide population-based subsample of the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). By using laboratory-analyzed blood samples to detect antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, we were able to identify a history of vaccination or infection in study participants. By combining these results with survey data, we were able to identify groups within the population that are at increased risk of infection. By linking the RKI-SOEP-2 survey data with data from other waves of the SOEP survey, we will be able to examine the medium- to long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including effects of long COVID, in diverse areas of life. Furthermore, the data provide insight into the population’s willingness to be vaccinated as well as related attitudes and conditions. In sum, the RKI-SOEP-2 survey data offer a better understanding of the scope of the epidemic in Germany and can help in identifying target groups for infection control in the present and future pandemics. more...
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- 2022
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38. Climate change − a burning topic for public health
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Lothar H, Wieler
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ddc:610 ,610 Medizin und Gesundheit - Published
- 2022
39. A virulence factor as a therapeutic: the probiotic
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Fereshteh, Ghazisaeedi, Jochen, Meens, Bianca, Hansche, Sven, Maurischat, Peter, Schwerk, Ralph, Goethe, Lothar H, Wieler, Marcus, Fulde, and Karsten, Tedin
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Transcription Factor AP-1 ,Hydrolases ,Virulence Factors ,Probiotics ,Enterococcus faecium ,NF-kappa B ,Animals ,Humans ,Immunity, Innate ,Gastrointestinal Microbiome ,Signal Transduction - Abstract
The probiotic bacterial strain
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- 2022
40. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among children and staff in German daycare centres
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Julika Loss, Juliane Wurm, Gianni Varnaccia, Anja Schienkiewitz, Helena Iwanowski, Anne-Kathrin Mareike Loer, Jennifer Allen, Barbara Wess, Angelika Schaffrath Rosario, Stefan Damerow, Tim Kuttig, Hanna Perlitz, Anselm Hornbacher, Bianca Finkel, Carolin Krause, Jan Wormsbächer, Anna Sandoni, Ulrike Kubisch, Kiara Eggers, Andreas Nitsche, Aleksandar Radonic, Kathrin Trappe, Oliver Drechsel, Kathleen Klaper, Andrea Franke, Antje Hüther, Udo Buchholz, Walter Haas, Lothar H. Wieler, and Susanne Jordan more...
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Infectious Diseases ,Epidemiology ,SARS-CoV-2 ,COVID-19 ,Humans ,Child ,Pandemics ,Disease Outbreaks - Abstract
In daycare centres, the close contact of children with other children and employees favours the transmission of infections. The majority of children vs. 5.1% with evidence of wild type). The household SAR was 53.3%. Exposed daycare children were less likely to get infected with SARS-CoV-2 than employees (7.7% vs. 15.5%). Containment measures in daycare programmes are critical to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially to avoid spread to associated households. more...
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- 2022
41. Genome-wide insights into population structure and host specificity of Campylobacter jejuni
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Charlotte Huber, Antje Flieger, Rosario M. Piro, Marie-Theres Knüver, Torsten Semmler, Kerstin Stingl, Angelika Fruth, Lennard Epping, Lothar H. Wieler, Birgit Walther, Andrea Thürmer, and Nicol Janecko more...
