1. Microbiota in vitro modulated with polyphenols shows decreased colonization resistance against Clostridioides difficile but can neutralize cytotoxicityAleksander Mahnič, Jennifer Auchtung, Nataša Poklar Ulrih, Robert A. Britton, Maja Rupnik, 2020, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: While the knowledge on gut microbiota - C. difficile interactions has improved over the years, the understanding of the underlying mechanisms providing colonization resistance as well as preventative measures against the infection remain incomplete. In this study the antibiotic clindamycin and polyphenol extracts from pomegranate and blueberries were used individually and in combination to modulate fecal microbial communities in minibioreactor arrays (MBRA). Modulated communities were inoculated with C. difficile (ribotype 027). Subsequent 7-day periodical monitoring included evaluation of C. difficile growth and activity of toxins TcdA and TcdB as well as analysis of MBRA bacterial community structure (V3V4 16%S metagenomics). Polyphenols affected multiple commensal bacterial groups and showed different synergistic and antagonistic effects in combination with clindamycin. Exposure to either clindamycin or polyphenols led to the loss of colonization resistance against C. difficile. The successful growth of C. difficile was most significantly correlated with the decrease in Collinsella and Lachnospiraceae. Additionally, we demonstrated that Clostridium sporogenes decreased the activity of both C. difficile toxins TcdA and TcdB. The feature was shown to be common among distinct C. sporogenes strains and could potentially be applicable as a non-antibiotic agent for the alleviation of C. difficile infection. Ključne besede: microbiota in vitro, Clostridioides difficile, resistance, cytotoxicity Objavljeno v DKUM: 29.01.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 3
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2. Ribotype classification of Clostridioides difficile isolates Is not predictive of the amino acid sequence diversity of the toxin virulence factors TcdA and TcdBZhenghui Li, Kwok Lee, Urvi Rajyaguru, C. Hal Jones, Sandra Janežič, Maja Rupnik, Annaliesa S. Anderson, Paul Liberator, 2020, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile is the most commonly recognized cause of infectious diarrhea in healthcare settings. Currently there is no vaccine to prevent initial or recurrent C. difficile infection (CDI). Two large clostridial toxins, TcdA and TcdB, are the primary virulence factors for CDI. Immunological approaches to prevent CDI include antibody-mediated neutralization of the cytotoxicity of these toxins. An understanding of the sequence diversity of the two toxins expressed by disease causing isolates is critical for the interpretation of the immune response to the toxins. In this study, we determined the whole genome sequence (WGS) of 478 C. difficile isolates collected in 12 countries between 2004 and 2018 to probe toxin variant diversity. A total of 44 unique TcdA variants and 37 unique TcdB variants were identified. The amino acid sequence conservation among the TcdA variants (>98%) is considerably greater than among the TcdB variants (as low as 86.1%), suggesting that different selection pressures may have contributed to the evolution of the two toxins. Phylogenomic analysis of the WGS data demonstrate that isolates grouped together based on ribotype or MLST code for multiple different toxin variants. These findings illustrate the importance of determining not only the ribotype but also the toxin sequence when evaluating strain coverage using vaccine strategies that target these virulence factors. We recommend that toxin variant type and sequence type (ST), be used together with ribotype data to provide a more comprehensive strain classification scheme for C. difficile surveillance during vaccine development objectives. Ključne besede: Clostridioides difficile, Clostridium difficile, TCDB, TcdA, vaccines, whole genome sequencing Objavljeno v DKUM: 28.01.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 5
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3. Clostridioides difficile ribotype distribution in a large teaching hospital in SerbiaMiloš Korać, Maja Rupnik, Nataša Nikolić, Milica Jovanović, Tanja Tošić, Jovan Malinić, Nikola Mitrović, Marko Marković, Ankica Vujović, Sanja Peruničić, Ksenija Bojović, Vladimir V. Đorđević, Aleksandra Barać, Ivana Milošević, 2020, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Background: The global epidemic of nosocomial diarrhea caused by Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile started in 2000, with high mortality rates and emergence of a new hypervirulent strain NAP1/BI/027. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of ribotype 027 and other C. difficile ribotypes in a Serbian University Hospital, compare the temporal variability of ribotypes 3 years apart, as well as to compare clinical, demographic and laboratory characteristics and disease outcome among patients infected with 027 and non-027 ribotype. This was a prospective observational cohort study addressing 4-month intervals during 2014/2015 and 2017/2018.
