Search

Keratoma is an aberrant keratin mass thought to originate from epidermal horn-producing cells interposed between the stratum medium of the hoof wall and the underlying third phalanx. The cause is unknown, although the presence of keratomas is frequently associated with chronic irritation, focal infection, or trauma. A total of 167 donkeys with keratomas were presented in this study. The diagnosis of a keratoma was based on clinical signs, radiography, and histopathologic examination. Surgical excision was attempted on all donkeys with lameness unless euthanasia was advised. Histopathologic examination, including Giemsa, periodic acid Schiff, and Young’s silver special histochemical stains, was performed and showed the presence of fungal hyphae and spirochete bacteria within the degenerate keratin. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for treponeme bacteria was performed on 10 keratoma lesions and 9 healthy pieces of hoof (controls). All healthy donkey tissues were negative for the 3 recognized digital dermatitis (DD) treponeme phylogroups, whereas 3 of 10 (30%) donkey keratoma samples were positive for one of the DD treponeme phylogroups. Routine fungal culture and PCR for fungi were performed on 8 keratoma lesions and 8 healthy pieces of hoof (controls). Keratinopathogenic fungi were detected in 1 of 8 (12.5%) keratomas, while only non-keratinopathogenic, environmental fungi were detected in 8 control healthy hoof samples. This is the first time the DD treponemes phylogroup and keratinopathogenic fungi have been detected in keratomas. Further studies are required to assess the significance of this finding.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest current threats to human and animal health. There is an urgent need to ensure that antimicrobials are used appropriately to limit the emergence and impact of resistance. In the human and veterinary healthcare setting, traditional culture and antimicrobial sensitivity testing is typically conducted, requiring 48-72 h to identify appropriate antibiotics for treatment. In the meantime, broad-spectrum antimicrobials are often used, which may be ineffective or impact non-target commensal bacteria. Here, we present a rapid diagnostics pipeline, involving metagenomic Nanopore sequencing directly from clinical urine and skin samples of dogs. We have optimised this pipeline to be versatile and easily implementable in a clinical setting, with the potential for future adaptation to different sample types and animals. Using our approach, we can identify the bacterial pathogen present in a sample with 100% sensitivity within 5 hours. For urine samples, we can predict antibiotic sensitivity with up to 95% accuracy. However, skin swabs which exhibited lower bacterial abundance and higher host DNA, were less amenable and an additional host depletion step may be required prior to DNA extraction. In summary, our pipeline represents an important step towards the design of individually tailored veterinary treatment plans on the same day as presentation, facilitating effective use of antibiotics and promoting antimicrobial stewardship.Impact statementAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to veterinary and human healthcare. It is a one-health problem, as humans and dogs are in close contact, require similar antibiotics, and share bacterial pathogens and AMR genes. Limited treatments options due to AMR would have a catastrophic effect. The risk of infection would render much of modern healthcare (including critical care, orthopaedic and complex surgeries, implants and oncology) impossible. In addition, routine infections could become life threatening. It is therefore critical to preserve the efficacy of these drugs for the future. Inappropriate antimicrobial use is the single biggest factor driving AMR. Antimicrobial stewardship involves reducing antimicrobial use, using first-line narrow-spectrum drugs, and avoiding overly long treatment. Delays in culture-based diagnosis lead clinicians to speculatively use broad-spectrum antibiotics and prolong courses of treatment beyond clinical cure. Our rapid diagnostic approach will have a major impact in reducing, refining and replacing antibiotic use. This will advance antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary and human healthcare.Data summaryAll sequencing data mentioned in this work is available from NCBI, BioProject PRJNA925092, Biosamples SAMN32880396 to SAMN32880438, run accessions SRR23195371 to SRR23195413.The authors confirm all supporting data, code and protocols have been provided within the article or through supplementary data files.