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0301 basic medicine ,DNA, Bacterial ,Canada ,Science ,030106 microbiology ,Biology ,Genome ,Campylobacter jejuni ,Microbiology ,Host Specificity ,Article ,Foodborne Diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,Germany ,Campylobacter Infections ,Animals ,Humans ,ddc:610 ,Allele ,Gene ,Alleles ,Phylogeny ,Genetics ,Ecological niche ,Multidisciplinary ,Phylogenetic tree ,Whole Genome Sequencing ,Ecology ,500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::570 Biowissenschaften ,Biologie::570 Biowissenschaften ,Biologie ,biology.organism_classification ,DNA, Environmental ,Computational biology and bioinformatics ,030104 developmental biology ,Genes, Bacterial ,FOS: Biological sciences ,Host-Pathogen Interactions ,Bootstrapping (biology) ,Medicine ,Adaptation ,610 Medizin und Gesundheit ,Metabolic Networks and Pathways - Abstract
The zoonotic pathogen Campylobacter jejuni is among the leading causes of foodborne diseases worldwide. While C. jejuni colonises many wild animals and livestock, persistence mechanisms enabling the bacterium to adapt to host species' guts are not fully understood. In order to identify putative determinants influencing host preferences of distinct lineages, bootstrapping based on stratified random sampling combined with a k-mer-based genome-wide association was conducted on 490 genomes from diverse origins in Germany and Canada. We show a strong association of both the core and the accessory genome characteristics with distinct host animal species, indicating multiple adaptive trajectories defining the evolution of C. jejuni lifestyle preferences in different ecosystems. Here, we demonstrate that adaptation towards a specific host niche ecology is most likely a long evolutionary and multifactorial process, expressed by gene absence or presence and allele variations of core genes. Several host-specific allelic variants from different phylogenetic backgrounds, including dnaE, rpoB, ftsX or pycB play important roles for genome maintenance and metabolic pathways. Thus, variants of genes important for C. jejuni to cope with specific ecological niches or hosts may be useful markers for both surveillance and future pathogen intervention strategies. more...
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- 2021
42. How to survive pig farming: Mechanism of SCC
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Charlotte, Huber, Silver A, Wolf, Wilma, Ziebuhr, Mark A, Holmes, Julia, Assmann, Antina, Lübke-Becker, Andrea, Thürmer, Torsten, Semmler, Julian, Brombach, Astrid, Bethe, Markus, Bischoff, Lothar H, Wieler, Lennard, Epping, and Birgit, Walther more...
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Previous research on methicillin susceptible
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- 2022
43. [Attitudes Toward Influenza Vaccination in Fall/Winter 2021: Results of the COSMO Study]
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André, Hajek, Freia, De Bock, Christina, Merkel, Sarah, Eitze, Cornelia, Betsch, Michael, Bosnjak, Lothar H, Wieler, and Hans-Helmut, König
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There is a lack of knowledge about attitudes to influenza vaccination in Germany in 2021/2022. Based on the COSMO survey ("COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring"), the aim of this study was to shed some light on this topic.Wave 49 (August 10 and 11, 2021) of the COSMO survey (n=967; Germany-wide non-probabilistic quota sample; 18 to 74 years).This year, about one-third of respondents (and health care workers) plan to get a flu shot, and among the at-risk group of people aged 60 and older (up to 74 years in our sample), more than half. Correlates (such as gender: women with a lower likelihood of a planned flu shot) were identified.Physicians should inform women in particular about the advantages of influenza vaccination, especially during the pandemic, and communicate data on the proven protective effect of influenza vaccination as convincingly as possible (e. g., using existing brochures).Bisher fehlt es hierzulande an Erkenntnissen zur Einstellung zur Grippeimpfung in der Grippesaison 2021/2022. Basierend auf der COSMO-Befragung („COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring“) ist es daher das Ziel dieser Studie, die Einstellung zur Grippeimpfung näher zu beleuchten.Welle 49 (10. und 11. August 2021) der COSMO-Studie (n=967; deutschlandweite nicht-probabilistische Quotenstichprobe; 18 bis 74 Jahre).Dieses Jahr plant ca. ein Drittel der Befragten (und der Beschäftigten im Gesundheitswesen) eine Grippeimpfung und bei der Risikogruppe der über 60-Jährigen (bis 74 Jahre in unserer Stichprobe) mehr als die Hälfte. Entsprechende Korrelate (wie das Geschlecht: Frauen mit einer geringeren Wahrscheinlichkeit einer beabsichtigten Grippeimpfung) wurden identifiziert.Ärztinnen und Ärzte sollten insbesondere auch Frauen über die Vorteile der Grippeschutzimpfung, gerade auch in der Pandemie, informieren und Daten zur nachgewiesenen Schutzwirkung der Grippeimpfung möglichst überzeugend (z. B. unter Nutzung bestehender Broschüren) kommunizieren. more...