Results: Ribotyping was performed in 64 non-duplicate C. difficile strains. Ribotype 027 was the most prevalent, and was detected in 53 (82.8%) patients (43/45 and 10/19 patients in 2014-2015 and 2017/2018, respectively). Other detected ribotypes were 001/072 in 4 (6.3%), 002 in 4 (6.3%), 014/020 in 2 (3.1%) and 176 in 1 (1.5%) patient. The percentage of the patients infected with ribotype 027 significantly decreased during the 3-year period, from 95.6 to 52.6% (p < 0.001). Ribotype 027 infection was associated with fluoroquinolone treatment more frequently than infection with other ribotypes [33 (62.3%) vs. 2 (18.2%), p = 0.010)]. A severe C. difficile infection was diagnosed more often in patients with the detected ribotype 027 compared to those infected with non-027 ribotypes (p = 0.006). No significant difference in the mortality and recurrence rates was found between the patients infected with ribotype 027 and those infected with other ribotypes [10/53 (18.8%) vs. 2/11 (18.2%), p = 0.708, and 10/35 (28.6%) vs. 0/2 (0%), p = 1.000, respectively].
Conclusion: Clostridium difficile ribotype 027 was the most prevalent ribotype among patients in a large Serbian hospital, but there is a clear decreasing trend. Ključne besede: Clostridium difficile, ribotype 027, Serbia Objavljeno v DKUM: 27.01.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 5
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4. Changing epidemiology of presumptive community-associated-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Slovenia in 2014-2015 compared to 2010Urška Dermota, Irena Grmek-Košnik, Sandra Janežič, Maja Rupnik, 2020, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Introduction: Although the distinction between the Community-Associated-Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) and Hospital-Associated-Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (HA-MRSA) has blurred in recent years, the CA-MRSA is an important group because of its potential to cause fulminant and severe infections. Its importance has further increased with the emergence of Livestock-Associated-Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (LA-MRSA).
Methods: In the present study we analysed clonal distributions and virulence factors in presumptive CA-MRSA isolated from January 2014 to December 2015 and compared the results with our previous study from 2010. Phenotypic definition for presumptive CA-MRSA was based on resistance to cefoxitin and oxacillin and susceptibility to at least two of the following four antibiotics: ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, clindamycin and gentamicin.
Results:In 2014 and 2015 altogether 304 MRSA isolates fulfilled our screening phenotypic definition, 45 isolates were cultivated from clinical specimens and 259 from screening specimens. Sequence types ST398, LA-MRSA and mecC MRSA increased significantly in 2015 compared to 2010 (p-value <0.05) and were spread over Slovenia.