Peer reviewed: True, Most new pathogens of humans and animals arise via switching events from distinct host species. However, our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological drivers of successful host adaptation, expansion, and dissemination are limited. Staphylococcus aureus is a major bacterial pathogen of humans and a leading cause of mastitis in dairy cows worldwide. Here we trace the evolutionary history of bovine S. aureus using a global dataset of 10,254 S. aureus genomes including 1,896 bovine isolates from 32 countries in 6 continents. We identified 7 major contemporary endemic clones of S. aureus causing bovine mastitis around the world and traced them back to 4 independent host-jump events from humans that occurred up to 2,500 y ago. Individual clones emerged and underwent clonal expansion from the mid-19th to late 20th century coinciding with the commercialization and industrialization of dairy farming, and older lineages have become globally distributed via established cattle trade links. Importantly, we identified lineage-dependent differences in the frequency of host transmission events between humans and cows in both directions revealing high risk clones threatening veterinary and human health. Finally, pangenome network analysis revealed that some bovine S. aureus lineages contained distinct sets of bovine-associated genes, consistent with multiple trajectories to host adaptation via gene acquisition. Taken together, we have dissected the evolutionary history of a major endemic pathogen of livestock providing a comprehensive temporal, geographic, and gene-level perspective of its remarkable success.

Genetic similarity between eukaryotic host species is an important determinant of the outcome of virus host shifts, where a pathogen infects a novel host species. However, it is less clear if this is the case for prokaryotes where anti-virus defences can be transmitted by horizontal gene transfer and evolve rapidly. Understanding the patterns and determinants of cross-species transmissions may provide insights into the processes underlying pathogen emergence. Here, we measure the susceptibility of 64 strains ofStaphylococcusbacteria (48 strains ofS. aureusand 16 non-aureusspecies) to the bacteriophage ISP, which is currently under investigation for use in phage therapy. Using three methods – plaque assays, optical density (OD) assays, and quantitative (q)PCR – we find that the host phylogeny explains a large proportion of the variation in susceptibility to ISP across the host panel. These patterns were consistent in models of onlyS. aureusstrains and models with a single representative from eachStaphylococcusspecies, suggesting that these phylogenetic effects are conserved both within and among host species. We find positive correlations between susceptibility assessed using a binary measure of plaque assay, OD, and qPCR, but not between the continuous component of plaque assay and any other method, suggesting that plaque assays alone may be inadequate to assess host range. Together, our results demonstrate the ability of bacterial host evolutionary relatedness to explain differences in susceptibility to phage infection, with implications for the development of ISP both as a phage therapy treatment and as an experimental system for the study of virus host shifts.

Objectives To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of methicillin-resistant staphylococci on dairy farms in England and Wales including zoonotic MRSA. Methods Bulk tank milk was sampled from 363 dairy farms in 2015-2016 and methicillin-resistant staphylococci were isolated by salt broth enrichment and plating on MRSA Brilliance selective agar. Isolates were characterised through antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing. Results Methicillin-resistant staphylococci were isolated from ∼5% of dairy farms and belonged to six different species, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus lentus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Staphylococcus fleurettii and Staphylococcus sciuri. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a large variety of antimicrobial resistance genes and SCCmec elements were present, including mecA and mecC alleles. Potentially zoonotic methicillin-resistance S. aureus were found at a low prevalence (0.83% of sampled dairy farms). Whole-genome sequencing also provided evidence for the mobility of a primordial mec gene complex, independently of a SCCmec element, which appears to have been acquired by S. saprophyticus from S. fleurettii. Conclusions These data give new insight into the epidemiology of veterinary methicillin-resistant staphylococci to inform future surveillance and zoonotic risk evaluation. Our data indicate that MRSA has likely decreased in prevalence since earlier survey work in England and Wales during 2011-12 and highlights the diversity of methicillin resistance and other resistance determinants among bovine-associated staphylococci with implications for veterinary and human medicine.

This erratum corrects measurements of the prompt and secondary (from-b).