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- 2022
44. Estimating the distribution of COVID-19-susceptible, -recovered, and -vaccinated individuals in Germany up to April 2022
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Benjamin F. Maier, Annika H. Rose, Angelique Burdinski, Pascal Klamser, Hannelore Neuhauser, Ole Wichmann, Lars Schaade, Lothar H. Wieler, and Dirk Brockmann
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After having affected the population for two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has reached a phase where a considerable number of people in Germany have been either infected with a SARS-CoV-2 variant, vaccinated, or both. Yet the full extent to which the population has been in contact with either virus or vaccine remains elusive, particularly on a regional level, because (a) infection counts suffer from under-reporting, and (b) the overlap between the vaccinated and recovered subpopulations is unknown. Since previous infection, vaccination, or especially a combination of both reduce the risk of severe disease, a high share of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 immunity lowers the probability of severe outbreaks that could potentially overburden the public health system once again, given that emerging variants do not escape this reduction in susceptibility. Here, we estimate the share of immunologically naïve individuals by age group for each of the 16 German federal states by integrating an infectious disease model based on weekly incidences of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the national surveillance system and vaccine uptake, as well as assumptions regarding under-ascertainment. We estimate a median share of 7.0% of individuals in the German population have neither been in contact with vaccine nor any variant as of March 31, 2022 (quartile range [3.6%– 9.8%]). For the adult population at higher risk of severe disease, this figure is reduced to 3.5% [1.3%–5.5%] for ages 18–59 and 4.3% [2.7%–5.8%] for ages 60 and above. However, estimates vary between German states mostly due to heterogeneous vaccine uptake. Excluding Omicron infections from the analysis, 16.1% [14.0%–17.8%] of the population in Germany, across all ages, are estimated to be immunologically naïve, highlighting the large impact the Omicron wave had until the beginning of spring in 2022. more...
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- 2022
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45. Origin and Global Expansion of
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Yassir A, Shuaib, Christian, Utpatel, Thomas A, Kohl, Ivan, Barilar, Margo, Diricks, Nadia, Ashraf, Lothar H, Wieler, Glennah, Kerubo, Eyob A, Mesfin, Awa Ba, Diallo, Sahal, Al-Hajoj, Perpetua, Ndung'u, Margaret M, Fitzgibbon, Farzam, Vaziri, Vitali, Sintchenko, Elena, Martinez, Sofia O, Viegas, Yang, Zhou, Aya, Azmy, Khaled, Al-Amry, Sylvain, Godreuil, Mandira, Varma-Basil, Anshika, Narang, Solomon, Ali, Patrick, Beckert, Viola, Dreyer, Mwila, Kabwe, Matthew, Bates, Michael, Hoelscher, Andrea, Rachow, Andrea, Gori, Emmanuel M, Tekwu, Larissa K, Sidze, Assam A, Jean-Paul, Veronique P, Beng, Francine, Ntoumi, Matthias, Frank, Aissatou Gaye, Diallo, Souleymane, Mboup, Belay, Tessema, Dereje, Beyene, Sadiq N, Khan, Roland, Diel, Philip, Supply, Florian P, Maurer, Harald, Hoffmann, Stefan, Niemann, and Matthias, Merker more...
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Genotype ,Microbial Sensitivity Tests ,Minisatellite Repeats ,Mycobacterium tuberculosis ,Phylogeny - Published
- 2022
46. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Lineage 3 as Causative Agent of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Eastern Sudan
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Yassir A. Shuaib, Eltahir A.G. Khalil, Lothar H. Wieler, Ulrich E. Schaible, Mohammed A. Bakheit, Saad E. Mohamed-Noor, Mohamed A. Abdalla, Glennah Kerubo, Sönke Andres, Doris Hillemann, Elvira Richter, Katharina Kranzer, Stefan Niemann, and Matthias Merker more...
