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Background: Livestock-associated (LA)-CC398-MRSA is closely related to pigs, being unfrequently detected in human invasive infections. CC398-MSSA is emerging in human invasive infections in some countries, but genetic and epidemiological characteristics are still scarcely reported. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) CC398, both MRSA and MSSA, among blood cultures SA isolates recovered in Spanish hospitals located in regions with different pig-farming densities (PD) and characterize the recovered isolates. Methods: One thousand twenty-two SA isolates (761 MSSA, 261 MRSA) recovered from blood cultures during 6–12 months in 17 Spanish hospitals (2018–2019) were studied. CC398 lineage identification, detection of spa -types, and antibiotic resistance, virulence and human immune evasion cluster (IEC) genes were analyzed by PCR/sequencing. Results: Forty-four CC398-MSSA isolates (4.3% of SA; 5.8% of MSSA) and 10 CC398-MRSA isolates (1% of SA; 3.8% of MRSA) were detected. Eleven spa -types were found among the CC398-MSSA isolates with t571 and t1451 the most frequent spa -types detected (75%). Most of CC398-MSSA isolates were Immune-Evasion-Cluster (IEC)-positive (88.6%), tetracycline-susceptible (95.5%) and erythromycin/clindamycin–inducible-resistant/ erm (T)-positive (75%). No statistical significance was detected when the CC398-MSSA/MSSA rate was correlated to PD (pigs/km2) (p = 0.108). On the contrary, CC398-MRSA isolates were all IEC-negative, predominately spa -t011 (70%), and the CC398-MRSA/MRSA rate was significantly associated to PD (p < 0.005). Conclusion: CC398-MSSA is an emerging clade in invasive infections in Spanish hospitals. CC398-MRSA (mostly t011) and CC398-MSSA (mostly t571 and t1451) show important differences, possibly suggesting divergent steps in host-adaptation evolutionary processes. While CC398-MRSA is livestock-associated (lacking IEC-system), CC398-MSSA seems to be mostly livestock-independent, carrying human-adaptation markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (SP) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) are common colonizers of companion animals, but they are also considered opportunistic pathogens, causing diseases of diverse severity. This study focused on the identification and characterization of 33 coagulase-positive staphylococci isolated from diseased pets (28 dogs and five cats) during 2009–2011 in a veterinary hospital in Spain in order to stablish the circulating lineages and their antimicrobial resistance profile. Results: Twenty-eight isolates were identified as SP and five as SA. Nine methicillin-resistant (MR) isolates (27%) carrying the mecA gene were detected (eight MRSP and one MRSA). The 55% of SP and SA isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR). MRSP strains were typed as ST71-agrIII-SCCmecII/III-(PFGE) A (n=5), ST68-agrIV-SCCmecV-B1/B2 (n=2), and ST258-agrII-SCCmecIV-C (n=1). SP isolates showed resistance to the following antimicrobials [percentage of resistant isolates/resistance genes]: penicillin [82/blaZ], oxacillin [29/mecA] erythromycin/clindamycin [43/erm(B)], aminoglycosides [18–46/aacA-aphD, aphA3, aadE], tetracycline [71/tet(M), tet(K)], ciprofloxacin [29], chloramphenicol [29/catpC221], and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole [50/dfrG, dfrK]. The dfrK gene was revealed as part of the radC-integrated Tn559 in two SP isolates. Virulence genes detected among SP isolates were as follow [percentage of isolates]: siet [100], se-int [100], lukS/F-I [100], seccanine [7], and expB [7]. The single MRSA-mecA detected was typed as t011-ST398/CC398-agrI-SCCmecV and was MDR. The methicillin-susceptible SA isolates were typed as t045-ST5/CC5 (n=2), t10576-ST1660 (n=1), and t005-ST22/CC22 (n=1); the t005-ST22 feline isolate was PVL-positive and the two t045-ST45 isolates were ascribed to Immune Evasion Cluster (IEC) type F. Moreover, the t10576-ST1660 isolate, of potential equine origin, harbored the lukPQ and scneq genes. According to animal clinical history and data records, several strains seem to have been acquired from different sources of the hospital environment, while some SA strains appeared to have a human origin. Conclusions: The frequent detection of MR and MDR isolates