X.D. was funded by a grant from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit in Genomics and Enabling Data (no. NIHR200892). M.A.H. was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council (nos. G1001787/1, MR/N002660/1 and MR/P007201/1) and the Economic and Social Research Council (no. ES/S000186/1). E.M.H. was supported by a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Fellowship (no. MR/S00291X/1). The discovery of antibiotics more than 80 years ago has led to considerable improvements in human and animal health. Although antibiotic resistance in environmental bacteria is ancient, resistance in human pathogens is thought to be a modern phenomenon that is driven by the clinical use of antibiotics1. Here we show that particular lineages of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus—a notorious human pathogen—appeared in European hedgehogs in the pre-antibiotic era. Subsequently, these lineages spread within the local hedgehog populations and between hedgehogs and secondary hosts, including livestock and humans. We also demonstrate that the hedgehog dermatophyte Trichophyton erinacei produces two β-lactam antibiotics that provide a natural selective environment in which methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates have an advantage over susceptible isolates. Together, these results suggest that methicillin resistance emerged in the pre-antibiotic era as a co-evolutionary adaptation of S. aureus to the colonization of dermatophyte-infected hedgehogs. The evolution of clinically relevant antibiotic-resistance genes in wild animals and the connectivity of natural, agricultural and human ecosystems demonstrate that the use of a One Health approach is critical for our understanding and management of antibiotic resistance, which is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development. Publisher PDF

We present a comprehensive analysis of 653 optical candidate counterparts reported during the third gravitational wave (GW) observing run. Our sample concentrates on candidates from the 15 events (published in GWTC-2, GWTC-3 or not retracted on GraceDB) that had a >1% chance of including a neutron star in order to assess their viability as true kilonovae. In particular, we leverage tools available in real time, including pre-merger detections and cross-matching with catalogs (i.e. point source, variable star, quasar and host galaxy redshift datasets), to eliminate 65% of candidates in our sample. We further employ spectroscopic classifications, late-time detections and light curve behavior analyses, and conclude that 66 candidates remain viable kilonovae. These candidates lack sufficient information to determine their classifications, and the majority would require luminosities greater than that of AT2017gfo. Pre-merger detections in public photometric survey data and comparison of catalogued host galaxy redshifts with the GW event distances are critical to incorporate into vetting procedures, as these tools eliminated >20% and >30% of candidates, respectively. We expect that such tools which leverage archival information will significantly reduce the strain on spectroscopic and photometric follow-up resources in future observing runs. Finally, we discuss the critical role prompt updates from GW astronomers to the EM community play in reducing the number of candidates requiring vetting., Accepted to ApJ

The Earth system and the human system are intrinsically linked. Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions have led to the climate crisis, which is causing unprecedented extreme events and could trigger Earth system tipping elements. Physical and social forces can lead to tipping points and cascading effects via feedbacks and telecoupling, but the current generation of climate-economy models do not generally take account of these interactions and feedbacks. Here, we show the importance of the interplay between human societies and Earth systems in creating tipping points and cascading effects and the way they in turn affect sustainability and security. The lack of modeling of these links can lead to an underestimation of climate and societal risks as well as how societal tipping points can be harnessed to moderate physical impacts. This calls for the systematic development of models for a better integration and understanding of Earth and human systems at different spatial and temporal scales, specifically those that enable decision-making to reduce the likelihood of crossing local or global tipping points., Environmental Research Letters, 17 (1), ISSN:1748-9326, ISSN:1748-9318

Introduction. Staphylococcus coagulans (formerly Staphylococcus schleiferi subsp. coagulans ) is a common commensal and opportunistic pathogen of companion dogs. It carries a range of antimicrobial resistance genes and is an occasional zoonotic pathogen. Hypothesis/Gap Statement. Despite the potential insight offered by genome sequencing into the biology of S. coagulans , few genomes are currently available for study. Aim. To sequence and analyse S. coagulans genomes to improve understanding of this organism’s molecular epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance and bacterium–host interactions. Methodology. Twenty-five genomes of clinical isolates collected at a veterinary referral hospital in Scotland, UK, were sequenced with Illumina technology. These genomes were analysed by a series of bioinformatics tools along with 16 previously sequenced genomes. Results. Phylogenetic comparison of the 41 genomes shows that the current S. coagulans phylogeny is dominated by clades of closely related isolates, at least one of which has spread internationally. Ten of the 11 methicillin-resistant S. coagulans genomes in this collection of 41 encoded the mecA promoter and gene mutations that are predicted to render the isolates susceptible to penicillins in the presence of clavulanic acid, a feature only described to date in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Seven such isolates were from the current study and, in line with the genome-based prediction, all were susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in vitro. S. coagulans shared very few highly conserved virulence-associated genes with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius , another common commensal and opportunistic canine pathogen. Conclusion. The availability of a further 25 genome sequences from clinical S. coagulans isolates will aid in better understanding the epidemiology, bacterial–host interactions and antimicrobial resistance of this opportunistic pathogen.

