Artikel in Fachzeitschriften

High-Zinc Supplementation of Weaned Piglets Affects Frequencies of Virulence and Bacteriocin Associated Genes Among Intestinal Escherichia Coli

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMT

High-Zinc Supplementation of Weaned Piglets Affects Frequencies of Virulence and Bacteriocin Associated Genes Among Intestinal Escherichia Coli Johanns, Vanessa C.; Epping, Lennard; Semmler, Torsten; Ghazisaeedi, Fereshteh; Lübke-Becker, Antina; Pfeifer, Yvonne; Eichhorn, Inga; Merle, Roswitha; Bethe, Astrid; Walther, Birgit; Wieler, Lothar H. To prevent economic losses due to post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in industrial pig production, zinc (Zn) feed additives have been widely used, especially since awareness has risen that the regular application of antibiotics promotes buildup of antimicrobial resistance in both commensal and pathogenic bacteria. In a previous study on 179 Escherichia coli collected from piglets sacrificed at the end of a Zn feeding trial, including isolates obtained from animals of a high-zinc fed group (HZG) and a corresponding control group (CG), we found that the isolate collection exhibited three different levels of tolerance toward zinc, i.e., the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) detected was 128, followed by 256 and 512 μg/ml ZnCl2. We further provided evidence that enhanced zinc tolerance in porcine intestinal E. coli populations is clearly linked to excessive zinc feeding. Here we provide insights about the genomic make-up and phylogenetic background of these 179 E. coli genomes. Bayesian analysis of the population structure (BAPS) revealed a lack of association between the actual zinc tolerance level and a particular phylogenetic E. coli cluster or even branch for both, isolates belonging to the HZG and CG. In addition, detection rates for genes and operons associated with virulence (VAG) and bacteriocins (BAG) were lower in isolates originating from the HZG (41 vs. 65% and 22 vs. 35%, p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, resp.). Strikingly, E. coli harboring genes defining distinct pathotypes associated with intestinal disease, i.e., enterotoxigenic, enteropathogenic, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (ETEC, EPEC, and STEC) constituted 1% of the isolates belonging to the HZG but 14% of those from the CG. Notably, these pathotypes were positively associated with enhanced zinc tolerance (512 μg/ml ZnCl2 MIC, p < 0.001). Taken together, zinc excess seems to influence carriage rates of VAGs and BAGs in porcine intestinal E. coli populations, and high-zinc feeding is negatively correlated with enteral pathotype occurrences, which might explain earlier observations concerning the relative increase of Enterobacterales considering the overall intestinal microbiota of piglets during zinc feeding trials while PWD rates have decreased.

Sexually transmitted infections in male heterosexual Dutch clients who visited German cross-border female sey workers; a 3 year retrospective study

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Sexually transmitted infections in male heterosexual Dutch clients who visited German cross-border female sey workers; a 3 year retrospective study Kampman, Carolina J. G.; Hoebe, Christian J. P. A.; Koene, René; Kamp, Laura; Hoedijk, Femke D. H.; Trostmann, Alma; Hautvast, Jeaninine L. A. Background Some male heterosexual clients prefer to visit a cross-border Female Sex Worker (FSW) because of cheaper sex and unsafe sex practices, and may therefore be at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI). The objective of this study was to assess whether having commercial cross-border sex is an independent risk factor for being diagnosed with a STI. Methods An observational retrospective study was performed using data of 8 Dutch STI clinics bordering Germany, between 2011 and 2013. All male heterosexual clients of FSWs were selected and data on country of FSW visit and occurrence of STI were used for multivariable regression analysis. Results The study population consisted of 2664 clients of FSW. Most clients visited the Netherlands (82.4%), followed by visits to another country (beyond cross-border) (9.9%) and cross-border visits (7.8%). Clients of FSW were less likely to be STI positive when they were younger than 25 years(OR = 0.6, 95%CI 0.4 to 0.8 25–44 years and OR = 0.5, 95%CI 0.4 to 0.7 older than 45 years), and more likely when they had 20 or more sex partners in the last 6 months (OR = 2.9, 95%CI 1.9 to 4.4), did not use a condom during last sexual contact (OR = 2.2, 95%CI 1.6 to 2.9) and made cross-border visits (OR = 1.7, 95%CI 1.1 to 2.6). Conclusions As cross-border visits appears to be a novel independent risk factor for STI in clients of FSW, this group should therefore be advised on STI prevention

Waterpipe Use among Adolescents in Germany: Prevalence, Associated Consumer Characteristics, and Trends (German Health Review and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents, KiGGS)

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Waterpipe Use among Adolescents in Germany: Prevalence, Associated Consumer Characteristics, and Trends (German Health Review and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents, KiGGS) Klosterhalfen, Stephanie; Kotz, Daniel; Kuntz, Benjamin; Zeiher, Johannes; Starker, Anne Waterpipe (WP) use is popular among youth worldwide, but epidemiological data from Germany are scarce. We aimed to describe prevalence rates of WP use (current, last 12 months, ever) and analysed correlates and trends among 11- to 17-year-olds in Germany. Analyses were based on data from the “German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents” study during 2014–2017 (n = 6599). Changes in WP use prevalence compared with 2009–2012 were used to describe trends. Associations with sociodemographic characteristics and cigarette smoking were assessed with multivariable logistic regression models. Prevalence of current WP use among adolescents was 8.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 7.5–9.6), use in the last 12 months was 19.7% (95% CI = 18.3–21.2), and ever use was 25.8% (95% CI = 24.2–27.5). High prevalence rates were particularly found among 16–17-year-olds. During 2009–2012, these prevalence rates were 9.0%, 18.5%, and 26.1%, respectively. WP use was associated with older age, male sex, migration background, lower educational level, and current smoking status. Among current WP users, 66.2% (95% CI = 60.0–71.9) identified themselves as non-smokers, and 38.1% (95% CI = 32.5–44.0) had used WP ≥ three times in the last month. WP consumption is popular among German youth, and prevalence rates have not changed over time. Specific prevention strategies to reduce harmful WP consumption among youth should be implemented.

A Manually Curated Database on Clinical Studies Involving Cell Products Derived from Human Pluripotent stem Cells

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMT

A Manually Curated Database on Clinical Studies Involving Cell Products Derived from Human Pluripotent stem Cells Kobold, Sabine; Guhr, Anke; Mah, Nancy; Bultjer, Nils; Seltmann, Stefanie; Seiler Wulczyn, Andrea E. M.; Stacey, Glyn; Jie, Hao; Liu, Wang; Löser, Peter; Kurtz, Andreas The last 5 years have witnessed a significant increase in the number of clinical studies based on human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). In parallel, concern is increasing about the proliferation of unregulated stem cell treatments worldwide. Regulated clinical testing is a de facto standard to establish the safety and efficacy of new cell therapies, yet reliable information on clinical studies involving hPSCs is scattered. Our analysis of a multitude of resources found 54 clinical studies involving several types of hPSCs, which are performed in ten countries. While the majority of those studies is based on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), clinical studies involving human induced pluripotent stem cells increased more strongly in the past 2 years than the number of hESC-based studies. A publicly accessible database was created using the human pluripotent stem cell registry (https://hpscreg.eu) platform, providing a steadily updated comprehensive overview on hPSC-based clinical studies performed worldwide.