Conclusion:The clonal distribution of presumptive CA-MRSA has changed within the study period in Slovenia. In 2015 the most frequent clone among clinical and screening specimens was a pig-associated clone, ST398, but the number of confirmed ST398 infections remains low. While previously ST398 and mecC positive MRSA strains were geographically limited, they have spread throughout the country since 2010. Ključne besede: Slovenia, CA-MRSA, LA-MRSA, mecC, spa types, clones Objavljeno v DKUM: 20.01.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 403
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5. Corrigendum: Evaluation of human milk microbiota by 16S rRNA gene next-generation sequencing (NGS) and cultivation/MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry identificationPrimož Treven, Aleksander Mahnič, Maja Rupnik, Majda Golob, Tina Pirš, Bojana Bogovič Matijašić, Petra Mohar Lorbeg, 2020, drugi sestavni deli Ključne besede: milk microbiota, microbiota assembly, breastfeeding, breast pump, probiotic drops Objavljeno v DKUM: 06.01.2025; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 3
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6. Evaluation of human milk microbiota by 16S rRNA gene next-generation sequencing (NGS) and cultivation/MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry identificationPrimož Treven, Aleksander Mahnič, Maja Rupnik, Majda Golob, Tina Pirš, Bojana Bogovič Matijašić, Petra Mohar Lorbeg, 2019, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: The aim of the present study was to characterize human milk microbiota (HMM) with 16S rRNA gene amplicon next-generation sequencing and cultivation/matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) identification approaches. We analyzed 31 human milk samples from healthy Slovenian mothers. To check the accuracy of MALDI-TOF MS identification, several colonies representing most abundant genera and those, which could not be reliably identified by MALDI-TOF, were subjected to Sanger sequencing of their 16S rRNA gene. We showed that cultivation/MALDI-TOF MS was a suitable tool for culture-dependent determination of HMM. With both approaches, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus were found as predominant genera in HMM and the abundance of Staphylococcus was associated with decreased microbial diversity. In addition, we characterized factors that might influence HMM. The use of a breast pump was significantly associated with composition of HMM, higher microbial load, and lower abundance of cultivable staphylococci. Moreover, our study suggests that administration of probiotics to the suckling infant might influence HMM by increased abundance of lactobacilli and the presence of viable probiotic bacteria in human milk. However, since our study was observational with relatively small sample size, more targeted studies are needed to study possible transfer of probiotics to the mammary gland via an external route and the physiological relevance of these events. Ključne besede: milk microbiota, microbiota assembly, breastfeeding, breast pump, probiotic drops Objavljeno v DKUM: 27.12.2024; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 3
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7. Opredelitev pristopa za kontinuirano sledenje raznolikosti genotipov proti meticilinu odpornega Staphylococcus aureus iz humanih vzorcevTjaša Žohar Čretnik, 2024, doktorska disertacija Opis: V svetu sistemi sledenja proti meticilinu odpornega Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) temeljijo predvsem na izolatih iz hemokultur. Omejitve takšnega pristopa so znane.
Z raziskavo, v katero smo vključili MRSA izolate iz dobro opredeljene zbirke izolatov iz različnih kužnin iz obdobja petih let iz tretje slovenske regije, smo identificirali skupino, ki bi bila optimalna za sledenje genetskih lastnosti populacije MRSA.
S sekvenciranjem celotnega genoma in določanjem občutljivosti za protimikrobna zdravila smo analizirali 306 izolatov in pridobili za Slovenijo prve tovrstne podatke.
Ugotovili smo veliko genetsko pestrost izolatov in potrdili 30 MLST sekvenčnih tipov, 39 MLST-SCCmec genetskih linij, 49 spa tipov, 29 fenotipskih rezistenčnih profilov, 57 rezistenčnih in 96 virulenčnih genov.
S pomočjo izolatov iz hemokultur smo sicer zajeli prevladujoče klone, vendar v tej skupini nismo zaznali večine prisotnih klonov in tudi ne nekaterih pomembnih rezistenčnih in virulenčnih genov. Med izolati iz hemokultur je bilo prisotnih 21,3 % spa tipov, 24, 1 % fenotipskih rezistenčnih profilov in 28,2 % MLST-SCCmec genetskih linij, med izolati iz mehkih tkiv pa 65,3 % spa tipov, 58,6 % fenotipskih rezistenčnih profilov, 71,8 % MLST-SCCmec tipov, 100 % virulenčnih genov in 82,5 % rezistenčnih genov, zaradi česar je to skupino izolatov smiselno vključiti v sistem sledenja. Ključne besede: MRSA, klonalna sruktura, sledenje, virulenca, rezistenca Objavljeno v DKUM: 10.12.2024; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 21