Introduction Staphylococcus coagulans (formerly Staphylococcus schleiferi subsp. coagulans ) is a common commensal and opportunistic pathogen of companion dogs. It carries a range of antimicrobial resistance genes and is an occasional zoonotic pathogen. Hypothesis/Gap Statement Despite the potential insight offered by genome sequencing into the biology of S. coagulans , few genomes are currently available for study. Aim To sequence and analyse S. coagulans genomes to improve understanding of this organism’s molecular epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance and bacterium–host interactions. Methodology Twenty-five genomes of clinical isolates collected at a veterinary referral hospital in Scotland, UK, were sequenced with Illumina technology. These genomes were analysed by a series of bioinformatics tools along with 16 previously sequenced genomes. Results Phylogenetic comparison of the 41 genomes shows that the current S. coagulans phylogeny is dominated by clades of closely related isolates, at least one of which has spread internationally. Ten of the 11 methicillin-resistant S. coagulans genomes in this collection of 41 encoded the mecA promoter and gene mutations that are predicted to render the isolates susceptible to penicillins in the presence of clavulanic acid, a feature only described to date in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Seven such isolates were from the current study and, in line with the genome-based prediction, all were susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in vitro. S. coagulans shared very few highly conserved virulence-associated genes with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius , another common commensal and opportunistic canine pathogen. Conclusion The availability of a further 25 genome sequences from clinical S. coagulans isolates will aid in better understanding the epidemiology, bacterial–host interactions and antimicrobial resistance of this opportunistic pathogen.

The bacterial genus Staphylococcus comprises a large group of pathogenic and nonpathogenic species associated with an array of host species. Staphylococci are differentiated into coagulase-positive or coagulase-negative groups based on the capacity to promote clotting of plasma, a phenotype historically associated with the ability to cause disease. However, the genetic basis of this important diagnostic and pathogenic trait across the genus has not been examined to date. Here, we selected 54 representative staphylococcal species and subspecies to examine coagulation of plasma derived from six representative host species. In total, 13 staphylococcal species mediated coagulation of plasma from at least one host species including one previously identified as coagulase negative (Staphylococcus condimenti). Comparative genomic analysis revealed that coagulase activity correlated with the presence of a gene (vwb) encoding the von Willebrand binding protein (vWbp) whereas only the Staphylococcus aureus complex contained a gene encoding staphylocoagulase (Coa), the classical mediator of coagulation. Importantly, S. aureus retained vwb-dependent coagulase activity in an S. aureus strain deleted for coa whereas deletion of vwb in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius resulted in loss of coagulase activity. Whole-genome-based phylogenetic reconstruction of the Staphylococcus genus revealed that the vwb gene has been acquired on at least four different occasions during the evolution of the Staphylococcus genus followed by allelic diversification via mutation and recombination. Allelic variants of vWbp from selected coagulase-positive staphylococci mediated coagulation in a host-dependent manner indicative of host-adaptive evolution. Taken together, we have determined the genetic and evolutionary basis of staphylococcal coagulation, revealing vWbp to be its archetypal determinant. IMPORTANCE The ability of some species of staphylococci to promote coagulation of plasma is a key pathogenic and diagnostic trait. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the coagulase positivity of the staphylococci and its evolutionary genetic basis. We demonstrate that the von Willebrand binding protein rather than staphylocoagulase is the archetypal coagulation factor of the staphylococci and that the vwb gene has been acquired several times independently during the evolution of the staphylococci. Subsequently, vwb has undergone adaptive diversification to facilitate host-specific functionality. Our findings provide important insights into the evolution of pathogenicity among the staphylococci and the genetic basis for a defining diagnostic phenotype.