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Sudan ,Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex ,MDR ,lcsh:R ,transmission ,lcsh:Medicine ,lcsh:RC109-216 ,lineage 3 ,tuberculosis and other mycobacteria ,lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases - Abstract
Pathogen-based factors associated with tuberculosis (TB) in eastern Sudan are not well defined. We investigated genetic diversity, drug resistance, and possible transmission clusters of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) strains by using a genomic epidemiology approach. We collected 383 sputum specimens at 3 hospitals in 2014 and 2016 from patients with symptoms suggestive of TB; of these, 171 grew MTBC strains. Whole-genome sequencing could be performed on 166 MTBC strains; phylogenetic classification revealed that most (73.4%; n = 122) belonged to lineage 3 (L3). Genome-based cluster analysis showed that 76 strains (45.9%) were grouped into 29 molecular clusters, comprising 2–8 strains/patients. Of the strains investigated, 9.0% (15/166) were multidrug resistant (MDR); 10 MDR MTBC strains were linked to 1 large MDR transmission network. Our findings indicate that L3 strains are the main causative agent of TB in eastern Sudan; MDR TB is caused mainly by transmission of MDR L3 strains. more...
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- 2020
47. Mycobacterium tuberculosisComplex Lineage 3 as Causative Agent of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Eastern Sudan1
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Elvira Richter, Mohammed A. Bakheit, Eltahir A G Khalil, Ulrich E. Schaible, Doris Hillemann, Katharina Kranzer, Lothar H. Wieler, Stefan Niemann, Matthias Merker, Yassir Adam Shuaib, Glennah Kerubo, M. A. Abdalla, Sönke Andres, and Saad El-Tiab Mohamed-Noor more...
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Microbiology (medical) ,Whole genome sequencing ,Tuberculosis ,Epidemiology ,030231 tropical medicine ,Drug resistance ,Biology ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Virology ,Multiple drug resistance ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Infectious Diseases ,Antibiotic resistance ,Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex ,medicine ,Sputum ,030212 general & internal medicine ,medicine.symptom ,Pathogen - Abstract
Pathogen-based factors associated with tuberculosis (TB) in eastern Sudan are not well defined. We investigated genetic diversity, drug resistance, and possible transmission clusters of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) strains by using a genomic epidemiology approach. We collected 383 sputum specimens at 3 hospitals in 2014 and 2016 from patients with symptoms suggestive of TB; of these, 171 grew MTBC strains. Whole-genome sequencing could be performed on 166 MTBC strains; phylogenetic classification revealed that most (73.4%; n = 122) belonged to lineage 3 (L3). Genome-based cluster analysis showed that 76 strains (45.9%) were grouped into 29 molecular clusters, comprising 2-8 strains/patients. Of the strains investigated, 9.0% (15/166) were multidrug resistant (MDR); 10 MDR MTBC strains were linked to 1 large MDR transmission network. Our findings indicate that L3 strains are the main causative agent of TB in eastern Sudan; MDR TB is caused mainly by transmission of MDR L3 strains. more...
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- 2020
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48. ICD-10 based syndromic surveillance enables robust estimation of burden of severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization and intensive care treatment
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Kristin Tolksdorf, Walter Haas, Ekkehard Schuler, Lothar H. Wieler, Julia Schilling, Osamah Hamouda, Michaela Diercke, and Silke Buda
- Abstract
ObjectiveThe emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) required countries to establish COVID-19 surveillance by adapting existing systems, such as mandatory notification and syndromic surveillance systems. We estimated age-specific COVID-19 hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) burden from existing severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) surveillance and compared the results to COVID-19 notification data.MethodsUsing data on SARI cases with ICD-10 diagnosis codes for COVID-19 (COVID-SARI) from the ICD-10 based SARI sentinel, we estimated age-specific incidences for COVID-SARI hospitalization and ICU for the first five COVID-19 waves in Germany and compared these to incidences from notification data on COVID-19 cases using relative change Δrat the peak of each wave.FindingsThe COVID-SARI incidence from sentinel data matched the notified COVID-19 hospitalization incidence in the first wave with Δr=6% but was higher during second to fourth wave (Δr=20% to 39%). In the fifth wave, the COVID-SARI incidence was lower than the notified COVID-19 hospitalization incidence (Δr=-39%). For all waves and all age groups, the ICU incidence estimated from COVID-SARI was more than twice the estimation from notification data.ConclusionThe use of validated SARI sentinel data adds robust and important information for assessing the true disease burden of severe COVID-19. Mandatory notifications of COVID-19 for hospital and ICU admission may underestimate (work overload in local health authorities) or overestimate (hospital admission for other reasons than the laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection) disease burden. Syndromic ICD-10 based SARI surveillance enables sustainable cross-pathogen surveillance for seasonal epidemics and pandemic preparedness of respiratory viral diseases. more...