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8. High contamination rates of shoes of veterinarians, veterinary support staff and veterinary students with Clostridioides difficile sporesJoanna Wojtacka, Beata Wysok, Aleksander Kocuvan, Maja Rupnik, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Clostridioides difficile is often found in animals and their environment. However, not much has been reported on veterinary clinics environment in terms of the spore load, prevalence and PCR ribotype diversity. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of C. difficile on shoe soles of veterinarians, veterinary support staff and veterinary students at the Veterinary Faculty campus. Altogether, 50 shoe sole swabs were collected, and the positivity rates ranged from 86.7% in swabs from veterinarians to 100% in swabs from support staff and students. Non-toxigenic and toxigenic strains representing toxinotypes 0, IV and XIX were isolated and distributed into 17 different PCR ribotypes, most common being 010, 014/020, SLO002 and 009. PCR ribotype 010 was the most prevalent and isolated from shoe soles sampled in 6/7 areas. Students' shoes had highest ribotype diversity (15/17 PCR ribotypes) but showed a low overlap with ribotype isolated from vets and support staff shoes. Veterinary students are likely the main vectors of C. difficile spores transmissions among veterinary teaching clinics and the hospital. Ključne besede: Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile, environment, footwear, One Health, transmission, veterinary clinic Objavljeno v DKUM: 22.10.2024; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 1
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9. Comparison of microbial populations in saliva and feces from healthy and celiac adolescents with conventional and molecular approaches after cultivation on gluten-containing media : an exploratory studyTilen Seničar, Andraž Kukovičič, Valerija Tkalec, Aleksander Mahnič, Jernej Dolinšek, Maja Rupnik, 2021, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Microbes capable of metabolizing gluten are common in various parts of the intestinal tract. In this study, saliva and fecal samples were obtained from 10 adolescents (13-18 years of age), five of which had celiac disease (CD) and five of which were healthy volunteers (HV). Culture-enriched saliva and fecal samples were compared with molecular profiling, and microorganisms displaying lysis zones on gluten-containing media (i.e., gluten-degrading microorganisms; GDMs) were isolated. In total, 45 gluten-degrading strains were isolated, belonging to 13 genera and 15 species, including Candida albicans and Veillonella. GDMs were more common in HVs compared to CD patients and more diverse in saliva compared to feces. In saliva, GDMs showed partial overlap between HVs and CD patients. Bacterial communities in fecal samples determined with amplicon sequencing significantly differed between CD patients and HVs. Overall, 7-46 of all operational taxonomic units (OTUs) per sample were below the detection limit in the fecal samples but were present in the cultivated samples, and mainly included representatives from Lactobacillus and Enterococcus. Furthermore, differences in fecal short-chain fatty-acid concentrations between CD patients and HVs, as well as their correlations with bacterial taxa, were demonstrated. Ključne besede: gluten-degrading microorganisms, veillonella, candida, short-chain fatty acids, celiac disease, microbiota, sequencing Objavljeno v DKUM: 14.10.2024; Ogledov: 0; Prenosov: 18
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10. Using machine learning and natural language processing for unveiling similarities between microbial dataLucija Brezočnik, Tanja Žlender, Maja Rupnik, Vili Podgorelec, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Opis: Microbiota analysis can provide valuable insights in various fields, including diet and nutrition, understanding health and disease, and in environmental contexts, such as understanding the role of microorganisms in different ecosystems. Based on the results, we can provide targeted therapies, personalized medicine, or detect environmental contaminants. In our research, we examined the gut microbiota of 16 animal taxa, including humans, as well as the microbiota of cattle and pig manure, where we focused on 16S rRNA V3-V4 hypervariable regions. Analyzing these regions is common in microbiome studies but can be challenging since the results are high-dimensional. Thus, we utilized machine learning techniques and demonstrated their applicability in processing microbial sequence data. Moreover, we showed that techniques commonly employed in natural language processing can be adapted for analyzing microbial text vectors. We obtained the latter through frequency analyses and utilized the proposed hierarchical clustering method over them. All steps in this study were gathered in a proposed microbial sequence data processing pipeline. The results demonstrate that we not only found similarities between samples but also sorted groups’ samples into semantically related clusters. We also tested our method against other known algorithms like the Kmeans and Spectral Clustering algorithms using clustering evaluation metrics. The results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over them. Moreover, the proposed microbial sequence data pipeline can be utilized for different types of microbiota, such as oral, gut, and skin, demonstrating its reusability and robustness. Ključne besede: machine learning, NLP, hierarchical clustering, microbial data, microbiome, n-grame Objavljeno v DKUM: 04.09.2024; Ogledov: 38; Prenosov: 9
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