Two strains, H8/1Tand H16/1AT, of Gram-stain-positive, coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated from separate healthy domestic dogs in Scotland. Both strains were genome sequenced and their inferred DNA–DNA hybridisation indicates that H8/1Tand H16/1ATrepresent two novel species of the genusStaphylococcus. On the basis of the results of genome sequence analysis (genomeblastdistance phylogeny and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis) H8/1Tis most closely related toStaphylococcus devrieseiand H16/1ATmost closely related toStaphylococcus felis. Also, average nucleotide identity distinguished H8/1Tand H16/1ATfromS. devrieseiandS. felisas did minor phenotypic differences. On the basis of these results, it is proposed that H8/1Tand H16/1ATrepresent novel species with the respective namesStaphylococcus caledonicusandStaphylococcus canis. The type strain ofS. caledonicusis H8/1T(=NCTC 14452T=CCUG 74789T). The type strain ofS. canisis H16/1AT(=NCTC 14451T=CCUG 74790T)

MITF, a gene that is mutated in familial melanoma and Waardenburg syndrome, encodes multiple isoforms expressed from alternative promoters that share common coding exons but have unique amino termini. It is not completely understood how these isoforms influence pigmentation in different tissues and how the expression of these independent isoforms of MITF is regulated. Here, we show that melanocytes express two isoforms of MITF, MITF-A and MITF-M. The expression of MITF-A is partially regulated by a newly identified retinoid enhancer element located upstream of the MITF-A promoter. Mitf-A knockout mice have only subtle changes in melanin accumulation in the hair and reduced Tyr expression in the eye. In contrast, Mitf-M-null mice have enlarged kidneys, lack neural crest-derived melanocytes in the skin, choroid, and iris stroma, yet maintain pigmentation within the retinal pigment epithelium and iris pigment epithelium of the eye. Taken together, these studies identify a critical role for MITF-M in melanocytes, a minor role for MITF-A in regulating pigmentation in the hair and Tyr expression in the eye, and a novel role for MITF-M in size control of the kidney.

BACKGROUND: The Microsoft Kinect has been used previously to assess spatiotemporal aspects of gait; however the reliability of this system for the assessment of people following stroke has not been established. This study examined the reliability and additional information that the Kinect provides when instrumenting a gait assessment in people living with stroke.METHODS: The spatiotemporal variables of step length, step length asymmetry, foot swing velocity, foot swing velocity asymmetry, peak and mean gait speed and the percentage difference between the peak and mean gait speed were assessed during gait trials in 30 outpatients more than three months post-stroke and able to stand unsupported. Additional clinical assessments of functional reach (FR), step test (ST), 10 m walk test (10MWT) and the timed up and go (TUG) were performed, along with force platform instrumented assessments of center of pressure path length velocity during double-legged standing balance with eyes closed (DLEC), weight bearing asymmetry (WBA) and dynamic medial-lateral weight-shifting ability (MLWS). These tests were performed on two separate occasions, seven days apart for reliability assessment. Separate adjusted multiple regressions models for predicting scores on the clinical and force platform assessments were created using 1) the easily assessed clinically-derived gait variables 10MWT time and total number of steps; and 2) the Kinect-derived variables which were found to be reliable (ICC > 0.75) and not strongly correlated (Spearman's ρ 0.80), but many were redundant. The final regression model using Kinect-derived variables consisted of the asymmetry scores, mean gait velocity, affected limb foot swing velocity and the difference between peak and mean gait velocity. In comparison with the clinically-derived regression model, the Kinect-derived model accounted for >15% more variance on the MLWS, ST and FR tests and scored similarly on all other measures.CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, instrumenting gait using the Kinect is reliable and provides insight into the dynamic balance capacity of people living with stroke. This system provides a minimally intrusive method of examining potentially important gait characteristics in people living with stroke.