among clinical SP and SA strains with noticeable virulence traits is of veterinary concern, implying limited treatment options available. This is the first description of MRSA-ST398 and MRSP-ST68 in pets in Spain, as well the first report of the dfrK-carrying Tn559 in SP. This evidences that current transmissible lineages with mobilizable resistomes have been circulating as causative agents of infections among pets for years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tetracycline resistance (TetR) is a marker of livestock-associated MRSA of lineage CC398.Objectives: To determine the MRSA CC398 prevalence among TetR-MRSA recovered in Spanish hospitals located in regions with different pig-farming densities, and the influence of pig density as a key risk factor for its acquisition.Methods: TetR-MRSA isolates (n = 232) recovered from clinical and epidemiological samples during January-June 2016 in 20 hospitals in 13 regions with different pig-farming densities were analysed. MRSA CC398 identification, detection of spa types, methicillin resistance genes and immune evasion cluster (IEC) genes were performed by PCR/sequencing. Statistical analyses were performed to establish the relationships between MRSA CC398 prevalence and pig density.Results: The global MRSA prevalence was 29.7% (6.9% TetR-MRSA/MRSA), with 137 CC398 isolates recovered, representing 4.1% of total MRSA and 59.1% of TetR-MRSA. Among MRSA CC398, 16 different spa types were recorded (t011: 72.3%), and all but two strains were IEC negative. Higher pig-density regions were associated with significant MRSA CC398 increases in hospitals located in adjacent regions (P < 0.001). Linear regression models explained the relationships between MRSA CC398 and pig density (P < 0.001), with an increase of 6.6 MRSA CC398 cases per 100 MRSA per increase of 100 pigs/km2 in a region.Conclusions: High pig density leads to a significant increase in MRSA CC398 in hospitals in Spain, and its combination with a high human population could help its dissemination. In Spain, the prevalence of the zoonotic CC398 lineage is closely related to pig-farming density; therefore, specific tools could be implemented in order to detect its dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesozooplankton size-fractionated biomass, feeding, and metabolic rates were investigated during a cruise conducted off NW Spain in August 1998. Based on different hydrographic conditions observed throughout the study area (upwelling events nearshore and stratified waters offshore), the sampling area was divided into coastal and oceanic zones. Both phytoplankton and mesozooplankton biomass were higher in the coastal upwelling than in the offshore zone. Size structure analysis shows that the small fraction (200–500 μm) of mesozooplankton was more important than the larger fractions (500–1000 μm and >1000 μm) in the open ocean in terms of both biomass and grazing activity. The relationship between copepod ingestion rate and the concentration of chlorophyll a >5 μm resembled a type II functional response. Saturation occurred at the coastal stations, where copepod gut contents were highest. The grazing impact on both phytoplankton biomass and primary production seemed to be higher offshore (5.7 and 12.9%, respectively) than in upwelled waters (5.2 and 5.2%), although the differences were not statistically significant. Phytoplankton ingestion was enough to fulfil the basal metabolism of mesozooplankton in the upwelling area (102.1% of the minimum carbon requirements met) but not in the offshore (45.9%). Feeding activity and metabolic measurements on mesozooplankton point to a herbivorous food web in the coastal upwelling zone and a multivorous food web in the stratified open oceanic waters. The amount of metabolic end products released by mesozooplankton was higher in the coastal zone, but mesozooplankton played a more important role as nutrient regenerators in the multivorous food web (30.3 and 21.7% of the nitrogen and phosphorus phytoplankton demand accounted for ammonium and phosphate excretion, respectively) than in the herbivorous one (3.8% for ammonium and 2.6% for phosphate). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Guggenheim Museum has had many 'effects' on the lives of local citizens and politicians in Bilbao as well as on wider communities such as architects, planners, cultural policy-makers or museologists. This article, however, deals with the effect that the museum has had on the urban governance practices in Bilbao. Urban policy literature has clearly identified that contemporary cities are adopting an entrepreneurial approach to deal with increasing pressures to compete with each other and attract investment in a globalized world. This approach is connected to neo-liberal state policies that threaten social inclusion and democracy. The Guggenheim Bilbao Museum has to be considered within this wider trend and has played an important role in the consolidation of urban entrepreneurialism in Bilbao. The danger is, as I will show, that these practices can be taken for granted without internal reflection, and can therefore be institutionalized in urban policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of vancomycin-resistant-enterococci (VRE) among wild animals represents a worrisome public health concern. The objectives of the study were to determine the possible presence of VRE in faecal samples of wild small mammals in Spain, to characterize the vancomycin resistance mechanisms and genetic lineages of recovered isolates and to know the diversity of enterococcal species in these animals. A total of 155 faecal samples from small mammals were inoculated in Slanetz–Bartley agar supplemented or not with vancomycin (Van-SB/SB plates). The antimicrobial susceptibility profile to 12 antimicrobials and the presence of 20 antimicrobial resistance genes was analyzed. The structure of Tn 1546 and the presence of gelE , cylA , asa , esp and hyl genes was studied. Multilocus-sequence-typing (MLST) technique was also performed. VRE isolates were recovered in Van-SB plates in 11 samples. Two samples contained vanB2 -positive E. faecalis isolates of lineage ST6, which showed a multiresistance phenotype and harboured the virulence genes gelE and asa. One sample contained a vancomycin-resistant E. faecium isolate of the new lineage ST915, with the vanA gene included into Tn 1546 (truncated with IS 1542 and IS 1216 elements). The vanB2 and vanA isolates were obtained from Rattus rattus . The remaining eight VRE-positive samples contained species with intrinsic vancomycin-resistance mechanisms: E. casseliflavus ( n = 5) and E. gallinarum ( n = 3). One hundred and forty-seven vancomycin-susceptible-enterococcal isolates were obtained in SB plates, and E. faecalis and E. faecium were the most frequent detected species. This is the first report of vanB2 -containing enterococci in wild animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) of lineage CC398 is an emerging clone causing human infections but is mostly found in pigs. The aim of this study was to characterize the antimicrobial resistance phenotypes/genotypes of a collection of 137 MRSA CC398 isolates obtained in a previous study from 17 Spanish hospitals, using tetracycline resistance as marker for selection. A multidrug-resistant (MDR) phenotype was present in 79% of analysed isolates, with 17% of them resistant to at least six different antimicrobial families. All tetracycline-resistant isolates (n=137) carried the tetM gene and 75% also carried the tetK gene. Almost 50% of MRSA CC398 isolates showed macrolide and/or lincosamide resistance: a) 39% of isolates were ERY R -CLI R (all with constitutive phenotype), with 87% of them carrying the ermC gene, followed by msrA (25%), ermB (21%), vgaA (17%), ermA (6%), lsaB (4%), linA (2%), linB (2%), and ermT (2%, this isolate with the new spa-type t18071); and b) 9% of MRSA CC398 isolates showed the dissociated ERY S -CLI R phenotype carrying the linA, linB, lsaB and vgaA genes. Other antimicrobial resistance phenotypes in these MRSA CC398 isolates included resistance to ciprofloxacin (67%), aminoglycosides (21%), mupirocin (6%), chloramphenicol (4%) or fusidic acid (2%). The more common resistance genes detected for some of these antimicrobials were: aac(6')-Ie-aph(2'')-Ia (16%) and ant(4')-Ia (12%) for aminoglycosides, and fexA (3%) for chloramphenicol. The high rate of MDR phenotypes with a wide range of antimicrobial resistance genes shown in this study reduce the potential therapeutic options in case of infections., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.)

