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Colistin resistance poses a significant clinical challenge, particularly in Gram-negative bacteria. This study investigates the occurrence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance among Enterobacterales isolates (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterobacter spp.) and non-fermentative rods (Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). We analyzed 114 colistin-resistant isolates that were selected, based on resistance phenotypes, and isolated between 2019 and 2023. To achieve this, we used the rapid immunochromatographic test, NG-Test® MCR-1; multiplex PCR for mcr-1 to mcr-8, and real-time PCR for mcr-1 and mcr-2. One E. coli isolate was identified as carrying the mcr-1 gene, confirmed by NG-Test® MCR-1, multiplex PCR and whole-genome sequencing. This strain, belonging to ST69, harbored four plasmids, harboring different antimicrobial resistance genes, with mcr-1 being located on a 33,304 bp circular IncX4 plasmid. No mcr-2 to mcr-8-positive isolates were detected, prompting further investigation into alternative colistin resistance mechanisms. This is the first report of a mcr-1-positive, colistin-resistant E. coli isolated from a human clinical sample in the North-East of Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the main threats to public health, with multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens on the rise across continents. Although treatment guidelines generally recommend antimicrobial therapy for acute complicated diverticulitis, they do not specify treatment pathways according to local or national resistance profiles. There is sparse data regarding specific pathogens involved in Hinchey II–IV patients who undergo surgery. This study seeks to address these issues and determine how often and what types of MDR bacteria occur in patients undergoing emergency surgery. We prospectively enrolled patients admitted between 2020–2023 and who underwent emergency surgery for complicated acute diverticulitis. We analysed the inflammatory response parameters at admission, the type of surgery employed for source control, identified pathogens in the peritoneal samples, their antimicrobial susceptibility, the efficacy of antimicrobial empiric therapy, and mortality. Gram-negative bacteria were identified most often, with Escherichia coli being mostly MDR (43.9%) or extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing (ESBL +ve) (24.4%), while most strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase positive (ESBL +ve) (80%) and MDR (80%). Of the Enterococcus spp., 57.14% were vancomycin-resistant (VRE) strains. Patients with Hinchey III/IV were significantly more associated with MDR. Patients with multiple pathogens were significantly associated with ESBL+/VRE strains. Age, leucocytosis, and procalcitonin levels at admission were good indicators for mortality prediction, which occurred in four cases. In an age when antibiotic stewardship is advisable especially in emergency settings, the treatment should be tailored according to local profiles of MDR to ensure adequate outcomes for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), first used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), have been approved for the treatment of obesity in patients with or without T2DM (liraglutide—LIR, semaglutide—SEM, and tirzepatide—TIR). Social media had an important influence on the off-label use of GLP-1 RAs for obesity, especially for SEM. We analyzed the Google queries related to SEM to assess people's interest in this drug. We also investigated the occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by searching the EudraVigilance database (EV) for Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs) that reported SEM as the suspected drug and performed a descriptive and a disproportionality analysis. The data obtained for SEM were compared to other GLP-1 RAs. SEM had the highest proportions of searches on Google associated with the term "weight loss" and presented the lowest number of severe ADRs, but it also had the highest number of ICSRs reported in EV. Even though no unexpected safety issues have been reported for it until now, SEM has a hi3gh tendency for overdose reports. The most frequent off-label use was reported for SEM and TIR. In order to lower the risks of ADRs, the off-label use should be reduced and carefully monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Farmacia is the property of Societatea de Stiinte Farmaceutice Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The genus Borrelia is represented by spirochetes that, once entered the human or animal body, can migrate to different organs, including the central nervous system. The aim of the study was to develop a murine neuroborreliosis model by inoculating a strain of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). 2 studies were conducted using BALB/c and CD1 mice strains, female, 8 weeks old, 22 grams at baseline. The selected animals were inoculated with Bb (106 spirochetes/mL), depending on the protocol, intradermally (100µL/animal) or intracerebrally (10µL/animal). For the evaluation of the neuroborreliosis development, endpoints were established at 1, 3, 6, 8 and 13 weeks post-infection, when samples of dura mater, brain, ear, heart, knee joint and bladder were collected, and maintained in culture medium specific for the growth of Borrelia. Recovery of Bb was possible from samples harvested 7 days post-infection from animals inoculated both intradermally and intracerebrally. Through the experiments we have developed a model of neuroborreliosis in two mice strains that can be useful for the study of the development of new therapeutic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gram-negative bacteria, such as Enterobacterales, can associate enzymatic resistance mechanisms, such as beta-lactamase production, causing hard-to-treat infections. Genes encoding these enzymes are frequently found on mobile genetic elements, which eases their spread. Carbapenemase production, but also other enzymatic and non-enzymatic resistance mechanisms, individually or associated, may be responsible for carbapenem resistance, and their correct identification is important for implementing the correct infection control measures and, sometimes, choosing the right treatment. For this article, disk-diffusion antibiograms were performed according to the EUCAST guidelines, using a collection of well-characterized bacterial strains and various antibiotic disks, including certain "key" antibiotics. Supplementary, cloxacillin-infused Mueller-Hinton agar plates were used to differentiate AmpC producers from non-producers phenotypically. The phenotypic features that may be observed on the disk-diffusion antibiogram, which can help identify and differentiate the production of the most common carbapenemases, alone or in combination with other mechanisms, were described. For Ambler class A, KPC alone or combined with ESBL was presented; for Ambler class B, NDM, VIM, and IMP enzymes were chosen, with emphasis on NDM and VIM with different associations; and for Ambler class D, OXA-48 and one of the most problematic mutants, OXA-244, were highlighted. The disk-diffusion antibiogram is a cheap and easy-to-use tool with high diagnostic value when interpreted correctly by the microbiology laboratory practitioner. This article represents the second part of a guide that should help evaluate it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Romanian Archives of Microbiology & Immunology is the property of Institutul Cantacuzino and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Romanian Archives of Microbiology & Immunology is the property of Institutul Cantacuzino and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) is the pathogen carried asymptomatically in the nasopharynx but which under certain conditions can produce meningitis or even multi-organ failure. Experimental induction of meningitis in an animal model is necessary for testing new nanopharmaceutical products. Thus, the aim of the study was to establish the concentration of Nm capable of inducing the disease. We carried out 2 studies where we tested different concentrations of Nm obtained by the nephelometric and spectrophotometric methods. In the first study we included 20 BALB/c mice, and in the second 24. Local and general clinical signs, complete with body temperature values, body weight, hematological, microbiological and histopathological examination were important indicators for the assessment of the establishment of meningitis. The clinical results have pronounced depression in the first 2 days after inoculation, then the general condition will appear. The microbiological and histopathological examination indicated the presence of bacteria at the brain level and specific meningeal lesions only in the case of the second attempt, but the early mortality, requires additional testing of the bacterial concentration that induces meningites in a stable and persistent way so that treatment against the condition can be tested later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Romanian Archives of Microbiology & Immunology is the property of Institutul Cantacuzino and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, a spectrophotometric method for the quantitative determination of zinc in a dietary supplement was validated. Zinc forms a ternary complex with Xylenol Orange and cetylpyridinium chloride in acetate buffer at pH = 5.5. The complex exhibits an absorption maximum at 560 nm. Linearity (range was 0.5–1.5 µg/mL, and correlation coefficient of the calibration curve was 0.9998), precision (repeatability variation coefficient and reproducibility variation coefficient were 1.57% and 1.77%, respectively), and accuracy (confidence interval of the mean recovery was 98.29–100.55%) of this method fulfil current pharmacopeial requests. Results obtained by spectrophotometric method were statistically compared with ones obtained by atomic absorption spectrometry and good agreement was found. The method can be applied routinely for quality control of solid pharmaceutical dosage forms containing zinc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Romanian Archives of Microbiology & Immunology is the property of Institutul Cantacuzino and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Romanian Archives of Microbiology & Immunology is the property of Institutul Cantacuzino and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Farmacia is the property of Societatea de Stiinte Farmaceutice Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of our study is to identify the relation between ocular symptoms and clinical diagnostic tests in dry eye disease with a view to finding an optimal combination of diagnostic tests. Spearmen's correlation coefficient was used to describe the correlation between symptoms (OSDI) and clinical signs (Schirmer test I, contrast sensitivity, Tear breakup time (TBUT) and Oxford staining schema). The results were compared with the findings in current literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Farmacia is the property of Societatea de Stiinte Farmaceutice Romania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: Fast and accurate diagnostic tests to identify carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) are mandatory for proper antimicrobial therapy and implementing infection control measures. Here, we have developed a rapid Carbapenem Inactivation Method (rCIM) for CPE detection.Methods: The rCIM consists of the incubation of a potential carbapenemase producer with meropenem discs and use of the resulting supernatant to challenge a susceptible indicator strain. Growth of the indicator strain is monitored using a nephelometer. The performances of the rCIM were compared with the CIM and Carba NP tests using a collection of 113 well-characterized carbapenem-resistant enterobacterial isolates, including 85 carbapenemase producers and 28 non-carbapenemase producers. In addition, rCIM was compared with the Carba NP test and PCR sequencing in a prospective analysis of 101 carbapenem-resistant enterobacterial isolates addressed to the French National Reference Center for Antimicrobial Resistance in July 2017.Results and discussion: The rCIM correctly identified 84/85 carbapenemase producers and 28/28 non-carbapenemase producers, yielding a sensitivity of 99% and a specificity of 100%, slightly higher than the CIM and Carba NP test. In the prospective validation study, the rCIM showed a sensitivity and specificity of 97% and 95%, respectively. Two cephalosporinase-hyperproducing Enterobacter cloacae gave false-positive results, whereas an IMI-17-producing Enterobacter asburiae gave a false-negative result. The result was, however, positive when the isolate was grown on selective antibiotic-containing media.Conclusions: The rCIM is a rapid (less than 3 h), cheap and accurate test for the detection of CPEs, which can be implemented in low-resource settings, making it a useful tool for microbiology laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]