GW190814 was a compact object binary coalescence detected in gravitational waves by Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo that garnered exceptional community interest due to its excellent localization and the uncertain nature of the binary's lighter-mass component (either the heaviest known neutron star, or the lightest known black hole). Despite extensive follow up observations, no electromagnetic counterpart has been identified. Here we present new radio observations of 75 galaxies within the localization volume at $\Delta t\approx 35-266$ days post-merger. Our observations cover $\sim32$% of the total stellar luminosity in the final localization volume and extend to later timescales than previously-reported searches, allowing us to place the deepest constraints to date on the existence of a radio afterglow from a highly off-axis relativistic jet launched during the merger (assuming that the merger occurred within the observed area). For a viewing angle of $\sim46^{\circ}$ (the best-fit binary inclination derived from the gravitational wave signal) and assumed electron and magnetic field energy fractions of $\epsilon_e=0.1$ and $\epsilon_B=0.01$, we can rule out a typical short gamma-ray burst-like Gaussian jet with isotropic-equivalent kinetic energy $2\times10^{51}$ erg propagating into a constant density medium $n\gtrsim0.01$ cm$^{-3}$. These are the first limits resulting from a galaxy-targeted search for a radio counterpart to a gravitational wave event, and we discuss the challenges, and possible advantages, of applying similar search strategies to future events using current and upcoming radio facilities., Comment: Accepted to ApJ; text and figures updated to match accepted version. 20 pages, 6 figures, 1 table

Content: Warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA) is a rare disorder that can have serious complications. In this disorder, autoantibodies bind to antigens on red blood cells leading to phagocytosis and destruction of the cells. This is mediated by Fcg receptors on macrophages through a spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK)-dependent pathway. Fostamatinib is a potent, oral SYK inhibitor approved for the treatment of chronic immune thrombocytopenia. Fostamatinib prevents platelet destruction by inhibition of platelet phagocytosis mediated through Fcg receptor and SYK in macrophages. Fostamatinib was evaluated for wAIHA in an open-label, multicenter, phase 2 study (NCT02612558). This study demonstrated markedly improved hemoglobin levels in 11 of 25 patients (44%) after fostamatinib treatment. Adverse events (AEs) were consistent with the safety database (>4000 patients across multiple diseases). Based on this phase 2 study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, global phase 3 study (NCT03764618) was initiated in wAIHA patients to investigate the safety and efficacy of fostamatinib. The phase 3 study began enrolling patients at 103 sites in 22 countries (North America, Europe and Australia) in 2020 with a goal of enrolling approximately 90 patients. This is the first phase 3 study to evaluate a SYK inhibitor for the treatment of wAIHA. Inclusion criteria include: age ?18;documented diagnosis of primary or secondary wAIHA;failure of ?1 prior wAIHA treatment;haptoglobin below normal or total bilirubin above normal or lactate dehydrogenase above normal;and baseline hemoglobin ?9 g/dl or, if hemoglobin >9 g/dl and 1.5 x normal. Randomization of eligible patients will be 1:1 to fostamatinib or placebo for 24 weeks. Randomized patients will be stratified by concomitant steroid use and baseline anemia severity. Fostamatinib is started at 100 mg BID and increased to 150 mg BID at Week 4, if tolerated. The dose may be reduced for AEs. Patients may continue selected concurrent wAIHA therapies (maximum of 2) throughout the study. A steroid taper will be allowed in patients with a hemoglobin response. Rescue therapy will also be allowed. Patients who complete the study can rollover to an open-label extension. Efficacy endpoints will include hemoglobin response, ( ?10 g/dl with a ?2 g/dl increase from baseline without rescue therapy);duration of hemoglobin response;and the need for rescue therapy. Safety endpoints will be the recording of AEs. Patients will be evaluated in the clinic at two-week intervals. Using the Cochran Mantel Haenszel test at a two-sided significance level of 0.05, to detect a difference in response between the active and placebo groups with 80% power would require 90 subjects randomized 1:1. The response rate will be compared between groups using a chi-square test adjusted for randomization stratification factors. As of 11 January 2021, 62 sites are open to screening (subject to local COVID-19 regulations), and 64 patients have been randomized.