The in vitro activities of five quinazolinone antibacterials, compounds Q1 to Q5, were tested against 210 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The MIC 50 /MIC 90 values (in μg/ml) were as follows: Q1, 0.5/2; Q2, 1/4; Q3, 2/4; Q4, 0.06/0.25; and Q5, 0.125/0.5. Several strains with high MIC values (from 8 to >32 μg/ml) for some of these compounds exhibited amino acid changes in the penicillin-binding proteins, which are targeted by these antibacterials., (Copyright © 2019 Ceballos et al.)

Introduction: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is considered a major cause of healthcare-associated (HA) and community-acquired (CA) infections. Considering non-β-lactam susceptibility as a potential marker for mecC-MRSA and CA-MRSA, the aim of this study was to determine the frequency and the associated genetic lineages of non-beta-lactam-antibiotic susceptible MRSA (NBLS-MRSA) strains in a multicenter study in Spain., Methods: A collection of 45 NBLS-MRSA strains recovered in the period from January to June 2016 from 12 Spanish hospitals was analyzed. Molecular typing through spa-type characterization, agr group and multi-locus-sequence typing was performed. Methicillin-resistant genes (mecA and mecC) as well as immune evasion cluster (scn-chp-sak-sea-sep, considering scn gene as the marker of IEC system) and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes were determined with PCR/sequencing., Results: The NBLS-MRSA phenotype was uncommon in the 12 hospitals analyzed (NBLS-MRSA/MRSA frequency: 0.3%-7.7%). All strains contained the mecA gene (and none contained mecC). Twenty-two different spa-types were detected among NBLS-MRSA strains, with spa-t008/agr-I the most prevalent (27%). The main clonal complexes were (CC/%): CC8/42.2%, CC5/33.3% and CC30/4.4%, with ST8 and ST5 as the main sequence types. The PVL toxin was present in 38% of strains (with spa-types t008, t024, t019, t044, t068, t318 and t3060). The IEC genes were detected in 78% of strains: IEC type-B (n=17), type-F (n=16), type-A (n=1) and type-E (n=1); 10 MRSA isolates were scn-negative., Conclusion: The NBLS-MRSA phenotype is uncommon in the analyzed hospitals; although no mecC-positive strains were detected, it could be a good marker for MRSA PVL-positive isolates (38%), frequently associated with CA-MRSA infections., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.)

Unlabelled: Tetracycline-resistance (Tet(R)) has been postulated as a marker of the livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) lineage CC398., Objectives of the Study: to determine the spa-types and assigned MLST clonal complexes (CCs) among all 98 MRSA-Tet(R) strains recovered during 2011-2012 (from different patients) in a Spanish Hospital, analyzing the possible correlation with livestock-contact of the patients. All 98 strains were assigned to 9 CCs: CC398 (60.2%), CC1 (19.4%), CC5 (12.2%), and other CCs (8.2%). The 98 patients were classified into three groups: (A) contact with livestock-animals (n=25); (B) no-contact with livestock-animals (n=42); (C) no information about animal contact (n=31). A significant higher percentage of CC398 strains was obtained in group A (76%) than in group B (50%) (p<0.05), being the percentage in group C of 61.3%. Most of MRSA-Tet(R)-CC398 strains presented a multi-resistance phenotype, including erythromycin, clindamycin, and ciprofloxacin, and the most prevalent detected genes were tet(M) and erm(C). Three strains presented the phenotype macrolide-susceptibility/lincosamide-resistance and contained the vga(A) gene. MRSA-CC1 strains showed higher percentages of erythromycin/clindamycin resistance (95%/89%) than MRSA-CC398 strains (58%/63%), and this resistance was usually mediated by erm(C) gene. Most of MRSA-CC5 strains showed resistance to ciprofloxacin, tobramycin/kanamycin and erythromycin. None of the strains presented the genes lukF/lukS-PV, tsst-1, eta, etb or etd. All MRSA-CC398 strains lacked the genes of the immune-evasion-cluster, but MRSA-CC1 strains carried these genes (type E). In conclusion, although MRSA CC398 is detected in a significant higher proportion in patients with livestock-contact; its detection in people without this type of contact also indicates its capacity for human-to-human transmission., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)