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- 2022
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49. Secondary Data for Global Health Digitalization
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Anatol-Fiete Näher, Carina Nina Vorisek, Sophie Anne Ines Klopfenstein, Moritz Lehne, Sylvia Thun, Shada AlSalamah, Sameer Pujari, Dominik Heider, Wolfgang Ahrens, Iris Pigeot, Georg Marckmann, Mirjam Jenny, Bernhard Renard, Max von Kleist, Lothar H. Wieler, and Linus Grabenhenrich more...
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History ,Polymers and Plastics ,Business and International Management ,Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering - Published
- 2022
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50. How to survive pig farming: Mechanism of SCCmec element deletion and metabolic stress adaptation in livestock-associated MRSA
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Charlotte Huber, Silver A. Wolf, Wilma Ziebuhr, Mark A. Holmes, Julia Assmann, Antina Lübke-Becker, Andrea Thürmer, Torsten Semmler, Julian Brombach, Astrid Bethe, Markus Bischoff, Lothar H. Wieler, Lennard Epping, Birgit Walther, and Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository more...
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Microbiology (medical) ,ammonium ,transcriptome analysis ,SCCmec ,manure (litter) ,methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus ,deletion ,500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::570 Biowissenschaften ,Biologie::570 Biowissenschaften ,Biologie ,Microbiology ,livestock associated ,recombination - Abstract
Peer reviewed: True, Acknowledgements: We thank our colleagues from the Advanced Light and Electron Microscopy (ZBS 4) department of the Robert Koch Institute for their individual contribution and support., Previous research on methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) belonging to livestock-associated (LA-) sequence type (ST) 398, isolated from pigs and their local surroundings, indicated that differences between these MSSA and their methicillin resistant predecessors (MRSA) are often limited to the absence of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) and few single nucleotide polymorphisms. So far, our understanding on how LA-MRSA endure the environmental conditions associated with pig-farming as well as the putative impact of this particular environment on the mobilisation of SCCmec elements is limited. Thus, we performed in-depth genomic and transcriptomic analyses using the LA-MRSA ST398 strain IMT38951 and its methicillin susceptible descendant. We identified a mosaic-structured SCCmec region including a putative replicative SCCmecVc which is absent from the MSSA chromosome through homologous recombination. Based on our data, such events occur between short repetitive sequences identified within and adjacent to two distinct alleles of the large cassette recombinase genes C (ccrC). We further evaluated the global transcriptomic response of MRSA ST398 to particular pig-farm associated conditions, i.e., contact with host proteins (porcine serum) and a high ammonia concentration. Differential expression of global regulators involved in stress response control were identified, i.e., ammonia-induced alternative sigma factor B-depending activation of genes for the alkaline shock protein 23, the heat shock response and the accessory gene regulator (agr)-controlled transcription of virulence factors. Exposure to serum transiently induced the transcription of distinct virulence factor encoding genes. Transcription of genes reported for mediating the loss of methicillin resistance, especially ccrC, was not significantly different compared to the unchallenged controls. We concluded that, from an evolutionary perspective, bacteria may save energy by incidentally dismissing a fully replicative SCCmec element in contrast to the induction of ccr genes on a population scale. Since the genomic SCCmec integration site is a hot-spot of recombination, occasional losses of elements of 16 kb size may restore capacities for the uptake of foreign genetic material. Subsequent spread of resistance, on the other hand, might depend on the autonomous replication machinery of the deleted SCCmec elements that probably enhance chances for reintegration of SCCmec into susceptible genomes by mere multiplication. more...
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- 2022
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