A methicillin-resistant Macrococcus isolate from canine otitis, H889678/16/1, was whole-genome sequenced using HiSeq technology to identify the species, antimicrobial resistance determinates and their genomic context. H889678/16/1 belonged to the newly described species Macrococcus bohemicus. It encoded mecB within a novel SCCmec element most similar to that of Macrococcus canis KM45013T. This SCCmecH889678/16/1 element also encoded blaZm and fusC, but no other resistance determinates were found in the H889678/16/1 genome. The ccrA and ccrB recombinase genes within SCCmecH889678/16/1 were distinct from those previously described in staphylococci and macrococci and therefore designated here as ccrAm3 and ccrBm3. Our study represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first description of mecB being encoded by M. bohemicus and of methicillin resistance in this species. Furthermore, the SCCmec described here is highly dissimilar to other such elements and encodes novel ccr genes. Our report demonstrates a wider distribution of mecB among Macrococcus species and expands the genomic context in which mecB may be found. The potential for dissemination of mec genes from Macrococcus to related but more pathogenic Staphylococcus species highlights the need to understand the epidemiology of these genes in macrococci.

Reports on the commensal organism and opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus schleiferi have largely considered isolates from humans and companion dogs. Two subspecies are recognized: the coagulase-negative S. schleiferi ssp. schleiferi, typically seen in humans, and the coagulase-positive S. schleiferi ssp. coagulans, typically seen in dogs. In this study, we report the isolation, genome sequencing and comparative genomics of three S. schleiferi ssp. coagulans isolates from mouth samples from two species of healthy, free-living Antarctic seals, southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) and Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella), in the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica, and three isolates from post-mortem samples from grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in Scotland, UK. This is the first report of S. schleiferi ssp. coagulans isolation from Antarctic fur seal and grey seal. The Antarctic fur seal represents the first isolation of S. schleiferi ssp. coagulans from the family Otariidae, while the grey seal represents the first isolation from a pinniped in the Northern Hemisphere. We compare seal, dog and human isolates from both S. schleiferi subspecies in the first genome-based phylogenetic analysis of the species.

Case summary A 12-year-old female neutered indoor–outdoor domestic longhair cat presented with frequent sneezing and a nodular, suppurative lesion on its dorsal nose. Histopathological examination revealed a fungal granuloma. PCR and sequencing of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS) regions (ITS-F and ITS-R) confirmed an infection with a Sporothrix species. Further sequencing of the beta-tubulin and calmodulin genes confirmed Sporothrix humicola , which lies within the Sporothrix pallida complex. The cat had concurrent diabetes mellitus, which responded to insulin therapy and diet. Oral itraconazole at 10 mg/kg PO q24h resulted in resolution of the lesions after 12 months. Treatment was well tolerated. Relevance and novel information This is the first report of sporotrichosis in a cat in the UK and only the fifth worldwide involving the S pallida complex. Clinicians, pathologists and microbiologists need to be aware of the potential of Sporothrix infections in the UK and the ability of S pallida complex to cause opportunistic infections. Molecular techniques can achieve rapid and accurate identification of rare fungal organisms. A precise diagnosis with molecular testing can provide information regarding prognosis, treatment and zoonotic implications.

Case summary A 12-year-old female neutered indoor–outdoor domestic longhair cat presented with frequent sneezing and a nodular, suppurative lesion on its dorsal nose. Histopathological examination revealed a fungal granuloma. PCR and sequencing of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS) regions (ITS-F and ITS-R) confirmed an infection with a Sporothrix species. Further sequencing of the beta-tubulin and calmodulin genes confirmed Sporothrix humicola, which lies within the Sporothrix pallida complex. The cat had concurrent diabetes mellitus, which responded to insulin therapy and diet. Oral itraconazole at 10 mg/kg PO q24h resulted in resolution of the lesions after 12 months. Treatment was well tolerated. Relevance and novel information This is the first report of sporotrichosis in a cat in the UK and only the fifth worldwide involving the S pallida complex. Clinicians, pathologists and microbiologists need to be aware of the potential of Sporothrix infections in the UK and the ability of S pallida complex to cause opportunistic infections. Molecular techniques can achieve rapid and accurate identification of rare fungal organisms. A precise diagnosis with molecular testing can provide information regarding prognosis, treatment and zoonotic implications.